Earth2Mama: Yeah, it’s taken them quite a while to finally find their way back to each other, but they’re finding their rhythm again.
Those two do like to melt the screen, lol.
begonia9508: Thanks!
Lol, boys will be boys regardless of age.
Double Empire does have a much darker theme, but the characters will really bring it to life.
keepsmiling7: Lol, thanks!
The meeting between Sam and Kendra does need to happen at this point and we’ll see how that goes soon.
Did most of us listen at that age? Lol.
mary mary: Everyone’s happy... nice to see.
We’ll see that meeting soon.
Michelle in LA: Andy’s still a work in progress.
Lol, looked like they were both happy for Kyle to be back home.
There is the possibility that Sam could end up getting hurt during or after this meeting with Kendra. Sam’s grown up without Kendra’s presence in her life and she has a father who’s always been up front and honest with her about her absent mother. Hopefully Kendra won’t do more harm than good by meeting with Sam.
Alien_Friend: Those two do stand out, don’t they?
Hopefully Uncle Kyle’s advice will stick with him.
Max and Liz, those two thrive on that craziness, and you’ve just gotta love them for that!
Thanks!
Healerfan: Thanks for reading!
We’ll be getting to that meeting soon. Anything can happen in the Evans household, lol.
Part 111
Michael and Maria sat on the back deck enjoying the quiet evening and putting off the inevitable goodbye. Chrissie had volunteered to clean up and give them some time alone and when she had finished she had disappeared.
“I really should get going,” Maria said, hearing the reluctance in her own voice. She tugged on his hand, letting him know that even though she’d like to stay longer she did need to start making her way home.
“Um-hmm,” he agreed lazily. He smirked in response to the smile on her face and forced himself to get to his feet.
She laughed quietly as she watched him, getting up and following him back inside the house so she could gather her things.
“Next time we should set this date on a Saturday when Andy’s away for the weekend,” Michael joked and came up behind her when she neared the front door. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her back against his chest.
“Um-hmm,” she mumbled. “I doubt that’ll happen anytime soon though… not sending my son away.”
Michael snorted. “That would be mean, wouldn’t it?”
Maria turned in his arms to look at him. “We will get to the point of spending the nights together even with Andy around,” she said quietly as her fingers played with the buttons on his shirt.
“I know,” he agreed softly and watched the movements of her hands.
“Even though he’s reached a point where he can deal with us being together he’s just not ready for that yet.”
He nodded and reached up to cup her face. “We’ll get there. He’s doing good, accepting the changes in our relationship.”
She smiled. “Yeah, that’s a miracle in itself.”
“I could walk you home,” he offered, not wanting the evening to end just yet.
“Probably not a good idea,” she said smiling. “Andy’s back home and I know with you it’d take forever to get there.”
He nodded. “Call me to let me know you got home okay?”
“Sure... not that’s really a long way,” she teased and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him briefly.
“Maybe not,” he said with a smile.
“When will I see you again?”
“Is tomorrow too soon?”
“Not for me.”
“We could go out for pizza, take Andy along.” He chuckled. “Unless that’d be totally uncool and he’d rather crawl under a rock than be seen out in public with us.”
“Asking him wouldn’t hurt, huh?”
He shook his head. It would be a good thing if Andy was willing to go along and have dinner with them outside of his comfort zone. “Think he’ll consider it?”
“I don’t know and I really don’t wanna rush him on this, but we could at least ask.”
“Alright.” He shrugged one shoulder and grinned. “If he’d rather not we can always order in and watch a movie or somethin’. I’m good with whatever makes him comfortable.”
“I’ll call you,” she agreed.
“I’ll be waitin’.”
“I should go, and you know, I almost forgot about my dog.”
“While Theo’s welcome to hang out you probably shouldn’t do that.”
“No, the poor dog.”
“I’ll get him.” He walked around to the side of the house and leaned over the fence that separated the backyard from the front, whistling loudly and calling for the dog. He opened the gate, turning them loose in the front yard while Maria went to retrieve Theo’s leash.
