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I loved this family.

I always had.

And they’d given me such a warm welcome that I wasn’t quite sure I deserved, but was going to happily take anyway. I didn’t want to consider or imagine the alternative any longer.

After getting the chance to greet everyone—Liam’s aunt, uncle, and cousins had arrived, too—Wendy and Evelyn urged everyone to fill up their plates and bellies. I stayed by Liam’s side throughout, but the family didn’t hesitate to treat me as if I’d been there all along. There was no awkwardness or tension, and the conversation was beyond entertaining.

I’d learned about Wyatt and Rhea’s road to their happy ending, followed by Cooper’s and Skye’s. Then I got the story on Tate and Ava, as well as Ivy and Marco.

Once everyone had finished eating, we moved on to cake. Rosie was put in a highchair, given a birthday hat, and her very own smash cake. We sang to her, and I took the opportunity to glance around at everyone in attendance. The family was head over heels for this little girl, especially Liam.

I leaned my weight into him as we sang to her, noted the way his eyes were lit up, and felt a twinge of regret. If I hadn’t left, I would never have missed any of this. Not the marriages, the arrival of the first baby in the family, or the opportunity to give Liam children of his own. The last thing I wanted was to focus on anything that wouldkill my mood, so I shoved the thoughts of regret away for the time being. I could think about all of it later, when I was alone in my bed.

After cake, Rosie opened some of her presents. Suffice it to say, she was spoiled. But it was so much fun to watch her excitement as she opened each gift. I was thrilled when, after she’d lost interest in presents and had approached her uncle, I got the opportunity to hold her for a bit. Next to receiving such a warm welcome from the entire family, holding her might have been my favorite part of the entire event.

I’d had such a good time, and I was so relieved that I’d decided to take the risk and come to the party. It was possible it’d end up being the best decision I ever made.

When the party started to wind down, I looked at Liam and said, “I should probably head home. My mom’s been alone for quite a few hours now.”

“Okay. I’ll walk you out to your car.”

Before doing that, I made my rounds and said goodbye to everyone that was still there, thanking them for their hospitality. And the next thing I knew, Liam and I were alone beside my car.

For several seconds, we stood there, simply staring at one another. “Did you have a good time?” he finally asked.

“I did. Rosie’s my favorite little girl now, too.”

Liam laughed. “She’s the best, isn’t she?”

“She is.”

Another heavy pause. “Thank you for coming here today, Layla. Thank you for putting in the effortto fix this. I don’t know if you know, but it means the world to me.”

I reached my arms out and slid them around his waist, stepping close and pressing my body tight to his. “I should be the one thanking you,” I murmured. “You’ve been more than gracious with me, and I feel very lucky to have that. I don’t want to step on your toes or make you change any plans you might have, but I would love it if you and I could find some time to get together soon. I think there’s a lot of catching up we need to do.”

I watched as the tension eased its way out of Liam’s body. His shoulders relaxed, and his features softened. I hadn’t realized there was something bothering him. Had he been worried I wouldn’t want to spend time with him?

“I’d love that, too. When are you free?”

“I don’t exactly have any plans beyond working at my mom’s store during the week and taking her to her appointments when she needs to go to them.”

“Tomorrow is Sunday. Are you free?” he asked.

I licked my lips, feeling the excitement seep in. I hadn’t wanted to place any expectations on him when it came to making plans, but I was thrilled he seemed just as eager as I was to make it happen.

“I am.”

Liam grinned. “After eight years apart, I don’t think we should waste any more time. I have so many questions, and I’m sure you’ve got a few of your own.”

I smiled back at him. “I do. Would you like to get together for lunch or dinner?”

“I’d love it if we could do both. Will your mom be okay if she’s on her own for a good chunk of the day?”

If my mom found out that Liam wanted to spend all that time with me and I turned him down, using her as an excuse, she’d be so angry. Plus, I wanted Liam to know just how serious I was about making things right, so the last thing I was going to do was reject his offer. “She’ll be okay. I can reach out to Carmen to let her know my mom’s going to be on her own for quite a few hours. If I ask, she’ll be happy to stop in.”

His arms tightened around me. “Good. I’ll pick you up around noon tomorrow. Does that work?”

“That works for me.”