Page 43 of When Love Is Unexpected

"Try to get some rest, Sweetie," Mom tells Loren as we walk them to their car.

"Please don't lift any boxes or furniture," Dad says to both Loren and Katherine.

"We won't," says Katherine. "We promise."

"We'll make sure they don't lift a finger," I say.

We spend the next couple of hours helping Loren unpack some boxes. There are framed photos, including Aaron and Loren's wedding pictures, to hang on the walls.

Loren looks like a princess in her lacy white wedding gown and long veil. Aaron's dimples are adorably present in every photo.

They spent last summer in California, so there are pictures of Aaron teaching Holly to surf. The girl is a natural. The huge smile on her face in all the pictures clearly reflects how happy this child is.

"Remember the day you called crying happy tears?" I ask Loren. "You said Holly had started calling you Mommy."

"Yes," Loren says. "Aaron and Holly sat me down, and together, they asked if it would be okay if Holly called me Mommy."

"I broke into tears," says Loren. "It was one of the best moments of my life. She's been calling me Mommy ever since."

"And this is the picture Aaron took of the two of you?" I ask, holding a framed photo of Loren and Holly. They're both beaming, and Loren looks teary-eyed.

"Yep," says Loren, "That's one of my favorite pictures. It'll go right here." She's pointing at an area on the wall next to the hallway that leads to the bedrooms.

"It'll be the last thing I see every night when I go to bed," she says. "It makes me so happy."

"Do you have dinner plans tomorrow?" I ask when Katherine gets ready to leave.

"Adam and I are having dinner with the Baldwins tomorrow. They want to see the kids."

Loren and I walk Katherine to her car and help her buckle the kids into their car seats.

Waving goodbye, I ask Loren, "What about you? Do you have any dinner plans for tomorrow?

"No," she says. "What did you have in mind?"

"Sam and I leave early on Saturday," I say. "We'd like to spend some time with you guys before we go. "

"Who's taking you to the airport?" she asks.

"Mom and Dad," I say. "And I think they're spending the weekend in the city."

"What about tonight?" asks Loren.

"You've had a long day, Sis," I say. "Sam and I picked up some clam chowder and a baguette, so you guys don't have to cook anything for dinner tonight. It's in the fridge. Spend time with your husband and daughter. We'll get out of your hair as soon as the guys are done with the changing table."

"You're so sweet," says Loren.

"Try to take it easy the next few weeks," I say. "Baby Baldwin needs a little more time to develop his lungs and get the antibodies he needs to live outside your womb."

"Come sit with me for a second," she says.

"Was that Eric calling all morning?"

"Yes," I say. "We broke up after church on Sunday."

"He thinks there's something going on between you and Sam."

"There is something going on between us," I say, trying to be completely honest with the one person who knows me better than anyone.

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