Kathryn awoke the next morning to distant giggling and the smell of fresh breakfast filling her nose. She sits up and glances over at the clock to find that it is eight o’clock and she has yet to be tackled by her rambunctious, early bird of a daughter who is normally up before the sun. A glare bouncing off her diamond ring, which is perched on the nightstand, causes her to squint. She reaches for the ring that hasn’t been around her finger for over three months. She isn’t sure if Xander has realized or not, but she has a feeling it wouldn't matter either way. The sound of childlike laughter echoing from downstairs immediately replaces her look of confusion with one of pure bliss as she sets the ring back down and wraps a cloth housecoat around her body. She makes her way down the stairs and into the noisy kitchen. She pushes open the swinging door to find Alexander and Jaelyn both standing over the stove as Alexander appears to be teaching Jaelyn the finer points of how to flip a pancake.
“It’s all you, Jae! You can do it!” He encourages the young girl as his hands remain wrapped around her small ones, grasping at the lukewarm frying pan. He flips their wrists back so the frying pan releases the pancake and they all watch as it flips a few times in mid air. He quickly guides Jaelyn’s hands over to catch the pancake and he immediately begins cheering when it lands square center of the frying pan. “Alright, Jae! High five!” He orders and holds his hand up with a sparkling smile for Jaelyn to slap, which she happily obliges before bouncing in joy.
“Again!”
“Does mommy get to join in on the fun?” Kathryn questions playfully while standing in the doorway of the kitchen that looks as if it has been hit by a tornado.
“Happy birfday, mommy!” Jaelyn exclaims with a floured face and childlike stutter as she rushes over to Kathryn and immediately flies into her arms.
“Aw, thank you, sweetie.” Kathryn smiles brightly at the young girl before kissing her multiple times all over her face, causing her to break out in a hysterical fit of laughter.
“Looks like mommy ruined our surprise, Jae.” Alexander comments with a smile, faking a hint of disappointment.
“We were going to bring you breakfast in bed and give you a happy birfday card.” Jaelyn states with a small frown of disappointment.
“That is so sweet!” Kathryn exclaims once again and gives Jaelyn a tight squeeze before setting her back down. “Should I go back to sleep then?”
“I think mommy should get to flip a pancake first, don’t you, Jae?” Alexander questions with a smile while standing by the stove.
“Yeah!” Jaelyn immediately begins nodding and grabs Kathryn by the hand to pull her towards the stove where Alexander was holding the black frying pan. Kathryn reaches for the frying pan and smiles back at him a moment before feeling his hand reach down to cover hers, much like he had done with Jaelyn.
She quickly looks back over her shoulder with a defiant expression and raises eyebrow to get her point across. “I think I can flip a pancake myself, Xander. I’m turning twenty one, not three.”
Alexander slowly lifts his hands in surrender and backs off with a smirk, giving Katherine full rein and watching in amusement as she flips back her wrist. She barely tosses the pancake out of the pan before it breaks in half on the edge of the pan and falls to the ground with a gentle plop. The kitchen breaks out into small giggles as Kathryn turns back to Alexander with a humorous plea for help. “I thought the floor looked a bit hungry.” She shrugs with a smirk as Jaelyn’s laughter is heard from behind.
“Help mommy like you helped me, daddy.” Jaelyn insists as she bounces up and down in excitement.
Alexander looks from the small girl back to Kathryn and smiles as he waits for her response. She gives a barely noticeable shrug before granting him permission to step closer with a simple tilt of her head. Alexander moves closer while trying to contain his smile and stands with his chest pressed up against Kathryn’s back as he gently places his hands over hers. She glances back at him a moment but quickly turns away when she realizes how close their faces were and just how fast her face was turning red. One swift flick of their wrists and Alexander flips the pancake into the air and guides their hands to catch it before it hits the ground. The pancake lands perfectly center in the frying pan and a small cheering section is heard as Jaelyn claps in excitement.
“You did it!” Jaelyn announces while her parents eyes remain locked as they freeze out everything around them for one small moment in time.
Kathryn eventually clears her throat to break the silent stare and looks back over at Jaelyn with a large smile. She rushes over to the counter where Jaelyn is sitting and picks her up to take her seat, resting the small girl on her lap. She smiles down at Jaelyn and gives her a quick peck on the cheek before looking back up at Alexander. “So, are we going to have a day at the park like we did last year?” She asks with a small smile while remembering their spur of the moment birthday plans last year after Alexander burnt what was supposed to be her homemade birthday cake. She laughs softly at the memory and glances down at her daughter a moment before looking back at Alexander who is walking towards them with two plates filled with pancakes, bacon and eggs.
“Actually,” he starts reluctantly while setting down the two plates in front of the girls, “I was hoping you would spend the day with me and then we could have cake tonight with Jaelyn.” He smiles bashfully and sits down in the seat across from the girls. Jaelyn immediately begins scooping up her precut pancakes while Kathryn continues starring back at Alexander in surprise.
“You and me?” She asks with a wide eyed stare. “W-what did you have planned?” She looks down and stumbles over her words while moving the food around her plate aimlessly.
“It’s a surprise.” He draws out the words with a small smile before taking a bite of his breakfast.
She glances up from her plate and her heart jumps into her throat when their eyes lock. She quickly looks back down at her plate and nods slowly before speaking so low, she is surprised he can even hear. “Okay.” She isn’t sure what he has in mind but she knows she has never in her life been so nervous and excited all at once.
Breakfast ends shortly after and Kathryn is sitting on the couch with Jaelyn, watching one of her favorite cartoons while Alexander paces the kitchen floor with the house phone glued to his ear. He finally steps out of the kitchen and sets the phone down while Kathryn’s eyes follow his every move. She would be lying to say she doesn't spend a large amount of her time just watching him and admiring how graceful he is. Graceful isn’t a word anyone that knows Kathryn would use to describe her. She is clumsy and unorganized – a beautiful mess, as Jamie used to say – but there was a time when, despite the mess, she was passionate, and energetic, and alive. She barely remembers that time in her life but she wants desperately to feel that way again. That is her desire everyday and today, that is her birthday wish.
“I just got off the phone with Nanny Grace and she said she would be here at three.” Alexander announces before grabbing his coat off the hook by the door.
Kathryn turns to him with a look of confusion while sitting on the couch, watching cartoons with Jaelyn. “Are you going somewhere?”
He turns back to her with a small smile. “I just have something I need to do but I will be back at 3:30 for our date.” With that he turns and exits the house, leaving Kathryn stuck on one small word.
“Date?” She questions meekly before turning back to Jaelyn with a nervous expression.
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Permission to Love
RomanceShe loved him more than the expensive pearls across her porcelain neck and he loved her more than his 1987 Triumph but when society disapproves of pearls associating with motor bikes, Kathryn is forced into a marriage with the epitome of business su...
