His Wild Blue Air

Day 10

Wednesday

There were clatters and clanks downstairs. She woke up from the clatters and clanks. Skylar was alarmed for a second because she thought there was a really clumsy burglar. And then she heard her son's voice, and he sounded excited. So there probably wasn't a burglar.

Skylar huffed a breath, slightly irritated that she didn't get to sleep on. She flipped covers off her and crawled out of bed, walking to the door and opening it as softly as she could. She didn't forget to pull on a robe because Christ, New Zealand mornings were forces to be reckon with.

She adjusted her glasses and headed towards the stairs, head leaning forward a bit to catch a feel of the atmosphere. Should or should she not whip out the standard baseball bat John had given her?

"Uncle Adam, can I cut the cucumbers?" She paused at the sound of Aiden's voice, halfway down the stairs.

Adam had somehow managed to enter her cabin, no doubt thanks to her son. And Adam had better not let her son near any sharp objects. "No, your mother would bury in your backyard if I let you touch a knife." He was damn right she would. "Crack the eggs. Make sure you don't leave the shells in it."

"Okay."

Skylar sat down on the step she had stopped on and kept on listening. Why was Adam in her cabin? Why was Aiden up so early? Why were they cooking in her kitchen? What the hell did she miss?

"So how did you get up this morning?" Adam asked.

Aiden made a distracted noise, obviously hadn't heard the man's question. She smiled when Adam just called her son's name again. Aiden always had a knack to lose focus on his surroundings when he was focused on a particular task. It was both adorable and occasionally tasking.

"How did you get yourself up this morning?" Adam repeated. "I mean, from what I heard, you have never been able to get yourself up without your mother waking you with her horrendous singing." Skylar's jaw dropped. "But this morning, at half past six, I was at your door and you were already up."

"Oh, well, Mommy told me that if I gotta have motivation when I do something." Skylar - and Adam, apparently - waited for more but Aiden obviously thought he should just end it there.

"And?" Adam prompted while Skylar mouthed.

"So last night, when Mommy was reading Goldilocks to me, I told myself in my head that it's her birthday today and I have to wake up early to make breakfast for her over and over and over again until I fell asleep."

Skylar's small smile broadened into a wide grin. She removed her glasses and pressed her fist to her lips, glasses dangling between her fingers.

"Aiden, don't eat the raw yolk!"

She wouldn't know how to live without Aiden.

**

"Te ata pai, Miss Smith," Aunt Rita greeted happily from behind the counter still. "Oh, and you too, Ethan."

Skylar held onto Aunt Rita's outstretched hands with a smile of her own and flashed her a mocking glare. "What did I say about calling me Miss Smith, Aunt Rita?" she said. Aunt Rita brushed it off with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway, where's the fruit baskets and the milk?"

Aunt Rita's eyes widened just a little and she patted on Skylar's hand before releasing it. "You wait here," she instructed.

"Nowhere I can go," Skylar shot back, but Aunt Rita had already disappeared behind the kitchen door.