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and alcohol counselor. Molly was a
great photographer at one time. Maybe she’ll get back into
that.” 
    “ Really?” 
    “ Sure, that could happen for
her. She’s on her way to recovery.” 
    I say, “This is wonderful news. Raelynn
deserves this.”

Chapter Three: An Unexpected Surprise
    Alec
    Today is Emma’s birthday, and although we
have a large family and lots of friends, I have planned something
for just the two of us. Last night we did the birthday celebration
with balloons, cake, and our family and friends. Today it will be
just her and me.
    All four sets of grandparents are taking
Raelynn and James to Disney World for the weekend. We are very
blessed our parents can do this for their grandchildren, and we are
very blessed because this gives us some much-needed alone time. My
parents, Emma’s parents, Max’s parents, and even Molly’s parents
are all participating in the weekend getaway.
    “ What time are we going?”
Emma calls from the other room. 
    “ I think we should leave at
noon.” 
    “ Where are we
going?” 
    “ Nice try.” I walk into the
bedroom; she is standing inside her walk-in closet. “Do you need
help?” I ask, walking in to join her. 
    “ How do I know what to wear
if I don’t know where we’re going?” 
    “ Mmm, that can be a bit of a
problem. Let’s try to remedy this. It’s summertime and we live in
Florida,” I say, tapping my index finger to my temple. “What would
one wear on a hot summer day in Florida?” 
    “ Alec, stop it! You’re not
funny.” 
    “ Then stop laughing and wear
that red sundress.” I smirk. 
    “ Get out so I can get
dressed and just because I’m laughing doesn’t make you funny,” she
says, laughing. 
    “ That is exactly what that
means,” I say, walking out of her walk-in closet.
    I finish getting dressed and
load up our overnight bag into the car. The house is filling up
with boxes, and it’s becoming quite difficult to live in. We are
planning on moving next weekend, if I can last that long. It’s not
easy living out of boxes. I hate
moving.
    I turn around and Emma is standing on the
front porch wearing a red sundress with white polka-dots and red
high heels. Her blond hair is in a high ponytail. “You look
stunning,” I say, honestly. 
    “ Thank you. Do you want a
bottle of water before we leave?” she asks. 
    “ Yes, please. I already have
everything in the car.” 
    “ Just give me a minute to
get the water.” 
    I start the car and run the air-conditioner
to cool the car off. August in Florida is unbelievably hot. I stand
by Emma’s car door and wait for her. I watch as she puts on her
sunglasses and locks the front door.
    “ What are you smiling at?”
she asks as she gets closer to me.
    “ I can’t smile at the
birthday girl?” 
    “ Maybe if I knew where we
were going I’d be smiling, too.”
    Laughing at her poutiness, I open her car
door wide for her to get in. “You’ll know soon enough,
Baby.” 
    I drive around town and Emma admires the
view. After we ride around some, I take her to her birthday
destination. I pray she likes my surprise. When Emma realizes where
we are going, she looks over at me and smiles. 
    “ We’re going to the new
house?” she asks while looking over at me. 
    I look at her and smile, but I don’t say
anything. We ride to our new house in silence. Emma rests her hand
on my thigh as I drive. I enter the passcode and wait for the gate
to open. Once we are inside the gate, Emma smiles when the house
comes into view. The sun is glistening on the water and it is so
inviting.
    We drive closer to the house, and we both
see Brice and Brooke sitting on the bench under the gazebo. Brice
is wearing khakis and a white linen shirt, and Brooke is wearing a
sundress and sandals. Emma looks at me and smiles. “I’m happy to
see them, but I don’t understand.” 
    I put the car in park and say, “You will in
a minute.” By the time I get out of the car, Emma is