The next few months were challenging. We found out that there were two other bidders on the house, but Marius and I were determined to get it, no matter what. It made for a lot of meetings, planning and visits to Gramma Jo, but the girls were surprisingly willing to go along with everything, which told me that they likely knew something was up.
By the end of the summer, Marius and I became the owners of our new home. We decided to let the girls know by telling them we’d be going on a weekend trip with Gramma Jo.
When we got to our new house that evening, I ushered everyone to the front door, dug the keys out of my pocket and dangled them in front of Sherie and Tonya. “Who wants to be the first to enter our new home?” I smiled at Marius and Marie, who stood behind the girls, and glanced b
