Daisy took slow, careful steps. She had quit using the walker two days ago. It had taken her months to regain good control and stability.

“Look at them,” Valerie said, pointing at the girls on the blanket on the floor. Brad and Valerie’s daughter, Alison, had dark brown skin and curly black hair. She sat on the blanket and chewed on a purple plastic oversized key. Valerie had named her after her mom, who died when she was three.

Jon and Alex’s daughter, Anne, had blonde hair and creamy white skin. She lay on her back, banging a large red ring on the ground and kicking her feet. Rosita had tan skin with wavy brown hair. She had crawled over to the little piano and stared at it, occasionally touching an electronic key and squealing when it made a tone in reply.

Alex handed Valerie a glass of water and settled into the corner of the couch. “I promised Jon I wouldn’t take a thousand pictures today,” she said, but she picked up her camera anyway. “Maybe he won’t object to nine hundred.”

Daisy settled into the leather chair. Rosita looked up and started furiously crawling in her direction. She reached Daisy and clawed her way up her leg until she stood and slapped her hands on Daisy’s thighs. “Ba ba ba,” she said.

Daisy giggled and picked her up. “Ba ba, huh? Why not, mama? Ma ma?”

Despite the time in the hospital, the doctor cleared her to start feeding Rosita right around her two-week birthday. They let her room with her, and Ken slept most nights there as well, his long body overflowing the hospital reclining chair in uncomfortable looking ways. Daisy settled Rosita against her breast and lifted the leg rest of the recliner so she could get into a comfortable position.

She’d come home on Rosita’s six-week birthday. Her kidneys had started working again, and she had the upper body strength to use the walker for short distances. It surprised her how winded she got just walking to the bathroom. Ken had carried her upstairs and hired a full-time nurse to help for the first couple of months. Once she could traverse the stairs, the nurse shifted to part-time and eventually didn’t need to come in anymore.

Alex snapped her photo then put her camera down. “It’s cool to see you walking without the walker. You’ll be back to normal in no time.”

Daisy smiled. “You know, I felt so lousy at the beginning and didn’t believe I could ever recover. Now the doctor is thinking I might be close to back to normal as possible by their first birthday. Incredible!”

About ten minutes later, the chime announcing the front door opening sounded. A few seconds later, Ken and Brad came in. Daisy smiled up at Ken, and he bent to kiss her. “How was the game?” she asked.

“You didn’t watch it?”

She gestured at the babies all around. “We’ve been a little occupied.”

“It was a phenomenal game.” He held up a bag and pulled out a little baby-sized Atlanta Braves cap. “Next time, I’m taking Rosita here. I think she’s ready to root, root, root for the home team. What do you say, baby girl?”

Rosita ignored him, more focused on her afternoon meal.

Brad sat on the arm of the couch near Valerie. When Alison saw him, she squealed and rolled over onto her stomach, maneuvered herself to her hands and knees, and crawled with enthusiasm in his direction. Brad laughed and scooped her up, lifting her high then bringing her back down to blow tickles on her neck. She squealed and clutched at his hair. Valerie grinned at them and absently rubbed her hip.

“They going to have to replace your hip?” Daisy asked as Rosita disengaged. She adjusted her shirt, then lifted her up against her shoulder and started patting her back.

“Maybe. Doctor said I’m on the cusp. I just haven’t decided if I’m willing to go through the pain.”

Jon walked into the room. “I put the meat in the fridge.” He scooped Anne up off the floor and tossed her into the air. She giggled with delight. When he brought her close to him, she grabbed his face with both hands and tried to bite his nose.

Ken clapped his hands once then rubbed them together. “Perfect. I’ll get the grill going.”

Alex stood. “I got some salads from that restaurant you guys like near your office.”

Daisy pointed at Alex. “When you’re ready to learn, I can show you how to do potato salad and coleslaw.”

Alex batted her eyelashes. “I don’t need to learn. I have a restaurant and caterer list. That’s all I need to get by.” The women laughed. “Besides, Jon can cook. His mom taught him. If he wants a home-cooked meal, he can get busy or head over to the castle.”

Jon nodded. “She’s not exaggerating. But I have no complaints.” He set Anne back on the floor. “I’m going to help Ken with the grill. Did you bring the kiddie pool?”

Valerie spoke up. “It’s set up in the back yard.”

Daisy shifted to stand, and Ken scooped Rosita off of her lap. Once she gained her feet, she said, “I brought down her little swimsuit and a swim diaper. I think I set them on the kitchen table.”

“I’ll get her changed.”

He slipped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. Rosita leaned toward her and grabbed at her cheek. She smiled and reached a finger out. Rosita gripped it and babbled.

Ken sat back in the canvas chair and hooked his shoe on his knee. Brad had a fire going in the fire pit. Jon stabbed at the coals with a metal poker.

The girls had gone inside, taking the babies away from the mosquitoes. Ken enjoyed watching the flames dance against the night. He thought over the last year and the roller coaster ride they’d experienced.

“You two doing anything for your anniversary?” Brad asked. “It’s tomorrow, right?”

