Chapter 13 #3
Nodding, Nora replied, “Two sisters, one brother. And yes, they’re all adrenaline junkies too.
” She shifted in her chair. “My dad’s brother—my uncle Seth—was a helicopter pilot with a business in Vegas.
He used to do tours of the Grand Canyon and all the places around there.
I worked a few summers with him and have my pilot’s license too, but I prefer to be on the land.
I love hiking and nature, and I’m kind of digging working with the kids.
That was a first for me. My groups were always adults, but pitching in with the camp has really been a lot of fun. ”
“You were great with them,” Lexi told her.
“Thanks, but…ugh…we got off topic again!” Nora said with a laugh. “We were talking about weddings and families, Lexi, and we ended up on me again. Sorry!”
“Nothing to be sorry about, and this is what girls’ night is like. We bounce around from one topic to another. My whole thing is that I don’t want Connor to regret that his parents weren’t there. Otherwise, we’d be at the justice of the peace like…next week.”
“Really?” Maisie asked. “You don’t want a big wedding?”
She shrugged. “I had a semi-big wedding with Adam, and it was a lot of stress, and it didn’t really mean anything.
Ultimately, we were divorced within two years.
I’d be so happy with something like Jayce and Kelsey did.
Small. Intimate. And here.” She felt oddly emotional just thinking about it.
“This is where we met and where we reconnected, so it just seems fitting for it to be here.”
“You just have to hope that Connor would let the event planners do their thing and not try to take over,” Harlow teased.
“I know, right?” Lexi said with a small laugh. “I know we all think about weddings being these massive celebrations, and that’s totally fine. But for us, the fairytale is that we’re finally together. A ceremony is nice, but I’m actually looking forward to it being low stress.”
“That is the dream,” Harlow agreed before looking at Maisie. “And what about you?
Wide-eyed, Maisie almost choked on her drink. “Me? What about me?”
“Have you and Axel talked about getting engaged?”
Her sigh made Lexi feel sad, like this was something that was weighing on her.
“Axel is very insecure because of the difference in our…finances,” she said slowly.
“I think he’s intimidated and thinks he needs to save a million dollars before we can get married.
But it’s not like that, and it’s not what I want.
I don’t need an enormous ring or a giant wedding.
There was a time when I was pretty adamant about the giant wedding, but that’s not me anymore. ”
“I know you guys have probably had the talk about money, but I don’t know any guy who would totally feel at ease with there being that much of an imbalance,” Harlow said. “And if they are, then they’re not the kind of guy you want to marry.”
“Exactly! But I can’t change the fact that I come from a wealthy family, just like he can’t change where he’s from,” Maisie reasoned.
“So how do you want to handle it?” Lexi asked. “You know, if you both decided that you’re ready to take that next step?”
“I’d love for us to go and look at rings together. We have some joint accounts now, and I just think when he’s ready, it’s something we should do as a couple. You know, picking out a ring.”
“I think that’s kind of sweet.”
There was a knock on their door, and they all knew it was their dinner. Lexi, Nora, and Maisie cleared the snacks away while Harlow let the servers in. They were setting up the food when Lexi’s phone chimed with an incoming text.
Connor: Hey, beautiful. How’s dinner?
Lexi: It actually just arrived, but it smells amazing!
Connor: I’m sure it will be delicious.
Connor: What would you say to meeting us for dessert around the campfire? The guys and I were just talking about it.
Lexi: Well…we’re just sitting down to eat, so we’d need some time. Say…90 minutes?
Connor: Sounds good. We’ll grab everything for s’mores, and I’ll grab the kids too.
Lexi: Perfect! Love you!
Connor: Love you too
It was a perfect night.
A little warm, but there were plenty of stars in the sky, and she was sitting with all the people who meant the most to her.
But the best part?
She was watching her son as he laughed and joked and ate. He was growing up so fast, and this was the happiest she’d ever seen him. Hearing his laughter and watching him and Annabeth together had her remembering the conversation she and Kelsey had on their drive here to the resort.
“I never wanted Jonah to be an only child. I always hoped we’d have another baby. You know, before I found out that Adam was a lying, cheating jackass.”
“Okay, not to be all clichéd or anything, but…you’re still young. And now you’re here in a new state with a new job and starting a new life. You can easily meet someone, fall in love, and have another baby. Or babies.”
Their lives were so busy and slightly chaotic right now that she shouldn’t even be considering the thought of them adding to their family, but every time she looked at Connor, she couldn’t help but wonder what their babies would look like.
The sigh was out before she could stop it.
“You okay?” Connor quietly asked.
Smiling, she nodded. “I am. Why do you ask?”
“You just sighed. Are you tired? I know it’s been a long day, but it felt like a good night for a campfire.”
“It definitely is. I think I’m finally used to the smell, and it’s kind of comforting.”
He looked at her with mild confusion.
“You know, the smell of the smoke. It can be really strong, and in the beginning, it used to kind of burn my eyes. But now it’s sort of soft and sweet, and it clings to our clothes a bit, but it makes me think of nights like this.
Nights spent with the kids and our friends while we made s’mores.
And memories.” She pulled her knees up and pressed her cheek against them, still smiling at the man she loved. “Now it makes me happy.”
Her admission clearly pleased him because the tender smile he gave her felt like a warm hug.
“You didn’t finish your s’mores,” he pointed out.
“I know. Crazy, right? But we just finished dinner a little while ago.” She laughed softly. “Plus, I think I ate my weight in chips and guac, so…”
But when he reached for her plate and went to take a bite, she immediately straightened.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
“Um…you weren’t going to finish it, were you?”
