CHAPTER 3

Keesha heard the door close and stepped into the hallway to greet her husband.

"I'm so glad you're home," she said, after they had kissed hello. "You must be exhausted."

"I am," he said, as they made their way to the kitchen.

"Why didn't you call to let me know you'd be so late?"

A.J. shook his head. "I wondered if Stephanie called you. I asked her to on my way out the door to this rushed meeting Ned called me in to. I swear, sometimes I think I have the most incompetent secretary at ELQ."

"It's okay. You're home. That's all that matters. Are you hungry? I can heat up the stew."

"No, that's okay. I'll just make myself a sandwich."

As he prepared the sandwich, he asked Keesha how her day had been.

"Busy, but fine. The kids had fun with Emily."

"What did they do?" he asked, sitting across from her.

"They went to the zoo. Our son now roars like a lion," she said and laughed.

A.J. smiled at the thought of Kyle trying to sound like a lion. "I'm glad Emily came home from school for the summer. She loves the kids so much."

"And they love her, too."

"Did Carly let Michael go?"

"I don't think so. Alicia and Kyle didn't mention seeing him, but I didn't get a chance to talk to Emily."

"I wish Carly would let Michael spend more time with us. She's closing him off, and I don't like it."

"You get to spend time with him next week. What do you have planned?"

"Is it next week? I haven't even thought about it. I don't get to see Alicia and Kyle, and they live with me."

"Is your schedule going to slow down, A.J.?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. He took the last bite of his sandwich. "But I decided on my way home tonight to give back some of the work Ned so unceremoniously dumped on me before I have a heart attack."

"A.J., don't say that," Keesha said, placing her hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he said, noticing for the first time how tired she looked. "Come on, let's go to bed."

Keesha had to admit the thought of their bed sounded wonderful.

As they got comfortable, A.J. told Keesha he had mentioned to Ned he might be in late the next morning.

"Do you have to go in early?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "My first appointment is at 11 a.m."

"Great. Then let's turn this off," he said, reaching to turn off the alarm on the clock radio. "And not worry about what time we wake up."

Keesha laughed. "You do realize that won't do any good. We have two munchkins who are going to wake us up anyway."

A.J. smiled. "I'd rather be woken up by them than a tired old DJ any day."

"Me, too," she agreed, moving closer to him.

"Say goodnight, Mrs. Quartermaine," A.J. told his wife, as he placed his arm around her waist and held her tight. "I love you."

"Goodnight, Mr. Quartermaine. I love you, too."

Within five minutes, they were both asleep.


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