Get married.
Buy our first Christmas tree.
Make a mini Sophie.
Design Sophie’s art studio.
Spend Christmas in Germany.
Fuck Sophie’s backdoor.
Buy the house first （see other）。
Make a mini Liam.
Have a quickie while the kids play outside.
Visit space （ambitious）。
Watch our child’s first kart race （either gender because feminism rules）。
Buy a dog （if you’re a cat person it’s over）。
My eyes blink at the final item. Move to Italy and join Vitus. Liam hits me with a goofy smile, warming my heart.
“You’re moving to Italy? For Vitus? You forgot to mention that in your little speech!” I wrap my arms around his neck.
“I didn’t because that’s not the most important thing anymore. What good is racing if I can’t spend all my time with the person I love.” Liam twirls us in a circle while running his nose against my neck. A couple of my neighbors leave their houses to check on the noise, but I wave them away.
“You’re so getting laid.” I kiss him softly on the lips.
“Now that’s what I like to hear.” He plants me back on the ground so we can be face-to-face. I giggle as he pecks my face with a bunch of kisses, leaving no area untouched by his lips.
“I can’t believe you’re moving here. Like for real.”
He sends me a breathtaking smile. “Anything for you.”
Heart, please don’t melt on the doormat.
“Well, now that you mention it, I did envy your McCoy Menace. You know, the one you drove in Monaco?”
“I offer you the stars and you ask for my car. You truly are a girl after my heart.” Liam looks at me with every ounce of love in his eyes.
“Didn’t you hear? I already have it.”
40
Sophie
One Year Later
Ever seen one of those Christmas movies? Like the Hallmark ones, where the girl travels to a small town filled with holiday cheer and tiny shops decorated to perfection?
Well, multiply that imagination times ten and you’ll have yourself a very merry German Christmas.
“I won’t lie to you, when you told me we should come to join Liam’s family for Christmas, I didn’t imagine this,” my dad whispers into my ear as we sit together on a couch in Liam’s living room. Everyone opened their presents already, leaving behind heaps of wrapping paper. Liam offered for us to change sitting rooms, but I shut down that idea after throwing a wad of wrapping paper at his head.
I mean, multiple sitting rooms? Come on!
My dad’s reaction to Liam’s mansion yesterday was the same one I had when I first visited months ago. I nearly pushed my dad inside the massive foyer, telling him to act cool. It’s hard to not blame my dad, seeing as if it’s not exactly normal to have a car garage straight out of a Batman movie and enough rooms to house the entire Bandini team.
Liam always told me about his multiple real estate investments, but I didn’t expect his home in Germany to compete with his Italian villa. The same one with a personal movie theater, an arcade room, a gym I never step foot in, and a custom art room Liam set up for me. And that’s only covering the lower west wing.
Not to mention he shares a backyard with Maya and Noah.
This is the life I live now, with a boyfriend who has enough properties to compete with a season of House Hunters.
I break away from my thoughts. “I didn’t expect Liam to dress up like Santa Claus for his nieces either.”
My dad laughs. “Lord, I hope he always works out because he doesn’t look good with that kind of gut. Sorry, sweetie.”
“I’m kinda into it. Especially with Kaia and Elyse sitting on his lap. Who can resist a man playing with kids?”
Liam laughing with his nieces fills me with a sense of pride I can’t explain. He came a long way from the broken man who avoided his family at his own expense. We’ve visited Germany multiple times this year, including this visit for the holidays and Kaia’s birthday.
Yup. Kaia’s birthday. Liam has shown such incredible progress to the point of helping Lukas plan a birthday party for his niece that includes a real-life Rapunzel and a mini inflatable palace.
“I need to lock you up at home. Don’t think I’m not aware of your late-night visits and random sleepovers with Zander.”
“Are you now a stickler for not sleeping together until marriage?” I mockingly gasp.
“I’m a stickler for you staying with me as long as you can. I don’t want you to grow up so fast. I remember when I was the only man in your life. Now look at you.” My dad’s smile wavers. Something about his eyes makes me pull him into a hug.