"Blesk, it's a pleasure. I’m Ben.” Turning back to his son, he adds, "Now, what are you doing up this way?” He sits in Konnor’s chair. “Not that I’m not pleased to see you.”
Ben has a fit figure, unlike my dad, but there are more wrinkles around his eyes. Perhaps he is a little older. He has salt-and-pepper hair, is freshly shaven, and has the same hazel-coloured eyes as Cassidy.
Picking up Konnor’s fork, Ben tucks into the waffles on his son’s plate. “I’ve missed your cheese waffles.”
Konnor laughs. “They’re killer, hey?”
Chewing the maple and cheese creation, Ben looks at me. “What did you think of them?”
I chuckle and cross my legs under the table. “Well, they are really nice, but...” I laugh.
“Go on,” he urges.
“In a weird way.”
“Yeah, well…” Konnor pauses, then looks at me. “An old friend of mine used to put sweetcorn in with mac-and-cheese, so there is just something about sweet and salty that I’ve always liked.”
My mouth drops open.
He remembers?
“I didn’t know that was the reason,” Ben says, chewing. “I always thought it was just a happy mistake and that you were trying to sabotage breakfast again.”
Konnor grabs another chair, pulling it over to the edge of the round table and sitting between us. “Come on, that doesn’t sound like something I would do.”
Ben takes a sip of his son’s orange juice, and I smile at that. At that ease and familiarity. “Don’t lie to the poor girl. Konnor was always trying to prank us growing up.”
“Really?” My heart swells. I arch a brow at Konnor. He smiles. It’s strange hearing about his life from someone I don’t know as I was the only one in it for so long. I’m new to his family, to this life. And yet, not new at all.
Ben nods, bumping Konnor with his elbow. “Yep. He went around dyeing everything green for a week?—"
“She doesn’t need to hear this.”
“Hush, son, your old man is telling a story. I woke up one morning with green hair and my work shirt was green.” He laughs. “Even the damn tap water was green.”
Konnor leans back in his seat with a pleased sigh. “I’ve got some mad pranking skills.”
I giggle. “How old were you?”
“Twelve, right?” Ben asks.
I've missed so much. Never again. “How did you make the tap water green?”
Konnor looks so smug. “Well, Duchess, I’m so glad you asked. I put green jelly crystals in the faucet under the washer.”
“I remember that!” A soft voice calls out from behind us, followed by the sound of the alfresco door sliding on its tracks.
Cassidy appears and sits on her dad’s knee. “What up, Daddy-o?” She kisses him on the cheek.
Ben brightens, giving her an affectionate squeeze. I stare at them, my eyes moving from his smile to hers, to the loose position of his hand on her waist, to the way her body slumps into his.
“You’re too old to sit on Dad’s lap, Cassidy,” Konnor says, pinching her stomach through her shirt.
She sticks her tongue out. “Dad, Konnor pinched me.”
Ben laughs but feigns a paternal scowl. “Now, now, Konnor, let me keep my little girl for a while longer.Godknows I lost Flick as soon as she came out of the womb.”
Konnor shakes his head at his little sister. “Such a bloody princess.” He turns to face Ben. “Where is Flick? Cassidy just said she was away for the weekend.”
