“Jaxon,” I call out once he’s on the sidewalk. “Relax. He’s going to be fine.” I give him a reassuring smile.
He nods and jogs across the street to his truck. Once his truck has pulled away, I close the door and lock it, just as a precaution. I plop on the couch beside Andy. “So, are you hungry?”
“Daddy gave me some waffles, but I’m a little hungry.” Just as he finishes his sentence, his little stomach growls.
“I can make you some more food.” Hopefully, he’s not too much of a picky eater and I actually have something that he likes.
“Can we sit in here and eat it?” He’s hesitant, and I wonder if this is something Jaxon lets him do at home.
“Heck yeah,” I exclaim. “I’ll be right back.”
Moments later, I return with two bowls of Reese’s Puffs cereal.
“What’s this?” Andy cautiously takes in the contents of the bowl. If he has never had this before, I’m going to scream at Jaxon for depriving his son of only the best cereal ever.
“Do you like peanut butter?” He nods. “What about chocolate?”
His little blue eyes widen, and a small gasp leaves his lips. “For breakfast?”
“Yup.” I set the bowls on the coffee table and take a seat on the floor, patting the spot next to me for him to join, and he does. After he takes the first crunchy bite, he dives in for another and another.
“Stick with me, kid, and I’ll show you the way of the dark side.”
We both turn our focus back to the episode as we eat our breakfast, but the sound of crunching isn’t the only sound filling the room for too long.
“Do you have kids, Miss Kate?” Andy asks with a mouth full of cereal.
I choke on the current mouthful of food. I take a moment to compose myself. “Nope.”
“So why do you have this big house all by yourself, then?”
I chuckle at his question, the same one my sister asked all those years ago when I showed it to her.
“Well.” I turn to face him, propping my elbow on the couch cushion. “I have a big family and a room for my art studio.”
“What’s that?” This kid is so inquisitive. I can see it in his eyes that he wants to be a sponge and soak up all the knowledge he can.
“I’m an artist. Do you know what that is?”
Andy nods. “You like to color.”
I smile. “Something like that. My mom tells me I was younger than you were when I first started drawing, and then I got into painting after that and went to art school for college to fill my brain with everything I could learn about art.”
“Could you teach me how to draw?” he asks, propping his head up on his fist, mimicking my body. I smile because it reminds me of playing copycat with my sister as a child.
“Sure. How about first we finish our breakfast and watch a little more cartoons? And then, after getting dressed, I’ll take you up there. Sound good?”
I hold out my hand, and he places his tiny hand in mine, and we shake. “Deal.”