Kate had been raised by a man who had, for all intents and purposes, made her feel as though she was eternally indebted to him, as if bringing her up had been some great favor he'd done her. It was impossible to be told such a thing for your entire life and not eventually start to believe it - even a little. Besides, it was her downfall that she was simply too kind-hearted to cut the ties between herself and her father. Before Rufus, she'd never had family other than her father and had been hesitant to let that little remainder slip away. Of course, now that Rufus was in the picture, there was no telling how things might change. He was, after all, the first person who had ever come into Kate's life and truly cared about whether or not she was happy, what she enjoyed, what she thought and felt about things...it was a huge adjustment but one that she wouldn't readily let go of. It was hard to tell what the outcome might be if she was forced to choose between her father and her new husband.
"I would have liked to do more, but everything's been so hectic lately..." She'd hoped that he'd enjoy what she had managed to do, that it would be enough. She did want his birthday to be special, after all. The menu had been the easiest thing to put together and planning such a thing meant she had to be ready to try it, right? What good was putting together such a special meal if you were going to sit there while the other person ate it. No, Kate was definitely willing to try things, especially when they smelled this good.
"It is important to me that he knows about you, yes," Kate nodded lightly, reaching over to cover his hand with her own. "I'm not ashamed of you, Rufus, or of what we've done and I want him to know that. Keeping this a secret forever just doesn't seem fair...to him or to you." Something that made her this happy shouldn't have to be kept quiet anyway. It was something she wanted to be able to talk about. If her father couldn't accept it...well, then they'd cross that bridge when they reached it. Which, she had a feeling, might be sooner than later.