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Nine Months After Chapter Forty-Five

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Layla's POV

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"Do you have your coat?" I ask Bella, hurriedly shoving my own long brown winter coat over my outfit for the day. A red sweater tucked into some black jeans paired with my boots is what I finally decided on this morning. With minimal makeup and my blonde hair cut to my shoulders and curled, I felt pretty. And so unbelievably happy.

"I'll run and grab it now," She mutters, clearly having forgotten. I look up to catch her rushing out of the kitchen as a blur of green and brown. She's wearing brown jeans and the green sweater I bought her for Christmas. When she opened her present this morning, she was over the moon, claiming she just had to wear it straight away.

Dad ambles into the kitchen just after Bella leaves, looking cool, calm, and collected, unlike my slightly flustered state. He raises his brows at me. "You alright, love?"

I blow out a breath and nod, looking down at the bags on the ground at my feet. "Yeah, I think I have everything. All the presents, the salad, desert..." I trail off, racking my brain for anything else I'm supposed to be bringing. "Am I forgetting anything?"

He just smiles, walking over to wrap me up in a warm hug. "You're stressing too much, honey."

I sigh, relaxing into my father's hug. "But this is my first Christmas with him, Dad."

He pulls back with his brows furrowed. "He spent Christmas with you in New York last year."

I huff, rolling my eyes, "We weren't together then. And it wasn't with his whole family. This is different."

Dad shakes his head at me. "You're stressing too much. They love you. Today will be great."

I nod, relaxing once more, "You're right. I'm overthinking it. We should just go."

"I can't find my coat!" Bella calls out from upstairs.

My head tilts back with a small groan before I call back, "It's on your desk chair!"

It's silent for a moment before she shouts, "Thank you!"

The three of us hurry out of the house and into the car with all the gifts and food we'll need for the evening. Bella and I already called my mother this morning to have a long chat with her, wishing her a Merry Christmas. She's happy there on her own, with her new pet cat, Ruby.

The drive to the Carter household is short and I feel familiar butterflies building in my stomach once we pull into the driveway. A smile gets the better of me as we clamber out of the car with all of our things.

I reach the front door first and knock a few times before taking a step back and waiting. I'm not left waiting long before the door is thrown open and I'm tackled in a hug. Macy and Sophie hold onto me tightly, giggling away as they stare up at me.

"Merry Christmas!" They exclaim at the same time, making me laugh. I bend down to kiss both their heads.

"Merry Christmas, Princesses. Has Santa been to visit you?" I ask as they peel away from me so I can step inside. I understand why they're so excited, so I don't mind the long hugs and babbling. Not only is it Christmas, but I haven't been around as much because of college. I'm at the Carters most weekends, but I don't spend as much time with them as I used to.

"Yes! We got so many presents!" Macy grins up at me.

"Do you want to see them?" Sophie has a matching grin as she asks.

I nod, "Absolutely. I just need to put these in the kitchen, yeah?" They nod their agreement, before the attention is stolen away by Bella and Dad walking through the front door behind me. I take the opportunity to take off my boots by the front door before walking further into the house.

Popping my head into the living room, a smile lights up my face at the scene in front of me. Christmas songs are playing softly in the background, while Cody and Max are busy with a lego set on the floor. Max is clearly trying to help him, patiently going through the instructions with Cody. Anna and Liam are standing by the large Christmas tree, his arm wrapped around her while they chat away in their own little world. Reece's grandparents are sitting on the living room couches - both Novah's father and Lucas' parents.

A familiar pair of arms wraps around my waist from behind and a smile lifts my lips as I lean back into the warm chest. Tilting my head back, I look up at the smiling face of my boyfriend. "Merry Christmas, baby," I greet him, spinning around in his arms. I can't put my arms around him due to the two dishes I have in my hands, but I press myself closer to him.

His strong arms hold me against his chest as he ducks his head, placing a soft kiss on my forehead. "Merry Christmas, Sunshine." He murmurs, his smile bright and breathtaking. He swoops down and presses a chaste kiss to my lips before pulling back slightly. "You look gorgeous. Red is absolutely your colour."

