Chapter 10

TEN

Liam

The moment Izzy and I walk through the front door, we’re met with cheers and hugs. Mom and Eloise are the first to reach us, and as I meet Izzy’s eyes, we each give a quick nod.

It’s go-time.

Over the years, holidays have progressed from being a chill affair to a hotbed of chaos and a cacophony of voices. Just saying hello takes a good ten minutes, and that’s not including the kids scurrying underfoot.

I can still remember when holidays were just me, Mom, Uncle Jake, and Grandpa Ned. Now, we don’t even all fit in the main dining room at the inn. The double doors are open, and there are a few long folding tables set up in the entry hall to accommodate.

“Go change,” Mom says, handing over a set of pajamas. “We’re just about ready to eat.”

“Let me register my vote of dissent about the dress code,” I say, eyeing the green and red striped pajamas. This year, they’re all one piece like some kind of unisuit. With feet. Most adults already have them on, and it looks like a bin of human candy canes exploded.

“I’ve heard your complaint and filed it with the department of I Don’t Care,” Mom says, giving my cheeks a pinch. “Now go put those on so we can eat.”

I see that Eloise has done the same for Izzy, and we head to the same bathroom off the kitchen where we take turns changing. As she comes out of the bathroom, her cheeks are pink. She looks cute but also ridiculous.

“There’s a surprise,” Izzy mutters. She spins, backing away from me so I can only see her front. Part of the plan includes the two of us not acting like a couple, but my hands still twitch as she passes by, itching to reach out and touch her.

“I’m excited to find out,” I say.

But I’m far less excited when I realize the surprise is that the pajamas have a butt flap. As in, a little flap with a snap closure on either side. Awesome if you need to go to the bathroom in a hurry. Less awesome if you have two nephews who find it hilarious to yank them open at will.

By the time I have a glass of water in hand and make it to the table, I’ve seen a lot of underwear. Thankfully, Davy and Danny are only attacking the men in the group, though that could be because their Aunt Merritt caught them reaching for Izzy’s flap and gave them a scathing look fiery enough to melt an iceberg.

“Okay!” Aunt Sadie stands on a chair and claps her hands. “Everyone find and take your seats! Davy—don’t you dare slide down that banister and wreck the garland!”

There’s laughter as Benedict sprints up the stairs and grabs Davy under one arm just before he does exactly what Sadie said not to do. When he reaches the bottom, Danny darts out to unflap his pajamas.

And so begins a typical family dinner.

I wink at Izzy, who moved her place card so we’re no longer sitting side by side. Part one of our plan. Now that I’m paying attention, the subtle family meddling is so obvious. Sadie and Merritt exchange a glance when they see Izzy between Hunter and Grandpa Ned instead of next to me. Mandy crawls in my lap before we dig into the turkey and all the sides that have become our family Christmas Eve tradition.

Though it’s practically impossible to eat with an almost six-year-old balanced on my knees, I don’t mind. Every time I come home, it’s obvious how quickly all the kids are growing up. Ezra, now ten, is too old for hugs (his words) and Genny, Eloise and Jake’s oldest, already seems like a mini adult. I think she’s almost sixteen now? Going on thirty, it looks like, as she talks quietly with Merritt down the table.

Benedict taps on his glass with a knife, and though it takes a minute, the table quiets down to a duller roar. “It’s Christmas Eve!” he says, and everyone cheers.

Davy and Danny bang their fists on the table in the hall, which leads to a few water glasses spilling. It takes another few minutes to get everyone quiet again, and I catch sight of Ukulele, Hunter’s newest rescue raccoon, darting under the dining room table. Dogs aren’t allowed in for Christmas dinner and were all on the front porch when we arrived, but a raccoon, apparently, is just fine.

Never dull.

“Now that Naomi and Camden got smart enough to move out of Savannah and onto Oakley, most of us are together all the time. But I’d love to hear updates from some of the people we don’t see as often,” he says, and Izzy and I exchange a quick glance. “I’m completely unsurprised when Ben’s gaze falls to me. “How about you, Liam? You’ve been practically a stranger this year. Hopefully, now that you’re in Savannah permanently, we’ll see more of you. Catch us up on anything new and exciting.” He looks across the table at Izzy. “And then you, Izzy, our other resident Savannahian.”

