“Let me clarify. Three weeks with my two boys who are more entitled than I suspected is a little long.”
“Ahh.” Yeah. That makes sense. Not that I’d say that out loud in front of him. But there’s no way I could spend three days with those boys. Three weeks would put me over the edge.
“Daddy!” Zoey gripes impatiently. “Are we ready?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did we interrupt something?”
I smile at Richard and pull him close. “Nah. But we’ve got a surprise for you and Zoey’s anxious to give it to you. It was all her idea,” I say and glance down at her to see her mouth drop open.
“It was not!”
“You’ll be wishing it was after he sees it.”
She grumbles something that sounds a lot like, “We’ll see about that.”
Noah already knows about the house we were planning to build for him and gave his full support, agreeing with Addy and me.
“A surprise for me?” Richard loves gifts and surprises. He loves giving them equally as much.
“Yup!” Cruz shouts. “Come on! Follow me!”
He turns us toward Richard’s new house and points.
“What’s this?” Richard asks, walking gingerly.
“It’s yours!” Cruz, my little sidekick shouts.
“What?” Richard sounds stunned but not upset.
I lift Drydon and turn to face him. “We want you closer by.”
“What?” he asks again.
“It’s your new house, Pop,” Addy tells him. “No more duplex.”
“Does this mean I’m the mother-in-law?” His eyes twinkle when he asks, proving that he’s partially teasing. I hadn’t thought of it, but it is like a mother-in-law house.
“It means that you’re our family and we want you living here. What do you think?”
His eyes fill with tears and Zoey’s grow wide.
“Richard?” I get closer to him and lower my voice. “You don’t have to live here if you don’t want it. But we want you here whenever you’re ready.”
“You did this for me?”
“Of course.”
“Can you show me the house, Zoey?”
“Are you upset?”
“No,” he tells her, reaching for her hand and patting the back of it. “No, I’m not upset. I’m overwhelmed.”
“In an upset way?”
He looks at me and I explain, “She was afraid that you would be upset that we did this without asking you first.”
“Not in an upset way,” he confirms.
Zoey walks him to the house, showing him around the small space.
I stand back and watch my family from the doorway to the tiny house thinking I’m one lucky son of a bitch.
Bonus Scene
Want more Beau, Addy and Zoey? Click here for a bonus scene:
God put me on this earth and has truly blessed me with more than I’m deserving of. He gave me the desire to write stories and for endless ideas to roll around in my head. He will always get the first thank you because He is my Ultimate. Thank you, God, for everything.
My family. Wooooowee it was a rough few months. The first six months of 2020 are ones we will never forget. But we’re not alone in that and I pray we never forget that, either. You are my favorite people ever and I’m so lucky I get to call you mine. And one thing the last six months taught us, is that we actually like each other! Score! Love you. You’re the best out there. And a special shout out to my oldest. My 16 year old maniac who gave me all the gray hair after wrecking his dirt bike and breaking his body… thank you for helping me plot The Path to Us. I ran into your bedroom and said “I have an idea!” and you didn’t roll your eyes or get annoyed with me. Thank you, buddy.
Jill. You’re my girl and I can’t imagine a world without you. I’m so grateful to have your friendship but also your help. I love you!
My southern pumpkin. My Kate. You. Are. Incredible. Thank you for everything. For creating beautiful covers and graphics, for being my sounding board. For being my friend.
Amie and Maria. I wouldn’t want to be distracted by anyone else. Thank you for being there for me!
So many others who might be authors, peers in this book world, but they’re so much more. Friendship — true friendship — doesn’t come easy as adults. Finding your people who you can trust is something to be treasured. Thanks for being my people. I hope you know who you are.
Ladies who go through The Walk with me, thank you. One of my favorite places to be with some of the best people.