"This is nice." I sighed, leaning my head back and letting the Sun warm my face. It was nice that, for at least for one day, it felt like Spring Break.

"The weather isn't like this over in England." Niall quipped from beside me.

"I bet it's cloudy. It was always cloudy and depressing in the Harry Potter movies. I was always saying, 'Well of course Harry is sad! Look at those clouds!'" I said absent-mindedly, my eyes on the twins. They were sitting by the jungle gym, having given up on getting up the stairs, playing with the mulch. Paul, the body guard who had insisted on coming with us, watched them carefully, eyes scanning the park every once and a while.

"Interesting theory." Niall chuckled, and only then did I realize I had just word vomited.

"Sorry. Word vomit." I said, watching his eyebrow shoot up and his whole body turn towards me. "Sorry. Mean Girls reference." I laughed.

"Mean Girls?" He asked.

"The movie of my generation. Everyone I've ever met who's my age has seen it. I guess you wouldn't though. Being…you know…Irish." I said, getting up and setting my coffee down. "Sorry be right back." I hurriedly told him, rushing over to Riddle and grabbing his hand before he could insert the mulch into his mouth.

"Ma" He shouted directly, as I pried his hand open and forced him to drop the mulch, the little pieces falling in quick succession back onto the ground.

"Riddle you can't eat this." I said, holding up a single piece and showing him. "This is bad to eat." I held it close to my mouth and shook my head. "Don't eat it okay?" I asked, and then showed Ronan the same. He just resumed hitting the mulch with his hands, watching the pieces bounce up randomly.

"Do you think they're hungry?" A voice asked from behind me and I jumped lightly, turning to find Paul standing there. "Sorry." He shrugged, crouching down beside me.

"Oh no, it's fine. I just didn't hear you." I waved him off, smiling. From the very little I'd seen of him I knew he cared about the boys. And he seemed…I don't know. Fatherly. More protective and responsible than my father had ever been.

That reminded me that I needed to call my parents. Update them on my life.

But that could wait. Today was too nice.

"I think they might be though." I said, reaching over to brush hair out of their eyes. "He's getting all fidgety." I said, nodding to Riddle, who kept pulling at his shirt. "Umm was there any where you guys specifically wanted to go?" I asked, helping them both stand up and taking their hands as they stepped over the plastic ledge that separated the play place from the rest of the park.

"We'll go wherever you want." Paul said, smiling that father smile.

"Oh, well…let's go…" I trailed off. Where do you take a famous boy band for breakfast? "Denny's." I said, nodding. Oh good Lily. I thought, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Really classy.

"Denny's it is then." He said, reaching down a hand to steady Riddle when he almost tripped over his own feet. "Let's go you lot! These little tykes need to eat!" Paul shouted out to the group sitting at the table and they were all instantly in motion. I bit down on the smile attempting to break through on my face.

They were like little kids, instantly obeying Paul's orders.

"Paulie where will we be dining this fine morning?" Louis asked, walking up to sling an arm around his shoulders. Eleanor was once again not present. I wondered if she'd even come back with them, or had decided to return to England.

"Denny's." He said.

"Here, let me help you," Danielle said, walking up and taking Riddle's hand from me. He looked up at her, back at me, and smiled that bright happy smile.

"That's Danielle." I said, pointy to the curly haired brunette. "You remember her?" I asked.

"Ma." He said, reaching back to me and taking my hand in his other one.

"What, making a cute line of people holding hands and not inviting me?" Niall asked as we came up on the other side of Ronan, taking his other hand. I smiled and this time I did roll my eyes.

We were half-way across the park when Ronan suddenly let go of my hand and reattached himself to Niall's leg. I stopped too, looking at him. Ronan hadn't even been awake when Niall was in the hospital room. Riddle was the only one he'd really talked to. Unless…

"You got him?" I asked as Niall leaned down and picked him up before continuing to walk.

"It's fine." Niall nodded. And then Riddle had let go of Danielle's hand and was standing right in front of my legs, arms in the air.

"Up!" He shouted, spit flying out of his mouth.

"Can you say please?" I asked, leaning down so I was eye-level with him.

"Up!" He shouted again, grabbing my face in his hands and squeezing my cheeks together.

"All right you little rugrat." I sighed, putting my hands under his arms and lifting him onto my hip.

"Ro" Riddle said, mouth muffled against my shoulder, and I quickened my pace for a few steps until I was walking next to Niall.

"There's Ro. You see him?" I asked, leaning back to try and look at Riddle's face. He was looking at Ronan and laughing, reaching his hand out to try and touch his face.

They didn't talk to each other so much as babble sounds, but their little faces were so animated, so invested in each other's nonsense that I was sure they knew what the other was trying to say.

"That's amazing." Niall whispered, and only then did I notice he was looking at the boys as well, smiling his smile.

