The Family Bold—Parents, Italics—Ages,

Eric & Annie Camden (51)

Matt & Sarah Camden (28)—James Dominic and John Zachary (2)

Mary (26) & Carlos Rivera (27)—Emma Rose and Grace Ann (18 months)

Lucy (25) & Kevin (31) Kinkirk—Savannah Paige (3 ½) and Kevin Eric (10 months)

Simon Peter Camden (20)

Ruth Jennifer Camden (17)

Samuel Joshua and David Paul Camden (10)

Chapter One I Put Your Picture Away

A white CONGRATULATIONS SIMON banner fluttered in the wind and people flooded the Camden backyard carrying plates of food, talking, laughing. The littler kids were running around with Sam and David and any adult who wasn't already exclaiming over how big the newest addition—Lucy's ten-month-old son Kevin Eric Kinkirk—had gotten was being wrangled by his proud older sister Savannah, who at three and a half was at a phase where she told anyone who would listen just how stinky her little brother's diapers were.

"Kevvy needs a gazillion diapers a day", Savannah said animatedly, throwing her hands out to show Sandy exactly how much that was. "And they're stinky", she added plugging her nose. Sandy laughed, "Yeah Aaron was like that too," She pointing to the two and a half-year-old at her feet.

Casting a quick look toward them from across the patio an embarrassed Lucy rushed over. "Savannah honey why don't you help Uncle Sam and Uncle David start up a game of hide-and-seek?" she suggested sending a telepathic 'help me' signal to her ten-year-old brothers.

"Okay Mommy", the little girl chirped skipping off.

"Vannah is still adjusting to the whole big sister thing ", Lucy whispered apologetically. "The diapers are her newest complaint."

Sandy nodded. "Yeah when Rose has her baby I'm sure she'll be saying the same thing."

Lucy gaped, not believing what she had just heard. "Wait what?"

Sandy gazed at her feet embarrassed "Oh my God. I wasn't supposed to say anything, Rose and Bert don't want people to know yet!"

"But Sandy I…"

"Luce, please? Don't say anything, especially to Simon. Promise me!"

Lucy folded. "Fine I promise."

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sandy squealed hugging Lucy tightly then quickly switched the subject. "Hey it's a good thing Aaron and I are staying down the street with Martin. Even with two houses you guys will be bursting at the seams!"

Lucy had to agree; she couldn't remember the last time there were so many Camdens packed in such a small space. "Lucky the Colonel and Grandma are staying with Aunt Julie and Uncle Hank. Mary, Carlos, and the kids are staying with us. Savannah's so excited to see her cousin Charlie, they're pretty close in age."

"Emma and Grace are so cute!" Sandy gushed. "They're just the spitting images of Mary."

"Eighteen months and already giving the baby gates a good workout", Lucy chuckled. "They'll be playing basketball in no time just like their mom."

"Yeah", someone laughed from behind them. "This one seems to think the toilet bowl makes a great hoop. Don't you Emma Rose?" Mary hitched the baby higher onto her hip. "Luce have Simon and Matt come back from their guy time yet", Mary asked. "Because Sarah wants to be here for the surprise but she says the twins are getting tired"

"Uh-oh", Lucy replied. All the kids seemed to be getting grumpy but Matt and Sarah's sons were right in the middle of their terrible twos and Lucy knew from babysitting them that when James and John were tired things got ugly. "I better call Matt. I don't know what's keeping everyone. Put Kevin down too will you Mare?"

"Are we waiting for some one else?" Sandy asked, handing a sleeping Aaron to Sam who was helping Mary and David get all the kids into the house.

"Aunt Julie and Uncle Hank are at the airport fetching Ruthie."

Sandy gaped. "She's coming home from Scotland?"

"Of course", Lucy replied. "It is Simon college graduation!"

"Yeah," Sandy nodded, listening to the noises of night. "I think I hear a car."

Just then Annie burst through the back gate a ball of excitement. "Okay everybody somebody just pulled up. Are we all ready?"

"Wait Mom I need to put on my sombrero." Kevin called. Lucy rolled her eyes at her husband. Sometimes when she found herself playing absently with her wedding ring, she would laugh quietly at the fact that she married such as nutbar as Kevin Andrew Kinkirk.

Footsteps could be heard on the front walk. "Hello?"

"Surprise!" everybody cheered but it wasn't Simon who opened the gate. " Wow what a welcome." Ruthie laughed as Hank came behind her a suitcase in each hand. "Hey everybody."

"Mom! Daddy! " Nine-year-old Erica rushed into her parents' arms.

"Hey pumpkin", Julie Hastings replied hugging her back, "Say hi to Cousin Ruthie."

"Hey girlie!" Ruthie called squeezing her cousin.

Releasing Erica, Ruthie looked around. "I see a banner but I don't see Simon."

Just then a second car door slammed and someone screamed, "I don't want to talk about it!"

"That must be him now", Annie said, her face mirroring everyone else's—a mix of worry and confusion.

"What's wrong with your brother?" she asked, practically pouncing on Matt as he came around to join them.

Matt hesitated. "Um sorry to tell you all this but I don't think Simon is in a party kind of mood right at the moment."

"Why not, what's wrong did something happen?"

"It's a long story, Mom", Matt said, wrapping his wife and then Ruthie in a hug.

"One I'm sure Simon will tell us all when he's ready", Eric said soothingly. "Honey, why don't you sit down?"

Julie stood up. "I'll go make you some tea Annie and then we really should be getting Mom and Dad home." She nudged Erica. "Come on sleepyhead. Hank will you go grab Tommy?"

"I'll get him", Kevin offered following them to the house and coming out with a dozy five-year-old on his shoulder.

"We should get going tooLuce", Mary said after the Hastings and older Camdens left. She turned to her husband "Miel will you and Kevin go get the kids?"

