It was heavy and heated before he broke it, lifted a hand to the side of my head and swept a thumb over my cheek.

“Have a good visit with your kids,” he murmured.

“I will, honey.”

“Got mine on Monday. You’re over for dinner.”

I nodded, feeling happy build inside me.

“Later, Amy.”

“Try to have a decent day at work, Mickey.”

“Will do,” he muttered, brushed his mouth to mine and laid me back in bed.

He had to know I was watching him walk away, and enjoying it (not the walking away part, the watching Mickey’s body doing it part).

Still, he turned before he hit the doorway and gave me a soft look as he lifted his hand in a low wave.

I gave him a soft look and a soft smile back.

He faced forward and disappeared.

Chapter Seventeen

They Were Back

At three thirty-seven that afternoon, I heard the garage door going up.

I stayed in the kitchen and continued doing what I was doing; rubbing herbed butter on a raw chicken I was going to put in to roast.

The door opened and I turned my head that way, smiling and calling, “Hey, honeys.”

“Hey, Mom,” Auden replied, my insides warmed then I went still as he walked right to me.

Right to me.

And when he got to me, he leaned down, kissed my cheek then looked to the chicken.

“Excellent. Mom’s roast chicken. I’m starved,” he declared.

I stayed still as he walked away, but my eyes watched him move out of the kitchen toward the landing.

They caught on Pippa who was standing at the end of the counter.

“Hey, Mom,” she launched in when she got my attention. “I know this is Mom Time and I woulda asked earlier, but Polly only told me today that her mom’s always wanted to see Cliff Blue. So she asked if she could come over some time with her mom and we could show them around. I thought she could come over tomorrow, if that’s okay.”

“That’s fine, sweets,” my mouth said for me, my tone sounding natural and calm and not how I felt.

Ecstatic and overjoyed.

“Cool,” she muttered, shrugging her purse off her shoulder and digging in to get out her phone. She then started wandering away, texting, but she did it talking. “Awesome you’re roasting a chicken. Haven’t had your chicken in ages.”

I stood immobile with buttery hands watching my daughter wander away texting until she disappeared down the hall.

I continued to stand immobile with buttery hands, fighting the urge to jump on my phone and text Robin, Lawr and Mickey to tell them what just happened.

I was still fighting this when Auden yelled, “Hey, Mom! Can I move the bed from the side wall to the back wall?”

I closed my eyes as euphoria swept through me.