"Mum, check this out!" Henry grabbed onto the rope and swung down from the crow's nest to the deck then slid down a huge slide into the sand pit at the bottom.
"Nice one buddy!" Emma smiled, this place was amazing, and she loved seeing her adventurous son have so much fun. She sat down on the bench next to her daughter sleeping peacefully in her pram. She let out a sigh, sunk down into her seat and sipped her coffee.
She marvelled at her son's resilience towards everything that had happened, he missed his father, but he never lost his faith in happy endings and kept hold of his vitality for life. She was glad, he was such a good kid, Neal would be so proud of him!
She was lost in thought so didn't notice someone sit beside he until she was pulled back into reality when she heard a familiar Irish accent say, "you guys came!"
Her head shot around and her jaw dropped when she saw Killian Jones sitting beside her in a tight grey t-shirt, jeans and sunglasses smiling at her; after what seemed like minutes Emma realised she was staring and snapped out of it, blushed and bit her lip, damn he looked good! He looked so good in fact Emma was feeling incredibly intimidated. The best she could do was a stammered "h...hi"
Killian smiled, he realised he made her nervous and found that endearing, truth was he was nervous too, he didn't know where to begin talking to her, he just wanted a listening ear but if they were going to get anywhere she had to feel comfortable around him and he had to stop thinking about the way the sun hit her hair or how her eyes just drew you in or how kissable her lips looked...Bloody hell what was happening to him!
He cleared his throat, "if we're going to keep bumping into each other like this I think it's only fair you tell me your name"
"Emma Nolan, nice to meet you Mr Jones", she held out her hand.
Killian shook it and said, "please call me Killian", he reluctantly released her hand, "that's my son Liam", he said proudly pointing to a boy about Henry's age with dark curly hair, he and Henry had already started playing pirates together, Henry manning the wheel while Liam climbed the crow's nest. "He's your double!" Emma said as she watched him laughing with her son.
"Aye" Killian said, "That's what everyone tells me..." He hesitated, "but I see his mother...I guess it's my way of trying to keep her close now she's gone" he admitted.
Emma looked up at him, he was staring at his son, and she looked back down at her coffee, building herself up for what she was going to say next.
"My husband was a firefighter; he died last year at work..." Emma swallowed the lump forming in her throat, she still found it hard to talk about, but saying it out loud to a practical stranger was strangely therapeutic. It was Killian's turn to look at her while she continued, "...he saved 23 people, everyone made it out but him..."
Killian put his hand on her arm, "he died a hero"
Emma quickly pulled her arm away "everyone tells me his death made him a hero, but they don't understand...he was already a hero..." Emma was doing all she could to hold back her tears, she didn't want Henry to see her upset and she definitely didn't want to cry in front of Killian Jones!
Killian felt like an idiot, his heart broke for her, "I'm so sorry I didn't mean...of course he was a hero before...I just meant...Emma, I should have known better, you were right the other night when you said there were no words".
Emma looked up at him, her eyes full with tears. "It's ok" she whispered. She wiped the tears away with her sleeve and laughed nervously, "I'm sorry, you don't even know me and I'm sitting here a tearful mess, I won't judge you if you want to go sit somewhere else!"
Killian handed her a tissue and said, "now why would I want to do that when I'm just starting to get to know you?!" He hesitated then said, "if it helps to talk I'd be happy to listen" He smiled at her and sat back watching their boys play and giving her a chance to blow her nose and compose herself.
After a few minutes silence Emma started to speak again, "Neal, my husband, he was the love of my life, I can't believe he's gone so soon and I just keep thinking, what now?!"
Killian looked at her sympathetically, he knew the feeling all too well. "Have you found the answer yet?" He asked tentatively.
She chuckled, I'm not sure I ever will, I used to be a nanny, I suppose I could do that again? I've kind of given myself a year off to figure out what I want to do, I've rented out our home and I've been staying with family and travelling a bit too."
"Is that why you came here?" Killian asked.
"Mary Margaret, my sister-in-law, and I had this planned before Neal died, we've gotten together every week for 5 years to watch your show and we heard about the convention and decided to book it, it was her idea to still come, she thought the change of scenery would be healthy for me and in her words, 'what could be more appropriate than a celebration of a show all about hope', I swear she and my brother-in-law get paid by the hope commission Every time they say the word!"
Killian laughed, "Does your brother-in-law watch the show too?"
"No but he's a motivational speaker, so he's constantly coaching me about positive thinking, truth is, it's been hard for all of us, I lost my husband, he lost his brother. It was a blow to the whole family but I think trying to help me, helps him, you know?"
Killian nodded thoughtfully, "I get that" he had an idea, "would you and your family like to come over to my place to watch the Ireland game tomorrow?" Emma's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "are you serious?! My brother-in-law is from Northern Ireland he'd love to watch it!"
Killian smiled, "I thought I heard a bit of Ireland in your voice"
Emma blushed, "I guess it's a side effect of being married to an Irishman for 7 years"
Henry came running up to his mother with Liam close behind, "Mum! I made a new friend, his names Liam!"
"Hello Liam, it's lovely to meet you, I've just been talking to your Dad".
Liam went over and gave his dad a hug and Henry suddenly recognised him, his eyes widened, "your dad is Captain Hook!"
"Yep!" Said Liam proudly.
Killian laughed, "well boys I just play Captain Hook, you know like you guys were just playing pirates"
"That must be the coolest job in the world!" Henry said in awe, and then turned to his mother, "Mum I want to be a pretend pirate when I grow up!"
They all laughed. Emma looked at her watch; "right Henry you've got 5 minutes then we have to go meet your Aunt and Uncle" Henry and Liam ran back to the park.
"Well they certainly seem to get along" Killian observed.
"They sure do", Emma agreed.
Killian scratched behind his ear nervously, "so the invitation was genuine, I'd love to have you guys over tomorrow if you're free, if you give me your number I can text you the address". Emma was trying to process the fact that Killian Jones invited her to his home and asked for her phone number. The delay made Killian shift his weight from foot to foot awkwardly. "Um...Emma?"
"Oh right, that'd be great...if you're sure"
They exchanged numbers and Emma called Henry over so they could leave. Killian watched them drive away. Robin was going to have a field day with this! He didn't care, he'd watched her and listened while she talked to him and he was sure she was genuine, there was no way she was some crazy fan girl. Was it too much to hope they could be friends, he thought about what she said about her brother-in-law helping her. Maybe helping Emma could bring him some peace about Milah.
