86. The Breakfast Table

86. The Breakfast Table
Alina's Pov
“How are you feeling now?” Theodore asked, joining Asher and me at the breakfast table. It was my fourth day of the cycle, so the pain had thankfully subsided. After the first agonizing day, the weekend had arrived just in time to save my sanity. I dreaded to think how cranky I would have been if I’d had to work through it. Asher was perched on my lap, eagerly accepting bites of fruit I fed him.
“I'm alright,” I replied, trying to sound as normal as possible. Theodore didn’t respond immediately, prompting me to look up and face him. His intense gaze, fixed on me and Asher, made my stomach flutter with unease. There was a strange mix of desperation and regret in his eyes. He seemed lost in his thoughts, watching the way I fed Asher. When he realized I was observing him, he quickly cleared his throat and coughed awkwardly.
“That's good to hear,” he finally said.
“Morning, Daddy!” Asher chirped, his mouth full of a large chunk of apple.
“Morning, buddy. Did you sleep well last night?” Theodore asked, sharing a knowing look with Asher that made me feel like I was missing something.
“Yeah! I did,” Asher replied with enthusiasm. He turned to me, eager to explain. “Daddy read me a Superman storybook last night, Mummy. You were sick and sleeping, so he said we should not disturb you.”
“Oh,” I said, glancing at Theodore before returning my gaze to Asher. “Did you enjoy it?”
“Yep! We even acted out a scene where I became Superman and Daddy became the villain. Then I defeated him,” Asher explained cheerfully.
“Wow. You really did?” I asked, smiling at his excitement. “Uh-huh,” he said with pride.
“That’s amazing,” I responded, giving him an affectionate squeeze. Asher beamed, clearly proud of his superhero feat. Theodore's eyes softened as he watched us, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.
“Mummy, I also wanted to go to the amusement park with you and Daddy. Daddy said it was okay with him but that I should ask you first.” My eyes locked onto Theodore's, which were already looking at me expectantly. The idea of the three of us going out as a family hadn’t crossed my mind. I didn’t know how to feel about it. The notion was both exciting and nerve-wracking.
“Baby, I think—” Before I could even finish my sentence, Asher was already working his charm, his big puppy eyes pleading with me. “Please, Mummy. Please! We will have so much fun. And Daddy will also win you a teddy bear!” My eyebrows shot up in surprise at his suggestion.
“You will, right, Daddy?” Asher looked at Theodore with excitement, making him smirk in amusement. “Of course I will. I will do anything for my family,” Theodore said solemnly, his eyes glinting with sincerity.
“See, Mummy? Now can we please go? Pretty please?” Asher’s hopeful expression was hard to resist. I sighed, feeling the corners of my mouth lift despite myself.
“Okay, we’ll go. But not today.”
“Yeah!” Asher cheered in victory, his face lighting up with joy. Theodore’s expression softened, a genuine smile gracing his features as he watched Asher’s excitement. It was a rare moment of unity, a glimpse of what our family could be. Asher’s enthusiasm was infectious, and we soon resumed our breakfast with a renewed sense of energy. He chattered on about all the rides he wanted to go on and the games he wanted to play, his excitement palpable. Theodore occasionally chimed in with suggestions, his eyes frequently meeting mine.

“You have another meeting with Samuel Enterprise in an hour. After that we need to visit the Wentworth site to decide the location for the next shoot,” I told Theodore his schedule for the day.
“What about the Linsdon project?”
“Yeah, you already have meetings this week with the shoots and the new launch. I moved it to next week, 24th—” I paused abruptly, making Theodore look up from his laptop. Shit. Shit. Shit. How can I possibly forget it was the 24th next week! Asher's birthday! Agh.
“Alina? Everything alright?” I gaped at Theodore, not sure how to explain the dumb look on my face.
“I forgot it's Asher's 4th birthday next week,” my jaw dropped as I smacked a hand over it.
“Wait really?”
“Yeah. Shit. I was so swamped with work, it slipped my mind. I don't even have time to prepare for the grand party I promised him this year.” Fuck. How could I be so careless?
“Ok calm down,” Theodore got up from his place to walk up to me. “Calm down. Don't worry about it. I'll handle everything. For now, all you need to do is postpone the meeting with the Linsdon’s.” He grabbed my shoulders gently before speaking softly.
“But…the meeting…it's important. We can—”
“I know the meeting is important. But my family comes first.” There it goes. Something about him calling me and Asher his family just makes a weird shift in my stomach.
“It's my son's 4th birthday, the first one that I'm actually going to be with him. So I want it perfect. No exceptions. Leave everything to me and just postpone the meeting to the week later.”
“Are you sure about it? We would already be going to the amusement park. I'm just…I don't want you to sacrifice your work and time for all of this. I know what your work means to you.” I shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze.
“Alina, there is one thing that I learned from my mistakes is that time doesn't turn back. Once it's gone, it's gone. I've already regretted a lot of my decisions that I made towards the people who…” he gulped before continuing, “who meant the world to me because I was selfish. I can never make the same mistake again. My business is established. One or two days away from work won't ruin anything for me. But if I'm not there when I'm supposed to be there for my son and my wi—” he paused before correcting himself, “the mother of my child, it could create serious damage and regrets that I don't ever want to face again.”
“I still think that is unnecessary.”
“It's not. Nothing can be unnecessary for my child.”