"You look, well, smartly dressed for a playdate," Harley points out as I come down the stairs and look down at my suit. Yeah, it might be a bit too much.

"Parker and Emilia are coming over, and we’re going to tell him everything. It's not a normal playdate, and I have no clue what to wear," I admit. Harley rubs his chin, before putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Parker won't care what you are wearing, but it might impress Emilia," he says, grinning.

"Emilia is married," I reply, leaving out the off-limits rule. Whatever happens between us has to stay quiet, and I won't push her to come to me. I know she isn't happy, and I've spent five years waiting to come home, to claim what is mine. And Emilia is damn well mine. I fucking hate that any other guy thinks he has some kind of claim on her.

"Not happily," Harley replies, moving his hand. "She doesn't look at her husband like the way she looks at you." That’s a small relief, I suppose.

“Before you went away, we found our mum. We all go and see her every Friday for a few hours. She would love to see you,” he says, bringing up a subject I didn’t really want to talk about.

“I don’t know,” I mutter, rubbing the back of my head.

“Dad messed up her head and hurt her. Mum isn’t all there, but she remembers bits. Several times she has asked about her baby Luke. Trust me; you’re angry at a memory of a woman that you think abandoned us. She didn’t leave by choice. Come and see her, Luke,” he asks me. I want to see her; I’m just scared all those feelings of hate for the mum that left me as a baby will come back. Harley says she didn’t leave by choice, but in some dark, twisted way, I know she shouldn’t have had me. Having more children with that lunatic was a bad thing to do.

“I will,” I say, knowing it’s going to be hard to see her at all.

"Daddy!" Hope shouts from the kitchen and Harley nods his head for me to follow him as he walks into the kitchen to where hope is sitting on the countertop, a chocolate bar in her hand and a cheeky grin on her lips.

"Did Mummy say you could have that?" Harley asks and Hope shrugs her shoulders, holding onto the chocolate bar for dear life.

"Mummy said no chocolate before lunch, but I wanted it," she cheekily replies, putting these puppy dog eyes on that anyone would have trouble saying no to.

"Right then Miss Hope, that means you can't have it," Harley says, putting his hand out for the chocolate bar when he gets to her, and she reluctantly places it in his open hand, rolling her eyes as she does.

"Daddy!" Hope giggles as Harley picks her up off the counter, ticking her as he does and carrying her past me as he hangs her upside down.

"Good luck. Parker loves the treehouse. Just a hint," Harley tells me before leaving the room with Hope giggling the whole time. I pace around the kitchen, aimlessly cleaning the sides and placing dirty dishes and glasses in the dishwasher until I hear a car pulling up. I rest my hands on the counter for a moment, knowing this day is beyond important. I never wanted to be a father, not with how my own father brought us up. The games, the torture and the intense amount of pain he gave us like gifts was no way to live. Then I saw how Sebastian was with Jake, and how a father should be around their children. I don't know how to be a father, or if Parker will even accept me as his after all this time, but I have to try. I can't give up on him, and I don't want to. I walk to the door and pull it open, stepping out onto the doorstep as Emilia climbs out of the bright yellow mini she is driving. Interesting choice of car. She smiles at me, almost nervously but I can see the panic in her eyes. She’s scared of how Parker will take this news, and I don't blame her. It's a lot for a kid his age to take in. Emilia walks around the car and opens Parker's door before leaning in and undoing his car seat, I imagine. I take the time to run my eyes over Emilia's tight, high waisted denim jeans, and a thin black top tucked into them. She has these amazing black boots on that stretch to her knees and add an inch to her height. Parker climbs out the car with Emilia's help and frowns when he sees me. He always seems to frown when he sees me.

"Why are we here, Mum?" Parker asks Emilia as she shuts the door and takes Parker's hand, leading him over to us.

"To see Luke. I explained we’re going to hang out with Luke today," she kindly tells him.

"But why?" Parker asks, flashing another frown in my direction.

"Hey Parker," I interject, crouching down to his level and offering him my hand to shake.

"Kids don't shake hands with strangers. My dad taught me that," he says, lifting his chin and I try to swallow the defensive feeling I get in my gut that my son calls someone else dad. I have to accept that in Parker's mind, his dad brought him up and I am nothing to him…yet. I hope one day he will feel like I'm his dad, but it will take time. A lot of time.

"I'm not a stranger though," I counter, and Parker clearly thinks about it for a moment before lifting his tiny hand into mine, and I gently shake it before letting go. "Uncle Harley told me you like the treehouse in the garden, but I've not been in it for years. Not since I was a little kid. Want to show it to me?"

