That was such a great summer. I enjoyed my time at the Happy Endings Resort so much that when I left at the end of the summer, trying to head off Molly at the next Stop ‘N Go, I vowed to go back there again. In fact, I wanted to make it an annual thing. I know my agent wished it would be, because the book I finished during my summer at the Happy Endings Resort became my biggest seller in the series so far. Even I didn’t technically finish it until I got back home.

Alas, that became a classic case of the best laid plans going astray. I intended to be back at Happy Endings the following summer, and the one after that, and the one after that, too. Instead, it took four years before I made the return trip. There just always seemed to be something going on.

Last year, for example, I was having a baby. Or rather, Molly was, but I was there with her, by her side, through all of it. You didn’t expect anything else, I hope.

The year before that was the wedding, so naturally, I consider it to be the best summer of my life. We did think about honeymooning at the Happy Endings. After all, if it was good enough for NHL stars—as it had been that summer—then it ought to be good enough for us. And it was. It could’ve been the dream honeymoon. It could’ve been, but it wasn’t.

We went to Madrid, instead. What can I say? Molly wanted to go, and they make better wine in Spain than in South Carolina.

The summer before that—or rather, year one after the summer that changed my life—I was too busy trying to break down Molly’s walls and convince her that she should be with me. And let me tell you, that wasn’t easy. She’s a stubborn woman, and she had it absolutely set in her mind that she could make it on her own and she didn’t need a man in her life.

Duh. Obviously, she didn’t need me. I wasn’t foolish enough to think that. She proved it in how quickly she earned her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education and got a job with the local school system. No, Molly didn’t need me at all. That didn’t mean she couldn’t want me, though, or that things couldn’t be great with me around.

Yeah, convincing her of that took the better part of a year. Like I said, stubborn. Or perhaps I underestimated my charm.

Anyway, it all took longer than planned, but I stuck it through, and the result was perfection. Well, almost perfection. I get to call Molly my wife, and we have a precious baby girl that we call Rylan. My books are selling well, and Molly’s job is going great. Really, there’s only one thing that could make my life more complete.

Adopting Tim and being able to call him my own.

That’s been the sticking point, and I get why, so I haven’t pushed. At least not too much. I mean, I already have everything I could’ve ever dreamed of, so why ask for more?

Anyway, that’s how it ended up taking us almost four years to get back to the Happy Endings Resort. I managed to rent the same cabin as I had that summer, and we were all curious to see how things had changed.

“I wonder if Kyle is still there, or Drake and Rocky,” now ten-year-old Tim said from the backseat.

“Drake would be twenty now,” I said. “He might’ve moved away and gone to college.” I’d be surprised if he were still there, although anything was possible. “I bet Kyle’s around, though.” I remembered Julie saying she’d never move away. If that was the case, I hoped Rickie got his parole.

“I hope so,” Tim said.

“Even if he’s not, I’m sure you’ll make new friends,” Molly said. “After all, we’ll be here the whole summer.”

“That’s right.” Molly had the summer off from her teaching job. Meanwhile, I was under pressure to write another book. Still, I planned to spend as much time with my family as I possibly could.

“How are you going to pass the time while I’m working?” I asked Molly. “Maybe get a temporary job at the café again?” My tone was teasing, and she laughed.

“I doubt it, but I do plan to go by and see if Trish and Kelly still work there, and whether Kelly ever found her happy ending with her sexy cop, thanks to my key lime pie.”

“I bet she did. That pie is pretty amazing.” I hadn’t gotten to try it back then, but Molly had made it for me plenty of times since, and it was a winner. I could easily see it winning someone’s heart.

It was funny, even after so much time had passed, I remembered all of this like it was yesterday. I turned off the main road onto the gravel one that led to the campground, thinking how much everything looked the same.

I turned my head to glance at my wife, but her eyes remained focused the other way, looking out the window. “What are you thinking? How does it feel to be coming back after four long years?” I asked.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s been that long since I trudged along this road, clutching a duffle bag and a tent, not knowing what awaited me or what the future held,” she said.

“I’m glad you pitched your tent next to my cabin.”

“So am I.” Molly turned away from the window and her eyes met mine. They were glossy with tears, but I could tell right away that they were happy tears, and they matched her smile. “To answer your question, it feels like I’m coming home.”

“I feel the same way. We’re home.” I probably grinned like an idiot, but I didn’t care. This road, the dusty, gravel road that led to the Happy Endings Resort was, indeed, the road to home.

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