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“Man, the royal treatment all around.”
They’d worked around the tub issue by making it a game with the handheld shower sprayer and lots of toys. She was pretty sure that the designer hadn’t had a seascape of wall clings in mind when they’d put in the marble tile, but it was pretty awesome anyway.
She walked through the baby-fied living room full of new tables with rounded corners, instead of the endless glass Michael had owned before they’d taken over his life. Their—his—bedroom hadn’t fared much better. The huge Queen Anne furniture survived, but the dresser was now cluttered with her perfume and lotion.
Instead of complaining about it, Michael kept buying her more. Including quite a few different oils. She swiped the cinnamon after shower oil off the tray, and brought it with her into the shower. If he had news, then she wanted to make sure she primped a little.
Just in case, of course.
Twenty minutes later she was shaved, buffed, and squeaky clean. She wasn’t in the mood to do her hair so she tied it up in her usual tail. The boys came in as she was buttoning her shirt.
Michael whistled. “Well, hello there.”
She sat at her shabby chic vanity. Michael still didn’t understand her need to buy and repurpose, but he stopped giving her grief about it. There was no way she was spending a grand on a vanity that she sat at for approximately five minutes each day.
Not to mention she had so much time on her hands. She didn’t know what to do with it all, so she kept doing home stuff.
Michael hung Axl upside down, as he crossed to the bathroom. “You stink, pal.”
Axl giggled. “Xersize.”
She dabbed on some light makeup, and listened with half an ear as her guys splashed around in the shower. Michael’s deeper voice was layered with Axl’s excitable one. When she was done, she grabbed towels, Pull-Ups for Axl, and underwear for both of them. She set the pile on the counter, then used her time to tidy up their bedroom.
She unplugged her phone and tucked it into her jeans pocket. “So, what’s this news? Worthy of a pepperoni pizza? Or the works?”
“You know me so well.”
She grinned. She was beginning to.
“Brush your teeth. Minty fresh breath gets extra kisses from your mom.”
Chloe grinned and moved to the doorway. Both of them stood in matching blue boxer briefs. Michael’s hair was already fixed into his messy faux hawk, and Axl had his hair styled the same. They were both brushing their teeth in sync.
She pulled her phone out before she thought about it and clicked a photo.
She looked down at her phone. They looked so much like father and son right then. She stuffed her phone back in her pocket and shook off the rush of emotions.
Temporary, Chloe.
But they definitely didn’t feel very temporary in that picture. Or in the last few weeks. She rested her cheek against her hand on the doorjamb. “Spill the news.”
He looked over his shoulder with his toothbrush stuck in his cheek. He grinned around it, and the look he gave her was decidedly not fatherly. It might make a baby though.
Axl’s laughter bounced around the room, breaking the moment.
“We got nominated for a Spectrum award.”
She had a vague idea that it was a big deal, but there were so many different award shows that she was a little clueless. But the huge grin on his face told her it was important, and that was all that mattered to her.
She rushed in and pulled him down for a kiss. “That’s amazing.”
He looped his arms around her. “Yeah. For Best New Artist. We were celebrating about it at practice before all hell broke loose.”
“You’d think that kind of mood would keep everyone in a good mood for at least twenty-four hours.”
He sighed and kissed her again. He was right—minty fresh breath was pretty kiss-worthy. “Now we’re even more worried about a drummer. They want us to play during the televised portion of the show.”
“That’s even better.” She punctuated the congratulations with another kiss.