I raise my brows. "You said the same thing about the blue jumper I wore yesterday."

He shrugs with an innocent little grin. "Every colour is your colour. As well as no colours. If you wear nothing, that's even better."

My mouth drops open in shock. If my hands weren't full, I would have hit him playfully. "Reece Carter!" I scold, giving him a little glare.

He continues with the innocent facade, a little smile on his lips as he leans down to press kisses over my cheeks and nose. "Your blush is adorable, Sunshine."

I decide to ignore that comment as my blush deepens, instead holding out the salad bowl I'm carrying. "Help me take this to the kitchen, please."

He does so without question, taking the dish from me and turning around to start walking to the kitchen. I follow behind him, now missing the warmth of his arms around me. When we walk into the kitchen, I find both his parents there, busy preparing Christmas lunch.

"Layla!" Novah grins when she sees me, placing the kitchen knife on the counter to free her hands and rushing over to wrap me up in a hug. I melt in her embrace, wrapping my own arms around her.

"Merry Christmas, Novah," I murmur as we pull away and I give her a smile.

"How has your morning been, love?" She asks, walking back over to continue cutting up the vegetables as she had been doing previously.

"Really good. Nice and quiet," I answer her as I place the salad on the counter. Then I walk over and give Lucas a hug as well. He turns away from the stove to tuck me under his arm, giving me a little warm hug. "Merry Christmas, Lucas."

He shoots me a smile as I step back, "Merry Christmas, Layla."

"These look yum!" I turn back to Novah as she looks at the salad and desert that we brought.

"Thanks," I grin, stepping up beside her, "I made the salad and Bella baked the gingerbread last night. We figured everyone would enjoy making the gingerbread house here."

Novah nods with a smile, "The kids will love it."

Reece steps up behind me once more and curls an arm around my waist. He leans down to speak into my ear, "My grandparents were waiting for you to get here. They're excited to see you again."

I perk up at his words, spinning in his hold. "Let's go see them! I haven't spoken to them in forever."

My boyfriend smiles, bending down and pecking my lips quickly, as if he can't help himself. and I don't mind at all. "Come on," He murmurs when he pulls away. Taking my hand in his, he leads me through to the living room where the three of them are seated. His grandmother is the first to see us and she perks up immediately when she notices me.

"Layla, darling!" She grins, standing up from her seat next to her husband to walk over to me. She takes a second to walk over, but when she's close enough I wrap my arms around her and give her a warm hug.

"Merry Christmas," I tell her as she pats my back lightly.

"Merry Christmas," She smiles as she pulls away before looking me over. Her lips drop into a frown. "You're looking thin," her frown turns on Reece, "You're not feeding her enough, Reece. It's your job to fatten her up and keep her healthy!"

Reece curls an arm around me from behind and rests his hand on my stomach. "I'm trying, grams," He protests, "I promise I'm feeding her."

"I'm not a dog!" I complain, looking up at my boyfriend with a little glare. "I'm perfectly capable of feeding myself!"

"I know, baby," He murmurs lowly, dropping a kiss to my temple. His hand flattens on my stomach, pressing gently to push me back against his chest. "But Ramen and pop-tarts aren't enough."

"I get busy, okay?" I frown slightly.

He just grins down at me. "Which is exactly why I stop by your dorm every night with food."

"I've told you to stop doing that," My grumble of complaint falls on deaf ears.

"I'll start dropping her more food, grams, I promise," He assures her, sending her one of his gorgeous smiles. I get lost for a second or two, just staring up at him. My boyfriend is really pretty.

His grandmother nods once, satisfied with that. "Good boy."

She ambles back over to her seat and I follow, bending down to give her husband and Reece's other grandfather both a hug as well. "Merry Christmas," I tell both of them and have a little chat for a minute with each of them before I return to Reece's side.

His gorgeous turquoise eyes shine down at me as he welcomes me back into his arms. He watches me for a moment before whispering, "I love you."

I grin at him, pressing up onto the tips of my toes to kiss his jaw quickly. "And I love you."

