"It's in the genes, gal," Dwayne Bridges said, laughing at his crude joke. "You're the spittin' image of your mother and just as excitable. Better be careful you don't go the same way she did." He took a look at the boy standing protectively behind her. "And you, son, if you're screwing with the girl, you'd better be careful, too. She'll break your heart and run."The gal is Dwayne's daughter Theda Johnson. After her explosive confrontation with 'the sperm donor', she refuses to accept the story he's telling. Dwayne's jabs hit home as she realizes her feelings for Kelsey Sullivan mirror her mother's feelings for the bitter man before her. Theda wonders if she and Kelsey, struggling with the sparks their changing relationship ignites, will keep the promise they gave her grandparents and his parents-the GAPs who have forged a bond of love and trust with the teens. The Dreamin' Tree, an old red oak tree behind the Johnson cabin, is Theda's refuge when life overwhelms her. It's her special place with Kelsey. The place she feels closest to her mother. Something else she and her father share. It's the place where her father faces his demons. It's the place where her dream comes to an end. The Dreamin' Tree-where present meets past.