“Yay!” Seb says and pulls E out the door and closes it.
I lie back down and cuddle under the covers. Listening for a minute, I don’t hear any sounds. I wonder what Seb is up to? The thing is, none of the guys gave me any hints, but Seb has been excited all week.
I didn’t think I would fall back asleep, but I must have, because a knock on my door has me turning over as Zander pokes his head into the room. “Morning, Summer,” he smiles.
“Morning.” I yawn, stretching my arms overhead. “Am I allowed to get up now?”
“You are. All the guys are here. Sue and E are making breakfast. Come out when you’re ready.” Nodding, I fling the covers off and get out of bed as Zander closes my door. I grab my comforter to straighten out my bed, and a small stuffed bunny greets me. He’s blue and holding a carrot. I smile, setting him in front of my pillows.
I get dressed and then go to the bathroom to get ready for the day. When I reach the kitchen, the guys are sprawled around the living room and dining table, drinking coffee or watching tv. Sue and E are moving about in the kitchen. “Good morning, everyone.”
A round of “hellos” and “mornings” returns. Grabbing a mug and a tea bag, I make myself some tea. “Sue, how are you? I didn’t realize I was going to be banned from getting out of bed this morning,” I say.
Sue chuckles. “I’m fine, sweetheart.”
“Can I help with anything?” I offer, deciding to microwave my water this morning since the stovetop is full of pots and pans.
“Thank you, but no help needed. We’re doing an egg bake with ham, cheese, peppers, and onions. Elijah brought hot cross buns with him this morning, too. We just need to finish the fruit salad, and then we will eat.”
“Sounds great. I’ll go sit down then,” I smile. I grab a seat between Bay and Nick on the couch. I say hello to Nick and get an immediate reply. Turning to Bay, I ask if his family arrived safely.
“They did. It’s a madhouse there right now,” he grins. Bay seems pleased to have a house full.
I smile back at him. “Hey who left me the blue bunny this morning?”
“Time will reveal all, Sunshine,” Seb says.
“Breakfast is served,” Sue announces. We all get up and form an assembly line along the island, then everyone squeezes in aroundthe table to eat. The food is delicious, and everyone seems to enjoy themselves. I look around at all the people I have in my life now, feeling especially blessed this weekend.
We all help with the cleanup, and then Seb tells me to follow him. We head out the front door to the garage. “Okay Sunshine. I need some trust here. I’m going to blindfold you, then walk you to the backyard,” he smiles.
“Okay,” I nod. Seb gently wraps a scarf over my eyes and ties it behind my head.
“I’m taking your arm now, Sunshine. Just walk with me.” We slowly make our way around to the backyard. “Stepping onto the deck now,” he tells me. Once we get situated where he wants me, he unties the scarf with a flourish. “Tada!” He exclaims.
The backyard is transformed. There are rabbit cutouts for taking pictures sitting on the lawn. Colorful streamers are hanging from the trees. Groups of balloons are randomly placed around the yard. I turn around and see all the guys with Sue and Zander lined up behind me. “What is all this?” I ask.
Seb is bouncing on his toes, he has so much energy. “This is an Easter egg hunt for the kids from the orphanage and group home,” he replies. “We usually do this at Alex’s house, but we can’t this year, so Zander agreed to let us host it here. Look, we have supplies to make sweetgrass baskets and a bunch of eggs to fill and hide.”
I notice that the outdoor dining set is indeed full of supplies. “You guys do this every year?”
“We do,” Alex nods. “This was something my mother did when I was little, and we are carrying on that tradition.”
“This is amazing, guys, really,” I smile. My friends are so thoughtful. “What’s first?”
Seb takes my hand and leads me to the table. “Let’s fill the plastic eggs first and hide them,” he says excitedly. Everyone gathers around the table as Bay and E unpack all the bags that are sittingnearby. There are bags of chocolate eggs, mini toys, and chocolate rabbits. We each sit and grab a package of plastic eggs and fill them. There are two cardboard boxes we toss the plastic eggs into as we snap them closed. With everyone helping, it only takes us about an hour to fill them all.
“Let’s go hide the eggs,” Seb yells, taking one box and heading into the yard. I smile and follow him. Bay, E, Seb and I head to the left of the yard as Alex, Sue, Nick, and Zander go right. We hid the eggs all over: on and under bushes, in the trees, around the deck, even sprinkling some on the lawn. When they’re all hidden, we go back to the deck. Alex and E open several more boxes while Nick and Zander come over with a long folding table. I help Zander cover the table with an Easter tablecloth as the guys set colorful Easter baskets on top.
“Here, Summer,” Bay offers, setting a box on the ground beside me. It’s filled with little plush Easter bunnies like the one in my room this morning. We add a bunny to every basket on the table.
“This is so wonderful, you guys. You all are amazing,” I smile.
“We’re not done yet,” Bay smiles. We head back up onto the deck as Zander and Nick clear out the bags and boxes we’ve emptied.
“What now?” I ask, looking at everyone.
“We make special sweetgrass baskets for the 6 people in charge of the group home and the orphanage. They’re really wonderful folks who care so much for the kids. E makes these amazing chocolate eggs to fill them with,” Seb offers.
