This chapter may appear to be full of fluff and humor, but it's more than that. See what you can pick up on for later. ;)


"I have a fantastic surprise for you," Happy announced as she walked into the home. "But first of all, are the children asleep?"

"They're out like a light," Toby said. "What's this surprise?"

"So I bought something…" Happy pulled some clothing out of her shopping bag. "I thought you might like to take it off me a little later."

"Is this…is this a Helen of Troy costume?" He put a hand to his heart. "Happy, you know me so well."

She wiggled her eyebrows. "I thought we could both do something particularly fun."

"Absolutely. You are the best wife in the world." He kissed her. "Go put it on! Go put it on!"

"Not so fast, doc," she said with a smile. "I haven't given you

She pulled something out of her bag and handed it to him.

"Is this a…mustache?" He asked. "Is this…Salvador Dali's mustache?"

"It is."

"You want me to be Salvador Dali? You want Salvador Dali to make sweet repetitive love to Helen of Troy?"

"Isn't historically inaccurate role play kind of our thing?"

He considered that. "Excellent point, mi esposa."

"Ah. In character already." She bit her bottom lip flirtatiously. "I like it." She cocked her head. "I uh…I really need you to wear the mustache, though."


Sylvester Tipton – Dodd was damn lucky.

There were points in his life where that would be an incredibly inaccurate statement. His first wife died. The first person he loved after that admitted to feelings for someone else. His family fell apart. He shot somebody.

Yeah, 2018 had been particularly rough.

But he was lucky, overall, and he was in a position where he could reflect on just how so.

He'd had the chance to love Megan, and be loved by her right back. Florence, who had seemed so unattainable for varying reasons over the better part of a year, was his wife. She was carrying their baby.

And best of all, she was a woman who didn't mind their wedding photo sharing their dresser with a framed photo of him and the first woman he'd ever given his heart to. And when she walked into their bedroom and saw him staring at his and Megan's photo, she walked over and wrapped her arms around his, resting her head against his shoulder, and asked, "are you okay?"

"Yeah." He smiled down at her. "Yeah, I'm good."

"She'll be gone ten years this year, huh?"

"This calendar year, yes. We're still a ways away from the actual…anniversary."

"If this baby is a girl," Florence started.

"No."

"No?"

"I don't know." He pulled his arm out of hers to put it around her. "I don't know if she would have wanted that. She might have thought it was me being stuck in the past."

Florence looked at him, lifting her eyebrows in a mix of playful and suggestive that he found equal parts adorable and attractive. "Doesn't seem you're stuck back there."

"It's a balance," he said.

"You balance it very well." She motioned to him, that she wanted him to lean down. He did, and she brushed her lips over his. "I know I'm not her. But I think we do okay."

"Stop it." He shifted so he was standing in front of her. "I don't wish you were her. She was a wonderful part of my life. You are a wonderful part of my life."

"I know, Sly," she said, grabbing both his hands and squeezing them. "I know. But I never want you to feel bad for missing her. It doesn't make me feel inadequate, or anything."

"I know." They'd had this conversation before. But it felt good to have it again, periodically. They both felt better knowing they were on the same page. "I miss her and love you all at the same time."

She grinned. "On that note. Remember what the doctor said about a possible increase in libido in the second trimester?"

"I know where you're going with this. I knew when you jumped me last night when we'd just done it the day before." She lifted her eyebrows again. Sylvester cleared his throat. "Wait, you want to do it again?"


"No," Paige said, shaking her head while staring at the ceiling. "I'm sorry, I'm tired."

"Fair enough." Walter stretched. "It's been a long day."

"Not just work. Actually, not even really work. Amber just had so much energy even taking her to the park didn't really help. She'll sleep soundly now, at least." Paige gave a little laugh. "But man, toddlers are the best birth control."

"That would explain you not giving Ralph a sibling before he was eighteen."

"True story, though. Well, that and my relationship with his father had imploded by the time Ralph was three." She rolled on her side to face him. "I miss him."

"I know you do." He reached out and stroked her arm. "But he's happy, Paige. Things were rough for a while, and now he's happy."

"And I'm happy when he's happy," Paige said. "I just wish it could have worked out with him being happy here."

"Me, too." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I miss him, too. It seems like just yesterday he was running into the garage to look at the rocket I was building."

"Remember when he dressed up like you for picture day?"

"I don't have much memory of that day."

"Right. Because…right."

"I remember that, though. Vaguely. Maybe I just think I do because I've heard about it so much."

Paige ran a hand through his hair. "We're lucky that wonderful brain of yours still works at this point." She smiled at him. "I'm not too tired for you to kiss me."

Walter scooted closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. She closed her eyes, kissing him back blissfully. "Oh, I love you," she murmured.

"You're my math and science," he said, his forehead against hers.

"I'm your what?"

"You know. Some say moon and stars."

Paige giggled. "Oh my gosh I like that."

"Good."

He kissed her again, and she moaned quietly against his lips, her hand on the side of his face with his ear tucked between her thumb and index finger. She moved the hand down to his shirt, curling it into her fist and starting to roll back over to her back. "Ugh, Walter, get on top of me."

He lifted his head, crawling to her side of the bed and settling on her. "You sure?" he asked, lowering his head to kiss her on the neck. "You're tired."

"I am, but I've done plenty of things while tired if I'm in the mood for them." She shifted her hips on the mattress, enabling her to hook her legs around his waist. "And my current mood is don't stop or we're getting divorced."

"Well," Walter said, sliding a hand under her shirt and unhooking her bra, "we can't have that, now can we?"


Cabe was retired. Mostly. He was feeling his age in his joints and in the time he preferred to turn in for the night. But that didn't mean he wasn't still quite young in certain ways. For example, when Allie dropped down on the couch next to him and asked "wanna fool around?" he said yes.

Well, usually. Tonight was different.

"Uh, let's take a rain check on that," he said, taking her hand and squeezing it. "For some reason I feel like us messing around right now would be weird."