School run. They were two words Nick had begun to dread. He could handle a multinational business deal with ease. Putting stuffed shirts in their place and getting his own way had become just another part of his day. A part of his day he enjoyed.

The school run was something else entirely.

There was something about gathering dozens of parents on school grounds which seemed to regress some of them back into their younger selves. Or perhaps they still hadn't grown out of their playground cliques. It was uncomfortable and not in a good way. Nick had left school over a decade ago and he would prefer it remained there. If his children didn't benefit from coming to school, he would never step foot on the playground ever again.

Pulling the car up to the curb, Nick stared at the clock on the dashboard. Five minutes to go.

He glanced though the window at the playground beyond. There were dozens of parents clustered around in their groups. Nick's eyes drew towards a rather animated woman in a gilet and groaned.

"Anyone but her," Nick muttered, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel for a moment.

Switching off the engine, he zipped up his coat and reluctantly climbed from the car. Digging his hands into his pockets to ward off the cold, he followed the throng of parents onto the school premises. Hunching down, Nick tried to hide at the back of the group as they drifted towards the doors. The brisk wind continued its relentless tirade, allowing him an excuse to pull up the collar on his coat to hide more of his face.

Just a few minutes more-.

"Nick, so good to see you!" A shrill voice cut across the playground.

Closing his eyes in a wince, Nick muttered, "Fuck."

Every. Bloody. Time.

Blowing out a breath in irritation, he spun on his heel with his irritation hidden deeply beneath his mask. Just once he would like to get through a school run without that voice drilling into his eardrums. Today was not that day.

As the head of the PTA came to a stop before him, her cronies close on her heels, she flipped her hair over her shoulder. It was like school all over again. Her friends hung just at her heels in matching gilets, ready to laugh at her jokes and dole out servings of the condescension as deemed by the queen.

He'd seen it happen before.

He'd never forgive them for the way they had spoken to Betsy.

"Tracy, right?" Nick guessed when the woman continued to stand before him, her eyes peering up at him from beneath fluttering lashes.

"It's Tori," the brunette corrected with a pout. She placed her hand on his arm and leaned in with far too much familiarity. Her perfume was strong, burning his nose as she edged even closer. "I haven't seen you around recently."

"I've had business matters to attend to." Nick replied stiffly, stepping to the side and shrugging his shoulder to dislodge her hand.

Anyone else would have taken the cue. Even her 'friends' exchanged a glance and shifted uncomfortably. Tori was not so easily swayed. She mirrored his step away and lifted her hand as if to touch him once more.

Nick took another step back and folded his arms.

"Of course," Tori cooed, giving another flutter of her lashes in the process. "You're such an important man. And I was just telling the girls how well you're doing as a single dad."

"Thanks. But, as you know, I don't do it alone," he said in a matter of fact tone. He lifted his eyes briefly before continuing, "I think Liam is doing an incredible job."

At the sound of his name, a shorter man standing just a few feet away turned on his heel. He was only a year or two older than Nick but already his hair was threaded with streaks of grey. Dark blue oil stained overalls covered him from neck to his black boots. As he stepped closer, he carried the scent of car grease and, as with many previous meetings, he had a streak of oil across his cheek.

"Good to see you, man." He greeted, holding up his grease stained fingers  apologetically. "I won't shake your hand. I had to dash from work before I could clean up. How's it all going?"

Nick could have kissed Liam as the clique of women took an almost collective step back. He could have kissed him twice for the way Tori's face screwed up into disappointed frown.

"Busy but good. How are you doing?" Nick replied.

"Same." Liam muttered, rubbing a tired hand down his face which resulted the oil on his cheek being spread further down his face. "I swear Macy is determined to give me even more grey hairs before her next birthday."

Nick chuckled. "Tell me about it. I'm sure daughters were sent to test their fathers."

Tori cleared her throat loudly. "Sorry to interrupt gentlemen but, as the head of the PTA, I just wanted to let you both know the school disco is coming up in three weeks. I hope that you both will consider chaperoning for the evening."

Though she addressed them both, her eyes lingered on Nick for far longer than was comfortable. She dug a hand into her bag and pulled out homemade fliers which she pressed into their hands. Her talons stroked against his chest for a few seconds too long.

"Betsy did mention she wanted to be a chaperone." Nick replied swiftly, lifting the paper from his chest.

Internally he winced. Betsy disliked the head of the PTA as much as he did. He would have to grovel massively for this little lie.

Still, he plastered on a smile. "Thanks for the reminder."

Nick would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the sour look which spread across the woman's face. Her lips were pursed and her eyes scrunched in annoyance. The phrase 'sucking on lemons' came to mind.

