“Do you really think that?” Liv asks.
“I do. Your dad already likes me enough,” I joke. “I don’t need to butter you up to win him over.”
“True.” Brody kisses the top of my head before sliding back in his seat. “Uh.” He coughs and sips his beer, cheeks turning red. “Sorry for the PDA, Liv.”
“Two adults who like each other kissing on the cheek?” She gasps. “The horror!”
“Okay, enough with the sarcasm, kid. This is new for me. For all of us. I’m trying to figure out how to act around you without making it uncomfortable for anyone.”
“He’s never brought a woman home,” Liv says to me. “He’s never had a date to any of the Stars’ galas. He’s never snuck someone out of the condo while he thought I was still sleeping.” Her tone softens, and she looks at Brody. “Dad. You’ve spent fourteen years doing everything you can to make me happy, and now it’s your turn to be happy. If kissing the woman you care about makes you happy, I hope you’re not going to hold back for me.”
“Olivia Elliot. When the heck did you get so mature?” Brody asks, and I swear I hear a tremor to his voice. “Thank you for your feedback.”
“Bryant and Mom kiss all the time and I’m fine with it.” She picks up our empty bowls and brings them to the sink. “Brownies next?”
Liv and I mix the batter while Brody does the dishes. An egg ends up on the floor and we burst out laughing when he scowls at us, grabbing a mop to clean up the mess. We add a bag of chocolate chips to the mixing bowl and Liv licks the spatulaclean, flinging the leftovers at Brody and squealing when it ends up on the wall.
While we wait for the brownies to cool, we head to the living room. Liv sits on the floor between my legs, her back to me while I separate her hair into sections for a French braid.
“Oddly enough, I don’t know how to do a braid on myself,” I tell her. Brody flips through the television channels to find something for us to watch, his free hand on my lower back. “When I was younger, all the girls at the events I was performing in would come to me and ask me to do their hair.”
“Did you give them all the iconic Hannah Everett ribbon?” Liv asks, tipping her head back so I can get her part right.
“Nope. That’s only reserved for special people in my life.” I pause. “I have one for you. I was going to wait until tomorrow when Tierney was with us, but I’d like to give it to you tonight, if that’s okay with you.”
“Really?” Liv spins, forgetting about her hairstyle, and sits up on her knees. “You brought me a ribbon?”
“Yeah. I know I’ve been coaching you, but you’ve helped me so much too, Liv. I’m immensely proud of how far your skating has come, and I’m glad we’ve become friends.” My smile is sly. “But don’t expect me to start going easy on you just because we’re making brownies together.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She flings her arms around my neck and I laugh, hugging her back. “I’m so glad you’re in our lives, Hannah,” she whispers, and it’s the greatest compliment in the world.
After Liv heads to bed,Brody and I take a seat on the terrace off his bedroom. I drape a blanket over my shoulders, gaping at the city view.
“How is this the first time I’ve been out here?” I ask. “It’s stunning.”
“Given the first five months of our relationship happened when the weather was below fifty degrees, I didn’t think to show you,” he says from behind me, the two of us sharing a large chaise lounger. “Do you like it?”
“It’s spectacular.” I settle into his embrace, resting my cheek on his arm. “Tonight went well. Even with the detention Liv earned.”
“Heaven help me. I’m praying to every deity out there she doesn’t go through a rebellious stage at any point in her life. I’m not sure I’ll be able to handle it.” He kisses my cheek. “She loves you. I hope you know that.”
“I do.”
“Good. And now that we’re alone again, I want to talk to you about what you said earlier.”
“Which part?” I sit up, turning my body to face him. He’s smiling at me, the light from the moon making him glow in shades of silver and gray. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Sweetheart, I don’t think you could ever do something wrong,” he murmurs. “When you talked about the three of us being a family, you were right. I do think of you as part of this family. You slot perfectly into the life Liv and I have. It might look different than the conventional definition, but it works, and I’m having so much damn fun with you.”
Tell him, my brain screams.
Tell him how you feel.
“Brody?” I whisper.
“Yeah?”
“I want to tell you something, but I’m scared.”
