Chapter 37

Mid December 2014

McLean, Virginia

Because the house had been leased in September of 2005, the Baxter's had just renewed it for another year that fall. That meant if the Chegwidden's didn't want to break the lease, the house in McLean would be unavailable to them for another nine months. However since they were still a family of nine, and had hopes that their other children would visit whenever they could, a two-bedroom ranch style house no longer suited their needs.

AJ contacted the realtor that was still handling the property for him and explained they wanted a large enough place to rent until they had a chance to look around the area and assess their options. As Mac spent the first week back getting them settled into the rental house and registering the children for school, AJ dealt with the housing issue. Checking over his property in McLean, he discovered a new road had been put in on one side of his land. The Jamison house was gone and in its place was a new two-lane road.

That evening he broached an idea to Sarah, they loved McLean and wanted to live there if at all possible, and since his property there consisted of ten acres, AJ proposed that they sell the current house and an acre of land to the Baxters. The couple loved the place and had taken wonderful care of it over the years they had leased it. The lease money paid thus far would go towards the sale price, Mac agreed to the idea wholeheartedly.

With the access to the side of his land that the new road afforded them AJ suggested they build a new house big enough for the whole family and any visitors they might have. Mac eagerly accepted the idea and was overjoyed when he told her that the contractor that had created the much loved bathroom in his original house was still in business and willing to work on the new house.

Glad that was all settled before she reported for her new job, Mac happily kissed all the children, who were still gathered around the breakfast table, good-bye. Their father would see them off to school shortly, but before that he grabbed a coat and walked her out to her car. They had decided it would be too expensive to bring their cars back from Hawaii with them, so sold them there and planned to buy new ones once they were settled in Virginia.

Telling his wife they needed more milk for the morning, AJ had gone into town the night before and returned Sarah's rental. In the driveway that morning sat a brand new 2015 cherry red corvette with a large bow on top. "Happy early Christmas present wife!" he grinned at her stunned expression.

Both of them stood there thinking of that day just over ten years ago when they had discovered their feelings for each other, and the fact that they had almost celebrated that discovery on the hood of her Vette out in the open for anyone to see!

AJ was remembering how the teenage boy had come upon them and made a lewd comment about how good Mac might be in bed. He hadn't known the truth of that remark until later that night, but over the last ten years their passions had never failed to be fulfilled.

Mac stood there and scenes from the past flew through her mind. First was Harm's Vette and all the problems he'd had with it, then almost at the same time he'd switched to an SUV and she'd bought her Vette. The day she and AJ confessed their feelings for each other rang clearly in her mind and if it wouldn't have made her late for her first day as JAG she would have pushed him down on that hood right there and then.

Suddenly she snapped out of her shock and exclaimed, "ALBERT JETHRO CHEGWIDDEN! What have you done?!"

Wincing at the use of his full name, something he'd always hated, he nonetheless was ready to forgive her the instant she threw herself into his arms. Kissing him soundly, Sarah turned and was back out of his arms as quickly as she'd gotten into them. Now, even he had to admit, that at seventy he had slowed down just a bit, but he was sure that as fast as she'd come and gone from his arms, he wouldn't have been able to capture her twenty years ago.

She was running her hands lovingly over the car and then in a fit of girlishness he rarely ever saw from his kick-ass Marine wife, she grabbed the green bow off the roof and wrapped it around herself while dancing around the yard. With a giggle, she danced over to him and placed the bow in his hands with a quick kiss and a whisper in his ear, she hopped into the car and was gone.

To be continued….