Chapter 2
Several hours later, Kevin woke up and, careful not to disturb a soundless Rachel, snuck out of bed as swiftly as possible. Much like he did every morning, he had two cups of coffee while surfing the channels, took his shower, and was dressed all before seven a.m. With Rachel still sleeping, Kevin reached across the bed to silently brush a piece of hair off of her soft cheek, followed by a delicate kiss to her temple. He grabbed his bag, his cell phone, and another cup of coffee before he headed out to the studio, readying himself for a long day ahead of him.
Joe turned onto his side, silencing the alarm that had woken him minutes ago. His eyes still sleepily closed, he reached out his right arm, expecting his hand to connect with the warmth of Kat’s, but instead, he felt nothing but the cool, wrinkled sheets of where she lay the night before. He groaned inwardly before stretching his hands above his head, running his fingers through his hair as he did so. He rolled off the bed, his feet hitting the ground before his body did. Steadying himself and attempting to shake the sleep out of him, he stumbled into the bathroom and took a shower, the warm water instantaneously causing him to sigh and awaken. Minutes later, he stepped out of the shower, wrapped the towel around his waist, and got up to search for his wife. Not being able to find her in the kitchen, the backyard, or the family room, Joe sighed and made his way up the stairs, smiling as he heard the voices of his two favorite people. He reached the top of the stairs and heard the faint sound of giggling, and reflexively, Joe’s smile widened.
“Good morning, ladies!” Joe announced, his arms open wide as he walked into his daughter’s bedroom. Rolling over her mom, Aliya jumped off the bed, her bare feet slamming onto the carpet as she collided with her dad’s legs. She wrapped her small arms around him as she squealed, Joe bending down to pick her up and cradling her in his arms. Kissing her cheeks ferociously and causing Aliya to shriek, Kat chuckled and got off the tiny twin bed as Joe set down Aliya. Kat stepped into his arms, inhaling and admiring the way the soap seemed to accentuate his natural scent and make it that much more appealing to her. Joe kissed the top of her head and in return, she gently kissed his bare chest before pressing her cheek against it.
“What time did you get up this morning, love?” Joe asked softly, his arms still wrapped around Kat.
“I didn’t,” Kat began, and Joe took a step back to look at her expression. She shook her head, quick to make sense of her previous statement. “Last night Aliya had a nightmare, so I came in and slept in the room with her. It was close to midnight, right after you got in. I’m sorry I fell asleep before you got in…it’s just…it was so late…”
Kat was instantly silenced with a minty-fresh kiss from Joe, and she sighed as she felt Joe’s arms tighten around her. When their lips separated, Joe looked down at Kat through his thick eyelashes, a frown forming on his lips.
“I’ve missed that, Kat,” he whispered lowly and Kat could only lean back onto his chest and nod in agreement. “I’ve just been so busy, and I’m sorry,” he apologized, his open palm running up and down her back soothingly. Kat shook her head and stepped away from Joe.
“We both have, Joe. With Aliya and your career, our schedules don’t mesh. We can work it out, okay?” Kat smiled, matching the one that appeared on Joe’s lips. He nodded lightly before their lips met again, this time more briefly than the last.
“Next week show is the big one and we’re all gearing up to make it the best,” Joe beamed, his eyes sparkling and a blush creeping up on his cheeks. He slid his hand across Kat’s lower back and intertwined their fingers together as they walked towards the hallway. As they walked hand in hand down the stairwell, Joe asked, “You won’t miss it, right?” Kat stopped a step above Joe and tugged his arm, causing him to lean towards her. She placed her hands on his bare shoulders before sliding her hands down his arms and lightly gripping his biceps.
“I wouldn’t miss that show for anything, love,” she whispered, taking his hand back in hers. He grinned and the couple continued down the stairs.
As Kat made Aliya breakfast, Joe got ready to head into the studio. Ruffling his hair and rolling up the sleeves of his buttoned-up shirt, his phone rang, and seeing the name on the caller I.D. picked up with a, “I’m on my way, Kevin, I promise. Just…go get some coffee and I’ll be there in fifteen.” Rolling his eyes as he threw the covers up on the bed in an attempt to tidy it, he barely listened to Kevin’s rant about punctuality. “Okay, okay. I’ll be there in ten. But if I get a ticket, it’s coming out of your wallet!” Hanging up to the sounds of Kevin’s grumbling on the other end, Joe snatched the mug of coffee that was on the counter before stealing a kiss from Kat and offering his cheek to Aliya.
“Be good today, Aliya,” Joe mockingly warned, winking in her direction. She just giggled as she continued to dig into her Cheerios, and Kat waved as Joe hurried out the door. As soon as the door shut, Kat’s smile faded as she thought about just how much she missed her husband, despite the fact that he was, indeed, still around.
