“Anywhere you are sounds like a dream,” I said. “I wish I could go with you.” I looked over at the old white Sony clock radio on his nightstand that he had pulled out of a box of things from college after his divorce. “But I need to be home. I don’t think Julie could manage without me there for the girls, and Charlotte has a new job, and I promised I’d help with shuffling Iris around to practices so she wouldn’t have to worry. And, of course, there’s bath time and mounds of laundry and…” I trailed off, leaning over to kiss him. He ran his fingers up and down my bare stomach and I said, “Maybe you could just stay right here?”

“Maybe you could,” he whispered. Elliott pulled away, sat up, and studied me as if he was debating something.

“What?” I asked.

“It’s just… well…” He hesitated, and I knew what he was going to say.

“I’m ready to move on,” I said, cutting him off, saying what was in my heart.

His eyes widened.

“No! No!” I amended. “Not from you! To you.”

He put his hand to his heart. “Well, that’s a relief. Geez, Alice. You sure know how to make a man panic. So does this mean that we get to have the talk now?” he asked, grinning at me.

“Let’s do.”

He studied me for a moment, as if unsure how much to say.

“You aren’t going to scare me away,” I said, meaning it. “Elliott, I haven’t felt like this since…” I paused and looked out the window over the water. I was going to say “since Jeremy,” but I didn’t think that was even accurate. I was so young with Jeremy, everything was so rose-colored. “Well, I haven’t felt like this ever. I haven’t fallen like this in my entire life.”

He smiled at me. “Well, good. If you aren’t scared…” He paused.

I laughed and motioned for him to continue. “If I’m not scared…”

“I want us to live together. I want to be with you for real.”

I took a deep breath. I’d had a feeling that was coming. The obvious next thing to say was: “Elliott, you’ve been back in town for a minute. Don’t you think we’re moving kind of fast?”

But I knew the answer even before he said, “Al, we were right here last year before you unceremoniously dumped me.” He grinned and winked at me. “Moving in was the obvious next step. And I know I haven’t been back long, but nothing has changed. I don’t feel like we’re starting over.”

“Me neither,” I whispered. “But the moving thing could be a little tricky.…”

“If you just didn’t have all these hangers-on.…”

I laughed and swatted his arm. “Don’t call them that! They are my family. I love them.”