Violet's wedding had been beautiful, but Keeley was glad it was over. She'd been frantically busy preparing for her daughter's big day since their engagement. The time between the wedding and the trip to Sweden for the awards ceremony was largely spent decompressing—until the day before, when she had to scramble to get everything done. Aaron had originally wanted to go to Stockholm a few days early to adjust to the time difference, but none of their children could leave until the day before the ceremony. Keeley wanted everyone to travel together so she could celebrate her greatest accomplishment with her family.

It would be colder in Stockholm than in New York, so packing light wasn't an option. Hence the scrambling.

"Do you have everything you need?" she fretted, as Oliver packed his suitcase nearby.

"I forgot my beanie in Boston," he said sheepishly. "Do you have an extra I could borrow?"

"Yes, but it's bright purple."

"I can live with that," Oliver sighed, brightening as his phone buzzed. He read the text, a half-smile on his face, and responded immediately.

Keeley raised an eyebrow. He wasn't usually glued to his phone. "Who are you texting?"

He flushed slightly. "My neighbor, Cindy. We've gone out a few times since Thanksgiving break. She's a bit like you, actually. She's majoring in biology because her older sister has cystic fibrosis. She's been using your treatment and is doing much better, so Cindy's really excited about your Nobel Prize win."

Keeley had never seen her son flustered about a girl. This might be serious. "Does she know I'm your mom?"

Oliver nodded. "She asked for your autograph. If you don't mind, I mean!"

Keeley laughed and tousled his hair. "I've given a few autographs in my day. I'd love to do one for your friend."

He seemed relieved and packed the purple beanie, thanking her. Young love was sweet. She wondered which son—Oliver or Kaleb—would get a girlfriend first. Kaleb had been spending a surprising amount of time with Lila Clark; he was still out with her.

She surveyed the living room, now a packing zone, and decided everything was done except for a few last-minute items like toothbrushes. Violet was meticulous; Keeley was sure she and Noah were already packed.

Everyone would meet at the airport in the morning. Aaron had reserved first-class seats for everyone for the long flight.

Now that packing was done, she was practically shaking with excitement and nerves. The whole world would soon be watching. She'd never been used to extensive press coverage; it had always been minor before. As Mrs. Hale, she'd only been covered by local papers and tabloids. As Dr. Hale, she'd been featured in minor scientific journals. But the Nobel Prize awards were global news. This was the biggest thing she'd ever done.

Oliver looked up from his phone to see his mother hyperventilating slightly and placed a hand on her arm. "Breathe, Mom."

She exhaled sharply. "This is okay. I'm okay. I'm totally okay."

Keeley wasn't okay at all.

She didn't sleep a wink the night before their departure, despite Aaron's efforts to relax her. She was too anxious to sleep. As a result, she was exhausted when they arrived at the airport at 6:45 AM after picking up Violet and Noah.

The rest of her family seemed tired, but not as much as she did. Michael and Mandy met them at the gate thirty minutes before boarding and he frowned.

"You don't look like someone about to win one of the biggest awards in the world."

His wife laughed. "I think she does. Couldn't sleep due to nerves?"

Keeley nodded. "Not a wink."

Mandy linked arms with her and led her to a nearby coffee shop—airports always had plenty.

"This will help keep you awake until boarding. After that, try to sleep. Tomorrow's a big day," she said gently.

The coffee only made her more jittery. It was good Aaron had rented out first class. Once the coffee wore off, she slept soundly in the relatively peaceful cabin.

Most of them slept for part of the flight, or watched movies, or talked quietly. It probably wouldn't have been so quiet with a full first-class cabin.

They arrived around 9 PM due to the time difference. Jet lag affected everyone, so they had dinner before bed. They needed to be at the Stockholm Concert Hall early the next day.

Aaron had reserved adjoining suites at the best hotel in Stockholm, so everyone had their own bedrooms but were close together. The Singletons, Grays, and Nathan were in one; everyone else was in the other.

With both sons on their phones, Keeley lay on the king-sized bed, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't believe this was happening.

Tomorrow, she would meet some of the world's most influential people AND royalty! Royalty! All because of her research!

"I don't deserve this," she mumbled. "It's too much."

Aaron sat beside her and gently brushed her hair from her forehead. "Yes, you do. You've worked extremely hard."

She sat up and looked at her hands, voicing a nagging thought. She'd been too excited to consider it before. "Somebody else was supposed to win this award, Aaron. I took their place."

To her surprise, he laughed. She was serious!

"Keeley, your logic is flawed. That person only won because your superior research wasn't available. If you had lived earlier, you still would have won."

He smiled softly. "Thinking like that is like saying our children and those of our friends shouldn't exist. Do you really believe that?"

She felt silly. Of course they were meant to exist! This life was different because the universe had allowed them to correct things. Keeley believed everything happened as it should to right a cosmic wrong.

But she hadn't considered others. Alice had stayed married to Brock Kelly until she died. Aiden and Nova never met. Cameron and Jennica, and Kyle and Selena, might not have met either, due to different jobs.

She took a deep breath. "Thanks for being the rational one."

"Anytime, my love," Aaron replied. "Get ready for bed. The most important day of your lives awaits."

Keeley didn't need reminding. She curled into the arms of the man she loved, trying not to overthink things, hoping for desperately needed sleep.

(Note: I removed the NovelFire.net advertisement as it was not part of the text to be cleaned up.)