New York Surprises (Tayvin - AU)

Part 23 - final

LIA POV

10 years... It feels like a lifetime really. 10 years. That's how long my parents have been married.

Jay and I are now 16 years old and, along with our parents' best friends, organised a special party for time. Bea is 8 and Fin is 5, so they weren't much use in the planning but were definitely useful in the whole distracting the parents thing so they didn't know what was going on.

We themed it all around camp, since that's where they first met, with a giant fire pit in the middle to roast marshmallows, long tables like they have in the dining hall, and lots of camp themed games. Since it was New Year's Eve, and therefore freezing cold in New York, we couldn't have it outside, but luckily Dad had just purchased the restaurant he worked in when he first moved here and it had just been gutted for renovations....so we kind of just used it since it was basically just a shell of a restaurant right now...a big empty room. Hopefully he wasn't going to kill us for this!

"Delivery for Miss Eliana Wiles?" A man said from the doorway.

I looked over and saw my boyfriend Tom at the doorway. Yes, he is the same boy I met at camp when I was 12.... although we didn't really start going out till I was 15, when his family moved to Toronto, Canada, and we were closer to one and other. My parents kept saying it was history repeating itself, since they had met at camp, but I knew one thing for sure- there was no way I was having kids at 16 like mom did!

"Hey Tom!" Jay said, slipping past him quickly to get inside before I reached the doorway.

"Tommmmyy!!" I squealed, running over to him. He had been away for a couple of weeks visiting family but was spending a couple of days with us in New York over New Year's.

"Hey Lia!" He replied, giving me a quick kiss. "So what can I do to help set up?"

I told him to help Jay with the tables and chairs while I helped my aunt Karlie with the decorations.

TAYLOR POV

"So where are Jay and Lia again?" I asked Bea as we trudged home from the store, having had to go and buy some extra food since we somehow were going through it like crazy with many mouths to feed and growing children left, right and centre.

"They are at a friend's house." Bea said carefully, as if she was reciting dialogue in a play.

"What friend?" I tried asking. She just shrugged and skipped ahead, kicking up snow as she went.

It was all very weird. Lia and Jay had said they were going out just after lunch but gave no indications to where or for how long. I tried texting them but they would just say they'd let us know id they needed a ride or anything and when they would be home. I both hated and loved having independent 16 year olds in the house. I loved it because they were so grown up and doing really well at school, but hated it as it meant they would just swan off places without either of us knowing where and they no longer felt the need to tell us anything.

"Are Lia and Jay home yet?" I asked Adam as I sunk down next to him on the sofa.

"Nope.... And no, they haven't called or texted." He replied, smiling at me as he watched Fin building a Lego spaceship in the middle of the living room, as if pre-empting my next question.

"Okay... I guess. Happy Anniversary by the way babe." I said to him, snuggling into his side as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"10 years older....and so much fun to come!" He said, like an excited little kid.

"I was thinking maybe the twins could babysit tomorrow and we could go out. Just the two of us for once." I suggested. We never tended to do anything on our actual anniversary since it was New Year's Eve and it was hard to get a booking, plus we had kids who insisted on staying up eating chocolate and drinking sparkling apple juice until midnight, which could become a disaster scene for a babysitter.