When David turned into Candice's driveway bright and early Saturday morning, he expected to see them outside waiting on him again, but he was pleasantly surprised to find the front porch empty. He was hoping today would be the day she would decide to invite him into their home, and as he exited the truck and walked to the front door, he held his breath and tried not to get his hopes up.

Before he had the chance to knock, the door swung open and he was greeted by Sarah, who was dressed in jeans, a shirt, boots, and a green safari hat that was way too big for her head.

"Hey, Mr. David!" she said. "You can come in. Mommy's on the phone."

He was almost hesitant about entering the house without Candice's permission, but he also didn't want to be rude. "Thank you, ma'am. How are you this morning?"

As he stepped inside, he was instantly drawn to the framed pictures that lined the small foyer just inside the doorway.

"I'm doing great! Mommy said you wanted us to wear boots, so I put on my favorite pair. Are we going hiking again? I hope so. I like hiking. I found this hat my daddy used to wear when he took me to the park. Do you like it?"

She looked so happy as she turned around in a circle for him, but he felt a pang in his gut as soon as she mentioned who it belonged to. "I think it looks awesome."

That seemed to appease her because she smiled big and wide before sitting on the floor to tie her boots. She continued jabbering away, and David tried his best to pay attention, but he was lured back to the photos on the wall. There were several of Sarah and a few of Candice and another man he assumed was Barry. He stepped closer to examine them, and he could tell right away Sarah got her blue eyes and dimples from her father.

When Sarah finished tying her boots, she jumped up and ran into an adjoining room that resembled a den, and David decided to follow her. What he'd seen so far of the house was quite beautiful, and his gaze drifted to the ceiling where large wooden beams formed an arch and gave the room a rustic appeal.

Bookshelves lined one of the inner walls and were filled to the brim with various sizes of books, knickknacks, and at least a dozen more picture frames. As he moved closer to inspect them, he noticed most of them were of Barry and Candice. They looked happy and in love, and it finally dawned on him why Candice never invited him inside their home.

"Sarah! Why didn't you tell me Mr. David was here?"

He turned to find Candice standing in an open doorway. The shrill tone of her voice caught his attention, and by the way Sarah recoiled when she asked, it must have startled her too. He could tell by the bewildered look on Candice's face that she was surprised to find him in her house.

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I know I'm not supposed to open the door without you, but I saw Mr. David's truck in the driveway, and you were on the phone, so I decided to let him in. Is that okay?"

Sarah's crestfallen expression gripped at his heart. "I apologize, Candice. I should've waited for you before I let myself in."

Her gaze darted between him and Sarah briefly before her demeanor changed. The shock on her face slowly ebbed away as she waved a hand in the air and attempted to smile. "No … no. It's fine. I'm sorry it took me so long. I was on the phone with Aaron. He misplaced a file I put on his desk, and he was in a tizzy."

She walked over to him, and he didn't miss the way her eyes shifted from him to the photos on her bookshelf, but she didn't acknowledge them.

"Can you tell us where we're going now? Please?" Sarah begged. She was able to wrap him around her finger easily, just like her mother could, and he had no other choice but to come clean.

"Okay," he replied. "We're going to spend the day at the Arches National Park near Moab. Have you two been there before?"

Sarah shook her head, but Candice nodded. "I went with my parents when I was about eight years old, but Sarah's never been. I vaguely remember it, though."

David smiled at them. "Good, then this will be like a brand-new experience for both of you. Now, we should probably go because it's a three-hour drive one way."

Sarah was so ecstatic, she started rushing around, grabbing things like a sequined purse and a baby doll that she stuffed inside of it, while Candice gathered a few snacks and drinks for the long drive. By the time they removed Sarah's booster seat from the car and got everyone situated inside David's truck, almost an hour had passed since he arrived. Between the toys Sarah brought to keep her occupied to the sunscreen, insect repellent, and other essentials Candice packed, you would think they were going away on vacation. He loved it, though, and it made him feel closer to them—like they were a family.

Sarah talked nonstop as soon as they headed north to Moab, but after an hour on the road, she eventually conked out and fell asleep. When she laid her head on the booster seat, Barry's safari hat fell off and landed on the floorboard. Candice reached in the back seat to pick it up and put it on her lap.

"Sarah told me Barry used to wear that when he took her to the park in Lehi," he whispered so he wouldn't wake her up.

Candice smiled as she traced her fingertips along the brim. "He did. When Sarah was younger, before they built the covered walkways, there was no shade at the park at all. Barry would sit in the blistering sun for two hours or more while Sarah played on the playground, and he got fed up one day and bought this hat. When he died, she claimed it as her own, and she keeps it on the nightstand beside her bed and never lets it out of her sight."

David didn't know what to say as Candice put the hat on the floorboard by her feet and gave him a weary smile.

"I suppose you're probably wondering why I still have so many of Barry's pictures on display in our home after all this time."

David reached over the console and held her hand. "No, I'm not, and that's not for me to judge anyway. He was your husband and Sarah's father, and you should do whatever makes the two of you happy or helps you grieve."

Candice lightly squeezed his hand. "Thank you, David. I think it's helped both of us move forward. We used to not be able to look at his photos without bursting into tears, but now we can look at them and smile and talk about the good times without getting so emotional."

David smiled. "Good. I'm glad to hear that."

They rode in silence for a little while, and David was relieved when she didn't let go of his hand. The scenery on the drive was incredible, but it felt different to him now than the first day he drove into Utah two months ago. In the beginning, it was just another place to work, another state to check off his bucket list of travels. But he'd grown accustomed to the mountains and the rugged landscape, and it felt more like home than just a temporary place to hang his hat.

"Have you been to the Arches National Park before?" she asked.

David shook his head. "No, but I've researched it in the past. My nieces and nephews love going to state parks, and we used to spend hours looking at pictures of different ones online. I believe I took them to every park within a thirty-mile radius of our hometown in Texas. Arches was one we came across online, and I said if I was ever close enough, I would go. I can't wait to send them pictures of it."

His enthusiasm must have caught her attention because she turned sideways in her seat to look at him, and she had the loveliest smile on her face.

"I wish you could see the way your face lights up when you talk about them," she remarked. "I think that is so sweet. Have you ever thought about having kids of your own someday?"

He wished he could tell her exactly what he'd been thinking about lately. He longed to confess how he pictured her, Sarah, and him as a family and the possibility of him and Candice having a child of their own in the near future. But he couldn't do that, not yet, anyway.

"Most definitely," he replied. "I love kids."

She looked in the back seat at Sarah and grinned. "Well, I know one who adores you."

It was an encouraging sentiment that filled him with hope, and as they wound their way down the interstate toward Moab, he felt a renewed sense of peace that he was right where he was meant to be.