"Okay," he warily says, walking past me and Emilia gives me a shaky smile as I step aside for her to walk in. I can't help but run my hand against hers as she passes me, the little contact making me want to be closer to her even more. Emilia has this addictive, sexy as hell personality and connection to me that I can't explain. I know it's something special, something worth fighting all the odds for. Our kiss in The Cage is branded into my head because she tastes better than I remember, and I want more. I’ll always want more. I hear Emilia suck in a deep breath as our hands touch and I know it isn't just me that is feeling this.

"I didn't bring a coat," Emilia says when we walk through the house and pauses. "I could go and ask Tilly if I could borrow one."

"Here, take my jacket," I say, sliding my jacket off my shoulders and handing it to her. She blushes as she accepts my jacket and we both get stuck in each other's gaze until we hear Parker open the back door. I turn away from Emilia, knowing I need to somehow find a way to focus on Parker and not Emilia today.

"Are you ready for this? There is no going back once we tell him," Emilia warns as Parker runs across the garden and towards the treehouse.

"I've spent five years fighting, being used and doing everything to save my future and my family's future, and Parker is my family. I am not going anywhere. I'm sure," I reply, wanting to make sure she understands.

"What did Arthur make you do all this time?" she carefully asks me.

"Meet up with me tomorrow night at Elliot's club, and I’ll tell you everything," I tell her. I need a drink and to be alone with Emilia for that story.

"I can't...Eric isn't stupid. He won't let me go out," she replies, rubbing her arms.

"Since when do you let anyone control you, Emilia?" I say, grinning at her as we get to the treehouse. I roll my sleeves up and take my tie off, chucking it on the ground and undoing some buttons on my collar. I step back once Parker has climbed to the platform like a little spider monkey, before running and jumping, catching the top part of the ladder, and pulling myself onto the platform.

"That was cool," Parker says, his eyes wide.

"So was your climbing skills, spider monkey," I reply, and Parker giggles. His laugh is so sweet; I realise this is the first time I'm hearing my son laugh. That I made him laugh. I spend a creepy amount of time just watching him until he frowns at me, and walks across the treehouse, sitting down inside the main part. Someone has kitted the treehouse out since I was last here. There are big cushions, a fabric door that Parker pushes aside and clips, and it looks like there are a lot of toys in there, too.

"I'm not good at climbing like you guys," Emilia says, and I turn around, trying not to chuckle as she climbs the last step. I reach down, offering her my hand and she lets me pull her up until our chests are pressed together, and I don't want to let go of her hand.

"Thank you," she says, and I grin.

"No problem. I can catch you on the way back down if you want," I offer.

"Depends, are you a good catch? That sure would be a good trust exercise between us," she playfully says. I love seeing her like this, relaxed and laughing with me.

"I'd always catch you, sweetheart," I say, loving the way we can flirt like nothing has changed in all these years. Like we’re still teenagers. It feels like nothing has changed when everything is so different now.

"I know," she whispers, flashing me a sad smile before walking over to Parker. I follow her into the treehouse, where Parker is playing with a truck on the one side, and Emilia goes to sit next to him.

I sit down on the other side, giving them some space because I know this will be hard.

"Parker, I want to tell you something really important," Emilia starts, looking at me once before she goes to talk, but Parker speaks first.

"I know, Daddy told me last night," Parker says. “He got me sweets, too, but I’m not meant to tell you about those.”

"What did he tell you?" Emilia slowly asks, clearly worried.

"That he isn't my real daddy and that Luke King is. Daddy is always my dad, so I don't understand," he says, so confused and it hurts me to see him like this. Every child should know who their parents are.

"I'm your biological father and Eric is your dad who brought you up. All you need to understand is that you have two men in your life that love you, and want to be there," I fill in, knowing Emilia isn’t sure what to say.

"You haven't been here. I don't know you," Parker resorts.

"I want to change that if you’ll give me a chance to," I reply. “I had to go away, but I’m here for good, and all I want is to be in your life.”

"Daddy said you are a bad man," Parker says, and I try to hide my instant anger. I’m a bad man? Eric is one to talk.

"Your daddy must have been mistaken," Emilia coughs out, looking furious for a moment before she hides her emotions and opens her arms. Parker climbs onto her lap, holding his hands in his lap and looking nervous. "Luke is one of the best men I know. He is strong, smart and really...well, nice for you to have as your father."

"I promise I'm not a bad guy. I just want to be your friend," I say, staring at Parker, seeing so much of myself in him.

"I’ll think about it," Parker says, hugging his mum and keeping his eyes firmly locked on me the entire time. Whatever Eric said to my son, he is going to explain it to me. I don't want my son in the middle of the war Eric just started.