into Sammy’s gaze a second before Aiden did as he was told and climbed into his father’s lap.
“All right, all right.” Sammy laughed and smacked a kiss on Aiden’s cheek. “Look at you! You’re practically a grown-up now, aren’t you?”
“Yep!” Aiden beamed.
Lily, not wanting to be left out, attached herself to Olivia, who resigned herself to another giant laundry day tomorrow.
“Wait, stop. That’s so cute!” Farrah pulled out her phone and snapped a photo of Olivia, Sammy, Lily, and Aiden. “I sense a Christmas card in the making.”
“You should send it to Mother. She’ll have a heart attack,” Alina said mischievously.
Olivia snorted. “Right.” She hadn’t spoken to Eleanor since the twins were born, when Olivia had called her out of courtesy and informed her she was now a grandmother. Eleanor had thanked her for the news and promptly hung up.
If she hadn’t grown up with the woman, Olivia would’ve never believed that someone could be so cold, but she put nothing past Eleanor Tang. She and her mother were basically estranged, and although a part of her would always mourn the maternal bond she’d never had, she’d come to terms with the fact that she and Eleanor would never see eye to eye. Sad though it may be, part of her was glad Eleanor wasn’t in Lily and Aiden’s lives—God knew she’d messed Olivia and Alina up enough. She didn’t need the opportunity to do it to a new generation, too.
According to Alina, Eleanor was dating some guy who owned half the car dealerships in Chicago and was on her way to gaining husband number four.
Olivia didn’t care either way. She’d rather focus her energy on the people she loved and who loved her back. Besides, her children already had grandparents who adored them to pieces: Amy and Richard, who babysat whenever Olivia and Sammy needed a date night, snuck the twins candy behind their parents’ backs, and played games with Lily and Aiden for hours without tiring (as long as said games didn’t require too much physical activity).
The Yu’s had welcomed Olivia into the fold as one of their own even before she married Sammy, and they were the giant, loving family she’d never had. She adored them.
Well, except for Edison, but he’d been excommunicated after he tried to bring down Sammy’s business, so he didn’t count.
“Next year, maybe we should nix the white clothes.” Sammy gently pried Aiden’s sticky fingers out of his hair while his son scrambled all over him like he was a jungle gym.
“Good idea.” Olivia laughed, but soon, she forgot all about the sauce and dirty clothes as she lost herself in the magic of the warmth and laughter around her.
Later that night, after their guests had left and they’d tucked their children into bed, Sammy and Olivia curled up on the couch in front of the living room fireplace, drowsy but content. They didn’t get a lot of alone time these days, so they made every second count when they did.
“You promised,” Olivia said. “Spill it, mister.”
He shot her a mock scowl. “I’m convinced you cheated.”
“I did no such thing.” Her mischievous smile lit up her face, and he couldn’t get over the fact that this beautiful, smart, amazing woman was his. How did he get so lucky? “I practiced. A lot. But I did it.”
“Yeah, after four years.”
“You didn’t give me a time frame.” She nudged his leg. “C’mon. How’d you get the recipe?”
That morning, before Sammy started prepping for tonight’s party, Olivia had unveiled her surprise: shrimp dumplings she’d made from scratch. They’d tasted fresh and Wah Sing hadn’t been open that early, so it couldn’t have been takeout. Plus, they didn’t taste exactly like Wah Sing’s—but they were close.
“Fine, I’ll tell you. But you can’t get mad.”
Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”
“I played the my-wife-is-pregnant card. And I, uh, told Wah Sing’s owner we’d name our daughter after her—if we had a daughter. Turns out the owner is quite susceptible to flattery.”
“What? Lily—”
“Was already on your list of names you liked,” Sammy said quickly. “That was a top-secret recipe, okay? And you wouldn’t stop talking about it.”
“What if her name hadn’t been on my list?” Olivia demanded. “What if her name was, I dunno, Helgarda or something?”
“No one is named Helgarda.”
“I bet a Google search would prove you wrong.”
He laughed. “Hey, it all worked out. I wouldn’t have made that offer if the owner’s name had been hideous. Plus, I doubt she would’ve held us to it.”
“No wonder she