💛 It’s time to meet Ben & Hudson

Hi, ,

Greetings from Idaho! I'm currently dropping my youngest off at college again. This time he's taking his car, so I'll fly home tomorrow.

There's something poetic about sending my own kid off to college while writing about a dad taking his son to his very first day of kindergarten. Apparently, I'm getting both ends of the parenting experience this week. 💛

In the meantime, I'm SO excited to finally introduce you to some of the people living in Spruce Cove. I've been sharing tidbits as I planned, but I've finally started writing the first book.

And the winning couple is Ben and Heidi!

Ben is a single dad and co-owner of his family's construction company. Heidi is a kindergarten teacher who has spent years dreaming of putting down roots and building a family of her own.

But before we get to their story, you need to meet the most important person in Ben's world-his five-year-old son, Hudson.

Here's a little peek at my first draft:

"Hudson, if we don't leave now, you'll be late for your first day of kindergarten," I call up the stairs but don't hear the thunder of small feet that I expect. "Huddy?"

There's a muffled sound that might be my five-year-old. I run up the stairs and open his bedroom door to find him sitting on the floor, his back resting against the bed, and his favorite stuffed animal clenched in his arms.

"Hey, buddy, what's going on?" I ask as I sit next to him.

"I want to go to work with you," he says.

"Ah." I nod, understanding something I should have realized before now. "I'm going to miss having you on site with me, but you'll love school. You'll finally have kids your age to play with, and you'll learn how to read and do math."

He turns his gaze up to meet mine. His eyes are the same blue as mine, and his hair the same shade of dark brown. He's my mini-me in every way, but he still sports the plump baby cheeks and innocent expressions.

"But I already know my numbers," he says. Then his brow furrows as he continues, "But if I learn to read, I can help you with the blueprints, right?"

"Yep."

His face changes from sad to happy in an instant. "So, school will make me a better helper?"

I chuckle and stand. "Only if we're on time."

He jumps up and tosses his stuffy onto the bed. Then he grabs my hand and pulls me toward the door. "Come on, Dad. We're already behind schedule."

I ruffle his hair as we head downstairs. A few minutes later, he's buckled into the back of my work truck, his kid-sized hard hat in his lap.

Want to follow Ben and Hudson into the classroom-and meet Heidi?

Read the rest of Ben and Hudson's first day of school here: From the Ground Up

Just remember, you're getting a behind-the-scenes peek at a first draft, so anything could still change!

And speaking of things that can change...

What kind of stuffed animal should Hudson have?

Hit reply and cast your vote. I'll choose one of your suggestions to become Hudson's favorite stuffy in the book.

With love,
River 💛

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