Chapter 8 - The Mountain Retreat
To celebrate breaking free from years of emotional bondage, Thomas decided to take a full week off. He handed the reins of both diners to his trusted head manager, packed the SUV to the brim with camping gear, snacks, and fishing rods, and drove his kids up into the Rocky Mountains.
For seven days, there were no business emails, no nagging phone calls, no toxic Sunday dinners, and no critical family members.
They rented a cozy wooden cabin nestled beside a rushing mountain stream. Every morning, Thomas cooked pancakes over an open campfire while Samuel tried to teach six-year-old Jacob how to skip flat stones across the water. In the afternoons, Rebecca sat on the porch sketching the pine trees with a new sketchbook Thomas had bought her.
On the fourth night, as they roasted marshmallows under a breathtaking blanket of stars, Rebecca looked up at her father with glowing eyes.
“Daddy?” she whispered softly.
“Yeah, sweetie?” Thomas asked, wrapping a flannel blanket tighter around her shoulders.
“Are we ever going back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for Sunday dinner?”
Thomas paused, looking into the crackling fire before answering honestly. “Only if they learn to treat you with the love and respect you deserve. But if they don’t, that’s okay too. We have each other, and that’s more than enough.”
May you like
Rebecca smiled, leaned her head against her father’s shoulder, and whispered, “I like it better just us anyway.”
Thomas kissed the top of her head. For the first time in his life, a profound, unshakable peace settled deep into his chest.
