Page 43 of A Major Love

Maja was leaving today, and I must say, she wore me out. I didn’t have any nieces, nephews, or younger cousins, so I wasn’t prepared for the amount of energy she required. She was a little chatterbox, and I had no idea someone so young had so much to say. She was adorable, but I could admit I was overwhelmed.

Major was up before the sun to start his training. By the time Maja dragged me out of bed, he’d been up for three or four hours. She was used to her father’s routine, but my presence wasnew. Instead of entertaining herself while Major worked out, she entertained me.

I found all the ingredients to make chocolate chip pancakes from scratch while she sat at the table coloring and humming a song I’d never heard. Although she kept us busy, I loved that she didn’t have a problem keeping herself busy. I guess when you were an only child, you learned to do that pretty quickly.

“You want to help me?” I asked.

She lifted her head and gave me a smile that spread across her whole face.

“Can I?”

“Of course.”

She returned the crayons she was using to the box, then placed the box on top of the coloring book.

“I have to wash my hands first,” she said.

“You sure do.”

She moved the step stool Major had bought especially for her over to the sink, washed her hands, then used her feet to move it next to me in front of the island.

“Okay. We need one and a half cups of flour. That means, we have to fill this up to the top, and after we dump it in this big mixing bowl, we have to fill it halfway and dump it again. You think you can do that?”

“Yes!” she cheered.

We went through each step, with me explaining what needed to be done and allowing her to do it, assisting her as needed.

“You did such a good job, Maja. I bet these pancakes will be the best I’ve ever had,” I told her.

“I did good because you helped me. My teacher said teamwork makes stuff better.”

“You know what, I think your teacher is right. Why don’t you color some more while I cook the pancakes?”

“Okay.”

She went back to the table and resumed coloring, and after looking in all the cabinets, I found a griddle in the massive pantry. A few minutes later, the pancakes were cooking.

“Smells good. What’s for breakfast?” Major said when he entered the kitchen.

“I helped Miss Dynastie make pancakes, Daddy.”

“You did? Can I have some?”

He kissed Maja on the forehead before making his way to me.

“Sorry, Daddy. You have to eat healthy food so you can win your fight,” she said without looking up from her coloring book.

I smiled at her response as he kissed my cheek, then leaned against the counter next to me, folding his huge arms across his chest. As I flipped the pancakes, I felt his eyes on me, and when I glanced at him, his tongue brushed over his lips.

“That’s okay. I’m sure I can find something else to eat.”

The smirk he wore let me know he wasn’t talking about food. This man had dined on me at least twice a day since the day I arrived. He was insatiable and couldn’t seem to get enough. I wouldn’t complain, because I enjoyed every second of it.

“Stop being nasty in front of the baby,” I scolded in a whisper.

“She’s not paying us any attention. After she eats and gets dressed, I’m taking her home. She’s getting her hair braided today.”

“Okay. She should be ready in about an hour. Maja, come and get your plate. Do you want orange juice, milk, or water?”