Keeley walked past the entertainment room and saw Violet and Noah cuddling through a crack in the door. She smiled. It seemed these two were meant to be.

There was no doubt in her mind they would eventually marry, especially now that Noah had finally made a move. Violet and Noah had always been perfectly in sync, which explained why her brothers teased her about Violet marrying him. They'd acted like husband and wife for years; marriage was inevitable.

She shook off these thoughts to finish her Nobel Prize submission. The deadline loomed, and she wanted to submit it sooner rather than later.

Sometimes, it was hard to believe this was happening. She knew her chances of winning were slim—many people were nominated—but being considered was an honor.

She had done her best; the rest was up to the judges. Her dream of helping people with cystic fibrosis was already realized.

She needed a new project now that her paperwork was almost done. Helping Erica with her research was better than nothing, but Keeley wanted to lead her own team again. The challenge was finding an acceptable topic.

A scientist of her stature couldn't choose just any project. Her reputation preceded her. Anything less than groundbreaking would disappoint her fans.

Keeley laughed at the thought of having fans. That hadn't been a consideration when she chose her career.

Her last project had taken over twenty years, though she'd taken several long breaks. She needed something quicker. She hadn't anticipated still working in a lab in her sixties. Aaron would probably want to retire by then.

While she loved her work, retirement and traveling the world with her husband was appealing. But that was far off. She shouldn't daydream; she had paperwork to finish.

Over an hour later, Keeley stretched, a satisfied smile on her face. She'd sent the documents and now only needed to wait for the results. If she won, she'd be notified in October; the ceremony would be two months later.

"You seem awfully pleased with yourself," Aaron said, smiling as he hugged her from behind. "Finished your paperwork?"

Keeley grinned. "You know me too well. Now comes the best part—waiting anxiously for almost ten months."

He kissed her head. "I know a few ways to distract you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Enlighten me."

"It's a secret. But if you really want to know…" Aaron trailed off suggestively.

"Violet and Noah are here!" Keeley hissed, understanding.

He shrugged, starting to massage her shoulders. "I checked on them; they're both asleep."

That reminded her of when the Singleton kids slept over. She laughed. Some things never changed. Since they were asleep, she wouldn't reject Aaron's suggestion. She pulled him closer for a kiss and let him distract her.

The next morning, while preparing breakfast, she realized Noah hadn't left. It was 7 AM; he usually needed to be at work by 8, according to Violet.

Keeley didn't want to intrude, but he needed to wake up. Hesitantly, she went to the entertainment room and stifled a laugh at their sleeping position. They used to fall asleep similarly as children.

"Vi," she whispered.

Violet stirred, inches from Noah, her arm across his neck, legs tangled with his. How was that comfortable?

"Wha?" Violet mumbled sleepily.

"Noah has work today, doesn't he? You might want to wake him up. It's almost seven," Keeley said.

That woke her. She immediately shook her boyfriend awake while her mother discreetly left. This was Noah's first overnight stay since they started dating, but Keeley suspected it wouldn't be the last.

Living with your parents while dating had its drawbacks—unexpected visits. It would be nice if they got their own place before Keeley and Aaron witnessed anything they'd rather not see.

They were adults. Violet was around Keeley's age when she had the twins. Once the initial phase passed, she was sure they'd engage in more adult activities.

It was strange thinking about her child and her like-child doing that. Keeley remembered them chasing each other as babies. She bet they'd have babies of their own within a few years. Her little girl was growing up.

(The final paragraph, including the promotional text, has been removed as it is unrelated to the story and constitutes plagiarism.)