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“I’ll see you at Grandma’s,” Jolie said, waving at them.

“Okay,” Kyle replied.

A minute later, Melinda and Kyle were lying on her sofa, taking full advantage of Melinda’s break.

“Are you sure this is okay?” she asked as Kyle kissed her neck.

“Um… It’s pretty okay tome. You smell good.”

“I meant the Jolie stuff.”

“You’re bringing up my sister when I’m about to slide my hand into your pants?” Kyle lifted herself to look at her.

“She’s putting it all on you, Ky.”

“She’s right, though: our mother would find a way to take it from her. This way, she can’t.”

“But your mom is still here.”

“I’ll deal with her.”

“She’s your mom, babe. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“It’s probably hard for someone like you to understand.” Kyle sat up, straddling Melinda. “You grew up with two loving parents. Our dad does the best he can and always has, but he didn’t live with us, and he never really tried to fight for us, to get custody and take us away from our mom, no matter how bad things got. So, yes, I’ve got some issues, but now, I can finally afford to talk to a therapist about them, which I do plan on doing.”

“I didn’t mean to suggest that you need therapy.”

“I know.” Kyle chuckled. “Mel, I think I might keep the garden house.”

“To rent out?”

“No, I mean keep it, keep it. I think I want to move in.”

“Really?” Melinda asked as she ran her hands up and down Kyle’s thighs over her pants.

“I keep picturing it, and I also talked to Jolie today. We walked around, and she pointed out a room she’d like to stay in whenever she visits. There are other rooms for her future kids to stay in and formyfuture kids to sleep in.”

Melinda nodded.

“Do you think you could live there, maybe? I mean, one day. Not tomorrow. I know–”

“You’re asking me if I’d ever live in a beautiful house in the Garden District with you?”

“I guess so, yes. I know you have this place and that your commute to work is all of thirty seconds.”

“It would change to a ten-minute walk,” Melinda told her. “If I walked slowly.”

Kyle laughed and said, “I feel like this city is full of potential for me, and you’re part of that. I want that garden to beourgarden one day. There’s no pressure for us to moveany faster than we are already. I just wanted you to know that those are my thoughts right now. I’ll move in when the renovations are done. I can rent out the other house or sell it. When we’re ready, you could move in, and we’d have a home. I’ve never really had a home.”

Melinda smiled up at her and replied, “That all sounds pretty perfect to me, babe.”

“It does?”

“Only if you stay here with me several times a week, at least, during those renovations, or if you get a new bed in your grandma’s house.”

Kyle laughed and said, “I’ll happily stay here whenever.You’re here.”

“I like the idea of you working up here while I’m downstairs in the office. I can imagine so many afternoon-delight situations.”