Landon clenched his fists, nearly crumbling the envelope in his hand, when he saw the crowd of cars in Gran’s driveway. One particular car to be exact. The decade-old sedan, with its gold paint still glossy, mocked him. It screamed family car but belonged to two people who knew little about family.

His parents.

The rest of his family might have bought into their act, but he knew better. Mom and Dad—and he called them that with the greatest of hesitation—never stayed in one place more than a couple of years. Especially not when it required them to work and show responsibility. Any day now, he expected them to get bored and leave.

After all, a leopard never changes its spot.

For Gran’s sake, he put a smile on his face and covered the remaining steps to the house. This was her special birthday celebration, and she deserved his best. Her physical birthday was in the spring, but today they’d celebrate her spiritual birthday.

The tradition began when he was younger, and Gran would make a cake for him and his siblings every year on the anniversary of the day they’d accepted Christ. At some point in his teens, he, his brother Archer, and sister Tanya decided Gran should celebrate hers as well. Over the years, it had morphed into a celebration larger than that on her physical date of birth.

Tanya opened the door within seconds of him knocking.

His eyes grew when he saw her belly, much larger than it had been only a month ago. He tried to cover his surprise but didn’t succeed in time.

Tanya laughed. “It’s okay. This baby tripled in size overnight.”

He stepped into the entryway and gave her a quick hug. “Still going for a surprise with the gender?”

“Yes, but Lacy is convinced she’s getting a brother.”

Scott, Tanya’s husband, came to them. “I’m siding with Lace. My gut says boy.” He held a hand out. “Good to see you again.”

“You too.” Landon shook his hand. His solid relationship with his brother-in-law proved he could forgive and not hold grudges, which to his thinking, validated his anger against his parents.

Scott had gotten Tanya pregnant in high school, then abandoned her, and although seven years passed, he came back and made things rights. What he had done was wrong, but his error had come from youthful ignorance—unlike Landon’s parents whose only lifetime commitment was to irresponsibility.

Tanya pressed her hand against his shoulder. “It’s Gran’s birthday. Please don’t start trouble.”

“I won’t.” He suppressed his huff, but his sister’s insinuation bothered him. “I can control myself.”

“And my wedding is proof of that.” She raised her brows, creating creases in her forehead.

“Sure…I cause one little scene at your wedding, and I’m branded dramatic for life.” He grinned, relieved they’d reached a point where they could joke about his embarrassing behavior that day. “I’m older and wiser now, can keep my thoughts to myself.”

Sadness flitted over Tanya’s expression. “They really have changed. I won’t try to convince you of that, but I won’t stop praying you’ll see it.”

He didn’t want to go down that road with Tanya, or any of his family. They badly wanted a relationship with his parents, and they were willing to wear blinders to have one. “Where are Madison and Archer?”

“Out back setting up Gran’s present.” Scott tipped his head in the direction of the back door. “The new porch swing.”

“The gliding one we looked at last week?” He’d agreed to pitch in for a portion of whichever one they decided on even though he’d already brought her a present.

“Yes.” A sheepish smile spread across Tanya’s mouth. “We were going to wait for you, but Gran saw Archer bringing it into the backyard.”

“It’s okay.” Once again reminded he was the black sheep of the family, he plastered on a fake grin. “Does she like it?”

“Loves it.” Tanya grabbed his hand and pulled it. “Come see for yourself.”

Breathing in the fresh air from the open windows, he followed her through the house. October ushered autumn in gently this year, giving their Pennsylvania town a reprieve from the heat of summer before winter slammed into the area.

Gran’s laugh filtered into the kitchen from the back porch. He’d remember her distinctive bubbly laugh for many years after she left this earth, which hopefully wouldn’t be for a long time. Gran was his constant—the one person he knew unequivocally he could turn to at any time. Even as his siblings married and their relationships changed, Gran remained the same.

He laid the envelope on the counter—he’d give it to her later when no one else was around—and hurried to the rear porch.

Gran’s jade eyes sparkled, and her hands clasped together with glee as she watched her gift near the final stages of assembly. She turned her head toward him and burst into a broader smile. “Thank you for the wonderful present. You all outdid yourselves this year.”

Wait until you see what else I got you. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Happy Birthday, Gran.”

Archer laid the screwdriver on top of the toolbox and wiped his hand on his jeans. “It’s ready to go, Gran. Want to give it a try?”

“Yes.” Gran moved to the swing with agility belying her eight decades of life. She lowered to the seat and patted the empty left side, indicating for Landon to join her.

No one told Gran no. Everybody always answered her with a yes, not out of obligation, but from a place of profound love for her.

