Looking at her, I realized something even more profound: even if Max and I don't make it through, I've gained valuable lessons from this experience. If our story ends prematurely, I'll still be okay, and everything will be fine."Of course not, Mom. Come here," Alex said, shifting his arm to make room for Mom to snuggle in beside him.Once she settled in, she reached for my free hand, interlocking her fingers with mine as she kissed the back of my hand. Alex planted a kiss on her head and then on mine."You two will always be the most important women in my life," he whispered contentedly. "Please, never forget that."The three of us eventually drifted into sleep, reliving cherished memories with smiles on our faces."Why do we always leave decorating to the last minute?" Henry groaned as the ten of us headed towards the two cars we were taking to Party City. Alex, Isaac, Caleb, Samuel, and Henry would ride in Alex's car, while Noah would drive Avery, Kalix, William, and me in his car.

Bonnie's impromptu plan pays off just about ten seconds later when Kalix tumbles backward onto the bed. However, instead of just having Bonnie in his arms, he inadvertently pulls Avery down with them. With both girls under each of his arms, all three of them burst into even more laughter, prompting the other kids in the room to hush them so they can hear the movie playing on the flat screen.Using our indoor voices, the five of us arrange ourselves on the bed, spending the next few minutes goofing around and chatting. I personally seize this opportunity to tease Bonnie and Elena about their earlier conversation with Kalix."So... which one of you likened me to a dirty lollipop?" I inquire, raising an eyebrow. I hide my smile when Elena's eyes suddenly widen."It was Bonnie, totally Bonnie," she immediately throws her best friend under the bus, causing Bonnie to look at her with a gasp."I did not!" Bonnie protests, turning to Elena in disbelief, who responds with a sheepish, apologeti

Max's words snap me out of my lingering gaze, which may have lasted a bit longer than I intended. "Stare all you want, Isabella, but I assure you that it's me. Your vivid imagination isn't playing tricks on you," Max asserts, pulling me back from my reverie."Max, what are you-""Admitting what I should've confessed twenty-one nights ago," he interjects with a determined look. "I've been a damn fool, Isabella.""Well, I won't argue with that," I concur as I close the door behind me. He shoots me a pointed look that practically says, "Now, of all times, you choose to be a smartass?" "Alright, go on," I gesture for him to continue."Thank you," he sighs, resolve returning to his face. "I've been a damn fool because I didn't appreciate one of the few good things in my life," he echoes Kalix's toast from earlier, his hands slipping into his jacket pockets to shield them from the cold. "You decided to give me, us, a chance even when I wasn't ready to share everything about my past, despite

I enter my room, finding Max sitting on my bed, clad only in pajama bottoms. A puzzled expression crosses my face as I realize where I am. "You're still up?" I inquire. "And in my room?" I add, somewhat bemused. Max glances up from his phone, sporting a sly grin."Let's just say your mom is the only parent I know who'd allow her daughter and her boyfriend to sleep together in the same bed, all under the same roof," Max gets straight to the point. "Or maybe she just didn't want her daughter's first boyfriend to sleep on the downstairs couch," he adds with a shrug."That's all she said?" I question, somewhat skeptical. "No warnings, no precautions, nothing?" It strikes me as hard to believe that my mom, while open-minded, would be so casual about the situation. After all, I've never brought a guy home before, let alone to my bed."She basically said I'm welcome to sleep here as long as the rest of the house can't hear us," he smirks knowingly. "Seemed like a fair deal to me." Now that d

Henry repeated his question, "Señor Blackwell, what are your intentions?"Max began to answer, "Well, to date—" but was abruptly interrupted by Samuel, who mimicked a buzzer sound to indicate a wrong answer."That's incorrect," William took charge immediately, elaborating, "Our Isabellarita is like an unopened bud, waiting to bloom. She deserves love, care, and an abundance of happiness to blossom into a beautiful rose.""Unless your 'bad boy' persona turns her into a weed faster than your pull-out game," Caleb interjected, leaving Max and me dumbfounded."What?""What?" William echoed our simultaneous question, ignoring the peculiar looks we gave him. He quickly brushed off our expressions and continued, "My point is, make her flourish, not wither. Alright, next." Max and I didn't get a chance to respond because Avery seized the opportunity to finish her initial question."Before I was rudely interrupted," Avery said, "I was going to ask you to list the first three things that come t