“I don’t know. But I might…”
With a wicked look in his eyes, he leaned over and held the treat to her lips. “Share it with me?”
She pretended to consider it before taking a small bite, and damn, it was still good even though it had cooled. Licking the sweet chocolate from her lips, she loved the way Connor was watching her.
“Maybe we should take some home with us and have a private dessert after the kids are in bed,” he suggested.
“Mmm…I like the sound of that.”
But in the meantime, they needed to interact with their friends. Not that it was a hardship.
If anyone would have told her six months ago that she would be back at the Lakeview Harbor Resort and working with her childhood friends and planning her wedding to Connor, she would have told them they were crazy.
And yet, here she was, and she’d never felt so lucky in her entire life. It was as if she’d won the lottery.
“I heard your parents were coming to visit next month, Lexi,” Harlow said from across the fire. “Are they going to stay at the new house—well, the rental—with you guys or are they staying here?”
Just thinking of her parents made her smile. They were so excited not only to see her and Jonah, but to meet Annabeth and see Connor again. They were the absolute epitome of awesome parents, and she couldn’t wait for Annabeth to see that grandparents could be nice all the time.
“They wanted to stay here, but there were no rooms or cabins available,” she explained. “So they’re going to stay in our cabin since we won’t be using it.”
“Aww, that’s great. I’m so glad they’re coming and get to see the resort!”
“They are too. I felt bad about them staying here when they could stay with us, but honestly, we’re here all the time anyway, so it will be fine. Plus, they are looking forward to some of the new activities we’ve added.”
Slater’s face lit up. “Oh, yeah? Like what?”
“My dad wants to go parasailing,” she said with amusement. “It’s all he’s been talking about.”
“Is your mom going to go too?” Maisie asked.
“Definitely not. She’s terrified of heights. However, she is very much looking forward to all the new craft classes we offer. And then the two of them together want to go hiking with Nora and try birdwatching.”
“It’s a much bigger hit than we expected,” Slater told her. “And the early morning group is the biggest. We may need a second guide if this keeps up.”
“Most people haven’t complained if they don’t get that early morning tour,” Lexi said. “But every tour has been full this week. We should see how they are at the end of the month and then perhaps think about additional tours.”
After that, the conversation turned to other observations they were all noticing about this first real batch of guests, and before she knew it, the fire was dying down and all the dessert was gone.
Drats. She had been looking forward to the sexy dessert in bed thing.
Oh well…
Slater took care of putting the fire out while Harlow and Walker cleaned up the dessert mess, and soon they were all wishing one another a good night and heading to their own cabins.
There were still some nights they stayed at the resort instead of driving home to the rental, and tonight was one of those nights.
Jonah was yawning, and Annabeth was already asking if they could read before bed. She and Connor looked at each other and decided to divide and conquer.
“I’ll get Jonah washed up and to bed while you girls read,” he said, wrapping his arm around her as they walked.
“Sounds good,” she said around a yawn. “Maybe it’s a good thing that everyone ate all the food. I don’t know if I’ll be awake long enough for us to enjoy any of it in bed.”
He made a noncommittal sound as they stepped into the cabin.
Their nighttime routine had gotten a little easier since school let out, so she could relax and not be so worried about making sure everyone was in bed by a certain time. Even though the earlier the kids were in bed, the sooner she and Connor could climb into theirs.
Tonight, it took an hour before everyone was settled—including the two of them.
Lexi was already in bed when Connor came in and got undressed. “There’s my girl,” he said as he slid under the sheets.
Rolling toward him, Lexi rested her head on his shoulder and her hand on his bare chest. She was set to say something sexy, but yawned instead.
“It’s a shame, really,” Connor said with a sigh.
“What is?”
“That the romance is gone already.” Another loud sigh. “Just the sight of me in bed makes you yawn.” And yet another sigh. “Well, at least we tried, right?”
She knew he was teasing and playfully slapped his chest. “Oh, stop. You know how busy things have been, and there’s no end in sight. Once things calm down and we all settle into a routine, I’ll feel better.”
“I’d love to make you feel better right now,” he said silkily. Slowly, he maneuvered them until she was on her back and he was partially covering her body with his.
Her arms went around him as she forced herself not to yawn again. “I like the sound of that.”
His laugh was low and husky. “I thought you might.” Placing a kiss on the tip of her nose, he said, “Stay right there,” before moving out of her arms.
She whined as he moved away, curious about what he was doing. But he quickly rolled away and opened the bedside table drawer and then carefully moved back.
Holding a bowl of chocolate mousse.
Her eyes went wide. “Oh my goodness! How did you do that?” she asked, sitting up.
“I put it in here while you and Annabeth were reading. I placed the bowl in a chilled bowl to keep it cold.” He shifted slightly and sat up beside her. “Here. Hold this while I fix our pillows.”
“Wait…so we’re going to eat this just like…this? With a spoon and not…?”
He guided her back against the pillows. “There will be no sexy mousse play tonight. I know you’re tired, but I know it’s your favorite. Plus, you weren’t really hungry while we were around the fire, but I thought maybe you wouldn’t mind a little something before bed.”
“I’ve never loved you more,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. “Now feed me, and I’ll show you how thankful I am when we’re done.”
They were both laughing and giggling as they shared the sweet dessert. And when the last of it was done, they thanked each other just fine even without any leftover sexy mousse.