"So, did you figure out if you two actually slept together?"

Emma's eyes widen as she looks over at Elsa. "I told you, we didn't," she whisper-shouts to her cousin.

After Killian left that morning, Emma was freaking out, thinking maybe, possibly, she did sleep with him, so she called her cousins to vent. She may have insisted nothing happened that night, even though she wasn't sure. Especially since she found pictures she'd snapped of them the night before—pictures of them kissing at a table at Wild Bull, and an actual kiss on the lips, not cheek-kissing—which must've taken place after they both rode the bull. She may have taken a few pregnancy tests just to be sure (which all turned out to be negative) but she refuses to believe anything happened between them. They were both pretty smashed that night, so she thinks they probably kissed, went back to her place planning to have sex and even went as far as to undress, but they were both too tired and ended up passing out on the couch together.

Or at least, that's what she likes to believe.

"He's really handsome, by the way," Anna beams as the three of them watch Killian chase the kids around the backyard, pretending to be a dinosaur. "And he seems to be really good with the children."

Elsa nods in agreement. "Daisy sure seems to like him, too," she comments about her ten-year-old daughter.

Emma nurses her coffee so she doesn't have to respond. Of course she agrees; Killian is gorgeous and he's amazing with kids and he's fun to be around, plus he's not a complete douchebag like Neal, and he most likely wouldn't break her heart into a million pieces. He's perfect, actually, but she knows from experience no one is truly perfect.

Everyone has their flaws and their own set of personal baggage, and she knows nothing, and she means nothing, is ever as good as it seems. She'd learned that the hard way more than once. But she's content with just being friends with him. She's happy to spend more time with him, regardless of any romantic feelings she may be developing. Every holiday they've spent together so far has been significantly more fun than if she'd spent them alone. And for once in her life, her family isn't trying to set her up with anyone or feeling sorry for her.

If her brother wasn't at his soon-to-be in-laws' since he and Audrey spent Christmas with his family, he wouldn't even get to mock Emma for being alone on yet another holiday. Pretending to date Killian has kept even her mother at bay for the moment. She didn't seem happy when Emma mentioned she was bringing Killian to Easter brunch, but only because she invited her neighbor, Graham, over to the house after the children's Easter egg hunt.

"Happy Easter, my little bunnies!" Aunt Ruby greets as she enters the backyard, making her appearance in a black playboy bunny costume and long fuzzy ears. "This is Jesús," she introduces her holidate, who has long, wavy brown hair, a beard and is dressed in all white.

Mary Margaret gasps as she approaches her best friend, gaping at her in horror. "What in God's name are you wearing?!"

Ruby furrows her brows, not knowing what Mary Margaret's problem is. "Bunny ears."

Elsa and Anna are both amused and snorting into their palms, but not really surprised. They leave the picnic table and head toward their children, urging them toward the play castle Kristoff, David and Leo had built for them. Emma's father is burying his face in his hands at the head of the table as Killian comes over and sits next to Emma, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She leans into him and buries her face in his chest, trying to fight back a laugh at her aunt.

"This is an Easter brunch and there are children here. This is not the time for an inappropriate costume," Emma's mother chides Ruby just before someone in a full bunny suit comes hopping toward them.

"Looks like someone else didn't get the memo," Emma remarks, taking a sip of her coffee.

The person removes the head to reveal Graham.

Just great.

Emma groans to herself. She can't believe her mother invited him. Well, actually, she can.

"Graham!" Mary Margaret rushes over to hug him. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Sorry I'm late. I was doing rounds for the kids in the cancer ward."

"Aww, so sweet." Emma's mother nearly swoons.

Ruby, who seems to be taken by him too, walks up to Graham and stops him in his tracks, placing her hand on his chest. "I like a man in fur."

Emma's mother pulls him away from her best friend, knowing exactly how she is and how she chews men up and spits them out. "You remember my daughter, Emma," she says, directing him toward her.

"Hi, of course." Graham extends his hand, and Emma flashes a polite smile, shaking it. "You're even prettier in person."

"Oh...thank you."

Killian thrusts his hand out to introduce himself to the other man. "I'm Killian. Nice to meet you. Dig the bunny suit."

"Thank you," Graham says, shaking his hand.

"I'm sorry, Graham." Emma's mother says, apology on her face. "We weren't expecting Emma to bring a guest."

Emma plasters on a fake smile. "Oh really? Because I remember explicitly saying I was bringing Killian."

Sensing the tension in the air, Graham quickly excuses himself from the table. "I'll just go say hi to the kids."

Once he's gone, Emma glares at her mother. "I can't believe you forgot I was bringing Killian and tried to set me up on Easter…" she gestures toward Graham, whispering, "with a bunny."

"I wasn't trying to set you up. He's our neighbor and didn't have any plans. I couldn't not invite him," her mother explains. She glances between Emma and Killian. "So does this mean you and Killian are a couple now?"

