Chapter 18

Lee pulled into the driveway at Maplewood Drive and glanced over at his fiancee. "Amanda, you're not upset we came home early, are you?"

Amanda snapped her head to stare at Lee with shock in her eyes. "Absolutely not. I love how you thought of the boys and mother first. Six months ago, you would've never passed up a free night in a New York suite."

Lee grinned at her response. "It's weird. I miss being around them. I never thought I'd feel this way. Plus, I'm excited to tell them about the house. Are you sure you're okay with my idea?"

"Oh, I love your idea, sweetheart. I like all of your ideas. Now, let's go surprise them."

They both exited the 'Vette and went to the trunk to get their bags. As they approached the house, they eyed each other one last time for confirmation. Amanda pushed open the door and yelled, "Mother, fellas, we're home."

Dotty and the boys appeared at the small landing and welcomed them home as they set their luggage down.

"What are you two doing here? Did something happen?"

"No, Mom. Nothing bad happened. Prince Rheza and Penny were called back to their homeland, and we were able to wrap up the project earlier than expected. So, we decided to surprise you."

"Cool. We were hoping to get to spend more time with you," Jamie expressed.

Amanda and Lee shared a knowing look and smiled. "I'm glad to hear that because we were wondering if the three of you would like to go on a little adventure for the night?"

The boys excitedly responded while Dotty used a little more discretion. "It all depends on what you mean by a little adventure."

Lee wrapped his arm around Dotty's shoulder and gave her his dimpled grin. "Trust me, Mom. You'll love it."

Dotty tried to keep her motherly expression, but she knew it was no use looking into her son's glimmering eyes. "Oh, alright. What are we doing?"

"All you need to know right now...is that you need to go upstairs and pack an overnight bag. Nothing special or fancy, just your pj's and a change of clothes."

Still unsure of what was going on, Dotty hesitantly turned to follow her grandsons up the stairs. Lee and Amanda trailed behind them to exchange their suitcases for an overnight bag.

"Hurry up, guys. It shouldn't take this long to pack a few things. And don't forget your toothbrushes," Amanda yelled from the top of the stairs after several long minutes.

Philip and Jamie ran out of their bedroom and headed for the stairs. "We're ready, Mom. And we already grabbed our toothbrushes," Philip informed her.

Dotty followed the boys as Lee took her bag to carry down the stairs. She gave Lee a thankful grin before descending the steps. Lee leaned into Amanda and softly spoke, "Don't forget to grab the boys' swim trunks. I'll stall a little, and then we can move to the next stage of the plan."

Amanda nodded and snuck into the boys' bedroom as Lee made his way downstairs. She quickly found the boy's trunks and shoved them in her purse. When she reached the landing at the bottom of the steps, she heard Lee warding off the questions thrown at him.

"Okay, I'm ready. Lee, do you want to swap the cars and put yours in the garage?"

"That would be great. Then we can load up and get on our way."

Once Lee and Amanda finished their task, Amanda grabbed the rest of their camping supplies and hid them in the back of the Wagoneer. She gave Lee a subtle nod.

Lee opened the back patio door. "Okay, let's get going."

Lee took the long way to the house, so no one would figure out where they were headed before they got there. Suddenly, Lee pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and leaned over the seat to face Dotty and the boys.

"Okay, from here on, I would like you to cover your eyes, so you don't spoil the surprise."

They all stared at Lee like he'd grown an extra head, then turned their attention towards Amanda. She nodded her approval. The three lowered their heads and placed their hands over their eyes.

Lee twisted back towards the front and glanced in the rearview mirror. "Now, no peeking, or you'll ruin the surprise."

A few turns later, Lee entered the cul-de-sac to their new home. He slowly pulled into the driveway and stopped the car.

Amanda smiled at Lee. "Okay, we're here. You can look now," Amanda advised.

Dotty and the boys slowly raised their heads. Searching their surroundings, they tried to figure out where they were. It hit them all at the same time. Dotty peered at Lee and Amanda in the front seat. "What are we doing at the house?"

Lee grinned and answered, "You mean, what are we doing at our house?"

"Our house! Does this mean that everything is final? Jamie excitedly asked.

