AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You…you really pulled this together?” I looked up at him in disbelief, so, so thankful I wouldn’t have to hang the lousy poster board after all.
He shook his head. “I would do anything for you, Goldie.”
Oh boy. Well, if I hadn’t been crying before, I certainly was now. Tears dripped down my cheeks as I held back a sob.
“You paying attention now, honey?” He took a step back and ducked, forcing me to look at him. “This is what it could be like. What we could be like. Better than before, stronger, smarter, sweeter, bigger. We could make it this time. Because we know what it takes. We’d work for this, for us, every day. And we’d never take it for granted again. We could make it greater than we ever thought possible.”
There was no hesitation. Not a doubt in my mind. No overthinking or second-guessing. Giving him a smile so big it hurt, I nodded. “Yes, Liam. I want to do this right, and I want to do it with you.”
He took a step forward, breaking the invisible barrier that had kept us apart, his dark eyes swimming with a longing and vulnerability that matched what I felt. When we were standing toe to toe, he cupped my face gently and brushed his thumbs over my cheeks, like he was committing every detail to memory. Just in case.
Then, with a huff, he lowered his face and pressed his lips to mine. Our breaths mingled, a soft exchange of warmth that hinted at the history we shared. The air was light with apologies and forgiveness and the promise of a fresh start. The gravity of his touch grounded me, eased my mind and my heart. I melted into him. God, I never wanted this moment to end.
As the seconds passed, the kiss deepened, becoming a passionate reunion of souls that had found their way back to one another. It was a dance of emotions, a silent conversation spoken between our bodies. Through touch and taste and heat. He slid his hands from my face to my waist and pulled me closer, sealing the cracks that had once threatened to tear us apart.
In that moment, the world outside us ceased to exist. There was only the intoxicating blend of our shared breaths, the tender warmth of his embrace, and the promise of a future built on the lessons learned from the past. The kiss was a poignant reminder that love, our love, was resilient and enduring. It held the power to heal even the deepest wounds, to melt away the scars that had marked us so long ago.
Again, there was the sound of a throat clearing behind us. Reality rushed in, reminding us that there were families around. Liam’s hands, hands that had drifted lower on my hips, slid higher, and I pulled back.
Around us, several kids and their parents were gawking. Oops. But it was impossible to feel embarrassed or ashamed. Not when Liam was looking at me the way he was. Those dark eyes so warm and full of love and desire, moving from my lips to my eyes and back, like he was considering diving in for another kiss.
He blinked once, then again, and stood straighter. “Come on.” He jerked his head to the entrance. “Let me show you a few things.”
I nodded and let him tug me by the hand.
Behind the sign, where Crew had popped out, stood the rest of the Wells family. Adam had a tool belt around his waist. Rachel was next to him, covered in glitter. Calla had paint smeared across her cheek. Nathan stood behind her, wearing a grin. Luke and Layla were wrapped around each other, watching me piece it all together. Mama B and Jerry stood behind all of them, holding hands. And then there were our boys. They stood side by side, grinning at us like they knew something we didn’t.
Liam pointed at each feature. “Calla and Crew painted everything. Rachel did the glitter and lights. Adam somehow made the water and windmill work. Don’t ask, because he won’t tell.”
Adam shrugged, wearing his standard grumpy expression.
“Luke and Layla helped me cut out the new pieces. Nathan and I put it all together in the end. Mom and Dad kept the boys entertained. It really was a group effort.”
I turned to my favorite family, the one I had been so thankful to keep after the divorce, and knew I’d never have to go a day without them.
With tears brimming in my eyes, I held out my arms. “You guys.”
Layla, Rachel, and Calla all rushed forward and embraced me. The boys followed, minus Adam. Liam stood back, with Miles and Dallas right beside him, giving each other high fives.
I pulled back and wandered over to my sneaky sons. Dipping down, I gave them each a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Did you two know about this the whole time?”
They looked from me to Liam and nodded, not even bothering to hide their smiles.
Liam sighed. “Oh, they know a lot more than you’d think.”
I stood up straight and blinked at them all. “What do you mean?”
Liam pulled a folded-up piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me. Beside him, both boys’ faces had gone pink, and they were looking anywhere but at me.
I unfolded the paper with a raised brow.
On the top of the page were the words Operation Parent Trap
I scoffed and eyed the conspirators again. They’d shuffled away and were now trying to hide behind Adam. “How do you even know what parent trap means?”
Calla cleared her throat and raised a hand. “I may have had something to do with it. When they stayed over a few months ago, we watched The Parent Trap. The Lindsay Lohan version, obviously. It’s the best. The boys had never seen it.” She put her hands on her hips and scowled. “Honestly, how dare you not culture them like that?” But then her smile was back. “Then one thing led to another, and I simply pretended to not see the plans they were working on.”
I squinted at her, then glared at Nathan.
