Chapter 27 #2
Marina doesn’t miss the gesture. “Are you guys staying, or do you need to get back to the city?”
“Unfortunately, we do need to get going.”
She gives me another hug. “It means a lot that you came out to see me.”
“Wouldn’t have missed it.”
To Liv, she says, “Hopefully, we’ll see each other soon. I’d love to chat with you.”
“I’d like that too,” Liv replies.
“Bye, sis. Love you.”
She walks out the door with us. Glancing over my shoulder, I smirk. I get a matching one in return. Her laughter fills the corridor. “Love you, too, big brother.”
I move my hand to Liv’s lower back, opening the stage door for her to exit. She walks outside and then stops to let me catch up. “Your family can’t be real.”
Chuckling, I ask, “Why is that?”
“They’re so nice.”
They are. “I miss seeing them.”
“I would too if they were my family.” I hold her close, knowing that as much as she enjoyed meeting my family, it’s a stark reminder of her own. I hear great things about her mom, but yeah, her dad is toxic.
Learning so much about how he’s treated her has me wondering how to dance around him at the office. If I don’t, I’ll end up confronting him in defense of her, which will not play out well for us.
On the drive back to the house, Liv says, “You’re right.”
“I’m right about a lot of things.” I rest my hand on her leg. “But what specifically this time?”
“I support you telling your family about Maxwell at the get-together.”
The date had been thrown out as a contender, but that she’s giving me her full support has me wanting to stare in shock. Since I’m driving, I only glance over. “What makes you say that?”
“Max deserves to meet his family. And because they’re more than anyone could wish for, they should be given the opportunity to meet your incredible son and he the chance to know them.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
When I park the car, I dip over and steal a kiss. “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Noah. We just need to give Max all the love he deserves.”
“I will.” It’s tempting to tell her the same, but she also deserves to have confessions of the heart shared when the time is right.
We ride the high of this great day on the helicopter.
There’s a buzz in the air between us. I'm not sure if it’s because we know we still have the night ahead for just the two of us.
Our hands stay bonded together the entire flight.
With a little time ahead of us before we land, she asks, “Tell me something no one else knows about you.”
I mull over the question and look at her.
Her eyes are eager, and her smile brighter than the stars above us.
I don’t want to disappoint her, but I also don’t want to share anything about past relationships.
Liv doesn’t need to compete with my vivid past. Like her smile, she shines above all others. “I don’t generally keep secrets.”
“You must have something.”
Should I just tell and not hold back? I could spend thirty seconds convincing myself not to jump in feet first, but that didn’t serve me well the last time we were together.
“Hey,” I say, resting my forearms on my knees.
Angling her way, I hold a hand over my headphones, making sure technology doesn’t fuck this up for me.
I don’t know what comes over me. My chest feels tighter, but somehow, I feel freer.
It’s fucked up to be so twisted over someone and think it’s better off kept to yourself. “I like you, Liv.”
Her expression holds as she stares at me. I start to doubt if she even heard me. “You like me?” She repeats the words without the meaning I intended.
“Yeah. I like you a lot. I like spending time with you, and I don’t know.” I shrug. It came before I could stop it, but I wish I hadn’t injected the note of frivolousness into the conversation. “I like you . . . more than like.”
Sweating emotional bullets, I want to look out the window and pretend I didn’t just expose myself. Before I can, she says, “I like you, too, Noah. A lot.”
I get out of my seat to kiss her. When a little turbulence rattles the helicopter, I say, “Promise to make it up to you.”
“You don’t have to make anything up. That kiss was perfect. Now buckle in. I’d rather have us all land safely in one piece.”
“I agree.” I chuckle and buckle up again.
I feel different than expected. I don’t feel worried or panicked.
I’m happy and content. For many reasons, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a relationship.
But now I think it’s because I was always waiting for this second chance with her.
I ask, “How about you? Any secrets you want to share?”
“I got one.” Her laughter intrigues me. “Remember how I told you my father was disappointed I didn’t get into his alma mater?”
“Yeah, I remember.” I remember he treated her like shit for it.
“I chose NYU over every other school I got accepted to. That includes Yale.”
“You got into Yale?” She nods, and then a smile creeps across her mouth. “Holy shit, Bancroft. You’re wilder than I thought.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet.”
“Is that a threat or a promise?”
A smirk owns her face, pupils are dilated, and her target in sight owns me, and I know exactly how we’re spending the next few hours. “A little of both.”
The vixen.