Brandt opened the door almost right away. “Hey! I didn’t know you were coming over.”
“Me, either. Am I interrupting anything, or do you have a minute?”
“Come on in, it’s just family. We’re relaxing and trying to decide what we’re going to send out for.”
“Nobody delivers this far out here,” Remi said, walking into the house behind Brandt.
“I know. That’s what brother-in-laws are for,” Brandt said, tagging Charlie in the back of the head with the burp cloth he had on his shoulder.
“Oh, I see how it is,” Charlie said. “It’s not my company you want, it’s the delivery service.”
“Did you ever think it was anything else?” Brandt teased. “No, seriously, though. Bailey and Shaun are coming over, and are going to bring whatever it is we decide on.”
“Nice. Two delivery services,” Remi said with a chuckle.
“Hey, Remi,” Tempest said.
“How you feeling, Tempest?” Remi asked.
“Other than the breaking down at stupid commercials on television, I’m alright.”
“Hormones,” Daisy said. “It’ll get back to normal soon.”
“It’s been three months! I mean, how much time do they need?” Tempest asked.
“More months,” Daisy said with a shrug.
Elijah started whining in his bassinet and Tempest got up.
“You know what? Let me,” Remi said, moving toward the bassinet.
“Really? Okay,” Tempest said.
“Yeah. It might be a while before I get to see him again,” Remi said, lifting Elijah and cradling him close. “Man, those eyes! They’re so green!”
Tempest smiled. “My boy is pretty.”
“Yeah he is,” Remi said.
“What are you talking about, might be a while?” Brandt asked.
“I decided last night. I’m heading out. I’ve been saving every penny I could get my hands on, granted it’s not a lot, but it’s enough to make a start, and that’s all I’ll need.”
“Where are you going?” Brandt asked.
“I gotta see what’ll happen if I refuse to accept things as they are.”
“You mean if you make a nuisance of yourself,” Brandt said.
“Yeah, well, I can’t just leave it alone. It would kill me never knowing,” Remi said.
“I get that, ten thousand percent. And, let me buy your house back. I’ve just been waiting, leaving it the way we left it until you said otherwise. I can transfer the money today.”
“No, Brandt. I don’t want you to be out of that much money. I really hope I don’t come back, at least not full time — no offense. I don’t need it. Give it to Daisy. Daisy, you and Charlie are getting married, right? You and Charlie can have it.”
Daisy raised her finger and waggled a round yellow diamond at him. “You know we are! But, we’ve bought Jobe’s house. Jobe isn’t coming back unless it’s to visit, and we decided to stay close to my parents. Dad and Carson are really close. That’s where Carson is now! And it just feels like home over there to me, you know?”
“Makes sense. You always kind of have seemed like an older, wiser individual than any of the rest of us. The other side fits you,” Remi said.
