Chapter Twenty-One
Hours later, still in each other’s arms, they heard Livie arrive at the cottage.
They’d spent the day in bed. They’d skipped going to town for lunch and made do with sandwiches. They’d gone all out and ordered a pizza for dinner, then eaten it in bed … cold.
It was almost nine o’clock as Livie came up the stairs. She knocked on the bedroom door and called out in a stage whisper, “I’m home.”
“Okay, sweetie. I’ll see you in the morning. Don’t wake your mom.”
“Okay. ’Night.”
They heard her footsteps retreat down the hall.
Hayden giggled. “Why is it I feel like a teenager who almost got caught?”
“I know how else I can make you feel like a teenager …”
She laughed simply because there was so much elation bubbling inside her that she had to let it free or simply bust with it. “Do tell.”
“Why don’t I show you instead?”
He did.
And he was right. She did still feel like a teenager. Being back here with Brian like this felt like the first time all over again.
The next morning, Brian coaxed Hayden into the shower with him. What started off as a purely functional event turned into something much more entertaining. By the time they finished, the hot water had been exhausted, and so was he.
“Maybe we should go back to bed and take a nap?” he asked as they scurried into their room.
“Bri, Livie will be getting up soon. We should tell her …”
“That I’m amazing? That we still have it? While I do agree, I might suggest our seventeen-year-old probably won’t want to hear it.”
Hayden took a pillow and tossed it at him.
“We should tell her that we’ve reconciled.
That was her plan with this trip. She’ll be thrilled.”
He grinned. “Hayden, are you blushing?”
“No.”
“Come on, I’m pretty sure your cheeks are pink.”
“They are not. Now, stop that. Let’s go start breakfast.”
“First things first.” He leaped onto the floor at her side.
Hayden laughed, which had been his intent. He’d missed the sound. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. “Along with all our other resolutions, I’m adding this. We start every morning with a kiss and go to bed every night with another.”
“I think I can agree to those terms.” They stood, arms around each other.
“I love you,” Hayden mumbled into his chest.
“Did you say something?”
“I love you.”
“Sorry, I don’t think I heard you.”
“You’re such a dork, but despite that, I love you.”
“I love you, too. Let’s make breakfast. Then maybe later, we can tell Livie we’re taking a nap.”
As they made pancakes and bacon, he teased her and she teased him right back. How could he ever, for even the briefest second, have entertained the idea of ending his relationship with Hayden? To do so would have been amputating the best part of himself. How could he have missed that?
“Mom, Dad. Tim wanted to know if I could…” The sentence faded as Livie stood in the doorway, studying them. “What is it?”
“Your mom and I … we’re okay now.”
She looked from him to Hayden and a grin started to spread across her face. “Just like that?”
“Not just like that, but we made it to the other side,” Hayden said. “And we want to thank you.”
“You do?”
“You planned this vacation, pushed us together when we’d both been thinking about just walking away. You helped us more than you can know.”
Livie hugged them both, pulling the three of them close. Brian found his arms filled with Conway women, and couldn’t imagine anything better.
“So, what you’re saying,” Livie said as they broke apart, “is I’m brilliant and you want to think about getting me a car, right?”
Livie had been lobbying for a car since she’d gotten her permit. “Well, your mom and I will have to talk, but since all your money this summer went into paying for this vacation, and since we have Mom’s car just sitting in the garage, it seems to me you might be able to call it your own. Maybe.”
Livie likely missed the maybe part due to the loud shriek as she rushed over and hugged them both.
“I don’t want you to think I did this for a car, but …” She hugged him again.
“I didn’t think that, and don’t get too excited until your mom and I have talked.” He saw Hayden over Livie’s shoulder, nodding her approval so he added, “But I think you can consider it a done deal.”
Through breakfast they talked and laughed about cars and boys and the start of the school year. There was nothing huge or profound, and yet, Brian felt as if this breakfast, this morning was a new beginning. From the amount of smiling his wife and daughter did, he was pretty sure they felt it, as well.
They’d weathered the storm.
He realized there would be others, other moments that tested their relationship, but after this, he was pretty sure they could make it through anything.
“I’m going to town with Tim. He said he’d buy me lunch and we could go see a movie, if that’s okay with you two?”
They’d barely nodded yes before Livie was tearing through the house to get ready.
“Another afternoon to ourselves. What will we do?” Hayden asked.
Brian grinned. He couldn’t seem to stop grinning and laughing. To be honest, he didn’t want to. “I seem to remember last time we were here Mom and Livie took off, and we stayed in front of the fireplace all afternoon.”
He’d mentioned his mom, and though he still missed her, the memory was a sweet one. There was some pain, but it was muted when compared to the pleasure of thinking about Kathleen. From the smile on Hayden’s face, he knew it was the same for her, too.
He took her hand and swore to himself he’d never let go again.
Hayden was right. His mom had talked about living out loud, and that was important. But as Hayden had said, so was loving out loud.