“Who ate all the bacon off the cobs and left the corn?”
“Yo, does anyone know the score for the game tonight?”
“Shut up!”
“You shut up!”
“Screw you!”
“LANGUAGE!”
Olivia collapsed in her seat and buried her face in her hands. “One. I just wantoneholiday party where things don’t go off the rails,” she said, her voice muffled.
Sammy chuckled and drew her close. “Where would be the fun in that? This is the most entertaining party I’ve ever been to.”
“Agreed.” Alina nodded and snuck a piece of bacon into her mouth while casting a guilty look at Blake, who was staring at the pile of naked corn cobs near the grill with an outraged expression. “I’m so glad I made it.”
“Gee, thanks.” Olivia sighed while the noise around her reached a crescendo. “All I’m saying is—”
“Mommy!” Aiden tackled her with a hug—and smeared barbecue sauce all over Olivia’s hair, face, and clothing. “Look!” He held up an empty corn on the cob with a toothy grin. “I ate this all by myself.”
Sammy snorted out a laugh.
Olivia’s eyes narrowed as vengeance brewed in her mind. “That’s wonderful, sweetie. Why don’t you go show Daddy? In fact, go give him abig hug.”
Alarm skittered into Sammy’s gaze a second before Aiden did as he was told and climbed into his father’s lap.
“All right, all right.” Sammy laughed and smacked a kiss on Aiden’s cheek. “Look at you! You’re practically a grown-up now, aren’t you?”
“Yep!” Aiden beamed.
Lily, not wanting to be left out, attached herself to Olivia, who resigned herself to another giant laundry day tomorrow.
“Wait, stop. That’s so cute!” Farrah pulled out her phone and snapped a photo of Olivia, Sammy, Lily, and Aiden. “I sense a Christmas card in the making.”
“You should send it to Mother. She’ll have a heart attack,” Alina said mischievously.
Olivia snorted. “Right.” She hadn’t spoken to Eleanor since the twins were born, when Olivia had called her out of courtesy and informed her she was now a grandmother. Eleanor had thanked her for the news and promptly hung up.
If she hadn’t grown up with the woman, Olivia would’ve never believed that someone could be so cold, but she put nothing past Eleanor Tang. She and her mother were basically estranged, and although a part of her would always mourn the maternal bond she’d never had, she’d come to terms with the fact that she and Eleanor would never see eye to eye. Sad though it may be, part of her was glad Eleanor wasn’t in Lily and Aiden’s lives—God knew she’d messed Olivia and Alina up enough. She didn’t need the opportunity to do it to a new generation, too.
According to Alina, Eleanor was dating some guy who owned half the car dealerships in Chicago and was on her way to gaining husband number four.
Olivia didn’t care either way. She’d rather focus her energy on the people she loved and who loved her back. Besides, her children already had grandparents who adored them to pieces: Amy and Richard, who babysat whenever Olivia and Sammy needed a date night, snuck the twins candy behind their parents’ backs, and played games with Lily and Aiden for hours without tiring (as long as said games didn’t require too much physical activity).
The Yu’s had welcomed Olivia into the fold as one of their own even before she married Sammy, and they were the giant, loving family she’d never had. She adored them.
Well, except for Edison, but he’d been excommunicated after he tried to bring down Sammy’s business, so he didn’t count.
“Next year, maybe we should nix the white clothes.” Sammy gently pried Aiden’s sticky fingers out of his hair while his son scrambled all over him like he was a jungle gym.
“Good idea.” Olivia laughed, but soon, she forgot all about the sauce and dirty clothes as she lost herself in the magic of the warmth and laughter around her.
* * *
Later that night,after their guests had left and they’d tucked their children into bed, Sammy and Olivia curled up on the couch in front of the living room fireplace, drowsy but content. They didn’t get a lot of alone time these days, so they made every second count when they did.
“You promised,” Olivia said. “Spill it, mister.”