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“Damn right,” Bobby smiled. “You don’t need me here anymore. Andy’s taking good care of you, aren’t you, Andy?”
Andy glanced at me, trying to read my face and figure out just how excited he was supposed to be for my brother. I kept a poker face.
“Besides, it’s not like I won’t come visit,” Bobby continued. “I know you two will be in need of a few exciting stories to spice up your otherwise mundane life.”
“I like mundane,” Andy said. “Mundane is good. Mundane is good for me.”
“Mundane is safe,” I added, more to myself than the rest of the table.
I could feel Andy’s eyes on me, and we ate in awkward silence for a few minutes before he asked, “So when are you heading out?”
“A week,” Bobby said. “I have a few things to handle here first, and I need to make sure the house won’t fall apart while I’m gone.”
“We’ll keep an eye on it,” Andy said.
“I’m counting on it,” Bobby replied. “Oh, and I’m going to need to sign over my stuff to you at the station. The Chief’s been on my ass about it for the past week, and I don’t want to wait last minute to get it done.”
“Sure,” Andy said. “Whatever you need.”
“Are you going to at least pretend you’re supporting this?” Bobby asked me.
“I do support it, you know that,” I said. “Do I have to like it?”
“A little.”
“Tough.”
Bobby laughed and nodded. He looked at me, saw the worry on my face and reached out to grab my hand.
“I’m going to be okay,” he said. “Don’t worry.”
“I’ll try not to,” I said. “Just promise that you don’t get yourself killed, okay? I’m actually getting used to having you around. You’re not annoying me as much anymore.”
“That’s good to know, thanks,” Bobby teased. “Now pass me the potatoes.”
We switched topics and spent the rest of the evening trying to avoid the subject of California and fires.
***
“So, the house is done.”
Andy came up behind me as I stood at the entrance to the living room, taking everything in. He wrapped his arms around me, kissed my neck and rested his chin on my shoulder, rocking me gently from side to side.
“It is,” I smiled. “It looks great, doesn’t it?”
“You did a wonderful job,” Andy agreed, kissing me again, softe
r this time. It made goose bumps break out across my skin, and I shivered.
“Our own home,” I said.
“Yup.” He pressed me closer to him. “How long do we wait before we start thinking about kids?”
I looked at him, an eyebrow raised. “You? Kids? Really?”
Andy shrugged. “Why not? Did you think we’d have all this space and fill it up with cats and dogs?”
I rested my head back against his chest and smiled. “No,” I admitted. “I’ve actually been thinking about kids, too.”
