Chapter 11

ELEVEN

Izzy

I’m woken up by someone gently shaking me. I come back to consciousness slowly. Opening my eyelids takes too much energy, and my limbs are heavy. After dinner last night, Liam and I stayed up way too late walking on the beach, talking. And also, of course, kissing. I’m also exhausted from all the peopleing. I love our family, but family dinners require some recovery time, and last night’s was particularly emotional.

“Lemme sleep,” I grumble.

“But it’s Christmas.”

“It’s too early for Christmas.”

When the shaking stops, I sigh and roll onto my side. Goody. More sleep.

But then lips brush my cheekbone and kiss a path along my jaw. Suddenly, I’m fully awake.

“Liam?” I sit up, tugging the covers up to my chest instinctively.

He’s crouched by my bed, grinning and looking like a total snack in his Christmas pajamas. “Morning, Iz.”

“What time is it? Is everyone else up?”

“No one’s up,” he says, grinning, and I almost grab a pillow to scream into.

“Then why am I up? Liam. If you know anything about me, it’s how I value sleep.”

“I know. But I wanted to give you your gift before everyone’s awake and things get nuts. I’ll give you a few minutes, but meet me on the sun porch. I’ll have your coffee waiting.”

As adorable as he looks in his pajamas and as much as I like the sound of a gift—and coffee—I kind of want to throw Liam into the ocean right now.

Nevertheless, I meet him downstairs a few minutes later with freshly brushed teeth and a somewhat better attitude. I did not bother brushing my hair but stuck it in a messy bun with a sprig of fake holly that I pulled off a tabletop decoration on the way to the sun porch.

They’ve upgraded, adding fancy baseboard heating along the wall, and Liam clearly prepared because the room is toasty. When he sees me, he jumps up from the loveseat, looking a little flustered. Maybe nervous?

“Hey,” he says, giving me a hug and a kiss like he didn’t just see me ten minutes ago. Or basically all day every day for the last week. “Coffee or gift first?”

“Definitely gift.”

Liam falters a little, like he didn’t expect this answer. He really is nervous.

What kind of gift did he get me? Especially when we’ve barely had any time apart and our relationship is so new that anything he ordered would hardly have time to ship.

“Do you want to sit?” he asks, sounding a little stiff and formal.

I feel a little bad because he seems more nervous by the second. I sit down on the loveseat and put a hand on his knee when he joins me. “Hey—you know you didn’t need to get me anything, right? I mean, we barely had any time apart this week. My gift for you is really stupid. I’ll love whatever this is. It’s the thought that counts, as cheesy as that sounds.”

“Thanks,” he says, but his smile isn’t full strength. “I just … yeah. Maybe just open it.”

Liam pulls a small box from the table behind him. It’s lumpy and wrapped like someone used an entire roll of tape. I laugh. “Did Mandy help you wrap this?”

“How could you tell?” He smiles, but his hand goes to his glasses again, so I make short work of ripping it open. No sense in prolonging his nervousness.

Now, I’m nervous as I finally get the paper off to find a white box about half the size of a shoebox. Liam is silent as I pull off the lid.

But as I see what’s inside, I’m the one who can’t speak. I just stare down into the box, trying to process.

Because I don’t understand.

I glance up at Liam, and he’s biting his lip. His gaze darts over my face, trying to gauge my reaction. But I’m not sure what kind of reaction he expects.

“‘I quit’?” I say, picking up the piece of paper at the bottom of the box. Those two words are written in Liam’s handwriting. I hold it up. “My gift is that … you’re quitting? Quitting what?”

It doesn’t make sense that he’d be quitting us, quitting our relationship, but I cannot fathom what else it might mean.

“No, Iz.” Liam’s arms land on my shoulders, gently squeezing until I look up again and meet his warm gaze. “It’s for you to give to your job. I mean, if you want to quit.”

“You’re telling me to quit my job for Christmas—as a present?” Maybe I should have chosen coffee first because none of this computes.

Liam gives up on just squeezing my shoulders and pulls me into his lap, hugging me tight. “I’m doing this all wrong. I had this plan, and it made sense in my head, but it’s not translating and?—”

“Please, Liam. Just tell me what the gift actually is.”

He sighs, his breath stirring my hair. “I’m trying to offer you a job.”

“What?”

“You don’t have to take it,” he says quickly. “But you were so amazing working with me this week, and I know you hate your job, so I talked to Ben about what it would take to shift the budget around to bring on another full-time person. I’d like you to be the face of Make Change. You picked up on everything so quickly, and the way you were able to explain it to your people—well. I can’t do that. You’re better with people than I am, and I could really use your help.”

I don’t know what to say. I can’t say anything because the thoughtfulness of this shakes me. Liam spent a week observing me at work, saw how much I hate my regular job at Whitmire, and now wants to bring me on to work with him full-time?

“Maybe you wouldn’t want to work with me all the time,” he says quickly. “Or work for me, I guess, if we’re also dating, but you’d be so good and?—”

“I accept.”

Liam pulls back to look at me, his eyes lit with hope. “Really?”

“Are you kidding right now? My job isn’t at all what I thought it would be, and I love what your software can do for nonprofits, and I love working alongside you, and I love?—”

I barely manage to stop myself from spewing the last part. The part where I admit how big my feelings are. Which are probably way bigger than Liam’s feelings for me. Also, who says I love you after, like, a week?

Ridiculous people who, if they’re honest, have probably loved the other person for a really long time.

Liam’s expression goes slack. “What did you say?”

“I said yes. To the job. And some other stuff.”

“But you …” His voice is breathy and hesitant, and his arms tighten around my back. “Izzy.”

