Page 57 of Two Weeks in Tahoe

“Like I said,” he pauses. “Anything for…” he gives me a quick peck, “My.” Peck. “Fucking.” Peck. “Girl.” Peck. And then he taps me on the rear.

43

Liam

Dex is pulling up with Jackson. My parents dropped him off with Dex yesterday—apparently everyone was in on Layla’s plan, and they wanted to give us some time together. They’ll be back for Christmas day dinner. They want to spend more time getting to know Layla, who they think is great.

I go to the door to get Jackson and Dex takes off, giving us some time alone. Jackson drops his bags as he steps inside, immediately running over to hug Layla.

“You’re back!” he shouts, excitement radiating from his whole body. I stand back, grinning like a fool as they hug and break into a happy dance. I blink a few times. My eyes aren’t watering at all.

“Hey, Big J, can we talk to you for a minute?” Layla asks, upbeat and excited. Jackson is completely comfortable with her, which makes my heart nearly burst.

I move to the kitchen, facing them as they both take a seat, Layla turned toward Jackson.

“First of all,” I begin, deciding to jump right in so we can get to the good stuff. “I wasn’t just in Sacramento to visit Layla. I had an accident on the snowmobile and had to go to the hospital.” Jackson’s mouth drops open, and he looks momentarily stunned. I spin around to show him I’m alright.

“I’m completely fine, just a little sore. We didn’t tell you because we didn’t want to freak you out. And the snowmobile is no more. None of us are getting on that thing again.”

Jackson seems reassured by my little demonstration, especially since I don’t have any visible cuts or bruises to worry him. “Second of all,” I glance at our girl with a smile, “Layla is here to stay. For good. She got her own place just a few minutes away, but she’s going to be around. A lot.”

Jackson beams, wide-eyed.

“Are you serious?” he shouts.

Layla nods with a smile, and they hug again.

“This is awesome, you guys. Layla, you’re going to love living here. And remember, Uncle Liam is the best cook ever. And…can I call you Aunt Layla now?” he asks, the thought seemingly popping into his head mid-sentence.

Layla looks at me in question, dewy-eyed and smiling. I shrug, giving her a reassuring smile, signaling that it’s completely up to her. It’s absolutely fine with me.

She grins, her eyes welling with more tears, and turns back to Jackson. “Of course you can, Big J.”

I stand back, watching the two most important people in my life celebrating together. This week went from having one of the shittiest days ever to maybe the best ever. I smile, imagining the new life we’ll build here together. Maybe someday we’ll even add to our little crew.

Epilogue

Layla

It’s springtime in Lake Tahoe. The trees are a lush green, the lake sparkles a beautiful, turquoise blue, and the air is warm. It’s been four months since I decided to stay for good—four amazing months filled with love and family.

Not only did Liam and Jackson embrace me with open arms, but so did Dex and Liam’s parents. I love our little family here. Even though Liam’s parents live in the city, they visit often, and so do we.

Daniela is here visiting for a couple days to help plan the wedding. We’re having lunch together, and it’s a particularly beautiful day. Perfectly warm, not too hot, and we’re eating outside on a patio overlooking the water at Dex’s restaurant. Daniela did give a half-assed protest about coming here, but I overruled her. She caved easily.

A few weeks ago, right after I turned twenty-six, on a beautiful April night outside by our firepit, Liam got down on one knee and proposed. It was just the two of us, at the spot where we had our very first kiss all those years ago—just two teenagers who were giddy for each other and with no idea what lay ahead. It was perfect. My lease had ended and I had officially moved in with Liam, Jackson, and Cocoa, although I had basically been living there much sooner.

“Are you two ever going to get over whatever problems you have with each other? You’re kind of stuck together now, by extension, you know.”

“Meh,” she replies.

“Oh please,” I say, “I’m not saying you have to date him or anything. But you might actually like each other as friends at least, if you stopped bickering all the time. Or even better, maybe a little one-night fling could get it out of your system.”

She makes a face.

“I’m just giving you the exact advice you would give me if the roles were reversed.”

“Well, the thing is…we’ve already done that.”

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