Juliet sat at the table, sipping her coffee. It was an early Sunday morning and most everyone was asleep still. James got up just as she did and was standing in the kitchen preparing pancakes like he did every Sunday. Juliet shifted around in her chair, trying to get situated. Rachel shuffled into the kitchen, half asleep. Juliet smiled and set her coffee down at the sight of her sister. "Morning Rachel, how'd you sleep?" Rachel slowly made her way to the chair next to Juliet. She let out a yawn and slumped in the chair.
"I slept alright." She shrugged and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. Juliet smiled warmly and looked over at James. She leaned back in her chair to get a better view.
"How's it coming?" She inquired as Sawyer scrambled about the kitchen, carrying pans from counter to counter. He grumbled something and poured more batter onto a pan. Juliet leaned back into the table and took another drink of her coffee. Rachel raised her eyebrows at her and smiled. "Do you want any coffee?" Juliet asked her sister and set her coffee back down. Rachel shook her head with a slight smile.
"No, I'm fine thanks." Juliet sighed and looked back over at Sawyer. She tried to hold in her giggles at his cooking. Normally, he didn't have this much of a struggle but for some reason, today was not his day. He noticed her laughter and set down the bowl of pancake mix, turning around to look at her.
"You laughin' at me, Blondie?" He smirked and she shook her head with a grin.
"Nope, not at all. I would never do that." He let out an airy laugh and turned back to his flapjacks. The sound of little footsteps started echoing down the hall. Rachel lifted her eyebrows with a grin.
"Uh-oh, I hear trouble." She laughed. Juliet took a gulp of her coffee and stood up from the chair.
"Good morning, sweetie!" Juliet grinned and put her hands on her knees.
"Morning Mommy." Charlotte rubbed her eyes and shambled closer to Juliet. She rose her arms up and Juliet smiled and lifted her off the ground. She situated her on her hip and pushed Charlotte's blonde curls out of her face. Sawyer turned around and grinned.
"Hey there, Charlie. Pancakes are almost ready, you hungry?" Charlie nodded and set her head down on Juliet's shoulder. Rachel let out a small laugh.
"Someone's still tired." She smiled and Juliet nodded. James walked over to the table with a plate of steaming pancakes. He set down the plate on the table and took a seat by Juliet, across from Rachel. Juliet took her seat and moved Charlotte to her lap. Charlie eyed the flapjacks and leaned in a little. James looked at her and smirked. He stabbed the food with a fork and put it on the plate in front of her.
"Here munchkin, eat up." She smiled as Sawyer handed her the syrup. "Don't put too much on, got it?"
Charlotte nodded and flipped open the lid, "Okay Daddy, I won't." She tilted the syrup and started pouring it on. James looked at Juliet with a smile, then down at Charlie. He watched as she cautiously glazed the sugary topping onto her pancakes. She pulled the container up and pushed the lid down. Juliet patted her leg and sighed.
"I got to pee, honey." Charlotte squirmed and her hair bounced when Juliet slipped out from under her and got up to go the bathroom. Rachel looked over at James and raised her eyebrows. She moved into the seat near him and leaned in closer to him.
"Does Charlie know?" She whispered. Sawyer shook his head and leaned back in his chair.
"Juliet wants to wait a bit before saying anything. Ya know, she wants to be sure nothing happens. But," Sawyer moves closer to Rachel to try and get out of Charlie's earshot. "it's going to be hard to keep it a secret for long." Rachel laughs softly and nods.
"Yeah, that's for damn sure, Juliet's already got the bump going on." Sawyer rolls his eyes and goes back to Charlie and her pancakes. Charlotte was shoveling in the food and keeping her eyes focused on it. Rachel glances over at her and widens her eyes. "Easy there tiger, you eat that fast and you'll get a tummy ache." Charlie looked up from her meal and smiled, slowing down the food intake. Juliet emerged from the bathroom and walked down the hall, pushing her hair out of her face. She took a seat where Rachel was sitting and tapped her fingers on the table. Rachel looked at her sister, face full of worry. "You alright, Jules?" Juliet snapped out of her daze and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm good, I'm just thinking." She shifted around in her chair and sighed. Sawyer looked at her and smiled. Juliet noticed his looks and laughed. "What are you staring at me for?" Rachel grinned at the two love birds and looked over at Charlie, who was also giggling.
"I'm just admiring the view, Blondie." He smirked and lifted his arm to rest on the top of his chair. Juliet smiled and looked down, blushing. She twirled the diamond studded ring on her left hand and looked back up at James.
"I love you." She couldn't stop smiling at him. It didn't matter how long they'd been together, James was still like new to her. He returned the grin and let his dimples surface.
"I love you back." Charlie looked at her aunt and laughed, setting her fork down and lifting the glass of milk sitting on the table to her lips. She took a drink and set it back down. Rachel, Juliet, and Sawyer all looked at her and laughed.
"What?" Charlotte asked innocently, tilting her head. Juliet waved her hands to Charlie and turned in her chair to face her.
"Come here sweetie." Charlie swiveled in the chair to look at her mom. Juliet took a napkin resting on the table to her daughter's mouth. She dragged it across and set it back down on the table. "You had milk all over you." She smiled and turned back in her chair. Sawyer smirked and gazed at his girls, knowing full well that life was perfect as long as he had them.