This is where I’m sure the family hoped to hear an update about Izzy and me, and I swear, I can feel them all holding their breaths. I pass Mandy to Jake, who’s seated to my left, and stand.

“As you may know, I started my own business this year.” I pause and give a little bow as there’s more cheering around the room. Though I don’t let my gaze linger on her, I don’t miss Izzy’s proud grin. “And Ben’s right about the move. I’m happy to be back in the South again.” I pause and clear my throat. “On a more personal note”—I swear I hear a quiet gasp from someone and then an oomph as whoever it was is elbowed by someone else—“you all might remember I brought Natasha home with me last Christmas.”

“I didn’t like her,” Mandy says. I think she meant to whisper, but the room is quiet enough that almost everyone hears, and there’s a collective chuckle.

“Well, we broke up and …” I trail off and scan the room, seeing every single adult looking ridiculously hopeful. “I’ve got a new girlfriend.”

I sit down, and there’s an awkward silence.

“Where is she?” Mandy says.

“She’s celebrating the holidays with her family,” I tell Mandy.

Sadie clears her throat. “Wait. So, you have a new girlfriend, and she’s?—”

“With her family.” I nod. Izzy and I came up with a number of ideas for family revenge, but it’s hard when you want it to be funny, not mean, and you also don’t want to lie. But if we’re incredibly careful with our words, we can pull this off.

It’s Izzy’s turn, and she stands up. I don’t miss the way all the adults exchange looks.

“Hey, all! I didn’t do anything as amazing as Liam this year—congrats on his successful software! I got to see it firsthand this week because he was working with my company, which is a big deal.”

She starts clapping, which wasn’t part of our plan, and makes my chest feel warm as the entire family joins in. I can still tell there’s confusion and some disappointment. I know if they were using the apps to track us, they’re aware we spent the whole weekend and most of the week together, so I’m sure this is throwing them for a loop.

They were soooo sure their plan would work.

And, I mean, they were right. But we would have gotten there on our own. Eventually.

Okay, maybe I’m a little glad for the meddling. But also happy to give a little bit back to them.

“And I’ve got my own personal news,” Izzy says, and I see Merritt looking confused. Probably because Izzy tells her everything. Usually.

A flash of hurt crosses her face, and when she glances at me, I wink. The point of this isn’t to upset anyone but to give them a taste of their own medicine. I’m guessing that out of everyone, Hunter and Merritt had the least to do with this.

She visibly relaxes, and I know I made the right call.

“I’ve got a new boyfriend,” Izzy says.

The silence that follows is even more awkward than when I spoke, and Izzy carries on quickly. “I actually had to spend the weekend with Liam because of some ridiculous fumigation issue in my apartment, and it was great because now we’ve gotten to know each other’s significant others. You approve, right Liam?”

“Absolutely I do. Great guy.”

Merritt snorts and covers it by fake coughing.

“And I’m really glad you approve of my girlfriend,” I say to Izzy, “because she’s really amazing. Like, I see real future potential.” I’m going overboard a little, and I can see from Izzy’s expression that she’s surprised but loves it. “I don’t want to speak too soon, but I think she’s it for me.”

“Are you proposing?” Sadie looks like she’s about to fall out of her chair.

“Not today,” I say, but my meaning clearly hangs in the air as I hold Izzy’s gaze. “But I don’t want to wait long. When you know, you know.”

Izzy flops into her chair, a dazed smile on her face that she tries to hide behind a napkin.

“Wait,” Eloise says, shaking her head. “So, the two of you spent the weekend together, but you’re dating other people, and you met those people, and both approve of them, and it’s serious, and …”

Jake pats her on the back. “I think you summed it up really well there.”

“Oh,” Eloise says.

“Wow,” says Sadie.

“I really thought you’d be happy for me,” I say. “For both of us.”

No response.

“I’m happy,” Izzy says, and we share a smile.

“Me too. Really happy.”

“That’s all we want. For you both to be happy,” Mom says, but she sounds like she’s talking about a fatal diagnosis of some kind. She sniffs, and Camden sighs and puts his arm around her.

Okay, maybe now we should dial it back. Izzy’s giving me wide eyes, clearly in agreement.

