THE SPACE BETWEEN

Chapter 10

Trigger Warning(s):  Sexual situations

(Shannon's POV)

Missi tired easily lately and I'd found her asleep sitting up and once with her face on her desk. I was concerned that the pregnancy seemed to be draining her, but she said she'd had the same issue with past pregnancies. When I mentioned hiring a housekeeper, she flew off the handle.

'Oh yeah, that's definitely what we need! Make sure you hire someone young and attractive and maybe we'll end up like Ben Affleck and Jennifer Gardner or Arnold Schwarzenegger and what's her face.'

I ducked as a large food container flew past my head. Missi started crying and ran upstairs. I flinched when the bedroom door slammed, wondering if it had registered on the Richter scale. Every time I thought her mood swings were easing, she came unglued. I decided to wait out this tantrum since she'd looked insanely infuriated. The next day was her meeting with the lawyer and I surmised that was part of the reason her fuse was extremely short today. The best idea I could come up with for helping her reduce stress—other than sex—was a trip to the beach.

When I heard the shower running, I didn't respond to the call. I thought better of appearing the way a pet does after hearing a refrigerator door open or a food wrapper rustle. My copilot and I were going to remain where we were so no unnecessary harm would come to us.

When Missi came downstairs she seemed in better spirits. I went over how I was going to ask her about going to the beach before opening my mouth. I didn't want to phrase it wrong and upset her.

'I was thinking maybe we could go to the beach today.' I said nonchalantly.

She looked adorably sweet as she smiled, and I knew the exorcist had retreated for now.

'That sounds wonderful. Are you ready to go?'

'Just let me change clothes.' I headed for the bedroom post haste, whipped some clothes on and returned in under a minute.

Once Missi finished packing snacks we were on our way. Both my girls had their snouts in the air enjoying the air as we made our way to the beach. I was left to gather up everything when we got there since Missi and Maggie were otherwise occupied by a race to the finish line.

The air was crisp, but the sun's warmth made up for it. The sound of Missi's laughter as she and Maggie played near the water's edge was music to my ears. After spreading the blanket on the sand, I snuck up behind Missi and pinched her ass. Despite her yelp, laughter followed. The twinkle in her eyes had returned and she stood up on her toes and kissed me.

We started walking up the deserted stretch of beach with Maggie in tow. I tuned in to the rhythm of the waves and watched as the breeze whipped through Missi's long hair. We were together, yet apart, each stopping occasionally to revel at the never-ending horizon. We traded smiles here and there but didn't interrupt each other's serenity. My heart was full, and I felt a sense of calm. I thought of all the ways our lives had changed in between trips to various beaches. They'd served as a backdrop for a lot of milestones in our relationship.

Hopefully tomorrow would result in another milestone if Missi's testimony helped free Brittany. Being able to put Michael's ghost to rest was long overdue for all of us.

I looked back to see where Missi was. She was staring at the water and looked as deep in thought as I'd been. I walked back and broke her spell when I reached for her hand. She smiled and clamped both her hands around mine. I put my arm around her, and we continued on. It wasn't long before I broke the silence.

'Let me tell you a story.' Was all I said, but the simple sentence made her chuckle.

'Maggie, get ready. Daddy's going to tell a story.' She giggled.