Emma looks at Killian, who gives her a reassuring nod, silently telling her it's okay to tell Mary Margaret they're together. Even though they're not. She turns back to her mother and nods. "Yes, we are. Now can you stop setting me up with Graham...or anyone else for that matter?"

Her mother sighs as if Emma's asking her to gouge her eyeballs out. "Fine…." She points to Killian. "But I'm expecting grandbabies soon, got it?"

Killian smiles bashfully, his cheeks flushed as he wraps his arm around Emma's shoulders again. "Of course."

"Sweetheart, don't pressure them. They'll have babies when they're ready," David says, getting up and walking over to his wife.

Thankfully, Mary Margaret drops the subject and heads inside the house to bring out the carrot cake she'd baked, her husband following close behind to help.

As soon as she's out of sight, Emma buries her face in her hands and groans. "I'm so sorry about her. She's so embarrassing."

Killian places a reassuring hand on her back and makes soothing circles over her white and red floral dress. "No judgments, remember?"

Emma lifts her head, flashing him a smile, thankful for the first rule of their holiday arrangement. "Thank you." She rests her head on his shoulder and he plants a kiss on her hair.

"Of course, love."

When her parents return with the cake and dessert plates, Emma and Killian each take a slice to the castle where Daisy fills three teacups from the teapot, pretending the fruit punch is tea.

"How are things with Levi, the juice box king?" Emma asks with a smile as she drinks her "tea" and recalls sitting next to Daisy at the kids' table on Christmas, listening as her niece confessed she had a boyfriend who shared his juice box with her everyday during recess.

"We broke up."

Emma's smile falls as she sets down her cup. "Aww, I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay. He wasn't ready for a real relationship. I need someone who's going to put me first." She shrugs. "Gotta go." She sets down her teacup and leaves the castle while Emma stares at her admirably.

"Wow, she's so smart."

Killian nods in agreement as he looks out the castle doorway and sees Graham passing his bunny head to one of Emma's nephews and letting him try it on. He's Anna's and Kristoff's kid and is a spitting image of his father, with his shaggy blonde hair and goofy smile.

"The bunny doctor seems nice," Killian comments, pointing toward him. "Maybe you should go for it."

Emma gapes at him, raising her brows in surprise as she takes a bite of her cake.

Please tell me he's not trying to set me up with him too, Emma grumbles inwardly.

"Really?"

Killian shrugs and takes a bite of his own slice. "Why not? Full head of hair…doctor…obviously great with kids…every woman's dream, right?"

She snorts, shaking her head slightly. "I don't know…maybe?" She sighs and hangs her head, frowning. "Even if he is, I'm not ready."

"It's been what...almost a year now?"

Emma snaps her head up, throwing him a glare. "So? Women process heartbreak differently. We need time. You just dump us and move on." Emma rolls her eyes, taking another sip of her drink.

"Oi, women can be just as brutal, trust me."

Emma tilts her head doubtfully.

"I know plenty of blokes who had their hearts crushed by some lass who pretended to care about them…who pretended to like his friends…and was interested in his hobbies like fishing...and cricket..." Emma raises her brows, quickly realizing he's not talking about his friends or guys in general, but rather his own personal experience with a woman who broke his heart. "And she even went as far as to fill his bathroom with all her girly crap and hide bobby pins in the strangest of places." His voice grows louder as the topic riles him up a bit. "And then one day…without warning…the bathroom's cleared out, Milah changed her phone number and snuck out of my flat with a panini maker."

Emma would have laughed at Killian's slip-up if she didn't feel bad for him. She knows exactly how it feels to think you're in a relationship for the long haul and then suddenly find out how wrong you were. It definitely hardens you.

"A fucking panini maker," he repeats in a whisper.

"Well…" Emma tries to think of something comforting to say. "Panini makers are expensive." As if that's supposed to make him feel better.

He nods and offers a sarcastic smile as he jabs a finger at his chest. "Oh, I know. I paid for it."

Silence fills the castle as they return to their cake. Emma's heart sinks as she thinks about what Killian just told her. She'd suspected some woman broke his heart, but he'd never mentioned it before now. And she can't understand why someone would do that to Killian. He may not be a doctor like Graham, but he's still perfect, from what she knows about him.

She wants so badly to let her walls down—to let him in. If only it were as easy for her as it is for the rest of her family.

Her dad and brother love him, probably more than they love Emma, her mother is happy thinking he will knock Emma up in the future and her cousins think he's a great guy. Which he is. And having her family accept him doesn't exactly help Emma reign in her feelings for him.

Not at all.

Which means she's completely screwed.

And not the good kind of screwed she thought she might have been on St. Patty's Day. No, the kind of screwed that might lead to her heart getting shattered into a million pieces again.