"I met Elsie in the mall today.''

As soon as the words left her mouth she felt Ashton's breathing stop for a minute, his body going stiff and frozen. She looked up into his eyes and all the warmth she had seen in those eyes during the past few hours it felt as if it had never been there. It all felt like a sweet dream that now shattered. It was as if he had closed all those feelings and warmth behind a shutter.

For a moment she regretted taking the name of that women while wondering at the same time as to what she had done to him that even her name brought such a huge change in his demeanour. That too not a good change.

" Ashton," she called for him softly. Hoping and praying for things not to take the wrong turn.

It was as if her voice brought him back to the present and he looked at her.

"Did she say something? Tried to do something to you?" he asked as his hold tightened on her waist.

"No. no. She didn't do anything like that. On the contrary, she said that we can keep Sam. She said that she is old now and Sam is happy with the things as they are right now so she doesn't want to fight for his custody anymore." Lilly answered quickly hoping to see a positive change in his expression but there was none. He looked as if he had doubts about the old woman's words.

"Hmm. Go to sleep now," he said as he laid her gently to his left and snaking an arm around her waist pulled her closer to him.

He was feeling cold all of a sudden. It had been years now then why his past still kept returning to haunt him, he wondered. In the years of darkness, Lilly was the only one who brought warmth and light to his world and now he was hanging on to her as if desperately trying to not let that black hole swallow him whole.

"She invited us to Sam's birthday party. It's just a small homey thing she has arranged for Sam." Lilly said biting her lips, feeling as if she was walking on the eggshells.

"She invited you and Sam?" he looked at her in shock and disbelief.

Mustering her courage Lilly looked up in his eyes as she tried her best to sound calm.

"You are also invited. Aren't we three a family?"

'Family.' The word felt like a thick lump stuck in his throat which he found so hard to swallow down.

"Yes," he said with difficulty as if the word was too heavy on his tongue.

"So we three are invited but if you say No then we won't go," said Lilly because she didn't want to spoil this unnamed relationship that was blooming between her and Ashton. She didn't want things to end bitterly. To be honest she didn't want things to end at all. This was some kind of a dream that she just wanted to continue living no matter what price she would need to pay she would pay that willingly as long as she could keep the things they were now.

"Do you want to go?" Ashton asked.

Lilly lowered her eyes. She didn't know the answer to this question herself. She hadn't even given a moment's thought to whether she wanted to go or not. During all this time her mind was so busy thinking of ways on how to tell Ashton about Elsie that she hadn't stopped for even a movement for self-introspection.

"I...I don't know," she answered honestly. ''It's just that she looked so sad and she is already growing old. Old people love children a lot. If my parents were alive then they would have been so happy to see Sam and I want my Sam to have the love of his grandparents too. Elsie is Sam's grandmother and I don't want to snatch anyone's chance to happiness."

He held her chin between his thumb and forefinger as he brought her face near to his.

"A chance to happiness?" he asked and she nodded.

Taking in a deep breath he gave a small smile as he said, "This is the first time that you have asked me for something so I can't say no."

"Do you mean that we will go tomorrow?" she looked at him in disbelief.

"Yes." He answered as he pulled her into his arms and covered them both with the blanket. Tucking her head under his chin he gently threaded his fingers through her hair.

"Lilly?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you trust Elsie?" His question made her frown. She couldn't understand what he meant by that.

"I am not sure. I don't know her well enough so it's hard to say whether I place my trust in her or not. Her first impression too wasn't great.'' Lilly gave a nervous laugh as she remembered the day when Elsie threatened to take Sam away.

"But I think everyone deserves a second chance."

"A second chance?" Ashton asked.

"Yes. A second chance." Lilly affirmed sleepily.

"Then I guess you are my second chance too." He smiled as he kissed the crown of her head.

"What did you say?" Lilly asked.

"Nothing. Just go to sleep now," saying he hugged her tightly as she slowly drifted to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The three of them sat in the car as the driver pulled the engine and started driving through the busy streets of Boston. Sam was sitting on Ashton's thigh busy mumbling to himself in his incoherent language while playing with his hands.

Ashton was lost somewhere in his thoughts staring out of the window at Lilly had no idea what.

She looked at him and questioned herself for the nth time in a day if she was doing the right thing. He looked upset and lost since the moment she had brought this topic up. Even in the morning he left early before she woke up and she missed his good morning kiss, she smiled as a soft pink stained her cheeks.

Lilly worried on her lips as she started to think of a way to bring a smile on Ashton's face. He wasn't mad at her. Right? she wondered. If that were the case then he wouldn't have agreed on going to Elsie's or wouldn't have come back from work on time. He even got ready for this dinner but he was being way too quiet. He wasn't teasing her and wasn't smiling either and she missed his smiles and laughs.

"Ashton." She called for his attention.

"Hmm?" he answered. His attention still focused on something somewhere out of the window.

"Did I ever tell you about the boy in my neighbourhood?" she asked.

Now that question caught his attention and within a nanosecond, Lilly had all his attention to herself.

"A boy?" He repeated raising a brow.

Just the thought of him getting jealous over her made her heart do somersaults. Now she understood why girls in her school and college used to laugh and get all excited at the thought of their boyfriends getting jealous. It is oddly satisfying, she silently acknowledged as a slow smile spread on her lips.

"Yes. You know what he did once?"

"What did he do?" he interrupted.

"Oh come on let me speak. You know, once he stole my favourite teddy bear."

"Your teddy bear?"

"Yes. That was my first gift from my sister. I had wanted that toy since the moment I saw it in the mall and my sister gave it to me as a present. He was my favourite, my most cherished one. I wouldn't even go to sleep without it."

"Yeah. I got it. What next?" he asked impatiently. Irritated with a soft toy he hadn't seen.

She laughed at his reaction as she continued. "That stupid neighbour boy ran away with my teddy and when I asked him nicely to return it to me he straightaway refused. So I used the best way to settle this problem."

"What did you do?" he asked looking at her very seriously.

Showing him a fist she smiled mischievously.

" I settled it with a few punches on his stomach and at all the places I could hit and then I ran away with my teddy bear."

A slow smile lifted his lips from the corners as he rested his head back at the headrest while pulling Sam closer to him.

"That was very unexpected. I thought of you going to your parents with tears in your eyes while complaining about the boy."

"I may look bookish and weak but I am possessive of my things, Mr King." she said as she leaned towards him and slowly whispered in his ear, "I am telling you this now so that you remember if anyone said anything to you or tried to hurt you then just tell me. I still know how to use my fists."

He couldn't control anymore and finally, he burst into laughter as the image of a little girl putting her foot down and hitting and punching everyone in her way throwing them up in air surfaced in his mind.

His laughter sounded like music to her ears. She finally relaxed looking at him all smiles and laughs. She felt the tension leave his body.

Ashton entwined his fingers with Lilly's. Bringing their joined hands close to his lips he kissed her knuckles one by one. "Are you being possessive of me, Mrs King? Or trying to protect me?" he asked in a flirty voice before whispering into her ear, "I think I like it, Sweetheart."

His words brought a soft glow in her cheeks. His words, his touch, his voice everything felt so sweet that she just wanted to stay like this forever. She didn't want to ask whether it was real or not. She didn't want to question anything about this. She didn't even want to know and ask if they both were heading towards something more, something deep. She just wanted to live like this forever and ever because this is where her heart had found peace and joy and maybe something more which they both at the moment were unaware of or maybe they both were just trying to ignore.

Just then the car pulled to a stop and the driver announced, "We have arrived, Mr King."