Lewis and he commuted together fairly frequently, and Lewis knew all the tricks to reach their Ghent neighborhood in record time. It was a little farther from base than Renzo might have picked, but the progressive neighborhood close to the nursing school and hospital had undeniable appeal, and having Lewis close by was a huge plus.
“Dinner tomorrow?” Lewis asked as he navigated the evening traffic. Felt weird to be arriving home with the rest of the world after weeks of erratic schedules. “Arslan’s making kebabs.”
“I’ll check and text you in the morning.”
“That’s assuming you get out of bed in the morning, right?” Lewis laughed as he pulled up even with an older red brick duplex, just around the corner from the restored colonial he shared with Arslan.
“I’ll get up.” Renzo grinned at him, heart surging at the sight of the house. “Eventually.”
“Take care, Bianchi.” Lewis waved him out of the car, and Renzo took the steps two at a time, unlocking the door with a shaky hand and rushing up the stairs to the second-floor unit. Voices echoed down the stairs and the smell of something meaty greeted him.
“You’re early!” And just like that he was home, an oven-mitt-wearing Canaan launching himself at Renzo.
“Let the man breathe,” Grandpa said, coming behind Canaan. “Good to have you back, son.”
“He can breathe later,” Canaan said, kissing him firmly.
“Pretty much.” Renzo laughed, joy coursing through him. “What are you guys cooking?”
“Since someone gave us like an hour’s notice, it’s the meatloaf and baked potatoes we’d already planned.” Canaan grinned at him, joy almost palpable.
“Anything sounds fabulous.” Renzo followed them to the combo kitchen and dining area. Seed catalogs were spread out on the table, along with a notebook full of Grandpa’s tight handwriting and sketches of the backyard. Technically, Grandpa lived in the two bedroom downstairs unit while he and Canaan had the larger three bedroom upstairs apartment, but their bigger kitchen tended to be the hub of the household.
“Did Arslan send you the name of their landscaper for the raised beds?” he asked Grandpa. He’d stopped being Mr. Finley months ago, sometime around the time they’d hatched this scheme. They’d both asked Grandpa to consider moving when Canaan did, and to their surprise, he’d readily agreed, selling the house in North Park at a huge gain, thank you California Real Estate prices, and buying this duplex. Renzo and Canaan rented the top half at a rate that let Renzo keep helping his family as needed and let Canaan take classes for his BSN while working at the hospital.
Having them as renters let Grandpa travel north to Baltimore to see Canaan’s uncle frequently, but also gave Renzo peace of mind when he deployed that Canaan wasn’t alone.
“Arslan’s mother walked the landscaper’s name over along with a rice casserole,” Grandpa said.
“Again?” Renzo raised his eyebrows. “She’s becoming quite the visitor here, huh?”
“Early days, early days.” But Grandpa’s smile said it all as he collected his notebooks and catalogs. “Think I’ll take my plate on downstairs, if you don’t mind.”
“Stay.” Canaan made the weakest protest in the world, and Renzo had to laugh along with Grandpa, who fixed himself a generous plate and headed back down the stairs.
“Eat first or shower?” Canaan asked after shutting the door behind Grandpa.
“Is there a way to eat in the shower?” Renzo rubbed his dusty hair. “I’m starved but I’m messy—”
“Eat.” Canaan shoved him into a dining chair that hadn’t been there when Renzo left on the deployment. Canaan was clearly having fun with Grandpa on antiquing trips, finding things to make the upstairs unit their own place. “Then I can have my way with you in the shower after.”
“Did the table and chairs all really fit in my truck?” he asked, gratefully accepting the huge glass of ice water Canaan set in front of him.
“Yup. Not a scratch on your baby, I promise.” Canaan busied himself with fixing two plates at the stove. “Thanks again for letting me have it while you were gone.”
“Hey now.” Renzo waited until Canaan set the plates on the table to tug him into his lap. “We’re a team now, right?”
Apparently not caring about the dust, Canaan gave him another kiss, this one longer. “Missed you so much.”
“Me too.” Renzo rested his head on Canaan’s shoulder. “Was it too awful?”
This had been his first long deployment since he’d been away at jumpmaster training, and he’d tried hard not to worry about Canaan and to focus on his work while he was gone, but now that he was back, a fresh set of worries crept in.
“Nope.” Canaan kissed his forehead. “Told you. I knew what I was signing up for. And classes and work kept me really busy. Arslan and the other spouses made sure I was included too like when they went out to eat and stuff.”