The Kiss: An Anthology About Love and Other Close Encounters(19)

Kel is glaring at me now. “I’m not sure I agree with your advice this time, Eddie.”

I shrug. “The truth is hard to swallow.”

I walk out of the bedroom and leave them to fix whatever issue it is they have in private.

“What’s your suck, Lake?” Will asks Layken.

She looks at Caulder. “My suck is the realization that we’re raising a womanizer.”

“I’m not a womanizer,” Caulder says defensively. “A womanizer is someone who objectifies women. I appreciate them,” he says with a smile. “A lot.”

Layken shakes her head. “My sweet is that, despite my exhaustion and how incredibly tired I am, I’ve never been this happy in my whole life. I love being a mom. I love seeing Will be a dad. It’s incredible.”

I smile, knowing exactly how she feels. I also know how exhausted she must be.

“Let me take Julia for the night,” I say to her.

Layken looks up at me, but her expression is nervous. “I can’t do that. She’s only two weeks old.”

“Oh, come on. The two of you are exhausted. I’m right across the street.”

Will shakes his head. “It’s not that we don’t trust you, Eddie. Like Lake said, she’s only two weeks old. You wouldn’t get any sleep.”

I laugh. “You guys forget I’ve been through this before. Besides, I’ll stay up with her all night, then as soon as one of you wakes up in the morning, I’ll bring her home. You guys just need a good solid eight hours of sleep. Believe me, it’ll make a world of difference.”

They both look at each other hesitantly. I can tell Layken is waiting for Will’s approval and Will is waiting for hers.

“If she cries too much or I can’t calm her down, I’ll bring her right back home. It’s just for a few hours.”

Layken inhales, then lets out a huge sigh. “Oh my God, that sounds incredible, Eddie. You are seriously the best friend I’ve ever had.”

Now that Will sees the relief on Layken’s face, he shares his own relieved sigh. “Wow,” Will says. “I don’t remember what it’s like to sleep a solid eight hours. This is gonna be weird.”

Kel and Kiersten walk back into the kitchen and take their seats. They both look more at ease, which relieves some of my worry.

“Ready for your suck and sweets now?” I ask them.

Kiersten nods. “My suck is that sometimes I’m really stubborn,” she says. “My sweet is that my boyfriend loves that about me.”

Kel puts his arm around her and kisses the side of her head.

“Stop!” Layken says. “What did I say about physical contact?”

Kel rolls his eyes. “God, Lake. She’s been my girlfriend for two years now. We kiss. Get over it.”

“Which is exactly why I won’t allow physical contact,” Layken says. “It isn’t enough we have to worry about the two of you, now we have to worry about Caulder, too!”

Caulder smiles again. “I’d worry more about me than the two of them,” he says.

Will throws a breadstick at him to shut him up.

Kel glares hard at Layken. “My suck is that my sister won’t accept the fact that I can kiss my girlfriend without getting her pregnant. My sweet?” Kel looks at Kiersten and smiles, then holds her hand. “My sweet is right now.”

As soon as the line passes his lips, a breadstick smacks him in the face. “That’s my sweet, you thief,” Will says. Kel laughs and Will looks over at Layken. “My suck is that your little brother stole my sweet.”

I look around the table at everyone, taking the opportunity to appreciate what we all have. I look at Will and Layken, who have overcome more heartache than most people even experience in a lifetime. I remember back when I first had my suspicions about the two of them. I didn’t know Layken all that well, but I knew Will and I had never seen a girl make him more nervous and uneasy as Layken did. The odds weren’t in their favor when they met, but everything ended up working out for the best. I’m convinced it’s because they’re just like Gavin and me. Meant to be.

Yes, that may be cheesy, but it’s true. The first time I met Gavin, I knew he’d be the boy I would end up marrying. Granted, he was stuck under my car with a broken leg, thanks to me, but one glance at his contorted, pained face and I knew I had run over the man of my dreams.

Katie puts her hand on my arm and I look down at her and watch her shovel another pepperoni into her mouth. She slaps the table playfully, then reaches for her sippy cup. Gavin grabs it and hands it to her and they exchange smiles. “Tanks, Gabin,” Katie says to him.

“Thanks, Daddy,” Gavin responds, correcting her.

“I not Daddy. I Katie,” she says, correcting him. He just laughs and leans down to kiss the top of her head.

There is nothing in the world like seeing the love of your life loving his daughter. I’m convinced of that. As much as Gavin and I struggled to finish college while raising Katie, we were able to do it. I know we couldn’t have done it without each other, so seeing how far we’ve come makes me love our little family even more.

I look at Kiersten…the little sister I never had. We’ve grown really close over the past two years and Layken has no idea how much Kiersten shares with me. Layken doesn’t have to worry about things progressing between Kiersten and Kel just yet, but you can bet I’ll be the first person Kiersten talks to about it, and I’m glad for that.