★彡ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ | ᴘᴀᴜʟ ᴍᴄᴄᴀʀᴛɴᴇʏ彡★ ✅

★彡[ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 21]彡★

Even without makeup on, Paul thought that Abby Valentine was the most beautiful girl in the world. She was wearing a plain red cotton mod dress and a pair of black Mary Jane shoes with white ankle socks. The only accessories that she had on was her watch and a pair of gold and red earrings, and in her hair she had placed a matching deep red Alice band.

Simply put, Paul was enamoured with her beauty, and Abby knew that she looked pretty because his jaw dropped as soon as she walked into the recording studio.

Mollie cried, "you look so pretty, Abby!"

John wolf-whistled, George rolled his eyes but quietly commented that the colour suited her, and Ringo got up and kissed her cheek before he told her how wonderful she looked.

"If you weren't Paul's bird," Ringo said, "I'd take you out myself - you look quite a dish in that little number." He smirked and Abby blushed.

She liked male attention, but never really had the time to encourage nor pursue it because she was always so busy with Mollie... but when she had been younger, well, she had been a bombshell.

With an adoring look on his face, Paul crossed the room and kissed her other cheek. "You look outta this world, Abs. Thanks for letting me take you out tonight. I've got a couple of things planned. Are you ready to go?"

Abby nodded but then walked past him and over to Mollie. "You be a good girl for John and his wife, okay? Help them with the baby."

Mollie loved babies. She was always cooing at how cute they were when she and Abby passed them on the street.

Mollie nodded and hugged her sister, "I will, bye Abs! Have fun with Paulie."

Abby kissed Mollie's forehead and then looked at John. "If she needs me then just -"

"Deal with it." Paul said, interrupting her. "Nothing is going to ruin this night for you, Abby, I promise. If Cynthia can cope with John full-time then she can definitely cope with Mollie for one night." He gently took Abby's hand, "come on."

Abby let him lead her out of the room and away from the building to his car.

* * * * *

"I thought we'd have a bit to eat, first." Paul said as he parked his car at the entrance to a park on Primrose Hill. He got out of the car and went around to open the door for Abby, offering out his hand to her. She took it and he helped her out before going to the backseat of the car and taking out a paper bag. "Sorry it's all so last minute; I sent the receptionist out to get these butties, but I would have liked to make them myself. It seems a bit thoughtless otherwise." With his free hand, Paul took out a blanket which was still bound by a piece of ribbon. "She got this, too."

Paul tucked the blanket under his arm and held out his hand to Abby again. Their hands laced together, he led her through the park. It was almost 6pm and was just starting to get dark.

They walked for about fifteen minutes just talking - mostly about Mollie. Abby could talk about her sister all day everyday as she was her greatest accomplishment, and Paul loved the little girl too and was always happy to ask follow up questions.

They climbed to the top of a hill, making them both out of breath... but when they got to the top, Abby understood why Paul had insisted on them keep walking when she had wanted to stop previously.

The view was gorgeous.

It was a panoramic view of the entire city of London, almost. Very little of it was obscured by trees or other buildings. The lights in most of the buildings were just starting to come on, and the little lights on the few cars that there was were just starting to be used.

"It's lovely, isn't it?" She asked, turning her head to look sideways at Paul, who in turn had been looking at her side profile.

"It is." He agreed, "but I know something lovelier..."

Abby flushed, "Paul!" She chided, looking at the view around them again to resist falling prey to those brown doe eyes.

Sensing she was uncomfortable, Paul decided to change the subject. "Would you sit with me, luv?" He placed the bag down on the cold ground and then shook the blanket out, waiting until it had settled on the grass beneath their feet before he sat down, gesturing to the space opposite him for Abby to join him.

She did, and Paul got the food out. There wasn't much of it, and it certainly wasn't a romantic array... but the fact that he had put seemingly so much thought into such a hastily planned night meant the world to Abby.

Nobody ever put this much effort in for her.

The sandwiches, the crisps and the bottles of spring water were enough... not to mention the punnet of strawberries which Paul had put in front of them both.

Could that night be any more perfect?

They ate happily, chatting about the band's new album, Mollie, and how pleased Abby was to be working for Paul and the other Beatles. She then asked about his family, and he in turn her's.

"I know your mother died," he said, "mine did too... but can I ask what happened to yours and Mollie's father?" When Paul saw the distressed look on her face, he quickly added, "you don't have to tell me if you don't want to!"

But he wanted to know... and he wanted Abby to trust him enough to tell him.

"N-no," she said somewhat hesitantly, "I'll tell you..." she bit her lip. Paul watched her do it and felt a stirring deep within him. Oh how he wanted to bite that lip for her. Abby took a deep breath and then she spoke. "We were quite happy, y'know. Mum, dad and me... I used to have friends who would come around to play and tell me how lucky I was that my parents got along so well. There was hardly ever a cross word between them, and especially not around me."

"My parents were the same." Paul remembered.

Abby smiled at that, because she hoped that Paul had had the best childhood. He deserved it... and surely a man as lovely and as kind as him had not been brought up badly?

"They didn't think they could have anymore children, I think... and then when my mum became pregnant with Mollie, everything sort of exploded between them, and the same night that I was told about having a new baby brother or sister, my dad left and we never saw him again. He never even tried to contact us... he never even met Mollie."

"I-I'm so sorry."

"It just made me realise that men are self-serving, selfish pigs, and that they can leave at any moment - a woman can't. Our mum never left us until she didn't have a choice, and I'd never leave Mollie or my own children..."

There was silence between them.

Paul didn't know what to say.

He sensed that Abby didn't want pity from him, but he couldn't empathise with her either. He didn't have that kind of experience to share with her.

"What happened to your mum, Paul?" Abby asked as she undid the bottle of water which had been resting in her lap.

"She had cancer." He sighed. "She died when I was fourteen and my brother was twelve. I started playing the guitar about a year afterwards -"

"And you haven't stopped since?" Abby finished in a teasing tone.

Paul nodded, "you got it. I haven't stopped since." He daringly leaned over and kissed her cheek - or he intended too, anyway.

At the same moment, Abby turned her head to face him. Their lips met and the both quickly pulled away.

"Abby, I'm so sorry, I -"

"It's okay, Paul." She told him softly. "I... I liked it."

"You did?" He asked in disbelief.

She nodded.

Paul grinned and pressed his lips against her again, this time with more power behind the action. She reciprocated, and they kissed for a few seconds until she pulled away.

Abby asked him, "can we do that again?"

"As many times as you want." Paul promised.

The food forgotten, it was this time Abby who kissed him first.