The Birthday Surprise

~VALERIE~

"How much longer?" Leo bounces in his car seat, craning his neck to see out the window.

I smile at my son's excitement. "I don't know, baby. Beatrice hasn't told us where we're going."

"It's a surprise," Beatrice says from the driver's seat, eyes fixed on the winding road ahead. "But I promise it's worth the wait."

Piper, sitting beside me in the back, squeezes my hand. "Whatever it is,