Lee dangled the house keys in front of them. "Everything is final. The house is officially ours. We thought it would be nice to spend the night together. Even though we don't have any furniture moved in yet, we can think of it as an inside camping trip. We've brought all of your camping supplies."

The boys jumped out of the Wagoneer and ran to the back to start unpacking. "Come on, Pops! We're not going to get everything set up sitting in the car," Philip teased.

Lee shook his head slightly with a huge smirk on his face and handed Amanda the keys. "You ladies go on ahead. The boys and I will bring everything in."

As the guys unpacked the car, both ladies headed for the front door. Once Amanda unlocked the door, she pushed it back to allow Dotty to enter. "Oh my, Amanda. This home is more beautiful than I remember. I can't believe this is our new home." Amanda watched her mother scan the rooms with pride.

Quickly, they were interrupted by the men bringing in the supplies, with Lee directing the boys where to put everything. "Okay, fellas, put the camping items in the room to the left. We'll sort through everything here first before we take them to everyone's rooms." Lee turned to the women. "Honey, where do you want me to put the groceries and supplies we stopped to get?"

"Let's set them in the kitchen for now. Mother, would you please help me?"

"Of course, darling."

Before long, they had everything put away in the kitchen, and the boys had their sleeping bags and supplies set up in their rooms. Lee and Amanda were in their bedroom admiring Leatherneck's handiwork with the soundproofing.

"Amanda, dear, I can't find the queen-size blowup mattress we usually use. Do you know where…"

Lee and Amanda, startled by Dotty, turned sheepishly as all three sets of eyes found the mattress still set up from Lee and Amanda's first night in the house.

"Um, I can explain, Mother," as Amanda slanted a look to Lee for help. "You see, um. Um."

Dotty crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and waited patiently with amusement in her eyes. "Yes, dear. You were saying?"

"Amanda, it's okay." Lee turned his attention to Dotty. "Mom, we finalized the paperwork for the house and got the keys the day before we left for New York. We didn't tell you because we thought we would wait till we got back. We really wanted to surprise all of you and not feel rushed."

Lee lowered his head, embarrassed. "Plus, Amanda and I wanted our first night in our new home to be just the two of us. Please don't be angry."

Dotty lowered her arms to her side and smiled lovingly at them. "Why didn't you just tell me? I would have understood."

"Mother, do you really think you could've gone all week knowing we had the keys to the house and stayed away? Plus, we have a friend helping us with a few things before we move in, and it's easier for him if we aren't here to get in the way."

"You're probably correct, dear. It would've been tough for me to stay away. Not to mention, keeping it from the boys." Dotty turned to leave but stopped and twisted back around. "What do you mean, you have a friend helping before we move in? This house is move-in ready."

"Well, he's helping set up some security features to make sure we all stay safe. Plus Amanda and I would like an office, and the one on the main floor is just too small. So, we're converting the gym downstairs to an office. He said the blueprints were downstairs. We were just going to look at them. Would you like to join us?"

"Yes, I think I would."

The three left the bedroom and went down the two flights of stairs to get to the basement. Once they entered the room previously used as the gym, they saw a makeshift table in the corner with the blueprints on top.

"Here they are." Lee ran his finger over the blueprints, familiarizing himself with the layout. "See, here is where the wall will be, and a new door here. Then we will have a desk here, and another here. This way, we can both have our own. It appears pretty simple."

Dotty's eyes shot back and forth from the blueprint to the space before her as the boys came thundering down the stairs.

"Mom, Pops, we didn't pack our swim trunks, but we want to go swimming. Do you think it will be okay to just wear a pair of shorts?" Philip questioned.

Amanda tilted her head back and forth while rolling her eyes, "Hmm, I don't know."

"Please, Mom?!" both boys echoed.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I grabbed your trunks before we left, huh?" Their eyes lit up like spotlights. "I hid them in my purse. Go on up, get changed, and grab a towel. But don't get in the pool until we're out there with you. You got it?"

"Okay, Mom. Thanks."

Amanda turned back to Lee as he put his arm around her shoulders as they shared a satisfying smile.

"Lee? Amanda?" They focused back on Dotty as she pointed to the blueprint. "This space right here. Why in the world do we need a safe room?"