Love Thy Neighbor

1

He lowered a hand to her stomach. "Hopefully get a couple little rugrats to run around this place. Really complete the homey vibe, yeah?"

The thought of children running around this home? She turned her gaze towards the living area, could see her future children bouncing on the couches, playing imaginative games with each other. She could picture the family nights they'd have. Movies with huge bowls of popcorn, board games, video game weekends with soda and chips. She could see it all, and she wanted it now.

She kissed him again. "Yes."

...

A week later, Melodie finally found time to begin the gardening around her home. With some gloves on, seed packets in hand, she strolled out into the warm sunshine. This Florida weather was truly treating her nicely. More than once she berated herself for not suggesting they move here sooner, scolded herself for making them wait until after they were married.

Devin had told her multiple times that they could have the wedding here, move here and begin their life but Melodie had said no. She had  wanted to give her friends and family a proper send off with the wedding in their hometown. It would have been too much of a hassle to move down here, plan the wedding in a city they knew nothing about and then getting everyone here would have been a disaster she just knew it would have been. So, they'd waited. They'd waited until two months after the wedding. Enough time for Devin to transfer to a hospital down here for his work as a doctor.

It was worth the wait, she told herself, setting her supplies down. She examined the ground outside the home, picturing where she wanted certain flowers to go, how she wanted them arranged. It wasn't long before the perfect arrangement came to her. She got to work instantly.

An hour later, the warm Florida sun was beating down on her. Melodie reached for her glass of lemonade only to find that it was empty. With a pout, she got to her feet. She needed something cool to drink in this heat otherwise she wouldn't make it through the day, and she wanted this flower arrangement done perfectly. It had to accent the house, make it the house that everyone drove by just to see how perfect it was, the talk of the town. That was her new dream. She was determined to make it a reality.

After bringing out the pitcher along with a cooler of ice, Melodie prepared to get back to work when something caught her eye. She turned just in time to see a man running towards her, on a daily run from the looks of it. The man came to a stop just as the pathway that lead up to the house next door. A neighbor she hadn't met yet.

"Hello." He supplied, catching her stare.

Melodie flushed instantly, bowing her head down low to cover her shame of being caught. She held up a hand while still looking down, a small wave to be polite. God, he probably thought she was one of those creeps now. What a great way to meet your neighbor.

"I'm Christian." His voice was much closer now.

Melodie glanced up, stumbling back a step from his sudden closeness. A gasp left her, sending her heart into a fit of palpitations. The man was gorgeous from afar. Up close, he was a god. His chest was soaked with sweat, sweat that trickled down his six pack. He had dark hair that gave off a Clark Kent vibe. His eyes were blue with just a hint of brown in them. The sunlight cast him in a halo of gold.

"Melodie." She supplied after being quiet for so long. Her examination of him didn't seem to give off vibes of being a creep. In fact, Christian seemed to be relishing in her stare, feeding off of it. "Melodie Hudson. My husband and I just moved in a few days ago."