Soaring (Magdalene #2)(107)

I pushed up and scooted to him, wrapping my arms around him as he did the same, and I put my mouth to his.

He arched me over his arm and took over the kiss.

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.

I opened them and yelled back, “Yeah, kiddo! Hang tight, I’ll get this chicken in and help!”

“I will too!” Pippa said after me.

My throat felt thick, I could feel the tears gathering behind my eyes and that was when I stood there and fought that.

It was a fight I had to win because I had to get the chicken in the oven, clean my hands and help my son move his bed in his room to where he wanted it to be.

I focused on doing the first parts, and after the chicken was in and my hands were cleaned, I walked toward my children’s rooms, calling, “We get this bed moved, you know the drill! Homework done first thing so you don’t have to worry about it all weekend!”

“But there’s something I wanna watch on TV tonight!” Pippa called back.

I was in her door when she finished. “So watch it with your books in front of you.”

“Whatever,” she muttered, but she did it good-naturedly.

“Come help me with your brother’s bed.”

She nodded, tossed her phone on her comforter and I moved out of her doorway toward Auden’s room, thrilled with the knowledge that my baby girl was following me.

* * * * *

“Mom, you’ve got nothing in your scheduled recordings,” Auden announced after dinner that evening.

He was lounged on the couch across from where I was lounged in my fabulous armchair. He had the remote up and pointed at the TV.

“I don’t watch that much TV, kid,” I reminded him.

He looked back to the TV and started pressing buttons. “You got HBO. Showtime. Cinemax. Jeez, you got the premium package.” His eyes returned to me. “You don’t even wanna record movies?”

I’d been so busy, except with Mickey and his kids and when I had my kids, I hadn’t thought about movies.

“That’s a good idea,” I murmured.

“Hey!” Pippa snapped, bouncing into the room, coming from whatever she’d been doing in her bedroom (hopefully her homework), her gaze aimed at the television. “Don’t use up all the DVR space. I get half.”

“You get a third, Pip. Mom’s gonna start recording movies.”

“Whatever, Auden. I get a third so don’t use it all up,” she returned, throwing herself on the couch and kicking at his legs unnecessarily to make room for herself when there was already plenty.