Page 41 of Redeeming Melodies

"A good surprise?" The wariness in his voice cut deep - too many promised surprises had fallen through lately.

"The best kind." I nodded toward Cassidy, who waited by her car. "How do you feel about an adventure?"

His eyes lit up, then dimmed slightly. "But I have golf tomorrow, and Mom says-"

"Mom knows all about it." Sort of. "We're going on a little trip, just you and me. Four whole days."

"Really?" Hope and suspicion warred on his face. "Where?"

"Place called Oakwood Grove. It's quiet, peaceful..." I grinned. "And they've got horses."

"Horses?" The word exploded out of him. "Real ones?"

"Real ones. My friend Caleb runs a ranch there. Thought maybe you'd like to learn to ride."

Tommy's whole body vibrated with excitement. "Can we go now? Like, right now?"

"That's the plan." I nodded toward his duffel in Cassidy's car. "Already got your clothes packed and everything."

His face fell slightly. "But what about Mom? Won't she be mad?"

"Mom knows we're going." I kept my voice steady. "Everything's arranged, buddy. This is our time."

"Just us?" The hope in his voice nearly broke me.

"Just us. No schedules, no lessons, no fancy brunches. Just father-son stuff."

He launched himself at me again, nearly knocking me over. "This is the best surprise ever!"

Cassidy approached, her professional mask softening. "Ready to hit the road, boys?"

Tommy's eyes widened. "Ms. Thorne? Are you coming too?"

"No, honey. Just making sure your dad has everything he needs." She winked at him. "Someone has to keep him organized."

We loaded into her car, Tommy chattering non-stop about horses and adventures and "Will there be other kids there, Dad? Can we stay up late? Do they have ice cream in small towns?"

Each question felt like healing something I hadn't known was broken. This was my son - not the perfectly posed childfrom Vanessa's Instagram, but my boy, excited and real and absolutely perfect.

"Hey Dad?" His voice turned serious as we pulled away from the school. "You promise Mom really knows? She won't be sad?"

"I promise." I caught his eye in the rearview mirror. "Four days of just us being us. Then back to normal on Monday."

He nodded, processing this. Then: "Can we get pizza for dinner? Mom never lets me have pizza on weekdays."

"Buddy, we can have pizza every night if you want."

His grin could have powered the whole city. "This is gonna be awesome."

Yeah, I thought, watching him bounce in his seat with pure joy. Yeah, it really was.

Cassidy dropped us at my car, giving Tommy a warm hug goodbye. "Have fun, you two. And Elliot?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember what we talked about. Document everything."

I nodded, but I was already focused on Tommy, on his excited chatter about horses and adventures and freedom. On the way his hand felt in mine, small but strong, trusting me to lead him somewhere good.

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