I’m totally embarrassed. He obviously knows what I barely stopped myself from saying. Would it be less embarrassing to just say it? Maybe I should do it now and just go all-in on totally stepping over the line.

But it’s Liam who says it first.

“I love you.”

Liam, who’s looking at me with so much tenderness and affection that there’s no way he doesn’t mean it. My Liam.

“You do?” I ask.

“I absolutely do.”

“But—”

He places a finger on my lips, and I remember when I did the same to him just over a week ago when being with Liam was only a dream.

“Izzy, it may seem soon, but our timeline isn’t just a week. We’ve known each other almost our whole lives. I know you. So it’s not because you started to say it first—I’ve been holding back because I didn’t want to scare you off. But I think I’ve loved you for a really long time and just didn’t allow myself to acknowledge it. I love you, Izzy.”

“I love you too.”

The box and the paper get lost as Liam kisses me, and kisses me , until Ezra shows up, his expression looking more teenager than ten-year-old as he rolls his eyes and says, “Oh, gross. ”

It’s only minutes before the rest of the family is up, the adults passing out coffee as the youngest in the family dig through their stockings.

I don’t know how long we’ll keep doing family Christmas on Oakley. If Eloise and Jake will always run the inn. If we’ll ever outgrow it as kids grow up and get married and start their own family traditions.

But I will soak up the chaos and love that comes from all of us being together as long as I can.

And now, I’ll do it with Liam by my side.

Later this afternoon, I’ll take him over to see my mom and Adam, and we’ll spend some time hanging out with my younger half-sisters. And we’ve already talked about spending New Year’s with Naomi and Camden and the rest of his family.

But I think the biggest part of our hearts will always be right here, in this big old house-turned-inn that’s so full of memories.

With the presents opened, people filter in and out of the living room and sun porch, eating, talking, laughing. In my case, stealing kisses.

Across the room, Merritt catches my eye and lifts her eyebrows, then glances down at her phone. Seconds later, my phone buzzes with a text.

Merritt: You okay? You look happy.

I look up and see her watching me. I smile as I type back a reply.

Izzy: He told me he loved me this morning, so “happy” doesn’t begin to cover it.

She reads my message, then lifts a hand to her chest, pressing it there before she holds the phone up for Dad to read. His eyes widen, then narrow as he looks at Liam and me snuggled together on the couch.

“Already?” he says, loud enough to catch Liam’s attention.

“Already!” I say, then I lean up and kiss Liam on the cheek.

Dad rolls his eyes, but I can tell he’s pleased. Mostly. And why shouldn’t he be? Liam is everything I could ever want, probably more than I deserve. Merritt, maybe sensing the need to give us a moment, tugs Dad up and out, leaving us alone. Loud family sounds still filter in, so it’s not exactly private, but I’ll take whatever I can get.

“Already what?” Liam asks as he tugs me a little closer.

“Already I love you,” I say, more quietly now. “And you love me.”

He leans down and presses a quick kiss to my lips. “That I do.”

I’m tempted to grab him by the pajamas and tug him down for a not-so-quick kiss, but Mandy appears in front of us, new picture book in hand, and Liam is already shifting to make room for his little sister.

When she’s settled on the couch, half on his lap and half on mine, the three of us take turns reading the story, creating a new voice for every single character. We’re all laughing by the time we finish, and Mandy closes the book with a sigh, then leans her head back against my shoulder.

“I like you, Iz,” she says, simple and sweet. Then she scrambles off our laps and darts after Davy and Danny who have roped Eloise into making them some hot chocolate. Mostly, it sounds like they’re just squirting whipped cream into each other’s mouths while Eloise tries half-heartedly to stop them.

“I like you too, Iz,” Liam says, nuzzling his nose into my neck.

“Is that so?”

He murmurs his assent, then presses a kiss against the skin just below my ear.

“Well I like you too,” I say. “But I do have some feedback.”

He stiffens the slightest bit. “You do?”

I turn and look at him, trying—and failing—to hold back my grin. “I do. But I’m saving it for your performance review.”

“I’m still getting one of those?” He looks far too excited by the prospect, and it makes me smile.

“Of course you are. I have a professional responsibility.”

“Okay. I’ll take it seriously then.” He presses a hand to his chest.

“As my first full-time employee, your opinions matter, so I’ll be sure to take everything into consideration.”

“Good,” I say. “Expect it in your inbox by the end of the week.”

Liam glances around, but for the present moment, we’re blessedly alone. With a half-lidded look that makes my skin erupt in goosebumps, he leans close, his fingertips trailing up my arms to my neck until he’s cupping my face.

“My inbox? Can we not go over my reviews in person? Perhaps,” he says, nibbling my earlobe, “in a private meeting?”

“I suppose that’s an important part of the process.” My voice is breathy, but I’m enjoying this too much to feel embarrassed. “The privacy. And … the reviewing.”

“Mmm.” He moves to my neck, and I just know someone’s going to walk in, but I can’t make myself care. “Maybe we could hold it in a stairwell. Just for, you know, old times’ sake?”

I laugh, which breaks the mood a bit. Good thing too, because Davy and Danny bolt through the room with the whipped cream canister, one of Dad’s dogs chasing after them and Sadie shouting from somewhere deeper in the house.

“For old times’ sake? We just hung out in a stairwell for the first time last week!”

Liam pulls back and grins. “Yeah, but that’s where we reconnected. And then connected again.”

“If by connecting again, you mean kissed.”

“I did mean that. We also carried a tree up a stairwell.”

I trace my finger over the faded pink line, all that’s left of the scratch from earlier in the week. “We sure did. Okay, boss—you’ve convinced me. We will add one private stairwell performance review to our work calendars.”

Giving me the kind of smile that makes me want to find a stairwell right this second, Liam says, “It’s a date.”