An update from Ava and Liam . . .
Hey! Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve caught up with you. So much has been going on.
As you know, Liam and I finally tied the knot in the most perfectly imperfect and beautiful Christmas wedding. We followed that up with the most incredibly romantic and sexy honeymoon ever known to man–or woman. Sigh . . .
Since then, life has been pretty damn sweet. With Liam’s support and encouragement, I left my job at the ad agency and launched my own social media promotion company. I’m not going to lie, the work’s been hard–and long–but the results have been amazing. I have a full roster of satisfied clients and a waiting list of interested people, too. I’ve just hired my third employee to help me handle all the business . . . and because I’m going to want to take a little time off soon, too.
Liam finished his graduate studies and is a full-fledged professor at Birch. He’s the professor all the students are dying to have, and not just because he’s so much fun to stare at while he lectures. He also has the unique ability to make the subject matter more interesting than anyone dreamed it could be.
With life going so well, we were also able to buy our first house. It’s a little fixer-upper not far from campus and near my new office, but it’s been so much fun to work on together. We’ve become expert painters and tile-layers. Well, expert might be going a little too far . . .
Let’s see, what else is new?
My brother Vincent and Liam’s best friend Amanda surprised us a few months ago by throwing an impromptu wedding at my family’s restaurant down the shore. They had invited all of us to come down for dinner, claiming that we hadn’t gotten together as a family for a long time–which was true; we’ve all been super busy–and then once we were there around the table in the restaurant, they announced that right after we finished eating, Father Byers was coming over to perform the ceremony. We were all shocked, but honestly, it was the most perfect wedding for the two of them. Neither of them wanted a fuss, but they didn’t want to elope, either. (Probably because Vincent was afraid of my mom!) So we got to have a fun dinner and celebrate these two we love so much. It was a win-win!
Julia and Jesse are still going strong. In addition to their sweet little girl Mia, my goddaughter, they just had TWIN boys. Julia is going absolutely nuts chasing after all three of the kids, but I think she’s loving every minute. She and Jesse are just as much in love now as they ever were, and we hang out together quite a bit. I’m so lucky to have such wonderful friends!
Speaking of friends, Giff and Jeff are FINALLY engaged. Why did it take those two so long? I think Jeff was ready, but Giff wasn’t. He wanted to make sure he was firmly established in his business, which he totally is. Anyway, no quickie surprise nuptials for those two: they’re throwing a huge and very lavish bash in Philadelphia in February. And they’re also talking about adopting kids sooner than later, which is especially sweet because . . .
We’re having a baby!! Yes, folks, you heard it here first. We’ve put off starting a family for a while, but the time is finally right. I’m about six months along, and I’ve never been happier. Liam walks around half the time like he’s the first guy to knock up his woman . . . and the other half of the time, he’s worried to distraction about me, about the baby, about how we’re going to adjust to being a family after it being just the two of us for so long.
We’ve been setting up the nursery and picking baby names. We want to be surprised about the sex, but I have a feeling I’m carrying a boy. Liam doesn’t care, but I think he’s a little worried about having a son, considering the rocky relationship with his own father (who divorced his second wife about a year ago and has joint custody of their little girl). But I’m not worried. I know Liam is going to be the best father in the world.
Well, that’s all the news here. My mom’s been making noises about having a big family reunion, so I hope we can catch up there–maybe with our new addition.
<3,
Ava
Just Desserts
Liam Bailey is my sexiest dream and my worst nightmare, all rolled into one delicious, forbidden package.
I’m the girl with an iron-clad plan. Everything in my world is about succeeding, excelling, and making my large Italian family proud of me. That means graduating college with honors, landing the perfect job, and not letting anything–or anyone–get in my way.
But Liam is the guy who makes me want to break all my rules.
He’s the embodiment of all my naughtiest fantasies, with his incredible body, his brooding eyes and his tempting smile.
Liam’s also the sweet-talking, complicated son of a well-known politician, the big man on campus, the athlete, the rich guy who’s never had to work for anything in his life.
When I don’t fall into his lap like the other women do, I fully expect him to walk away. After all, why would a girl like me matter to someone like him?
But it turns out that Liam doesn’t give up easily. He’s not going to let our friends’ opinions, his parents’ disapproval, or my own walls get in the way of what he wants . . . which, apparently, is my heart.
Well, after all, rules were made to be broken.
I Choose You
Wedding bells are ringing for us. I hope.
The path of true love has sometimes been bumpy for Ava and me. I mean, I was her best friend’s ex-boyfriend, the son of a disgraced politician, and a former campus playboy. Ava was the hard-working, single-minded scholarship student with no time for romance. We were the couple least likely to succeed.
But almost two years later, love for us is better than ever. I’m pursuing my dream of being a college professor, and my girl Ava’s the rising star at a local ad agency. But I still have one more goal: I want to marry the girl who changed my life.