“Seems like he respects you; he doesn’t listen to just anyone.”
“You like me. That makes a difference.”
“Maybe,” she looked up at him and smiled.
Michael watched her leash Theo and he snapped his fingers to call his own dog over. Mojo sat down beside him and leaned against his leg, looking up at him and sighing happily when he earned a satisfying scratch behind his ears.
“So I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
“Tomorrow for sure,” he agreed.
“Okay,” she tugged on the leash and guided the dog towards the street while Michael followed her. “Sleep well.”
“I don’t know how well,” he chuckled, “but I’ll sleep.” He closed the gate behind her and leaned forward, resting his forearms on it. “Be careful.”
Maria chuckled. “Just a few streets, Michael.”
He made a face at her. “Humor me.”
“Gimme a good-bye kiss,” she ordered gently and leaned forward.
He complied, giving her a couple of short kisses before his mouth settled over hers for a deeper kiss. He didn’t linger too long knowing it would only make it harder to let her go.
“G’night,” she breathed after a minute and stepped back.
“Night,” he murmured, his eyes following her.
*****
Tess sat on one of the unopened crates as she studied the assembly instructions for the equipment she had strewn around the shop. She frowned as she turned the page. “Well, this would be just perfect if I spoke Chinese, French, German, Spanish, or any of half a dozen other languages,” she muttered. Where the hell were the damn English directions? She jerked and nearly upset her precarious position when she heard Kyle holler followed by the sound of pounding on the stairs.
“What’re you yelling about?” she asked, turning her head to look at him when he barreled through the door.
Kyle wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up off of the crate, swinging her around in a dizzying circle as he kissed her. “That was the director on the phone!”
“The director of what?” she asked, laughing in response to his odd behavior.
“My boss, Director Powell. He wants me to fly back tomorrow morning.”
“Why?”
“The final interviews have been set up for this week and he wants me there tomorrow so we can go over some things before I meet with the committee.” He watched her for a minute as she thought about what he was saying. “Interviewing now means I won’t be called back over the holidays.”
“Oh, well, that’s a good thing then, huh?” She frowned. “But what if it takes longer than expected?”
“There’s no reason to think it’ll take longer than this week. If I’m lucky I’ll be back by the weekend but I wouldn’t count on getting back until Monday.”
“One week without you?”
He grinned. “Come to Atlanta with me.”
She made a face. “I can’t leave this week. There’s still so much to do…”
“Oh. I can’t put the interviews off. The holidays are too close and putting them off could cost me the position at this point, so I’m gonna have to go.”
“Yeah, I know... guess we’ll have to split up, huh? So soon again.”
“Once this’s over with I’ll be able to officially meet with the current head of the field office here and begin taking over his duties. Then there won’t be any more separations that involve so much distance.”
“I hope this works out, Kyle.”
“Me getting the position?”
“Yeah.”
“It’ll work out. The director says it’s just formality at this point. The field office here is mine.”
“I’m very glad we seem to be lucky about this. Who’d have thought we’d both settle in Roswell, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s not somethin’ I ever would’ve imagined when I was younger.”
“I wouldn’t have imagined it just a few months ago.”
“There’s somethin’ to be said for comin’ home again, ya know?”
“Yeah?”
He nodded. “When I was a teenager getting away from here was all I could think about.” He chuckled at her disbelieving look. “Okay, it wasn’t all, but it was near the top of the list. When I found out I had a shot at this position I couldn’t believe it. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to get a chance to head up a field office at my age. As much as I wanted that kind of advancement I wasn’t sure I wanted the Roswell field office until I came back here. Being with you, spending time with our families, being in the middle of all the chaos... I know now this’s where I want to be. It’s where I want us to put down our own roots and maybe one day raise a family of our own.”
She smiled sadly. “Would you have accepted it without me here?”
“I don’t know. It’s a big deal to head up a field office and a lot of agents never get that opportunity. It would’ve taken a lot more thought if you hadn’t been here.”
“Your family can thank me then,” she teased.
“Our families can both thank us. Now they’ve got a couple extra babysitters close by.”
