Page 85 of Crash

We find the best pizza in the city, hold hands, and walk through Central Park. He promises another weekend in New York City come spring, complete with a picnic in the park and a trip to see the Statue of Liberty.

“It will be a graduation slash birthday trip. What?” he asks when he notices my surprised look. “You think I didn’t know that your graduation falls on your birthday?”

“It’s not that. My mom said something about throwing me a party.”

“I know. I’m helping her.”

I stop in the middle of the busy sidewalk and look up at him, ready to object. Anticipating what I’m going to say, he bends down to kiss me right in the middle of a busy New York City street.

Whatever protest I was going to make is long forgotten when he takes my hand and leads me back to our hotel. We spend the rest of the afternoon naked in bed. Hours later, we drag ourselves out of bed and find the best Chinese food in the city. We order several dishes and feed each other. We spend most of the meal laughing at my attempts to use chopsticks. After dropping my third pile of shrimp lo mien, he takes the chopsticks away from me and feeds us both.

Sunday morning comes fast, and due to an incoming snowstorm, we’re on a train back home first thing in the morning, arriving just as the first snow starts to fall in Boston.

“I need a hot shower and a bed,” I say to Luke as he unlocks the door to Jake and Sandy’s house. The dogs immediately come running to us, licking Luke’s hand.

“Sounds good to me,” he says, stretching.

Our hopes of sleep post-shower are dashed when Jake informs us of the family brunch at his parents’ house.

“Have fun,” I joke. “Family brunch. Bring me something back, though.” Luke responds by throwing me over his shoulder and walking us directly into the shower.

We emerge from my room, clean and refreshed, me in skinny jeans and a plain black sweater, Luke in dark blue jeans and a sky-blue long-sleeved t-shirt with the word feminist written across his chest.

Jake snorts and rolls his eyes when he sees him. “First Smurfette and Papa Smurf shirts, and now this? You two kill me.”

“What?” Luke says. “She’s Smurfette and I’m her Papa.”

“You are not my Papa.” I roll my eyes at him.

“You two ready to go?” Jake asks. “If you want to go together, let’s leave now. I want to get back before the snow gets too bad.”

It’s Luke’s turn to snort at Jake.

“We’re going half a mile away. I’m sure Princess can handle being in the snow for the two minutes it will take to gets us there and back.”

“Ok, Mr. Feminist. Don’t make me kick your ass in front of your girl.”

“She would totally kick your ass on my behalf,” Luke jokes back. “She’s small, but she scrappy. I’m not afraid to have my woman fight my battles.”

“He not only wears the shirt, but he lives by the principles,” I say.

“What principles?” Jake asks, shaking his head at us.

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand, Jakey,” Luke says, playfully punching his brother in the arm. “You literally have your woman barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. And what’s this? Did she bake pies? I didn’t realize we were living in the fifties,” Luke taunts.

I look at him and nod in agreement, smirking at Jake and Sandy.

We all turn to look at Sandy as she stands in the kitchen drinking a glass of water.

“Hey!” She laughs after she finishes her drink. “Excuse me for liking to bake. No pie for the two of you then!”

“I’m throwing your ass in the first snowbank I find. And if Sunshine gets in the way, she’s getting thrown in headfirst. Equality and all that,” Jake says to Luke.

Brunch at the Clark house is as I’ve come to expect. Loud. Crazy. Fun. After eating, the guys take the kids outside to play in the snow, and I watch from inside as Jake and Luke try to throw each other in a pile of snow. When Jake gets the best of Luke, I run outside and jumped on his back to get him off my man. True to his word, he tosses me in the snow. Luke tackles him and the three of us all end up covered in snow, which causes the kids to jump on top of us.

Troy takes that as his opportunity to pound us with snowballs while everyone inside watches and laughs. I lie on my back and make snow angels with Emma and Tristan, wondering how life could get any more perfect.

CHAPTER 48

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