Chapter Eight
Max stood to the side of the entrance to the kitchen, covertly watching the scene in front of her.
"I like kitties." Maddy was explaining as she slurped cereal off her spoon. "They're really pretty."
Logan stirred his cereal around, much to Max's amusement, because Logan never did seem like the cereal kind of guy, and laughed at Maddy as she started to say "Pretty Kitty" repeatedly picking marshmallows out of her bowl with her fingers.
"So, you like pretty kitty's? How about not so pretty ones?" Max heard Logan's low voice reply playfully.
Maddy stilled, staring at Logan, narrowing her eyes. "There is NO such thing as a not so pretty kitty."
"But what if there was."
"There's not." Maddy repeated, turning back to her cereal in a way that clearly stated.
"Don't bother fighting with her, Logan." Max said as she stepped into the room, two blonde heads turned to look at her as she crossed to run a hand absently over Maddy's head. "She is just as stubborn as her par-…. mother is."
Max winced, praying Logan didn't notice her slip in almost saying 'parents', but when he narrowed his eyes at her, she pretty much knew he did.
Max's attention was pulled back to Maddy as she turned around in her chair, grinning winningly at Max. "Good-morning-Mommy-I-made-breakfast-when-are-we-going-to-the-lake?" She said in a rush, her words blending together in their speed of delivery.
Max grinned as she dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Hello-baby-yes-I-see-you-made-breakfast-we'll-go-to-the-lake-in-a-while." She said equally quickly. "Now, eat your cereal." She said as she walked to the counter and turned the auto timer off the coffee pot. Walking over to the counter to pull a coffee mug out of the cupboard, Max found herself faced with a counter covered with cereal. Glancing back at Maddy, she rolled her eyes and smiled. Obviously, when she said she had made breakfast, she meant so in the most literal sense.
Logan became quiet when Max had come into the room, her eyes lids drooping with recent sleep, her hair tousled. She grabbed her mug of coffee, a bagel out of a bag in the fridge, a knife, and a small container of cream cheese, and then sat at the table across from Maddy, talking animatedly with the squirming child as she did her best to block out Logan.
When Maddy hopped out of her chair to run off and watch Saturday morning cartoons, she left Max and Logan to sit at the table in uncomfortable silence each staring at their own food. Finally, Logan broke the silence. "As much as I'd hate to admit this." He said under his breath so only Max could hear. "You did a good job on her. She's great."
"I don't deserve credit for that. She's amazing." Max said smiling with a far away look in her eyes.
"Yeah, she is." Logan agreed.
Max snapped back into focus, blinking at Logan. "Listen Logan. Obviously you're not leaving--"
"Max, you know, it was a while ago, but you knew me once. And I would guess that I am still basically the same guy. Do you really think after finding out I have a daughter that I'd just pack up and leave like nothing happened?"
"No, that's not what--"
"So long as that is understood. I'm going to be here for a while. Better face it now."
"Logan, are you--"
"Am I what? Going to let you talk." Logan cocked his head to the side as if thinking. "Probably not."
Max gritted her teeth. "So how is this supposed to work?"
"Well, you know, I haven't exactly been in this situation before, so I am making this up as I go. But we'll start with this. What's this rumor I hear about a lake?"
Max stood to the side of the entrance to the kitchen, covertly watching the scene in front of her.
"I like kitties." Maddy was explaining as she slurped cereal off her spoon. "They're really pretty."
Logan stirred his cereal around, much to Max's amusement, because Logan never did seem like the cereal kind of guy, and laughed at Maddy as she started to say "Pretty Kitty" repeatedly picking marshmallows out of her bowl with her fingers.
"So, you like pretty kitty's? How about not so pretty ones?" Max heard Logan's low voice reply playfully.
Maddy stilled, staring at Logan, narrowing her eyes. "There is NO such thing as a not so pretty kitty."
"But what if there was."
"There's not." Maddy repeated, turning back to her cereal in a way that clearly stated.
"Don't bother fighting with her, Logan." Max said as she stepped into the room, two blonde heads turned to look at her as she crossed to run a hand absently over Maddy's head. "She is just as stubborn as her par-…. mother is."
Max winced, praying Logan didn't notice her slip in almost saying 'parents', but when he narrowed his eyes at her, she pretty much knew he did.
Max's attention was pulled back to Maddy as she turned around in her chair, grinning winningly at Max. "Good-morning-Mommy-I-made-breakfast-when-are-we-going-to-the-lake?" She said in a rush, her words blending together in their speed of delivery.
Max grinned as she dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Hello-baby-yes-I-see-you-made-breakfast-we'll-go-to-the-lake-in-a-while." She said equally quickly. "Now, eat your cereal." She said as she walked to the counter and turned the auto timer off the coffee pot. Walking over to the counter to pull a coffee mug out of the cupboard, Max found herself faced with a counter covered with cereal. Glancing back at Maddy, she rolled her eyes and smiled. Obviously, when she said she had made breakfast, she meant so in the most literal sense.
Logan became quiet when Max had come into the room, her eyes lids drooping with recent sleep, her hair tousled. She grabbed her mug of coffee, a bagel out of a bag in the fridge, a knife, and a small container of cream cheese, and then sat at the table across from Maddy, talking animatedly with the squirming child as she did her best to block out Logan.
When Maddy hopped out of her chair to run off and watch Saturday morning cartoons, she left Max and Logan to sit at the table in uncomfortable silence each staring at their own food. Finally, Logan broke the silence. "As much as I'd hate to admit this." He said under his breath so only Max could hear. "You did a good job on her. She's great."
"I don't deserve credit for that. She's amazing." Max said smiling with a far away look in her eyes.
"Yeah, she is." Logan agreed.
Max snapped back into focus, blinking at Logan. "Listen Logan. Obviously you're not leaving--"
"Max, you know, it was a while ago, but you knew me once. And I would guess that I am still basically the same guy. Do you really think after finding out I have a daughter that I'd just pack up and leave like nothing happened?"
"No, that's not what--"
"So long as that is understood. I'm going to be here for a while. Better face it now."
"Logan, are you--"
"Am I what? Going to let you talk." Logan cocked his head to the side as if thinking. "Probably not."
Max gritted her teeth. "So how is this supposed to work?"
"Well, you know, I haven't exactly been in this situation before, so I am making this up as I go. But we'll start with this. What's this rumor I hear about a lake?"