Outside, a heavy-duty pickup truck pulled into the driveway. The engine cut, and the door opened.

Sergeant Daniel Parker stepped out, his boots crunching on the gravel. He took a deep breath of the Texas air. It was hot, dusty, and smelled of asphalt—but to him, it smelled like freedom. It smelled like home.

He wasn’t supposed to be back until the weekend. He had pulled every string, called in every favor, and sat on a cargo plane for eighteen hours straight just to make this happen. He wanted to surprise them. He wanted to see Ella’s face light up the way it used to before he deployed.

He reached into the passenger seat and grabbed his duffel bag, and then the pink teddy bear with the camouflage bow tie he’d bought at the PX in Germany.

“She’s gonna love this,” he muttered to himself, a tired but genuine smile cracking his sun-weathered face.

He walked up the path, his heart beating a little faster. He fished his keys from his pocket, the familiar jingle sounding like music. He unlocked the door quietly.