“I have the feeling Liz is the most happy about it, considering the new baby.”
He smirked. “That’s okay. We’re easily the coolest aunt and uncle in the family.”
“That’s true. And I have the feeling Maria will need our help sooner or later too.”
The smirk eased into a smile. “Yeah, I’m glad things are going well for her and Michael. They both really deserve it.”
“Yeah, true.”
“Andy seems to be doing okay with it.”
“I think his girlfriend distracts him a lot, so he’s not putting too much thoughts on the rest,” Tess snorted.
“Could be the best way for him to get used to the idea of his mom dating.”
She hugged her arms around his hips. “When will you leave?”
“He wants me to fly back tomorrow.”
“Good,” she smiled, “that way you can help me carry all this heavy stuff to the right places today.”
“Carry the heavy stuff?” he snorted. “I’m gonna be gone for possibly a week and you have nothin’ better in mind for me to do than carry heavy stuff?”
“Well, I do, but that has to wait.”
He shook his head. “Why wait? Seven days, seven nights... that’s a lot of alone time. We have three nephews who can move all this crap around for you.”
“You’re so horny.”
“And you’re not?”
“I can at least control my hormones.”
He moved closer to her, crowding her back against the crate she had been sitting on. “My hormones are completely under my control.”
“Ungh, couldn’t you have set up a warning sign?” Maria made a face when she stepped in the shop and overheard her brother’s comment.
He growled under his breath. “Since I’m not an exhibitionist I suppose we’ll have to put this off for now.” He took a step back and sighed. “Alright, what do you want me to move?”
“Thank God,” Maria muttered.
He stuck his tongue out at his sister. “How’s it goin’, Maria?”
“Good, now that I know I’m not gonna see your naked ass.”
“Sure about that?”
“Ungh, Kyle,” she shook her head and walked over to the cartons.
He grinned. “Ladies, get your list of things together that you want me to do. I’m runnin’ to the shop over on the next block for donuts and coffee.”
“Best idea you’ve had today,” his sister said and looked at Tess with a wink. “At least in my opinion.”
“Not my best idea,” he disagreed, “and Tess doesn’t think so either.”
“I’ll take the donut with the white chocolate on top,” she told him sweetly.
He rolled his eyes. “Uh-huh,” he said and glanced at Tess. “Babe? Whatcha want?”
“Same.”
“Coffee?”
“With milk,” both women said at the same time.
He shook his head. “Alright, I’ll be back in about 20 minutes.”
*****
Maria and Tess sat on the floor facing each other as they sorted through equipment. They were breaking to check out a crate of smaller supplies that had come in early and Kyle had made his escape, going to get lunch while they were otherwise occupied. He had spent his morning moving equipment around and no matter how hard he tried neither of them were taking pity on him.
“Got another catalog,” Maria said, pulling it out of the straw packaging and waving it in the air.
“Add it to the pile for Kyle to take out for recycling,” Tess mumbled absentmindedly.
“You sound distracted. What’re you thinking about?”
“Oh, just thinking how quickly things can change.” She smiled and shook her head. “I was over at Max and Liz’s yesterday, dropping Kara off after keeping her the night before, and she’s so in love with those puppies.”
“I know. Can you believe Max really thought they’d just find homes for them and she’d give them up without a fight?” She laughed. “Men.”
“True.” She straightened up to stretch her back. “What would you think about us taking them on?”
“You and Kyle? It takes some work to imagine my brother with a dog the size of his foot but I guess if you can convince him…” She frowned when Tess shook her head. “No? What?”
“No, I meant what would you think about you taking one and me taking the other one.”
“Me? Tess, I have a dog. A very large dog that’s used to being the baby of the family.”
“I know, but, they’re very tiny dogs so they wouldn’t take much room. I thought maybe they could be like the shop mascots.” She shrugged. “It would really help Liz out and if we had them Kara would be able to see them whenever she wanted to.”
“Shop mascots.” The laughter was evident in her voice. “Sure, why not? If you can convince Kyle to take one of them on I’ll take the other one.”
