Kate’s blue hues looked down to their sleeping angel as Josh went on about her. It was hard to believe that the sweet girl nuzzled in her arms could be a handful but perhaps she was more like her mother than Kate realized. “What else does she do? What does she like? Food, color, activity. I want to know it all.” Being away from Peyton for so long had Kate questioning everything until the moment they were reunited. The fear that she held inside was now gone and though things were still new and vastly different, the ease at which Peyton went to her made Kate that much more sure she had done the right thing even though it had meant missing a year of her daughter’s life. It was a year she hoped Peyton would never remember clearly but it was necessary if she wanted to see the rest of Peyton’s life.
“What? You don’t think I can do it?” Kate challenged, raising a neatly manicured brow in his direction. Her words were pure jest but she found the ‘old Kate’ coming through in the sense that she never liked being told what to do nor did she back down from a challenge. if any piece of her old self were to stay, she wanted this to be it. “I did have a terrible teacher. Couldn’t understand him - his accent was too thick and he kept using funny words.” If her joking manner hadn’t been apparent before, it was now and it was accompanied by one of her signature smiles. “No, really. Let me see the books to decipher how much shit you’re in and we’ll go from there. I might have a few favors left to call in if you really need them.” She still had connections in Manhattan and while some of them were of those better left in her past, she was willing to take the risk if it meant digging them out of a massive hole.
Kate’s teeth tugged at her lower lip as she watched him pause, feeling slightly bad for coming off so stern. Their situation wasn’t easy and Kate didn’t know where they stood. Their visit had been amicable so far but they had barely grazed the surface of anything. There had been a lot left unsaid when they parted ways and a lot to talk about now but Kate wouldn’t be the one to delve into it. While she was locked up in a glorified prison cell for the last year, Joshua was out living his life. Was she bitter? Maybe a little bit at first but not anymore. He had cleaned himself up, done what she wasn’t able to do on her own. How could she be angry at him for that? However that was just it - he had been living his life. Without her. His infrequent chats never led to anything beyond talks about Peyton so she had no idea what his life was like. Had it been hard for him too or did he move on just fine without her? They were all questions she was curious about but would never raise for the sake of ruining their cordial reunion.
It could’ve been easy for her to ignore the small bump but she chose not to. “Sorry. I just - not right now. Please?” she offered in nearly a whisper as if her volume would wake Peyton. Before he could offer anything more, Kate shook her head and sat up a little in her seat just enough to cause Peyton to stir in her sleep. A gentle smile took over her features as she looked down at the girl who did nothing more that shift positions and Kate settled back into the seat. “You don’t have to do that. It’s not much and I’ve sort of been living in there for the last two days so it’s a mess. I’ll grab everything I need later.”
Prim and proper, the Manhattan elite. But most importantly; mother. It suited her and that was the simple truth of it. It was all Joshua saw when he caught himself staring at Katherine and their daughter across the kitchen island. Two sets of blonde tresses, one whose braids could without a doubt be done better, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Two sets of striking blue eyes, one whose were just drifting to and through between her slumber. There was no shadow of a doubt that Peyton was the spitting image of her mother, and to see them reunited only stirred feelings of the past. Conflicted or otherwise. “Some days it’s blue, others it’s pink, or purple,” Josh said with a grin. It was hard to keep a three year old’s mind settled on anything. “No doubt she’ll tell you all about it when she wakes up. She could talk your ears off.” Joshua let out faint laughter and shook his head as she’d challenged him, true to his memories of a fiery woman who’d teased and played, but was unbending and stubborn. To say no to Kate had always only spurred her on more, dared her to do the denied. “Sounds like a lousy teacher if you ask me. I bet he was as handsome as they come though.” Josh uttered playfully, nodding along. “I’d love for you to clean up after my terrible book work.”
The sting of that don’t still lingered, yet his eyes remained a contender for hers as he slipped around the island, closing closer to the woman all too familiar and yet - so different. A thousand times he ran this scenario over in his mind, and a thousand times it was different, but it was never this. It was rarely calm, and never was it this peaceful. There was fire in some, passion in others. Anger was in most, but this—this was unexpected. There was no ferocity over the bar, nor the neighborhood. She barely had a chance to see either, but that was another matter entirely. No toxicity, no cruel words and no spite. Just Katherine and her daughter. Maybe it’d come later, Josh thought as his attention drifted finally from the pair of blondes and instead to the hallway of what was their home. Not his anymore. Theirs. There was so much to consider, so much to talk about, but for now, he was happy to accept the peace.
“I have a hard time picturing you living out of your car.” The Irishman mused, half a smile cocked to his lips. There was no intentional hostility in his voice, but he knew it was going to be a touchy subject. Her family wasn’t exactly receptive of either of them. “There’s no walk in closets, and no pretty views of the Manhattan skyline. The hot water is temperamental at the best of times, but it’s home.” Josh sighed, a shallow breath parted from his lips and a calloused hand pulled through the mess of light brown atop his scalp as he looked once more back to Kate. “You don’t mind doubling up with her, do you? She’s no trouble when she sleeps, she’s just an early riser.” His words served as a caution more so than a question; given that many a early morning after a late night at work was ruined by an eager blonde bouncing on the bottom of his bed.
His fingers stroked through Peyton’s blonde locks as she slumbered, all too content with the fussing and the familiarity of a mother gone for what was effectively one third of her life. “There wasn’t a day that went by where she didn’t ask how mummy was doing,” Joshua spoke with a soft tongue, his words quiet and soft as if to not disturb the toddler. “She’d always sleep a little easier after hearing your voice on the phone.” Pale-blue hues set upon Katherine now he was closer. He studied her; watched her with curious intent. “I’ve no doubt it was more or less the same for you, and I should—” The Irishman was interrupted by Holly’s barking, her studying and intent watching more focused on her bowl. Peyton stirred with the barking, woken from her short nap pressed in her mother’s arms. Hazily, she lifted her heavy eyelids and looked up to Katherine, a smile brighter than a thousand suns pressed to her lips.
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