Ken nodded. “Mom’s taking Rosita overnight. We’re going to Savannah. That’s about as far away as Daisy was willing to go.”

“Fair enough. We haven’t left Anne yet,” Jon said. “But Alex has a friend in New York who’s getting married in November. We’re talking about possibly leaving her then and doing an overnight.”

“I was surprised when she agreed. But, we’ve never had just the two of us.” He grinned. “Rosita has always been there in some way.”

“She’ll still be there in some way,” Brad said. “I find it fascinating as I think about the time before Alison was in our lives, and I have a really hard time remembering.”

“Same,” Jon said. “We don’t have the history of time you and Valerie do, but I know what you mean. It’s like I was always Anne’s dad.”

Ken smiled. “You always were. God is not restricted to our linear understanding of time, brothers. This has already been written. He prepared us long ago.”

It overwhelmed him, left him in awe, the way God moved through his life and Daisy’s life to bring them to the moment that they became husband and wife, one in His eyes. He loved the lasso ceremony performed at their wedding because it gave a visual representation of that idea.

Living life with Daisy had filled a hole he didn’t know existed. Everything had led to the moment he walked into her office that fateful day in late June. When he saw her, he knew, and nothing over time changed it. Coming so close to losing her had made him see it as if a spotlight shone down on it.

Most women didn’t survive an amniotic fluid embolism and many who did suffered strokes and permanent neurological damage. Daisy had full control of her mind, even though she still couldn’t remember Rosita’s birth. Her body would eventually heal all the way. The physical therapist had remarked on her amazement at Daisy’s progress. Ken knew the prayers going up on Daisy’s behalf during the traumatic days following her experience had much to do with how well she did now.

The door behind them opened. “Little Miss needs to get home and ready for bed,” Valerie said. She walked out onto the patio. “Do you want me to take her?”

Brad stood. “No. I’ll go with you.” He slipped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her close. “It’s good to see Daisy moving so well. Last time we were over here, she was still really weak.”

“The improvements are starting to snowball.” He got to his feet. Jon stood with him. Ken put the lid on the fire.

As he turned, Jon slapped him on the back. “Have fun in Savannah. Try to talk about something other than the baby.”

Ken chuckled. “Don’t think that will be a problem.”

They walked inside. Daisy sat on the floor with Rosita sitting between her legs. They had a cloth book in front of them, and Daisy said the letter B while she traced it with her finger. Then she said it in Spanish.

Alex asked, “You ready?”

Jon nodded. “I didn’t see your car. Did you walk over?”

“Yeah. The stroller’s on the front porch.” She scooped Anne up and held her out to Jon. “I need to pack up my camera, and I’ll be ready.”

Ken helped his brothers gather bags, toys, and leftover food. After seeing them out the front door, he went back through the house and upstairs to Rosita’s room. Daisy had her on the changing table, stripping her out of her outfit. She glanced over her shoulder. “Can you get a bath ready?”

He kissed her on the temple and went into Rosita’s bathroom. Daisy had decorated it in ducks and frogs. He sat on the edge of the tub and ran the water until the temperature felt right, then filled it just enough to cover Rosita’s lap. By the time he turned the water off, Daisy had her ready.

She handed the baby over to him, then sat against the counter while he bathed their daughter. As he dribbled water over her black hair, he talked quietly to her. “And tomorrow you get to go spend the night in the castle like a real princess. Won’t that be amazing? You’ve never done that before.”

Daisy chuckled. “Will your mom even know what to do with just one baby?”

He glanced at her over his shoulder. “It won’t be long before she convinces all of us to leave all three with her. Then she’ll be in her good grandma groove.”

When he finished the bath, he lifted her out of the water, and Daisy wrapped her in a warm, yellow towel. Once she dried her off and put her in white pajamas with little pink roses all over them, they went into their bedroom.

Near the fireplace, they’d set two wing-backed chairs and a small love seat. Ken sat on the love seat, and Daisy snuggled into his side to nurse Rosita. As he did every night at bedtime, he pulled out his Bible and read the day’s passage out loud. As he read, he ran his fingers through Daisy’s hair and listened to the sounds of his daughter nursing herself to sleep. Contentment filled his heart, encouraged his soul, relaxed his mind.

“One year tomorrow,” he murmured as he finished the Bible passage.

“It’s certainly been a year.” She grinned up at him. “Here’s to a very boring second year of marriage.”

He chuckled and squeezed her close as Rosita’s eyes closed and her head lolled back, fast asleep.

Rare moments in life, we stand at the very top of the mountain. Looking all around in every direction from that lofty height, glorious beauty fills our eyes. The clouds look like a white ocean at our feet. Our hearts race. A light-headed feeling overtakes our senses from the thin air, the chill, the silence. We barely notice our shadows as pure golden sunlight, unfiltered by the clouds below, bathes our bodies like a halo. Even so, our skin turns to gooseflesh. Though exceptionally uncommon, these mountaintop moments do happen and—if we allow them to—overshadow the bulk of the time we exist down in the terrestrial valleys.

This was definitely a mountaintop moment.

The End