“What’re we convincing Kyle to do?” the man in question asked as he shouldered his way into the shop. He set the drink carrier and two takeout sacks on one of the crates and then shrugged out of his jacket.
Tess gave him a sweet smile when he leaned over to drop a kiss on her lips. “Just taking on one of Kara’s puppies.”
“No.”
“Kyle!”
“Tess, babe, have you seen the size of those things? They only qualify as real dogs if you’re a four-year-old girl, a bubble-gum-popping teenage girl, or a woman. If you want a dog we should get a real dog. Akita’s are nice.”
“It would only be one because Maria will take the other one.”
“Uh-huh, it’s still a no.”
“It’s for your niece,” she cajoled. “If we don’t take them they’re gonna have to go to some other family and she might not get a chance to see them. This way works best for everyone.”
“Everyone except the guy who’s gonna be trippin’ over them all the time.”
“Him, not them,” she corrected. “Just one puppy.”
He handed the drinks out and then sat on one end of the crate to sort out the food. Taco salads for the women and steak fajitas for him. None of that rabbit food on his plate. He dug into his meal as the discussion turned to hair dryers and other stuff they needed for the shop and he relaxed when the topic of ankle biters seemed to be forgotten.
Tess waited until he was nearly finished with his lunch before she brought it up again. “Now, back to the puppies,” she said, giving him a big smile. “Kyle, if we take one of them Maria will take the other one. I think that’s more than fair.”
“Well, yeah, but… you don’t even like dogs, Tess. Lucky licks your hand and you act like you’ve caught the plague.”
“The puppies don’t leave a gallon of slobber behind. Besides, they’re so tiny and they make the cutest outfits for them.”
He winced when her voice went higher with her excitement. He was going to be saddled with an oversized rodent with a wardrobe and painted nails. An oversized rodent she would expect him to walk and be seen in public with. She would probably want to parade the damn thing all over town. He was putting his foot down because there was no way in hell he was going to agree to this. No way.
“Kyle…”
“No.”
“It would mean so much to Kara. Your niece. The little girl who loves you so much and who you’d do anything for.”
“Layin’ it on a bit thick, aren’t you?”
She shrugged and grinned. “Is it working?”
“Not really seeing what I’m getting outta the deal.”
“Man’s best friend.”
He snorted. “It’s a prissy little rat.”
“Fine, if you won’t do it for Kara, do it for me.” She lowered her head and looked up at him through her eyelashes.
He groaned when she gave him that look that never failed to get her whatever she wanted. The very same look that said if he gave in she’d show some serious appreciation. “Alright, but I’m not walkin’ that thing or carrying it around in public.” He snorted. “You’re gonna dress it up, do its nails, and probably stick little bows all over it. That is NOT a man’s dog, babe.”
Maria shook her head at them. She supposed she should count herself lucky that the sexual teasing going back and forth wasn’t being verbalized.
“That’s just silly, Kyle. They’re boy dogs.” Tess’ eyes widened. “Ooh, do you think offering a service like that would go over well around here?”
“No. We’ll keep one of the pups but no doggy manicures or pedicures or whatever you’d call them.” He shook his head and finished off his fajitas. He grabbed the bag and tossed it to her. “Here, got those pastry things you like with the cheesecake filling,” he said, hoping to distract her from her current line of thought.
“Oh, my God, these are so good,” she murmured as she pulled them out. “Maria, have you ever had them?”
He settled back when the women started discussing desserts and before long they were making plans for the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. He was content to let them converse about that because it kept them occupied and away from expanding the business to cater to pampered pooches. He rolled his eyes and glanced around, wondering what the chances were of convincing them to cut out early. Probably not that out of the realm of possibility, he decided. They’d already put in a good afternoon of work and he was leaving the next day. Besides, he was in the mood for a little appreciation and Tess had already indicated that she was in the mood to show a little gratitude for his suffering the indignity of housing the rodent.
He grinned to himself. Yep, give it another hour, two at most, and he was going to make sure they called it a day.