She drew in a breath and a forced smile dragged at her lips. Rolling up the remaining leaflets in her hands she tapped them against Nick's shoulder. "Well, I hope to see you all there."

Tori flounced away in her skin tight jeans, her ponytail bouncing at the back of her head with each forceful stride. Her fellow PTA mums scurried behind her. The other parents waiting in the playground parted before her like the red sea.

Nick shook his head and looked away. The tension ebbed from his body now the daily encounter was over.

Liam whistled lowly.  "Damn, you're in trouble there. She has you in her sights."

Nick allowed a groan to escape. "I know. It doesn't matter how much I try to put her off. She knows I'm with Betsy but she's still bloody relentless." Nick complained, glancing around to make sure none of her cronies were still lurking around. "And is it me or does it seem like the woman is reliving her school days?"

Patting his shoulder, Liam offered a consolatory grin.  "I'm sure she'll give up. Eventually."

"One can only hope." Nick grimaced,  earning a laugh in response. 

"Daddy!" The excited shriek of his daughter reached him a moment before her body collided with his legs. "I missed you."

Staggering back a step, Nick wrapped an around her shoulders and hugged her body to his side. "I missed you too, Lilah." He murmured,  "How was school?"

"It was good. I got a gold star today for being kind." Delilah beamed, pulling back from the hug and puffing out her chest so she could proudly show off the peeling star clinging desperately to her jumper.

With the right amount of enthusiasm, Nick gasped, "Wow. A gold star? Well done poppet. We should celebrate."

Delilah glanced to the side and smiled as Liam bent down and scooped his daughter into a hug. Macy was a shy and quiet girl who stood several inches shorter than Delilah. With wide blue eyes and doll-like features, she had a fragile air about her. Nick was sure Delilah had taken it upon herself to be the smaller girl's protector. As a result, Macy had been Delilah's steady companion since starting the school.

"Can I have a sleepover?" Delilah asked abruptly.

Nick blinked at the sudden turn in conversation. "A sleepover?"

"Tammy is having a sleepover but she didn't invite me, or Macy, or Leah."  Delilah replied sadly, dragging her eyes away from her friend. And then she was staring up at him with wide pleading eyes.  "So can I? Can I have a sleepover?"

He swallowed. Nick glanced at Liam for help but the slightly older man was too busy hiding his smile behind his hand. Damn it. Nick could never resist the puppy dog expression and his daughter knew it.

At the persistent tugging on his sleeve, he glanced back his precocious daughter. What's the worst that could happen?

With a sigh, Nick capitulated, "I'm sure we can work something out. We'll need to speak to Leah's mum and dad first."

"I already did, Daddy. They said yes." Delilah replied helpfully, rocking on the balls of her feet as she waited for his response.

Shaking his head, Nick ran a hand through his hair. For the presumption, he should say no to his daughter. He didn't want either of his children to become spoiled. He had been witness to that disaster before. Still, he hated to disappoint her, especially when she was making friends. Especially when they were being excluded from the other girl's sleepover.

"Let me sort some things out with work and then I speak with their parents to get a date sorted, okay?" He turned his attention to Liam. "I'll let you know about the sleepover. And maybe you could both join us for dinner some time? We could time it with one of the FA Cup matches."

Liam's brows rose in surprise to mirror the surprise Nick felt. And yet, once he'd spoken the words, he knew he meant it. Other than the few rare occasions with Lee, Betsy's brother-in-law, Nick couldn't remember the last time he had just sat around and watched a game with friends and a few beers. Work had come first far too often in his life. Yet, after everything that had happened over the prior twelve months, he was determined to find some sort of balance.

Finally, after a pause, Liam nodded. "Sounds good. It will be nice to have some adult company for once." His daughter chose that moment to tug impatiently on his hand. "I better get this one home. See you later. Say bye, Mace."

With a gasp, the girls rushed together in a desperate hug. It was overdramatic in a way only children could manage. They clung to one another as if they would be apart for more than just a few hours. Then, with a final nod, Liam led his daughter away.

"Come on munchkin, let's go and get Tommy."

By the time they made it around to his classroom, Tommy was already waiting by the door. He had his coat on, his rain boots on the wrong feet, while his face was pressed up against the glass. When he caught sight of them both, he started jumping up and down and waving frantically. Delilah hurried forwards, crouching down to press her hands against the glass.

At the ruckus, the teacher gently nudged Tommy out of the path of the door. Nick nodded in greeting to the young woman before scooping his son up into his arms.

He pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Did you miss me? Because I missed you." Nick murmured, pressing another kiss to his son's hair as little arms wrapped around his neck.

