Page 98 of Second Chance Vacation

“Jackson…”

Then he shushes me. Heactuallyshushes me.

Standing there, I stop in my tracks, looking at him with my mouth agape, unsure of how to respond to him. He grins then mouths “sorry” silently, pulling my hand into his own.

“Genevieve Sylvia Bennett…”

Oh.Oh.

“I have loved you for as long as I’ve known you. You, an annoying little shithead, somehow came into our lives at the exact right moment. You were everything I ever needed, in a friend, in a partner—even though we spent those years apart, I can honestly say that I always cheered you on from afar, my person.”

The tears welling up in my eyes make it hard to see him, but I can tell he’s just as emotional as I am by the shake in his voice.

“You’ve been everything I’ve ever needed, a friend, a partner, and I’m really hoping…my wife.”

An audible gasp sounds through the air. At first, I think it’s my own until I see everyone standing off to the side of the property, peering out onto the beach. My focus, however, is on Jackson, the man now kneeling in front of me with the most beautiful look of adoration plastered across his face.

“Will you, Vivi? Be my wife? Marry me?”

I swallow the lump in my throat as I jump before meeting him at his level, bending down to kiss him in response.

Jackson somehow manages to pry his lips away from mine, the same grin from before not leaving his lips.

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes.”

MOSTLY LOATHING YOU

HANNAH & LIAM

MEANWHILE

LIAM

“You used to be way nicer to me!” Hannah’s shrew voice travels through the air, causing an unwilling eye roll to pull from me. Much to my dismay, there is no avoiding our joint family trip—you would think twenty-seven years that we’ve been coming here together, I would stop that pipe dream.

“That was your first mistake,” I say with a chuckle, bumping my arm into Jackson’s.

Jackson and his sister Hannah are the children of my parents’ absolute best friends, George and Linda, so naturally, we grew up together. While Jackson and I have always shared a friendship, his sister Hannah has been the bane of my existence for years.

Something about her just makes me want to scream, and not in the fun way.

“Yeah, yeah.” Jackson laughs in response, letting my words roll off his back per usual.

He started at Baker & Park, my father’s law firm, a little under a year ago, so we’ve spent more time together recently and thus have gotten much closer than we once were. Unfortunately, that has been met with more than one visit from his devil spawn of a sister.

Gen, Jackson’s girlfriend, is standing next to him, equally lack of interest in engaging my disdain for Hannah. That’s fine. I’ll hate her enough for all three of us.

I venture outside to help my dad tend to the grill before heading back in with a plate stacked with sirloin steaks. Each one is cooked to a perfect medium rare while the outside still manages to have a delicious-looking sear.

“Well—your inability to admit you want to sleep with Liam is nasty.” Gen’s voice carries out of the kitchen as a roll comes flying past my face in the entryway. I stifle the gag this pulls, not because the thought of sleeping with Hannah grosses me out at face value, but once I take into account her personality, I’m steadily returned to Ew-ville.

“Don’t speak those disgusting thoughts of yours into existence. I would rather take a hot poker to the eye.”

Okay, Hannah, that was a bit dramatic.

“That can be arranged…” I say, grabbing Hannah’s dinner roll halfway to her mouth and stuffing it in my own. This grabs the reaction I am looking for, as Hannah huffs. However, I am not looking for the searing pain now throbbing from my foot as the heel of her sandals digs into the skin on my bare flesh. I do my best to bite back the remark that bubbles up. Giving her attention only makes it worse. Typically I’d chase it, but I don’t want her to break skin.

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