the mid day meal

"That's why Mommy won't let me eat to much ice cream." Dylan said still not understanding that ice cream wasn't good for little boys to eat all the time. every once in a while for a treat was okay but not for a meal. Delilah picked up Dylan and held him close to her, "now you know i don't let you eat to much ice cream because its not good for little boys. to much ice cream will make your teeth fall out and never come back in." she said joking of course.
"No it won't," Dylan said
"okay but its still not good for you," Delilah said she was smileing at her son for a minute then looked over at Steven and slid back into the both. she hated the idea but she really liked Steven. unlike most guys she started trusting him almost the exact time that he sat down next to them. "what else is there to do before we leave, Diagon Alley?" She asked Dylan.
"Pay for our food?" Dylan guessed.
"I guess we really don't have to go any where else but home," She said a devious look on her face.
"But you'd said we'd go to the park!"
"So i did," Delilah said.

Steven looked at her and Dylan and chuckled "yea, it gives you a tummy ache " he said smiling as he looked at Delilah " I have nothing to do for the rest of the day , would you mind if I came along?" he said Paying Liz for the meal not just his but Delilah and Dylan's " I got that , and please you gave me your company let me pay for the meal, my treat for both of you. " he said placing the money on Liz's tray.

Turning back to her he sighed still smiling, She had gone threw so much yet still kept her smile and Dylan he was to Steven a bright young boy. He smiled still realizing he was staring he looked down at his hands embarrassed at staring at her but he could not help it , he found Delilah attractive, smart and a loving mother.

"I think that would be wonderful," Delilah said "what do you think Dylan?"
"I wanna show Steven that i can cross the monkey bars all by my self!" he exclaimed
Delilah watched Steven out of the corner of her eye as she talked to Dylan. she chuckled to her self when Steven sighed the looked down at his hands as if he were embarrassed for some reson. "thank you," she whispered meaning the whole paying for their food. she wished she could look into his eyes and see what he was really thinking but she didn't know him well enough yet though she knew that her eyes made her an open book showing how she was starting to feel for him. "if your wondering, Dylan's the only reson i still smile. he is the only reson i still attempt to live my life." she said knowing that any person that knew what she had gone throw with dylan's father would make any one sad for a while. yet steven still didn't know about her child hood and didn't know about her parents who had died over ten years ago.

He looked at her when she thanked him ," that would be great Dylan , and your very welcome Delilah " he said in her eyes he saw pain , a past pain just like his own with losing his wife and almost his son to child slavers. " yeah , they make our lives worth while in every way" he said thinking of john his son and Andrew "no matter what they put us threw we still care about them " he smiled again he had done a lot of it while he talked to her , but he liked it reminded him life can be good and an adventure in a child's mind. "May be I'll race you " he said " and you can really show her then" he knew no matter what ever happened he would let him win , he had missed playing and hearing the laughter of a child .

"He is all i've had for so long, and before him his father." Delilah whispered, "his father and i where child hood friends. just after i lost my parents he lost his." she was talking more to her self than any one else.
"Momma don't cry," Dylan said hugging his mommy.
"Oh honey," Delilah said "i could never cry when your with me." she looked at steven over her sons shoulder even though she was remembering all this past pain she still had a small smile on her face. that smile had been but there by not only her son but steven. "are you ready to go?" she asked pulling her sons arms off of her neck. Dylan nodded, he wasn't going to question about his father again not needing to know more that what Delilah had already told him.

Steven listened to her hearing her story he leaned forward slightly and rested his on top of hers "Its ok, I know what its like Delilah " he said softly his finger curled around hers as he hoped he reassured her he knew what it was like to loose some one who was close emotionally. Standing as they did he took her coat and held it for her waiting for her to slip it on .

He understood her pain he had pinned for his wife for so long he forgot how to live but now even after only two hours he felt like a weight had been lifted ,he knew he would not forget Janet, but his life had moved on , john was safe at Hogwarts and with Andrew happy with life again. He watched Dylan and chuckled at his enthusiasm for the small things right now it was going to the park.

Delilah set Dylan down for a second and slipped her arms throw her coat that steven held for her then she helped Dylan into his coat before picking him up again and he moved around so he was on her back. "yay piggy back ride," Dylan said his arms wrapped around her neck again.
"yep piggy back ride," delilah said smileing at steven. "Now come on monkey boy its time to go to the park," she said
"I'm not a monkey boy," Dylan said in her ear.
"but i was sure i found you in the jungle and shaved all your monkey fur off." Delilah said laughing.

Steven smiled at Delilah and chuckled hearing her with Dylan it was good to hear , it warmed his heart as he walked out sparks he led the door for her "after you" he said still smiling seeing the sparkle in Dylan's eyes at the piggy back ride Delilah was giving him. He walked along side her as they walked down the alley towards the park so Dylan could work of the ice cream he had eaten back in sparks .

As he walked Steven felt the cool wind on his cheek , and smiled "you know Dylan, at my ranch John, thats my son, he has a tree house with a Tyre swing " he said " the creek that runs at the bottom of the garden has a family of frogs in it"

Delilah smiled and blushed a little when Steven held the door open for her "thank you," she said as she walked out of sparks with him and Dylan. Delilah hadn't spent that much time with adults in a while and it was nice that steven wanted to come to the park with them though Delilah felt ashamed at her self for letting him pay for their food when she was falling for him. the first guy she felt anything with since Dylan's father.
"I have a pet frog at home," Dylan said "his name is Bucket. we also have a fish, two horses, and a cat."
"are you not going to tell him the names of our other pets?" Delilah asked
"the Fishy is named Tank, the horses are Flora and Lacey, and the kitten's name is Jelly Bean." he exclaimed as an answer to his mothers question.

Steven smiled as Dylan told him the names of all his pets "well i have so many that if I told you , we'd never get to the park though I have a wolf her names Cara she's just had cubs , six of them " he said "but they still need their mother, a bit like you need yours , I'll show you them some time if, its ok with you mom." he said and looked at her with a warm, don't worry about it, smile. He could tell she was a proud woman and had to feel some thing with him paying for their lunch. He shook his thought off as he saw the park looming in front of them as they walked.