"Here's his bag. And I've put a note in for you. Tommy had a little fall earlier and scraped his knee. We've put a plaster on it but Tommy was a big brave boy." The teacher stated, as she handed over dinosaur backpack.

"Thanks." He stated before turning his attention to the boy in his arms. "You fell over, little man?"

Tommy nodded his head before sticking out his leg, his finger poking at the cartoon covered plaster stuck on to his knee. "Miss May put a sticker on it."

"Wow!" Nick commented with the appropriate amount of awe. He turned his attention back to the young woman before him. "Say bye bye to Miss May."

Tommy lifted his head and offered a cheery wave to the young woman before tucking his head back under Nick's chin. Rolling his eyes at his antics, Nick nodded at the woman once more before turning away.

**

It took until they were back in the Davenport Estate, their home, before the panic hit. What had he agreed to? Sleepovers? He wasn't ready for this.  A multimillion business merger. Sure. Why not? An evening of children – children that were not his own. Beads of nervous perspiration formed on his brow.

It was irrational. They were just little girls.

Pulling out his phone, Nick fingers hastily dialled the only person he wanted to speak to. Each ring only ramped up the nerves until finally the phone clicked and the voice of his amazing pixie made its way down the phone.

"Hi Nick," Betsy answered, a smile in her voice.

"Hey," Nick replied, his fingers flexing around the phone as he paced across the floor.

"Did you need something from me?" Betsy asked when he failed to add anything else. "Or did you just want to talk to me again? If so, I'm perfectly okay with that."

"Both." Nick replied, watching as Tommy chased Delilah around the sofa. His infectious giggles filled the air as his sister pranced just out of his reach. "First, I have to ask, how do I organise a sleepover?"

Betsy snorted before muffled giggling echoed down the phone. He heard her deep breath before she said with amusement, "Oh Nick. You're really worrying about this, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't say worrying. More wondering how on earth I am supposed to look after several little girls. Why did I even agree to this?"

"Because your daughter has you wrapped around her little finger." Betsy laughed, taking great delight in his discomfort.

"That may be true." Nick replied. "But you didn't answer my question. What exactly does a sleepover entail? Strangely enough, I've never been to one and I want to make sure it's perfect for Delilah."

"It's not as complicated as you think. They'll just watch some movies and play with Lilah's toys." Betsy replied. "Did you want me to help?"

"Yes," Nick accepted quickly. "Did I ever mention how much of a saint you are?"

"No. Not nearly enough." Betsy teased. There was a pause and Nick heard her draw in a deep breath before she murmured. "I know it's only been a few hours but I've missed you."

Leaning against the doorframe, his kids having collapsed onto the floor in a giggly heap, Nick allowed himself to confess. "I missed you too."

There was a moment of quiet and Nick could almost see her biting her lip. "Can I come over tonight?"

Nick shook his head and laughed lightly.  "You don't even need to ask. Of course you can come over."

Since the incident, as they had all dubbed it, he had been allowing her to lead the relationship. She needed the control. No matter that he struggled to hand it over. For her, he would follow her lead because it was better that than to lose her completely.

"I'll see you later then. Shall I bring food?" She asked, the phone line crackling as she adjusted her hold on the phone.

"No, don't worry about food. Mrs Reed has decided she's making casserole for dinner and who was I to refuse. She loves to see you."

"I love to see her too."

"I'll see you at six?" Nick asked.

"I'll see you at six." She agreed. "I better go and finish this paperwork or I'll never get out on time. I love you, Nick."

Nick had just enough time to utter, "I love you too."

And then with a click she was gone.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Nick grinned at his children, feeling lighter from just two minutes on the phone with her. She just had that effect on him.

"Daddy, help. I've been caught." Delilah shouted from the floor as Tommy buried her under a stack of cushions.

Laughing, Nick swiftly dived into the fray. Pulling his son into his arms, he blew against his cheek. Giggles surrounded him as he tugged his daughter from the pile to join in the bear hug. This was what he worked so hard for.

Allowing himself to fall to the ground, Nick released a contented sigh even as his daughter attempted to tickle his sides. He had missed them both. He knew working long hours or taking business trips was sometimes a necessity. Nick just hoped that one day soon he would be in the position where he would not have to go away as often. Until then, he would cherish these moments for as long as he had them.

"I've got you both now," Nick announced loudly, holding his children close so he could place sloppy kisses on their cheeks.  And as they both squealed and attempted to give him equally sloppy kisses in retaliation, he couldn't find it within in him to care about the wrinkles in his designer suit. Nick just laughed and held them tighter; happy to live in the moment for a little while longer.