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“That was pretty cool to be that close to the falls,” Dawn says, looking through what I assume is her camera too.
“The lights at night.” Amelia tears her eyes away from the pictures. “It was unlike anything. I’ve always heard it was beautiful. It’s definitely something to see.”
“I’m glad we did this. I love my husband and my boys, but it’s nice to get girl time,” Reagan says, tossing herself back on the bed with a sigh.
“It really has been fun. We should plan our next trip,” Dawn says at the same time I get a text.
* * *
Seth: Hey, babe. We just wanted to say hi.
* * *
It’s a picture of Seth and Finley sitting out on the back deck. She’s wearing sunglasses that I’ve never seen before and a big pink floppy hat. The smile on her face tells me she’s having a blast with Seth. I turn my phone around so the girls can see. “Looks like she’s having fun.”
“Are you kidding? He’s spoiling her rotten.” Amelia laughs.
“I have no doubt.”
* * *
Me: Looks like you two are having a good time.
* * *
Seth: We are, but we miss Mommy.
* * *
Me: I’ll be home tomorrow afternoon.
* * *
Seth: We’ll be here.
* * *
“What do you say we head down to the hotel restaurant and grab a bite to eat? I’m exhausted,” Amelia says.
“Yes.” We are all in agreeance. This trip has taken a lot out of her, but she’s never stopped smiling. Well, unless you count on the way here in the van, but even through her sadness, you could tell she’s at peace with her decision.
“Okay, I’m ready to see my babies. All three of them.” Reagan laughs.
We all murmur our agreement. It was nice to get away, but I’ve missed Seth and Finley something fierce. Speaking of, my phone vibrates with a text message.
* * *
Seth: Are you almost home? Finley and I have a surprise for you.
* * *
Me: About 30 more minutes.
* * *
Seth: Have the girls drop you off first.
* * *
Me: Oookay??
* * *
Seth: Humor me, future Mrs. Jennings. Have them come inside with you.
* * *
“Well, ladies, I think Seth is up to something. In fact, I know he is. He says that he and Finley have a surprise for me, and to have you drop me off first, but you all have to come inside with me.”
“Do you have any idea what it is?” Reagan asks from her place behind the wheel.
I look over at her. “No, I have no idea. I know better than to ask. He’s not going to tell me either.”
“Sounds like Ridge,” Kendall comments from her seat in the third row.
“Y’all are lucky. You have a man in your life who cares enough to surprise you.” This from Amelia.
“Shh, don’t let them hear you say that.” Dawn shushes her. We all laugh, but in the back of our minds, we’re all thinking the same thing. Number ten and number eleven on her list will never happen for her. She’s never going to fall in love and get married… nor live happily ever after. But she does get to be a mom. Speaking from experience being a mom, that outweighs a fancy wedding, and it’s an all-new kind of love. One only a parent knows. I’m happy for my friend that she’ll have at least that.
“Thank you for this. Watching the sun rise and set at the Falls was truly magical,” Amelia says as we pull into my driveaway.
“It really was. I can’t wait to print some of these pictures,” Reagan says, turning the ignition off in the van. She looks over at me. “Ready for your surprise?”
“Wait? Do you know what it is?” I ask her.
“Nope, but I know these guys and whatever it is, it’s going to be sweet. I don’t think they have it in them to be anything else.”
“You know, when I first met them all, they were rather intimidating with the ink and the bad-boy vibes they have going on,” I admit.
“Pft, a bunch of teddy bears.” Reagan chuckles.
“Okay, let’s go see what the surprise is.” One by one, we climb out of the van and make our way to the front door. Before I can turn the knob, the door is pulled open and my heart, both halves, are there smiling at me.
“Mommy!” Finley cheers and rushes toward me. I scoop her up in my arms and hug her tight before kissing her cheek.
“Hey, sweetie. Did you have fun with Seth?” I feel weird calling him dad in front of our friends. It’s not something we’ve done, and for some reason, I haven’t told them about that conversation. Well, not all of it. I told them about the proposal and how he wants to adopt her. They didn’t ask and I didn’t tell.
“Hey, baby.” Seth steps forward, slides his arm around my waist, and kisses my lips. “Missed you,” he mumbles.
“Daddy, no, my kisses,” she says, reaching for him.
“I’m sorry, baby girl. Daddy missed Mommy.” He easily takes her from my arms and settles her on his hip.
My heart, it’s doubled in size; at least it feels as if it is at their easy banter. “This is new,” Amelia leans in and whispers. She doesn’t say anything else, but I know I’m in for it later for not telling her.
“So, where’s this surprise you’re teasing us with? We have some husbands and babies to kiss.” Reagan grins at Seth.
“Of course.” He smiles. “Right this way, ladies. Finny and I worked on this all weekend. Didn’t we, Finny?”
“I’s go shopping.”
“You were Daddy’s big helper,” Seth praises, bouncing her in his arms.
We follow him through the house and to the steps for the basement. One by one, we make our way downstairs, and my eyes scan the room. Nothing looks out of place. “What am I missing?” I ask.
“Nothing yet. But in there.” Seth points to one of the doors that leads to an extra room. There are two of them down here, along with a full bathroom, a kitchenette, and a huge entertaining area. There are french doors that walk out to a patio, which is where the hot tub sits. Above the walkout, is a huge deck that leads to the backyard where Seth has informed me will be Finley’s new swing set he wants to build her for her birthday.
With each step I take, I can feel the girls behind me. Slowly, I turn the knob and push open the door. Flipping the light switch, my mouth drops open when I take in the room. There are two large white tables with drawer units on each end. There are a couple of bookshelves with what looks like organizing bins. Another table that sits against the wall holds a Cricut box and a printer box.
“You said scrapbook central, right? I didn’t know what that meant exactly, but Finny and I went to the local craft store and bought a few things. The lady there suggested IKEA for tables. So after we made our purchase there, we headed to get furniture. I started out just picking up a few supplies to get you started, but then well, it turned into this.”
He steps next to me, and with our daughter still in his arms, kisses my temple. “You said a long time ago, when we were just messaging, that one day you’d like to get into scrapbooking with all of Finley’s pictures she’s drawn and the ones that you’ve taken. When you said that all of you were going to start making it happen, I wanted to get you started.”
“Seth, this is… incredible. How did you manage this with an almost-three-year-old?”
“Finny’s my big-girl helper.”
“I’s am.” She nods her little head up and down.
“Seth,” Amelia speaks up, but her voice cracks and all she can get out is his name.
Reagan walks up to him and wraps her arms around his waist. “You did good,” she whispers, but we all hear her.
“I can’t believe you did all of this.” I survey the room.
Finley wiggles in his arms, so he lets her down, and she rushes toward Kendall and Dawn to tell them all about how she helped. “This is your home, Mara. This is something you told me that
one day you’d love to find the time to do, and when you messaged, I figured I’d help make that happen. We have the space, and now that we’re a team, you’ll have time to come down here and do your thing. Finny and I can hang out, and who knows, when she gets a little older, she might want to start helping.”
“I love you.” I stare up at him, my eyes wet with tears, but I don’t move to wipe them away. “Thank you, Seth.”
He opens his arms, and I don’t hesitate to walk into his embrace. Wrapping me in a hug, he buries his face in my neck. “Making memories, baby.”
Making memories.
I’ve been dwelling on the time I’m not going to get with her. The time that Seth and their baby isn’t going to get with her. Hating the fact that Finley is losing such an amazing woman in her life, the one who has been there from the start. However, what I need to be worrying about is making the most of what time we do have. I can’t change the outcome, but I can make a memory, lots of them. And that’s what I plan to do.
