He was gone before I woke up in the morning and not home until dinner time, sometimes after. Noah and I spent our days at the beach. Sophie and Aubrey often joined us. Noah was ecstatic to see Sophie and I was glad to get to know Jeremy’s sister a little better. Noah and Sophie became fast friends and since Noah’s birthday was July seventh, we even threw a small birthday party the weekend of the Fourth of July at Aubrey’s house for him. He loved celebrating with his new friends and getting to watch fireworks on top of that. In the evenings, when I knew Jeremy should be getting home I’d keep my eyes on the house next door and when I’d see his SUV pull in, I couldn’t wait to see him. On the first night after he’d gone back to work, I’d seen him pull into the driveway, watching as he climbed out. I thought he looked adorably rugged in his fishing gear and I didn’t want to wait to see him. I checked on Noah to make sure he busy playing and then walked out the back door.
