“Keeley, you need to take the casserole out,” Aaron reminded her, shaking her out of her research-related thoughts.

She scrambled for the oven mitts and pulled it out right before the cheese would have started to burn. Getting lost in Genetics Land wasn’t a good idea when she was supposed to be focusing on something else.

“Sorry,” Keeley said sheepishly. “I was thinking about a possible new research topic.”

Aaron smiled. He knew how much she had been struggling to come up with something new. “Oh? Do tell.”

“After dinner. Will you go get Violet for me?”

He nodded and marched upstairs to let her know the food was ready. Keeley sang one of her favorite songs as she set the table and served up slices of casserole for her family. She was in an excellent mood now that she might have a straw to grasp at in her research.

Violet ate quickly, thanked her mother, and disappeared to her room immediately afterwards. She was still clearly embarrassed about earlier. Poor thing.

Keeley and Aaron took their time eating and then retired to the couch where she outlined her possible plans for him. He listened intently, as he always did, even though the technical terms were still a bit confusing to him.

After being married to a geneticist for so long he knew a lot of the lingo but wasn’t as fluent as his wife. She had to frequently stop and explain terms whenever she talked science to him.

Aaron didn’t mind one bit. He loved seeing her eyes light up when she talked about her passion. Even if he was confused, he did his best to keep up with the conversation so he could ask relevant questions and keep it going.

“I know it might seem a bit silly,” she said when she finished her explanation. “I really would need to check the literature to see if it’s even possible. I don’t keep up with the reproductive side of genetics as much since I’ve been stuck on gene therapy for so long.”

“It’s still worth looking into. I haven’t seen the movie you mentioned though,” he admitted. “Is it any good?”

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorites! I can’t believe I’ve never shown it to you. Want to watch it now?”

Keeley’s eagerness was impossible to resist so Aaron found himself watching an ancient science fiction movie with his wife. The concept was intriguing but even after so many years watching movies for her sake he still wasn’t ever as into them as she was.

He watched movies with his wife and children because they wanted him to and usually it wasn’t too much of a chore but he wasn’t the type to choose to watch a movie on his own. This one wasn’t nearly as bad as some his children had made him watch over the years. It was actually pretty decent.

Halfway through the movie, his phone buzzed with a text from Gray. He groaned. It was time for another of their awkward brotherly dinners.

With how gung-ho Keeley seemed about this new research idea, Aaron was willing to bet she would work overtime tomorrow and wouldn’t be able to come out to eat with them. He would survive, as he always had with those solo prison visits, but it wouldn’t be pleasant.

Aaron texted him back saying he could go the day after tomorrow because he already had plans. Violet definitely trumped Gray in terms of people he would rather spend time with and he had already promised to take her house hunting.

“Who was that?” Keeley asked, not bothering to tear her eyes from the screen.

“Gray. He wants to go to dinner tomorrow but I told him I couldn’t because I’m taking Violet to look at those apartments.”

She finally turned to look at him. “Oh. Do you want me to come with you?”

Yes but Aaron also knew that if she did come she wouldn’t even be any help because her mind would be miles away in the lab. It was better that she got her literature research done so she wouldn’t obsess over it anymore.

“No, you can go ahead and focus on your literature review. I know you’ll be busy with it until it’s finished,” he replied.

Keeley kissed him with a soft, loving look in her eyes. “You know me too well. But let me know if you change your mind.”

That gentle gaze was worth going to deal with his least favorite person alone. Aaron snuggled closer to his wife and tried to pay attention to the movie. He needed to be able to at least summarize it once it was over so he could converse with her about it.

===

House hunting with Violet was an interesting experience. Aaron had never gone with somebody to pick out a property before, having always done it by himself. He thought the first two were fine but she always found something wrong with them.

Violet liked the third but thought it didn’t have enough space. How was four bedrooms not enough space for a single person? He supposed she was thinking in the long-term but still. How many children did she intend to have?

The fourth didn’t have a big enough terrace for a fire pit, grill, and table/chairs. The fifth fit all of her specifications but she didn’t like the way it was painted.

Aaron was getting slightly exasperated. Her mother had never been this picky about things! He tried his best to keep his frustration out of his voice and speak as patiently as possible. Making her feel guilty for wasting his time wouldn’t do.

“Vi, I can hire a painter. If there’s something you don’t like about any of these places I can get someone to fix it for you. But you need to make a choice first, alright?” he urged gently.

She crossed her arms over her chest and walked around the apartment one more time. It was a penthouse in a building about twelve blocks from the Hales’ place. It had two floors with a terrace on each, six bedrooms, and an entertainment room.

The building itself had many of the same amenities their building did, including a convenience store inside it. This place seemed perfect. So why wouldn’t she pick it already?

Buying his apartment had been so much easier. He went to the most highly rated real estate agency in Manhattan, gave his specifications, and liked the first one they recommended. No fuss at all.

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