Right Next Door

Chapter 16

Brandon

Life continued on with its steady routine. Work at the job site; work at home. With the guest bedroom and bath upstairs completely renovated, the house was almost entirely complete and he was getting excited for a rest from the day-in-and-day-out labor.

After Friday night movie-watching with Maggie and Aaron, he helped clean her kitchen while she tucked the little boy in bed. She walked in, looking totally exhausted and dunked her hands into the sink filled with soapy water. Brandon sauntered over to her and reached into the water over her hands and pressed his body into her back.

"You look tired, let me take care of this," he whispered in her ear. Rubbing over her hands and smiling against her temple when she rested her head back on his chest.

On a sigh, she turned in his arms and placed her soapy wet hands on his cheeks, kissing him silly. Water soaked through her shirt as his hands pressed to her back. He turned her body towards the kitchen island and hoisted her on top. Maggie wrapped her arms and legs around him and searched under his t-shirt for the skin of his back, dragging her nails around to the sides lightly.

"We should stop." Brandon hated saying the words but wanted to honor Maggie's need to take things slow.

"Ughhhhh!" Maggie leaned back onto the island, her chest heaving and her face flushed.

Brandon rubbed her thighs up to the hem of her shorts and backed away to the sink. "I'm going to go, you frustrated woman." He grinned and swatted Maggie with a dish towel.

"Wait, I need to tell you something." She hopped down from the island and straightened her shirt which has gone askew. "My in-laws are coming to take Aaron with them back to North Carolina for a week. They do this once a year, but it's the first time he'll leave the state without me." She wiped the counter and he could tell she was busying herself because these plans upset her.

"When does he leave?" Brandon asked.

"Thursday, I'm meeting them at the airport at 9am."

"I'm sorry he has to leave, but if you need me I'm totally here for you." Brandon reached for her and she gladly accepted his arms around her waist for comfort.

"It just makes me mad. Paul's parents have always hated me and after he died they won't even step foot in this house. They've begged and begged for me to let him go to North Carolina and I'm mad for letting them get their way."

"Hey, it's going to be OK. You can talk to him every day, right?" He ducked down to look her directly in the eyes.

"Well, of course. But I'll miss him so much," she whined.

"Obviously you will, but they're his grandparents. It's just for one week and I PROMISE to keep you busy." He wagged his eyebrows and kissed the tip of her nose.

"You need to leave, you heathen." She pushed him away and laughed when he snuck a sloppy kiss to her neck.

Aaron

"Mommy I cannot wait to see Grandma and Grandpa! When do I go see them?" Aaron could barely contain his excitement as he ate his oatmeal at the kitchen island.

"You leave in a few days," his mom announced. "Don't get too excited or anything, you'll start to hurt my feelings!" She made a pouty face and sat next to him with her plate of eggs and toast.

"I'm just SO excited," he enunciated. "I bet I'll see mountains!"

"Well, Grandma and Grandpa live on the coast. So you'll definitely see the Atlantic Ocean. Will you bring me back a seashell?"