Text me when you’re up. I took the boys out to do some exploring. xoxo, Faye

I leave the note on Thane’s nightstand, and then the boys and I sneak out of the hotel room, leaving Thane sleeping peacefully.

“Where are we going?” Jack asks me.

“Where do you want to go?”

“I’m hungry,” Braxley says as we walk down the hallway together.

“Then we’ll eat first.” Both of them seem excited to get out and explore.

Once we’re in the elevator, I say to the boys, “There’s another reason I wanted you guys to come with me this morning.”

“What’s that?” Jack asks.

“What do you think would be a good gift to buy for Thane?”

“We could get him a Lego set,” Jack says.

“Or a new stuffed animal,” Braxley adds.

“Not gifts for you guys, for him. Did he say anything to either of you that he wanted yesterday?”

Both shake their heads, and the elevator doors open allowing us to walk into the lobby of the hotel. Immediately the scent of coffee invades my nose. We get in line at the coffee shop, and I ask them, “What do you guys want?” and they ogle the case of pastries.

“I wanna Mickey donut,” Jack says.

“Yeah, me too!”

I order my usual coffee and the boys each a donut and milk. I consider getting Thane his Chai Tea Latte, but I pass since I have no clue where we are headed or when we’ll be back to the room.

The girl hands the boys their donuts and milk, and I tell them, “Pick a table to sit at.” And they run off sitting by a huge window, that overlooks the outside. I love how close they are; they really are like brothers. I hope that if Thane and I ever break up, the boys can remain friends. I’d hate to break them apart. I know when Thane and I split before after we’d first gotten together, it was hard on Braxley and I’m sure Jack felt the same way.

After I add cream and sugar to my coffee, I sit down with them, and both have chocolate smeared across their little faces. “You guys enjoying your breakfast?”

“Uh huh,” Jack says.

“Hey, Mom, what’s that guy doing outside?” Braxley asks me.

And I peek over his shoulder at an older gentleman who is setting up some sort of a cart outside of the hotel. We watch him for a few moments, pop up a huge red umbrella, and then display an array of pictures. “I think he’s a caricaturist.”

“What’s that?”

“He draws pictures of people and makes them look funny.”

“That’s what we should get Dad,” Jack says.

“You think he’d like it?”

“Uh huh, especially if it made him laugh. He never used to laugh much before you.”

“Well then, we must get it done,” I tell him and I can’t envision Thane not being happy, but I guess before he and I met, he was in a dark place a lot like I was. A single father—going through a divorce—alone. “So, what do you think, should we do it?” I ask Jack, and he says, “Yes!”

Once they are finished eating, I know this is the right gift to get him, as there wasn’t a single thing he wanted or seemed interested in yesterday. Jack and Braxley hop out of their chairs. “Throw your milk away,” I tell them and they listen, then I follow them outside the hotel. They run up to the guy, and I’m not far behind them.

“Good morning, ma’am,” The man says as the boys inspect his other drawings.

“Hi,” I tell him.

“Did you draw all these by yourself?” Braxley asks, “They’re so cool.”

“Yes, I did. Would you and your brother like one done.”

They nod frantically, not even noticing the man called them brothers. I chuckle as they take a seat together basically on one chair and the man looks at me for reassurance.

“Would you like to be in the picture too?”

I shake my head, but the boys call me over to them. “Come on, Mom!” Braxley hollers and the man says, “Yeah, come on, Mom.”

I smile, taking a seat on the other chair, the three of us squeezing in, and I hope Thane likes this gift. I really want to do something nice for him after he’s been so generous. Flying us here and paying for everything and never complaining one bit.

As I sit with the boys, I can only imagine how silly this is gonna look. But…that’s what it’s about after all, right? Being here in this place, it’s like being a kid again, and if Thane has shown me one thing, it’s to be myself.

* * *

“Dad’s gonna love this!” Jack says, looking down at the framed picture of him, Braxley, and I as we walk back down the hall towards the hotel room.

“It did turn out pretty cool.”

I check my phone and don’t see any messages from Thane. He must still be passed out. “Ready to surprise him?” I ask and slip the key into the door. It turns green, and as I turn the handle, we quietly walk towards the bedroom where we find Thane still sleeping. The room is dark, and the boys yell, “Wake up!” He sits right up, then falls back when he sees us, and I open the curtains.

“Is it morning already?” he asks, pulling the covers up and over his face. Jack and Braxley, kick off their shoes and climb in bed with Thane. They are like two little monkeys. Jack almost hits Thane in the face with the huge picture, and I take it in my hand, helping him hold on to it as I say, “It’s time to wake up, sleepyhead.”

Thane hears my voice and peers out at me. I set his Chai Tea Latte on the nightstand that I grabbed on the way back. But it’s not enough, he burrows back under the covers, and the boys rock back and forth on the bed trying to wake him.

“We got you a present!” Jack says in his cute voice, and that gets Thane’s attention. His tired eyes blink a few times, and then he looks at the picture in front of him that I’m holding up

“Is this it?” he asks, and they nod together.

“Wow! I love it. Now let me guess. This is you, Braxley?” And he points to me on the paper. I sit on the bed next to Thane, and he wraps his arm around me. Braxley tells him, “No, that’s Mommy!”

“Now I see it; it is Mommy. Doesn’t she look pretty?” They agree and I watch Thane look at the picture, the smile on his face is clear—this was the perfect gift—he loves it.