It's Our Time (Carolina Rebels 3)

“Damn it. I wanted him to stay, so we could go ahead and go shopping.”

“We’ll just do it in the morning. I don’t really feel like going anywhere tonight anyway.” I adjust Savannah so Sydney can sit in my lap with Savannah in her lap, all without waking her. She must be really tired. “Any birthday traditions?”

“Actually, yes. And I told Savannah that we were doing them tomorrow when you would be here.” She leans her head against mine. “We fix her favorite breakfast.”

“Pancakes and bacon,” I interrupt, causing her to turn her head and smile at me. Yes, I feel ridiculously damn proud to know her favorite breakfast.

“We also eat a cupcake at breakfast because it’s her birthday. I need to make those,” she says the latter more to herself than to me. “Then, there’s her party. My family is always there. This is actually the first year that there will be non-family members attending, so that should be interesting. There’s nothing really special about it. Cake, ice cream, chips, and presents. She gets to wear a tiara. After her party, we watch her favorite movie. She gets to have a bubble bath before bed, and that’s pretty much it, I think.”

Sydney reaches out to adjust Savannah’s bracelet, which is just like hers, and I suddenly feel like an idiot. Duh. Why didn’t I think about my go-to gift already? I’ll get her something else too, of course, but I think it’s time Savannah had her own necklace.

“I’m glad you’re home,” Sydney says.

“Me too, gorgeous. Me too.”

“What time does your dad get in tomorrow?”

“Nine thirty. He flies out Monday at the same time. He’s going to stay the night here. That okay? He said he’d get a room if we’d rather he do that.”

“What do you think?” she asks instead.

“Well, I told him it depended on if you were okay with it.” I don’t think my dad is going to give us any problems, so there’s no need to worry about that.

“He’s your dad,” she says, still avoiding the question.

“Babe,” I warn in a low tone. That’s all I need to say. She’ll know from just that one word exactly what I want, which is for her to talk. There’s some kind of issue here. She needs to spit it out already.

“He doesn’t like me, remember?”

I turn my head, so I can whisper in her ear. “He didn’t like you because he knew I was crazy about you and he didn’t think I should be so insanely in love with a girl I wasn’t even with. It had nothing to do with you, Sydney.”

She laughs. “That’s why no one on my side liked you.” She looks at me, resting her forehead against mine. Her brown eyes stare into mine as if she’s searching the depths of my soul. “Do you think we would’ve stayed together had we gotten together sooner?” When my eyebrows pull together, she adds, “I mean, if we started dating when I told you I loved you the first time or when you came back two years later, do you think we would still be together now or that things had to happen like they did for us to be together and stay together?”

“Babe, I think you’re thinking too much. The only thing that matters is we got together and we’ll be together indefinitely.” I interlace my fingers with hers as I lift her hand, nodding to the bracelet. “Infinitely.” Something about her gaze makes me add, “And even if something happened to break us apart, I think we would find our way back to one another. The infinity symbol loops around and overlaps in the middle. Imagine that the symbol represents our lives. We’re a part of that, right? So, we’re two people on the symbol. If we started going in different directions, we’d run into each other again at some point and be reunited to travel it together. That’s how it’s happened so far. We met, went around by ourselves until we crossed paths again and again and again, and now, we’re going around it together.”

The corners of her mouth flex as if she doesn’t want to smile, but then she laughs. “Who are you and what have you done with Ian?”

“What?” I ask, dumbfounded.

“That speech you just gave. It’s unlike you and weird. But I like it. You haven’t really said anything like that since you gave me the bracelet.” She’s still giggling under her breath a little.

I shake my head at her. “You’re such a bitch for laughing. See if I try to reassure you again.”

“I’m sorry. You threw me off with the big speech, which you have t

o admit isn’t like you. I don’t know why I found it funny, except maybe because you were so serious.”

“Whatever.”

Soon after that, Savannah wakes up. Or, rather, Sydney wakes her up. She doesn’t want her to sleep too much before bedtime and then not want to sleep later or wake up really early in the morning. There’s something about how Sydney laughed that bothers me more than it probably would normally. So, later, when we’re getting ready for bed, I ask, “How are you feeling? About us?”

She sets down her toothbrush and leans her hip against the counter. “Good. We have hiccups, but that’s expected, and we’ve worked through them.” She glances away and then finds my eyes to quietly say, “I’m happier than ever.”

I grin. “Good. That’s good, babe.” I grab my toothbrush, slather on some toothpaste, and start brushing, flicking my eyes over at her as she flosses.

“What’s your five-year plan?” she asks.

Plan? I’m supposed to have a plan? What kind of plan? I pause long enough to say, “Whatever yours is.” That’s a good answer, right? I may have come up with something good earlier, but I’m blanking right now.