As if she could feel me watching her, she glanced my way and smiled. My heart swelled. Maybe I didn’t need a perfect time. Maybe I just needed sunshine and watermelon. I asked Merry to hang out with Remy for a few minutes and jumped up to go after Lindsey.
As the sun faded away and the sky finally got dark enough, everybody buzzed with excitement over the fireworks. Each year, my father hired a local pyrotechnics company to create a custom display for the party on the compound. It was always elaborate and impressive. But it didn’t stop the four of us boys from wanting to buy fireworks from roadside stands and set them off ourselves.
Dad never complained about that. As far as he was concerned, the more big booms and bright sparkly lights on the Fourth of July, the better. That was the sentiment Lindsey and I went on while making our special plan for the night. I was already in charge of putting together a lot of the plans for the party every year. While Mom and Dad took care of the main planning and always came up with something new each year, I handled details.
That year that included having the seafood shack, the bakery, and the diner cater, and setting up several cooling tents to keep the growing contingency of expectant mamas and small children comfortable.
What nobody knew that year was I went beyond the food vendors and party rentals to plan something extra special for right before the main fireworks display. Lindsey and I stood at the head of the field and used a microphone to get the attention of everybody there. It took a few minutes, but finally everybody stood around watching us intently.
My arm wrapped around Lindsey’s waist, I smiled out at them.
“Hey, everybody,” I said. “I think everybody here already knows who I am, but if you don’t, I’m Vince Freeman. This is Lindsey Trewes, the incredible woman who has just agreed to be my wife. I want to welcome all of you to the party tonight and thank you for coming out and celebrating with us. The Fourth of July is a favorite time for my family, and we always joke that we start planning the next year’s event as soon as the last fireworks die down. That’s not so far off the truth.”
“That’s true,” Dad said from a few feet away where he held a beer in one hand and my mother’s hand in the other. “This year we started planning for the next party last week.”
Everybody chuckled, and I grinned along with them. “Because of that, I couldn’t think of a better opportunity to reveal a bit of a surprise. This is something not even my family knows about.”
“What are you up to?” Quentin called out.
I laughed. “Can you see why we are in racing? Nobody has patience around here. I have been waiting all day for this moment. We all know my father’s fireworks are at the very best anywhere every year, but I’m going to borrow the sky from him for just a second. Because before we light it up to celebrate the birthday of this great nation, Lindsey and I want to share something with you.
I took out my phone and called the technician, who was waiting deeper on the grounds with the special firework I gave him at the beginning of the party. Within a few seconds, four shells exploded up into the sky. Everybody looked up and the shells burst, sending a cascade of blue sparkles down toward the ground. Everybody gasped as Lindsey and I cheered.
“We’re having a baby!” she said ecstatically.
“It’s a boy!” I added.
She and I had intended on keeping the news to ourselves for a while longer. But when the doctor ordered a series of routine tests last week and mentioned one could tell us what we were having, we couldn’t resist. The Fourth of July party seemed like far too amazing an opportunity to let it pass. Now as my parents and brothers descended on us with congratulations and hugs, and Lindsey leaned in for another kiss, I couldn’t be happier.
For changed plans. For constant discoveries. For the unexpected.