Killian POV:
I woke up the next morning warm in a bed, feeling safe and blissful. I opened my eyes and realized why. Emma was asleep next to me, dead to the world and looking so relaxed. She never let her guard down except when she was sleeping, so I laid there for a while and watched her. Her bare back rose and fell with each deep breath, her messy hair fanned over her pillow. I skimmed my fingers over her back, I thought perhaps it would wake her. But she didn't budge, she continued to sleep heavily. Eventually, hunger got the better of me and I kissed her head and shoulder before getting up and getting dressed.
I hadn't been in the kitchen for more than a few minutes when Henry marched in.
"Hey, Killian." He greeted me.
"Henry!" Bloody hell, I didn't know if Emma wanted him to know I stayed here last night. But he seemed unaware so I carried on like normal, hoping he wouldn't ask.
"You like my mom, don't you?" He bluntly asked.
"I, uh..." I stuttered.
"I'm not blind, you know. I am seven." He retorted. I smiled, he was unusually perceptive for a boy his age.
"If you like my mom, that's okay. You're pretty cool." He smiled as he made himself a bowl of cereal. "Just be nice to her."
"I promise, lad." I said with a smile. "How long have you known?"
"A couple of weeks. She's not good at hiding it." He said.
"Alright then." I raised an eyebrow over the counter at him. "Well then Henry, as long as your mother's asleep, we need to have a talk."
"About what?" He asked through the chewing he was doing.
"Henry, I want you to know that I'm not trying to replace your dad. I know you never met him, but you need to know that you do have one. If one day he wants to see you, don't refuse because of me. You need to make that choice on your own."
He thought for a second. "My mom said my dad and her were young when I was born, and they wanted to give me my best chance because they didn't think they could take care of me."
"Aye, your mother loves you so much. That's why she worked hard to make sure she could take care of you before she got you back."
"She said my dad can't do that right now. He's not ready, but when he is he might come see me. I get it, they want to do what's best for me. I can't be mad at them."
I beamed with pride. "Henry, you're wise beyond your years."
"I love my mom, I always have. Now I'm glad she can take care of me and she came back for me."
"There wasn't a day that she didn't miss you, lad."
Henry smiled. "If you marry my mom, I'll be happy. I know you're not my dad, but I can have two dads can't I?"
That knocked me for a loop. Of course I wanted a future with Emma, but I wasn't sure she was anywhere near ready to even think about it.
"Aye lad, if your mother agrees to it one day, we can be a family."
Emma POV:
I came up to the kitchen corner right as Killian was stuttering and asking Henry how long he'd known we were together. I dropped my jaw. This kid was good, and very smart. I had to be more careful when I was around him.
Then Killian gave him the talk that he and I had previously discussed. I couldn't believe how well he executed it. It ended with Henry saying he couldn't possibly be mad at me or Neal for not keeping him. How could I ever find the nerve to tell him the truth? Neal had no idea he existed.
Then Henry brought up the idea of marriage, and Killian being a step father. I swear my heart stopped for a second. Did I want to marry Killian one day? I didn't know! I was so terrified, that was a huge step and it made me even more vulnerable, not to mention Henry. Then Killian told him that if it ever came to that, it could be my choice.
Did that mean he wanted a future with me? If so, was it up to me to make that call? The pressure from that was unbelievable. For a moment I almost had a panic attack right there in the hallway, but I steadied myself. I didn't need to overthink this. I was happy right now, I just needed to enjoy it and if I wanted more later on, I apparently simply had to tell him. I took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen to join them for breakfast.
The next day was a weekday, which meant work for Killian and I. Lately he'd been over a couple of times a week, and almost every weekend. We went out on dates every couple of weeks or so. When we were apart we texted and called, I missed him when he was gone. I slept better with him next to me.
One night, over dinner, Henry spoke up. I had just received a text from Killian before sitting down.
Hope you had a good day, love 😘 see you this Saturday? I can't wait to take Henry to the amusement park.
We were planning on taking Henry to ride a roller coaster for the first time. Apparently, he'd never been on one.
It was great. I hope you had a good one too. I can't wait for Saturday! I'll call you when Henry goes to bed. Love you x
I didn't see his response because I had to get dinner on the table.
"Hey kid! You can take a break from the homework and taste test for me." I yelled down the hall.
Tonight was an experiment, something I'd done a lot since Henry came to live with me. Before I didn't have the best eating habits, but now I had a growing boy to feed.
"It smells great, hopefully it tastes the same." Okay, so not all of my experiments went well.
At this point I decided to glance at my phone to see Killian's reply before sitting down.
I love you as well, Swan. Can't wait to hear your voice x
I must have grinned like an idiot because Henry took notice.
"Mom, you know I know, right?" He slyly smiled.
I hadn't let Henry know I overheard his conversation with Killian.
"Yeah, I know." I sighed and slumped into a chair.
"He's great, I really like him. And he likes you too." He had that same smile as me, where his nose wrinkles.
"So you're okay with him and I being together?" I warily asked.
"Yeah, he's a lot of fun. So, when does he get to live with us?"
I dropped my fork. "What?"
"He's here all the time already. He spent the night." He pointed out.
"Henry, that doesn't mean we can move in together." This was one of those times when I had to remember he was seven, even though he acted older most of the time.
"Why not? Please mom, he's so much fun." He begged.
"Henry," I steadied myself, "he's only fun because he's not always here like me. It's like Regina and Robin, they don't live with you so they don't have to make as many rules and discipline you as much."
"You do all that, and I still think you're fun." He replied.
I groaned and placed my head in my hands. Then, and idea came to me. "Okay Henry, you talk to Killian. If he's okay with it, then I'm okay with it."
"Yes!" He excitedly said.
I knew Killian wouldn't be ready to move in, we'd only been together again for about a month. And he would get the clear message that I wasn't ready. Or was I?