After listening to his father, Lance nodded in agreement, "I was thinking the same. How about we set the dinner for next weekend and invite Grandpa?"
"Sure, your grandpa hasn't met Deanna and the kids yet. You should take them to see him another day," Logan said, shifting the topic.
Lance smiled lightly, "Deanna and I have already planned to visit Grandpa tomorrow."
After chatting for a while longer, it was time for dinner.
After the meal, Lance prepared to leave with Deanna and the kids.
Samantha and Logan were reluctant to let them go.
They held onto the kids and said to Lance, "There's still half a day left. Let them stay here with us."
Lance looked at his parents who were reluctant to part and then at the kids. Just as he was about to say something, Deanna's voice came from beside him.
"In that case, we'll leave Gregory and Chloe in your care for half a day," Deanna said, bending down to instruct the kids, "Be good and stay with Grandpa and Grandma. Mommy and Daddy will come to pick you up later."
The kids, thinking their parents were going on a date, mischievously waved their hands, "Got it, you two go on your date. We won't be third wheels."
"You little rascals..." Deanna said, playfully poking their foreheads.
After saying goodbye to Logan and Samantha, the young couple left by car.
Once in the car, Deanna instructed Xavier to drive to Antique City.
Lance looked over, somewhat puzzled, "Why are we going to Antique City? Are you planning to buy something?"
"You mentioned visiting your grandpa tomorrow. I need to prepare a gift," Deanna said with some concern. "We had planned to visit him later, and I haven't decided on a gift yet. I hope he likes what I get on such short notice."
Seeing Deanna's unease, Lance held her hand and reassured her with a smile, "Your presence with Gregory and Chloe will be the best gift for Grandpa."
Despite his words, Deanna remained nervous.
This anxiety persisted until the next day.
Lance noticed Deanna's unusual behavior but no matter how he tried to comfort her, it had little effect.
Perhaps influenced by Deanna, the kids also became nervous on the way to visit Old Mercer of the Mercer family.
Seeing his anxious wife and children, Lance gave up trying to reassure them.
He knew that no matter what he said, it wouldn't help until they actually met Grandpa.
The black car sped along the road.
After about half an hour, they arrived at their destination.
As soon as they got out of the car, Deanna noticed they were at the foot of a mountain.
Looking up, she saw a forest of green pines-rare greenery in winter.
Lance walked over to Deanna and naturally took her hand, explaining, "Grandpa had these pines planted when he built the sanatorium. To ensure peace and quiet, he didn't build a road up the mountain but instead had over ten thousand steps constructed."
"How long will it take us to climb all those steps?" the kids asked curiously.
Lance thought for a moment and smiled, "At our pace, it might take half an hour or an hour."
"That long? Let's hurry then," Deanna said, pulling Lance towards the steps.
She didn't forget to call out to the kids, "Gregory and Chloe, you walk ahead. Daddy and I will watch you from behind. If you get tired, let me know so we can rest."
"Got it," the kids replied, holding hands as they walked ahead of Deanna and Lance.
The family climbed the long staircase towards the villa halfway up the mountain.
Halfway there, Deanna and the kids grew tired.
They stopped at a pavilion to rest.
Deanna took a sip from the water bottle Lance handed her and looked around with a smile. "This pavilion must have been built by your grandpa."
"That's right. No one can climb all the way up without resting," Lance nodded, standing by her side and enjoying the view.
The kids leaned on the railing, curiously observing their surroundings. "Great-Grandpa's place has such beautiful scenery. I even saw a rabbit," one of them said excitedly.
"Mommy, when we meet Great-Grandpa later, can we ask him if we can play in the woods? I want to catch a rabbit," Chloe asked expectantly.
Deanna chuckled, "That's not up to Mommy. You'll have to ask Great-Grandpa if he allows it."
Though she said that, she doubted they would have much energy left after climbing all those steps.