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Every time I came home, I remembered the first time I tried to jump this gate. I sighed briefly, soaking in the memories.

Good times.

The gate wasn’t the only thing I wanted to jump. I hadn’t seen my husband in a week, and I missed him something terribly. It’s as if my body knew we were home because my skin started to buzz with anticipation.

“Mommy. Mommy.” Chance Jr. came flying out the front door when she saw me get out of the company car.

“Buddha,” I said in a lighthearted tone. “What have I told you about running so fast on this gravel, baby? I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“Sowry, mommy.” She slowed down and pouted.

I bent down to pick her up before she knew what I was about to do, and I spun her into circles, causing her to giggle.

“I miss you so much, my sweet girl,” I said as I placed kisses all over her face.

She wrapped her little arms around my neck before instructing me to give her a hug.

“Big hug, Mommy.” She squeezed my neck very tightly, almost cutting off my breath. Meanwhile, I mimicked her, but not as tightly.

I was about to pass out because I refused to tell her that her hugs were too tight, but Chance’s laughter caught us both by surprise. I knew he was back here, but I thought he would’ve been at the range. I purposely lied about the time I was coming home because I wanted to surprise them both.

“You are supposed to be at the range, Mr. Legend,” I said as I placed Chance Jr. on her feet. She was so excited to have us both home, so much so she couldn’t stop jumping around.

“Yeah. Well, last I checked, you were supposed to be boarding your flight now. Not that I’m complaining.”

“Ummhmm. So which of us was trying to be sneaky?” I threw my arms over his shoulders and placed my hands at the base of his head. His lips came crashing down on mine. You would think he hadn’t seen me in months, but that was the effect we had on each other.

“Ewww. Daddy kiss mommy,” our daughter said while trying to squeeze in between us.

Every time she witnessed us share affection, she always made a scene out of it. Chance bent down to pick her up, and he threw his arm around my waist.

“Come on, my favorite girls. I have a night of fun planned for us,” he said suspiciously. It seemed both of us had something up our sleeves, but I’ll let him do his thing first before I drop a bomb.

Different flowers were placed throughout the house. It was rare for Chance to hire someone to cook for us. While I was pregnant, I learned how to make his favorites, mine, and few new dishes, and we both learned that I could throw down in the kitchen. When I wasn’t home, we had Marie come over to cook or prep meals for the week for Chance and Chance Jr. Marie had been working with Chance before I came into the picture and I was happy to know she was an older, sweet woman who I got along with.

When I was pregnant, Marie mentioned she had four kids. She shared about how each pregnancy was different for her. I confided that I was beyond nervous, and even more so about hiring a nanny. I shared how crazy people were, and I would gladly go back to jail bout my baby. She told me about her daughter, Maya. She had worked in daycare for seven years and was looking for a new job. The rest is history. Marie, Maya, and their family had become intertwined with ours.

I watched Buddha run through the house, heading out back. She ran towards Maya. She was so excited to tell her that I was home. I went outside to see what Chance had up his sleeve, and that’s when I noticed he had three six-foot-long tables set up with twelve chairs. His grandparents were out back, relaxing near the fountain Chance had recently installed. G-pop was smoking his blunt, as always, and Momma had her feet resting in his lap. They were sitting far enough that the smoke would not bother Buddha or any other guest.

I walked over to hug and talk with them, then Maya, and tried to ask what was going on, but everyone stayed tight-lipped. I pretended to act as if everything was cool, but Chance knew I hated surprises. I didn’t mind surprising others, though. I know, ironic.

Marie was in the kitchen when I entered the house. I walked over to give her a hug and to ask where my husband was.

“I think he just went out front. Are you okay? You look flustered, love.”

I left the kitchen and hurried to the front door. “I’m fine, thank you. Just need to find Chance.”

“And strangle him,” I whispered that part to myself.

“I knew your nosy ass was gon’ find me. Let me guess, no one told you what’s going on.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” Before I could cuss him, I noticed Chyanne’s car parked on the side of the house. I walked towards her car, and, like the overly dramatic woman they were. Chy and Sage jumped out, yelling congrats. Jamie was the last to get out of the car, and she was laughing.

“What the fuck is going on?” I asked, looking between everyone.

“Okay. Don’t be mad, but I was so excited. It slipped out, and then your man wanted to throw you a surprise.”

“Don’t be mad? A surprise for what?”