Page 145 of Icebound Hearts
“How was California? What was it like? Did you take pictures? Can I see?” Jake asks in rapid fire, not letting Violet get a word in edgewise.
She laughs. “I have lots of pictures I can show you later, but let’s wait until we get home so I can show your dad too.”
“Okay!”
“Besides, I’ve got a lot of unpacking to do when we get home, so I’d love to have the company while I’m working. Speaking of, I was thinking about unpacking most of my stuff in your room. What do you think?” Violet asks me with a playful smirk.
“Actually, I wouldn’t unpack your things in either room.”
Her face scrunches as she sits up straighter in her seat. “What do you mean? Why not?”
“Daddy, where are we going?” Jake chimes in from the back, having finally noticed that we’re not heading toward the house.
“What are you up to?” Violet asks me, her lips tugging into a bemused smile.
“I want to show you something. It’s a surprise.”
She grins at me and settles back in her seat for the ride, but I can tell from the way she’s studying the landmarks hurtling by that she’s trying to put the pieces together. She’ll probably figure it out before we get there, but that’s okay. I think she’ll love it no matter what, and that’s all that matters to me.
I keep driving north, to the very edge of the city limits, and when we pull into the neighborhood of the last house I went to see with Violet and Jake a few months ago, I see the recognition dawn on her face.
“Sawyer, you didn’t…” She trails off as we wind down the street and park in front of the split-level house with all the beautiful handmade woodwork and stained glass that Violet loved so much.
But there’s one big difference—the giantFor Salesign has been taken out of the yard.
“Surprise,” I tell her with a smile as I park the car on the street in front of the house.
“No way,” Violet whispers as she slowly unbuckles her seatbelt and stares at the house, just like the way she did the first time she saw it. I take the keys out of the ignition and find the one the realtor gave me for the house, then pass it to her.
“Yes, way. Welcome home.”
She instantly tears up as she takes the key from me, and Jake lets out a gasp from the back seat.
“Daddy! You bought this house?”
“Yes, I did. For all of us. We all loved it so much that it just made perfect sense. Now are we just going to sit here staring at it, or are we gonna go inside?”
“Heck, yeah!” Jake scrambles to take his belt off in a hurry, then pauses to look over at me. “Wait, Daddy! Can I go swimming?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it in those clothes.”
He giggles. “You’re silly.”
Violet is still staring in disbelief out the passenger side window, so I climb out of the car and walk around to open her door for her and offer my hand. She takes it slowly and climbs out of the car, staring past me at the house with tears in her eyes.
“I can’t believe you did this,” she whispers.
“What did I tell you, heartbreaker? I’d do anything for you.”
She covers her mouth like she’s going to cry, but she keeps it together. I get Jake out of the back seat while she admires the house from the curb, and she links her fingers with mine when he’s free.
“Oh, and I guess I should warn you that I’ve got one more surprise for you inside.” Violet shoots me a look like she can’t take much more of this, and I chuckle at her. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing as dramatic as this. Come on.”
With Violet’s hand in mine, and Jake’s in the other, we walk through the beautiful garden toward the house and I let Violet unlock the door to her new home with the key I handed her before. As the door opens, she trails her fingers across the stained-glass mural built into it just like she did the last time she was here.
But when the door opens all the way, revealing a wide, open space that blends the kitchen with the living room, Violet’s hand shoots to her mouth. “Sawyer…”
“Look how much room there is!” Jake goes running in circles through the empty space, his arms stuck out to either side like he’s an airplane.