"They are." I agreed, quickly moving my eyes back down to the boy's faces when his flashed up to catch me staring. Damn.

"So…where did you grow up then?" He asked, and my heart kind of squeezed in my chest a little bit. "Can I know you?" He'd asked.

"Virginia." I answered immediately. "You?"

"Mullingar."

"Favorite food?"

"Nando's. You?"

"One, I have no idea what Nando's is. And…I'd have to say mashed potatoes. My mom's mashed potatoes." I smiled.

"Nando's is the greatest thing ever and I just…the fact that you have never had the most amazing chicken…it's just…I don't know how to react."

"Oh I'm sure it's really not that good." I teased, laughing at his face.

"I will graciously choose not to respond to that. Favorite animal?"

"Wolf. Because they are beautiful."

"Until they tear your face off."

"Until they tear your face off." I agreed.

"Mine is…a hippo." He said, and I laughed again. "No laughing at my animal. Favorite book."

"The Belief Instinct." I answered automatically. "Psychology book. Extremely interesting. You?"

"Fledgling Jason Steed."

"I'll have to read it. Favorite…ugh I don't know. Favorite…type of…tree?"

"Pine." He said, completely straight faced.

"Oh really? That's unfortunate. I'm more of a oak fan myself."

"I've heard that oak girls are crazy."

"I've heard that pine guys are kinky." I said, schooling my expression. His mouth dropped open in shock and he put a hand over Ronan's ears.

"Lily you can't speak that way around the children! I am just…I am shocked at you." He shook his head and I couldn't hold back my smile anymore.

"I'm funny."

"I'm hungry." Niall said. I looked over at him, watching in confusion as Ronan lowered his head quickly onto Niall's shoulder as we neared the car. I needed to ask him but…we were already at the car now, and I quickly unlocked the door and put Riddle in his car seat.

I watched Niall snap Ronan in, and reached over to tug on the straps anyways. You could never be too sure.

"Mind if I ride with you?" He asked, walking over to my side of the car. I watched as everyone else approached the car.

"That's fine." I answered quickly. Quietly. He walked around the car and slipped into the passenger. Danielle's eyes followed him. I didn't miss the smile that flashed quickly across her face.

"We'll just follow you then?" She asked, walking up to the back seat window and tapping on the glass, waving when Riddle looked out and smiled at her.

"Yeah. It's not very far away." I said, carefully only keeping my eyes on her face. What were the others thinking? Did they even think it was weird that Niall was riding with me?

Did he do this kind of thing often?

My stomach dropped. Oh god. He was in a famous boy band, he probably hit on girls all the time. Asked to know them all the time. I kind of wanted to be sick. Why was I so naïve? Why, why why?

"Okay, see you there." She said, as they all walked back over to their own car. I stood outside my door for a second, breathing deeply.

I would not be a nervous, self-conscious teenage girl. I was a mother. I could be responsible about this. Logical. Yes.

I slid into the car and buckled up quickly, starting up the car and hearing the radio kick on, playing the CD that I already had in there.

"Frank Sinatra?" Niall asked, and I looked over at him, blushing.

"Um…yeah." I said, turning in the seat to back out of the parking place. Riddle and Ro were babbling away still. I wondered once again how they could possibly still be entertained with the others random noises.

"I love his music." Niall said quietly, and as I stopped to put the car back into drive. I stared at him for a second. I recognized the song. Strangers in the Night.

My breath caught in my throat. There wasn't anything electrical about the atmosphere in the car. There couldn't be, with two twin toddlers in the back. But there was something…light. Comfortable. Like I could just start driving forever and never want to leave the car because this felt…cozy.

"Dean Martin as well." He said. We were frozen. Captured inside this moment that really didn't make sense. I don't know why he was so still. But I couldn't move because I was so completely elated by the idea that he was staring at me like…well, like I was beautiful. Like I was special. And this was so insane. It'd been one day, really. Not even that. A night in the hospital and a dinner. It just…I didn't know him. This couldn't happen.

I couldn't be thinking about how wonderful it would be for him to be there to help me with Riddle and Ronan all the time.

I couldn't think that because I could never ever ask that of him. Even if we fell in love I couldn't ask someone to take on the responsibility I had willingly shouldered. I couldn't ask him to grow up just because I'd wanted to.

And he was famous. And he was busy. And he was going places.

And I was here.

And there was such a distance between us but for some reason he acted like the bottomless pit between our two worlds didn't really exist. "Can I know you?"

And then a car horn honked and I jumped in my seat, turning to look behind us, where Louis sat behind the wheel, laughing.

"Right. Denny's." I said, turning around and shifting into drive.

"Right." Niall said, and he sounded almost…disappointed.

I didn't work up the nerve to talk to him again until the ride was nearly over.