“Yeah,” he said.

“Thanks for sharing all this with me.”

“No probs, Mom.”

I waited to see if he had more and when he didn’t say anything, I said, “Okay, kiddo. I’m gonna leave you alone. Goodnight, sweets.”

I started to turn the door handle when he called, “Mom?”

“Right here, Auden.”

“Love you.”

The weight that had been lifting since Mickey called disappeared completely and I was again walking on air.

“Love you too, baby,” I replied and shifted out the door, closing it behind me.

I moved through the hall of my house toward my bedroom and did it shouting, “’Night, Lawrie. Love you.”

“’Night, MeeMee,” he called from the log room (more masculine, I’d put him in the beach room when he was there after he hooked up with Robin). “Love you too. Now stop shouting!”

I heard a giggle from Pippa’s room, a loud snort from Auden’s.

And my world was again happy.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Stem the Bleed

I was in my kitchen in slouchy, drawstring, gray yoga pants and a soft green lightweight sweater that drooped off my shoulder and had sleeves so long they had a hole in them that I could hook over my thumb.

It was an outfit I bought over the Internet that Josie had never seen to cast her disapproval.

I loved it. It was perfect for wearing it in my kitchen with my boys with me.

Or, two of them.

Though, I’d never wear it to the diner for lunch with Josie. She was the fashion queen and she’d shared her wisdom with me. It wouldn’t do to fly in the face of that. She might stop sending me links to fabulous shoes (etc.) if I did.

It was the next morning and Lawr was leaning against the counter wearing track pants and a tight long-sleeved wicking shirt. He was sipping coffee. His silvered dark hair was wet around his neck and ears because he’d had his morning run, come back and done his sit ups and pushups out on the deck.

This was why he was lean and I was curvy.

My son had just gotten up and he was in pajama pants, a long-sleeved tee, his hair was a mess and his eyes were still drowsy.

He was also sipping coffee.

This was a new thing for him since I moved to Maine.

My boy was definitely growing up.

This caused me to feel a strange euphoric melancholy. It was good and it was bad.

It was also life.

I was getting breakfast orders, walking on air that I had a house full (almost) of people I loved and I got to make breakfast for them when the doorbell rang.

My eyes went to it and I saw the shadow through the glass telling me it was Mickey.

“Looks like Mickey, Mom,” Auden said, his voice still as drowsy as his face.

“Want me to get it?” Lawr offered.

“I’ll get it,” I replied, hurrying to the door because Mickey was there.