that a lot lately.”
My brows knit. “I know. I don’t know what’s going on.” I think back to a couple of days ago when I was on the phone with Mom and she mentioned throwing Lindsay a surprise birthday party. Normally, I’m really good with remembering important dates, but it took me several moments to remember when Lindsay’s birthday was. The notion of not remembering had me so stunned Mom had to call my name three times to get my attention.
Lincoln’s arms tighten around my waist, bringing me back to the present. “I’m sure it’s from all the stress lately.”
“Yeah,” I murmur. “I’m sure that’s it.” I release a deep breath and let the confused feelings go. “I’m gonna go call Lindsay and let her know I’m on the way to pick up the kids.”
He dips down for a kiss. “Why don’t you stay here, and I go get the kids? Relax for a bit. You look tired.”
“I didn’t sleep well last night. I couldn’t get comfortable, and my legs were restless.”
“Maybe you should make an appointment with Dr. Becker.”
I nod. “I’ll give the office a call tomorrow.”
Lincoln regards me for a moment. “Are you sure there’s nothing else going on?”
I slide my fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck. “Nope. Everything’s fine. Like you said, I think it’s just the stress of everything. The kids being out of school, going to the lake house, hiring and training a new vet, you taking on this commission, deciding to have another baby—there’s been a lot of changes recently.”
“Maybe you and I need to take a vacation on our own.”
“That sounds heavenly,” I sigh.
“After this commission is over, we’ll do it. In the meantime, think about where you want to go.” He gives me a long, lingering kiss before stepping back. “Grab that small box, and I’ll grab the others.”
Picking up the smaller of the three boxes, I bring it to the family room while Lincoln follows with the others. After he leaves, I call my sister to apologize for being late and to let her know Lincoln is on the way. Once I have dinner started, I go back to the family room and open one of the boxes. I’m amazed at how well the notebooks are preserved, especially the ones from the nineteenth century.
I take a seat in one of the chairs and open the first notebook I pull from the box.
Chapter Four
LINCOLN
“Come here and give your Gammy a kiss.”
Molly and I laugh as Nancy, Molly’s mom, squeezes Gemma’s cheeks and plants a kiss against her lips. Gemma squeals and wraps her arms around her grandmother’s neck. When Nancy lets go and looks to Gray, he drags his long, lanky legs over to her.
“Get used to it, Gray,” I warn him with a chuckle. “No matter how old you get, you’ll never be too old to get lovin’ from the females in this family.”
His expression is comical when Nancy cups one of his cheeks and smashes his other cheek against her lips.
“Nancy, let the boy go. You act like you didn’t see them a few days ago,” Douglas tells his wife as he walks up behind her.
Nancy lets Gray go, but not before saying, “Ignore your grandfather. Your dad is right. No matter what age you are, you’re never too old to get kisses and hugs from your grandmother.”
To prove her point, Nancy’s eyes dance with humor when she lifts them to me. Reaching over Gray’s head, she grabs my cheeks and pulls my head forward, laying a loud kiss against my forehead. The action causes both of my girls to giggle, while Gray tries to hold back his own laugh.
“See?” Nancy asks, her eyes darting back to her grandson. “Never too old.” She finishes with a wink.
“Hey, Mom,” Molly greets, stepping forward to be enveloped into her mother’s arms.
Douglas was right. No matter how little time has passed, Nancy always acts like it’s been months since the last time she saw her family. Not that I’m complaining. It’s amazing to be so close to your family. My own parents are the same, maybe just a little tamer.
“I figured since it’s a nice day, we could eat outside on the patio. Douglas has steaks for the adults and hotdogs for the kids going on the grill.”
“Sounds good.” Molly looks around the living room. “Lindsay, Joe, and Aubree not here yet?”
“Running a few minutes late,” Douglas answers. “They left something at home and had to go back.”
While the