But as we both stand, ready to clarify that we’re actually dating each other, Ukulele scrambles onto the main table and sprints for the turkey.

Someone screams. Dishes clatter. A glass of wine goes flying, and a splatter of red paints the wall as the raccoon reaches the bird and goes straight for a leg.

“Ukulele!” Merritt shouts, clapping her hands.

Hunter charges, making his way around the table, but the raccoon is too fast. He rips a leg right off the bird, springboards off of Uncle Jake’s head, and disappears toward the back of the house. Davy and Danny leave their table and sprint after him, cheering like they’re in some kind of parade and not in high-speed pursuit of an animal who probably shouldn’t have been in the house in the first place. Hunter follows, and I’m not sure if he’s going after the twins or the raccoon.

“Izzy and I are dating!” I yell, and everyone freezes in place for a second, but they don’t immediately look happy.

“Each other!” Izzy finishes. “We’re dating each other!”

Aunt Eloise lets out a little gasp. “Well. Why didn’t you just say that?”

Izzy raises her eyebrows, propping her hands on her hips. “After the giant fumigation tent appeared on my apartment building, this seemed like a better call.” She spins to face Sadie. “What was the name of the movie they were filming last weekend? Lying Larry and His Trusty Sidekicks ?”

“I was not a sidekick this time,” Benedict says, raising his hand. “Just for the record.”

“If you financed it, you’re still guilty by association,” I say.

He nods. “Fair.”

I turn to face Mom. “Were you a sidekick? In on all the scheming?”

She presses her lips together, her expression telling me she was absolutely involved, but there are tears brimming in her eyes and a wobbly smile on her face, so I can’t actually be annoyed. With her or any of them.

“We just love you guys,” she says softly. “For the first time, you were living in the same place, and you were both single, and we just thought we’d nudge you along a little bit.”

“For the record,” Grandpa Ned says, “a fumigation tent is more than a little nudge.”

“Are you telling us the truth?” Mom asks. “You two really are together?”

Izzy appears beside me, slipping her arm around my waist as I tug her close. I look down at her, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before saying, “We really are together.”

Merritt stands and circles the table, stopping in front of us and pulling us both close. “I need you to know I had no idea the fumigation tent was happening until it was already up,” she says. She leans back and looks right at Izzy. “I would have stopped them. You know I wouldn’t have pushed for something unless I absolutely knew your heart would be safe.” Then she looks up at me. “Her heart is safe, right?”

I nod, hoping she sees my sincerity. “It absolutely is.”

Another few minutes pass by in which we get a lot of hugs and back slaps and “you really had us going” comments, but then the room quiets as Hunter comes back, Ukulele tucked under his arm and the twins quick on his heels. He looks around, seeing us all standing, and frowns. “What did I miss?”

The sea of adults between me and Izzy and Hunter suddenly parts, and he gets a good look at me, with my arm wrapped tightly around his daughter.

My throat goes dry, and I swallow against the knot forming there. I’ve always had a good relationship with Hunter, but until right this moment, I haven’t really thought about how it will change now that Izzy and I are together.

This isn’t the time or the place. Both because the entire family is watching and because I really don’t think I can have a serious conversation in footie pajamas with a butt flap. But at some point, I will tell Hunter how serious I am about taking care of Izzy, about loving her in all the ways she deserves.

The silence stretches as Hunter takes us in, so long that eventually, Izzy stiffens beside me.

“Daddy?” she asks.

Hunter’s gaze flicks to his daughter and finally, he smiles. He takes a few steps toward us, Ukulele crawling up to perch on his shoulder as Hunter pulls Izzy into a hug, then extends his hand to me.

I shake it firmly, feeling the strength of his grip as he says, “It’s about time.”

Maybe with Izzy and me, it was about time. Or timing. About growing up. Living apart. Learning about ourselves enough that we were ready for this—ready to be together.

I can’t wait to learn Izzy in this capacity, to discover all the little things she loves, figure out what makes her tick. But I’m glad for our history too. For all our shared memories. And the shared future to come.

I’m also glad to have this big, messy, meddling family.

Davy bolts by, and I feel a breeze on my backside.

Amendment: I’m glad to have this big, messy, meddling family but could do without the matching Christmas pajamas.