"Layla!" I quickly separate myself from Reece when I hear that shout, not wanting him to get caught in the tackle that I'm inevitably about to be on the receiving end of.

The breath gets snatched from my lungs as Anna's tall frame pounces on me in a hug. I laugh, hugging her back. "You saw me yesterday," I remind her, patting her back.

She pulls away with her brows furrowed. "And?"

I nod once. "Good point. Merry Christmas, Anna."

She grins at me. "Merry Christmas, Layla."

"Blondie!" Here we go again. These two are made for each other, I swear.

Liam is the next to tackle me, picking me up and swinging me around a little. "Merry Christmas, Blondie!"

I laugh, feeling a little dizzy once he's set me back on my feet. "Merry Christmas, Liam. You know you saw me yesterday too, right? And you literally drove home with us from college?"

He rolls his eyes at me. "Christmas is my favourite holiday, let me be excited."

"Merry Christmas, Layla!" My attention is drawn away when Cody walks over to me and I crouch down to wrap him up in a hug.

"Merry Christmas, Cody. Did you get any cool presents from Santa?" I ask.

He nods excitedly and tugs me over to where Max is still busy reading the instructions of the Lego with furrowed brows. He looks up when he sees me and gives me a smile. "Merry Christmas, Layla."

"Merry Christmas, Max. You okay over here?" I ask, eyebrows raised.

He huffs, looking back down at the booklet. "Sometimes it takes forever to find the right pieces."

I nod, "There is a lot going on here. You guys handling it though?"

Cody gives an excited nod. "It's from Star Wars!" He starts explaining the build to me and I try to follow along, a smile on my face. I love how excited he gets about these things.

My gaze is momentarily drawn away from him when my sister walks in the room. Her eyes quickly fall on Max and her smile is noticeably brighter. Those two have been friends for over a year now and it's obvious how much they care for each other. It's also blatantly obvious that they both still have a crush on one another, but I'll never say anything. That's something they should work through on their own with time.

Max hasn't noticed her yet, so I watch as she creeps up behind him, pausing for a second before suddenly placing her hands on his shoulders. "Boo!"

He jumps in his seat, quickly spinning around to look at her. The grin that lights up his face when he sees her is one I haven't seen him use on anyone else. He laughs, quickly grabbing her hand and tugging her down to sit beside him. He angles himself towards her and she does the same, bent over the booklet in his hands as he speaks. Her eyes are only on him though and it makes me smile.

My attention returns to Cody as he begins telling me about the other presents he opened this morning. A moment later I feel a body join me on the floor and I look to my right. Reece gives me a soft smile, moving his hand into my lap. I mirror his smile, naturally taking his hand in both of mine and fiddling with his fingers.

My wandering touch travels to the bracelet on his wrist. The one he's been wearing for exactly a year now. It's crazy to think that last Christmas, we both had feelings for each other but we still waited so long to finally get together.

I lean my head on his shoulder, and look around, a smile on my face. Cody is happily chatting away. Max and Bella are in their own little world, laughing and smiling. When I look over shoulder, my dad is talking with Reece's parents who are now standing in the living room as well. Reece's grandparents are talking and watching everyone with happy smiles. Liam has Anna pulled down in her lap as he sits on the floor beside the coffee table, chatting away to her grandmother.

My gaze returns to the man sitting beside me and I find his eyes already settled on me. He leans down to rest his forehead against mine, whispering, "What are you thinking about?"

I can't stop my smile as I tilt my chin, pressing my lips against his. I linger on the kiss for a few seconds before pulling away just slightly. "I'm thinking about how happy I am. And how much I love everyone here right now."

He smiles as well then reaches out, hands clasping around my waist. He tugs me a little closer to the point where I'm almost in his lap. "But you love me most, right?"

I laugh and nod, kissing him and again and then once more just because. "Absolutely. I will always love you the most, Reece Carter."

"Good," He hums, "Because I will always love you the most, my Sunshine. Merry Christmas, my love."

I smile and kiss him again. "Merry Christmas."

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