"Si amor", Carlos replied also going into the house. Five minutes later Kevin trooped out holding a stumbling Charlie's hand and carrying Savannah, while Carlos' baby daughters snuggled into their father's chest dead asleep. Mary met him at the bottom of the steps and accepted Grace Ann.

Passing Ruthie, Carlos stooped so that could kiss her on both cheeks, one of his Spanish customs "Adios cunada," he said. "It was nice to see you."

Ruthie smiled. "You too Carlos." Mary hugged her sister. "Come hang out before you leave again, we didn't get to talk. Lucy and I want to hear all about Scotland don't we Mrs. Kinkirk. "

Lucy, who was putting little Kevin in the baby carrier nodded eagerly. "Tell us every juicy little detail."

Ruthie laughed. "I will", she promised, waving as the lot of them paraded next door like a line of soldiers to settle in for a night at the Kinkirk Hotel

The crowd had thinned out considerably, now as the only people still there were Matt and Sarah who would be bunking in Matt old room that night.

"I'm sorry there wasn't much celebrating in this party Ruth", Matt said looking at the sagging canvas of Simon's banner. "You came halfway across the world for nothing."

"That not true." Ruthie disagreed. "It was nice to come home. I do wish Simon felt better but I guess it his party and he can cry if he wants to."

"Speaking of Simon…" Annie glanced at her oldest son who sighed in resignation. "He doesn't want to talk to anyone."

Annie stamped her foot. "Why won't he talk to his own mother?"

"What's today's date Mom?" Matt asked, but it was Ruthie who answered him. "Oh Lord it's the sixteenth, May sixteenth." It was a good thing she was in town for the party, calling Simon from Scotland would have seemed too impersonal today.

"Matt do you think he'll talk to me?"

He shrugged. "You can try." Ruthie sprinted into the house leaving Matt and Sarah to deal with her utterly confused parents.

Having to walk through the house on tiptoe made Ruthie suddenly and annoyingly aware of her sleeping brothers and nephews as she knocked softly on the closed door of her older brother's bedroom. "Simon?"

"Go away." Ruthie had to stop herself from jumping back in shock. She barely recognized the voice that responded as her brother's it was gruffer than the one she knew as his—saturated with pain, a pain that nobody even just a year younger and more innocent than themselves could have guessed would be there today and every year on this day for the rest of Simon Camden's life. As Ruthie stood there she felt her heart shatter for the one she had always felt closest to out of all her siblings.

"Simon it's me Ruthie", she tried again wondering if he could hear the desperate plea in her voice as clear as she could. "I know your hurting but let me in."

"Ruthie?" Simon repeated questioningly as if he fought she was a mirage or something. Finally (she assumed after convincing himself she wasn't a hologram) Simon spoke again, his voice although a smidge warmer although still sad. "It's open."

Ruthie stood in the doorway taking in the room; there was warmth in the familiarity of these four walls. They had shared the room kids back in a time when the walls had been covered with posters of comic book heroes, the beds with Hello Kitty pillows. That time was long gone as the Japanese anime bedspread was now replaced with a solid navy-colored duvet where Simon now sat cradling a picture of his ex-fiancée in a decorative golden frame.

"Oh Simon", Ruthie whispered tenderly, averting her eyes when she came over to hug him so she wouldn't have to look at Rose's perfectly straight burgundy hair and twisted fake-friendly grimace—a nauseating image even in picture form.

He only tore his eyes away from the photo only when he heard the bedsprings creak and felt his little sister put her arms around him. "When did you get in from Scotland?"

"This afternoon. It was supposed to be a surprise party appearance. Congratulations by the way, with a big shot business and accounting degree you can actually start the Bank of Simon."

He smiled weakly pulling her in for another hug. "I didn't mean to offend anyone but I'm not really in a partying mood. Is anyone still here?

"Only Matt, Sarah, James and John are staying here", Ruthie answered. "Mary and Carlos are staying next door and everyone else is either across the street or at Aunt Julie's. They can all understand why you weren't there though."

Simon looked at his little sister doubtfully. "Even Mom?"

"Well no, not exactly but I think Matt and Dad are getting her calmed down. You want to tell me what happened?"

"I really miss her Ruth", Simon admitted his eyes brushing across the picture again. "Don't roll your eyes at me like that! I almost married her and today…today is really hard."

Ruthie nodded. "I understand it would have been your anniversary, but it was meant to be you would've married her. Neither of you were ready and there's nothing wrong with that Simon"

"What does Umberto have that I don't?" he thundered shaking off Ruthie's comforting hand. "If he loved her they would have stayed together. When I met Rose two years ago Bert had just stomped on her heart. She swore she would never forgive him if her life depended on it and yet when she had the choice between us she chose him! I don't get it Ruth!"

Ruthie laid down next to him rubbing her brother's back in a rhythmic calming motion. "Sometimes we can't help who we like Simon. I'm the shining example of that."

" I never thought of it that way. Do you still love Martin?"

Ruthie sighed. "Part of me will always Martin, part of me will always love little Aaron."

"And Sandy?" Simon asked.

"Even Sandy."

"Do you think I'll ever be able to forgive Rose to love her again, like you love Martin?"

"It takes a long time and a lot of hurt but yes Simon eventually you will forgive her. And Simon?"

"Yeah?" he answered sleepily.

"Some day you find someone who loves you, someone you never expected." Ruthie Camden watched as her older brother fell asleep with a dreamy childlike smile on his face. He always slept so peacefully.

"Hey Happy", Ruthie crooned petting the family's white dog, "Watch Simon for me okay?" As she closed the door behind her Ruthie didn't know how true her words were. Life was about to take Simon for a ride and it would begin the very next day.