The bearings, not yet broken in, creaked under his added weight. He put his feet flat on the ground and pushed back gently. The swing moved in fluid, calming motions. “What do you think?”

Gran’s eyes shone with complete contentment as they glided back and forth. “It’s perfect. I’ll enjoy many mornings sitting out here while I watch the birds come for their breakfast.”

Madison, Archer’s wife, stood by Gran. “We can move lunch out here if you’d like.”

“Let’s do it. We won’t have many more days this season with this beautiful weather.” Gran started to stand, but the ladies put a quick end to it.

Tanya gave Gran’s shoulder a loving nudge. “It’s your day. Sit and enjoy.”

Reluctant to leave Gran’s side, Landon lingered on the swing, letting his siblings take care of the food. “Where are they?”

“Your mom and dad?” Gran arched a brow, giving voiceless censure. “For better or worse, they are your parents.”

“Where are my mother and father? I saw her car but not his.” Bile burned his throat at the rephrased question. He’d promised not to make a scene, though, and Gran preferred he reference his parents by their biological position.

She patted his knee and smirked. “Was that so hard?”

Feeling every bit the petulant child, he wrinkled his nose. “Yes.”

“Tsk, tsk.” Gran shook her head.

“I have another present for you.” He replaced his scowl with his best smile. “Want it now?”

“This swing was more than enough. You didn’t have to get me anything else.”

“I wanted to.” He rose to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”

He ran inside, heard his siblings preoccupied in a conversation about the merits of internet-based TV service, grabbed the envelope, and returned to Gran. Once he sat beside her again on the swing, he presented the gift. “Here, open it.”

Her head tilted to the side. A strand of dove-white hair fell across her forehead, and she brushed it aside before sliding a finger under the envelope flap. She folded it back and pulled out the papers, studied them. A mild expression of confusion danced across her face, like a cloud passing over the silver moon. “What is this?”

“A weekend away, Gran. I found this little town in upstate New York on one of my routes. The first time I saw it, I thought of you.”

“I haven’t gone away in…” Her gaze shifted upward, followed by a brief bout of silence. “Goodness, I can’t even remember.”

He realized what he’d read as confusion was Gran stunned at his surprise. “I know, and you deserve a vacation, however brief. You’re always so busy taking care of everybody else, it’s time you take a break.”

“Fiddlesticks.” Gran’s face pinched together. “Ever since I left the hospital two years ago I’ve been taken care of day and night.”

“As well you should be.”

“How would I get there?” The lilt of her voice told him the idea was growing on her.

“Me. I wasn’t going to send you all alone.” He wagged his brows. “That is if you can take an entire weekend of your favorite grandson.”

She shook a finger. “Now, you know I have no favorites. You each claim the same size spot in my heart.”

“I know.” Still, he relaxed his posture and rested in the truth they both knew—she loved him and his siblings equally, but he and his grandmother shared a special bond. “The reservations are for the first weekend in November, but I can change the date if needed.”

“Jasper Lake. I like the name.” She held the paper in front of her, her eyes discreetly shifting as she read. “The town sounds charming.”

“It is. You’ll love it.”

Her eyes widened when she flipped the page. “Is the bed and breakfast really pink?”

“Yes.” Glad he’d gone with his hunch of the bed and breakfast over a cabin, he met her gaze. “So you’ll go?”

Gran drew in a long breath. The look in her eyes made Landon squirm. What was she up to?

She slid an arm through his and patted his hand. “I’ll go on one condition.”

“Gifts shouldn’t be accepted with conditions.”

“You’re right. But this, in turn, will be a gift for you.” Her pale hand wrapped around his, not even covering half.

Bad vibes shot through him. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. “What is it?”

“You invite your parents to come along.”

His breath left him in a loud whoosh. “Gran …”

She held her palm out to him. “You have to make peace with them.”

“They have all of you fooled into thinking they’ve changed, but old habits die hard.”

“I believe they have, but whether it’s true or not doesn’t matter.” She cupped his shoulder, and her gaze bore into his. “This bitterness in your soul isn’t good, my child. Release it for your own sake, if not theirs.”

He suppressed the growl fighting to roar. Why wouldn’t everyone just let it be? “The bed and breakfast only had the two rooms left for that weekend. There wouldn’t be room for them.”

Gran didn’t bat an eye and stared at him with resolute conviction. “I’m sure we can find accommodations nearby or change weekends if needed.”

The back door opened, and the rest of his family poured onto the rear porch, including his mother and father who must have come home in the last few minutes. Smiles covered all their faces, and they appeared a normal, happy family.

Except they weren’t. His parents had given up any rights to that.

Set to tell Gran no, he turned back to her, but the hope etched into her time-worn wrinkles stopped him. “I’ll see what I can do.”