A/N College is kicking my ass. To make up for the wait, here's a nice long chapter for you all. I promise some drama will eventually come haha. But I'm still kind of setting up where we are right now before the drama. As always please read and review, and thanks!
On Saturday Marissa had to work. At noon Ryan went downstairs and saw Lizzie explaining all the different Paw Patrols to Jamie, who listened intently and pretended to be very intrigued by what she had to say. Ryan smiled as he walked over to them. "Okay, Liz, it's time to go get ready to go to Seth and Summer's."
Lizzie immediately jumped off the couch and began running upstairs. Ryan laughed a little and Jamie smiled. "Are we going to Seth's?" Jamie asked carefully.
Ryan nodded. "If that's okay. It's a tradition we do every Saturday. Marissa is usually here, but she works on Saturday a month." Ryan turned to go get ready himself. "I suggest you bring your swimsuit. We usually go in their pool."
Jamie stood and followed Ryan up the stairs. About half an hour later they were all ready. Lizzie had her purple Princess Sofia backpack, her floaties, and her Doc McStuffins beach towel with her. Jamie saw her struggle to carry it all and immediately took it all from her. "I'll get it, Lizzie."
Lizzie smiled. "Thanks Jamie!"
He smiled, looking down shyly. Ryan came out of his room and saw Jamie walking down the stairs with all Lizzie's stuff. "Looking very hip, Jamie. The purple backpack really suits you."
Lizzie looked back at her dad. "Don't say hip, daddy."
Jamie started laughing and Ryan raised his eyebrows. "Oh you better believe the tickle monster is coming to get you." Lizzie immediately ran off, and as soon as Ryan reached the bottom of the stairs he chased after her.
Lizzie started squealing as Ryan closed in on her and started tickling. "Help! Help!"
Ryan lifted Lizzie into the air and swung her around. "No one can help you now!"
Lizzie giggled as Ryan pulled her in and filled her face with kisses. "No more, no more daddy!"
Ryan finally pulled away and smiled at Lizzie. "Okay, okay. Let's get going."
Ryan placed Lizzie down and she skipped off toward the front door. "Next time you gots to help me, Jamie!"
Jamie smiled and followed her. "I'll try."
XXXXX
Jamie watched the houses in Seth and Summer's neighborhood go by, his eyes bulging out of his head. He had thought Ryan and Marissa had a huge house, but somehow these all seemed even bigger. They finally went through a gate and arrived at a gigantic house. Ryan noticed Jamie's wide eyes and smiled knowingly. "You know, all these years later, and I'm still amazed by everything."
Jamie nodded slowly. "I can't imagine ever getting used to places like this."
Ryan helped Lizzie out of the car as Jamie stood outside, entirely tempted to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming. He still felt he would open his eyes at any moment and be on a park bench or in his dirty house with his dad and his friends doing heroine in the next room. He just wished this dream wouldn't end too soon.
"This way," Lizzie ordered, and Jamie followed her with all her stuff obediently. Ryan watched the two and rolled his eyes a little. His daughter could be so bossy sometimes.
When they reached the front door, Lizzie knocked and then rang the doorbell. A minute later a short brunette opened the door, and shouted, "Little Coop!"
"Auntie Summer!"
Lizzie hugged Summer, who smiled and hugged her back. "I missed you. You know what Logan and Archie did yesterday?"
Lizzie pulled back and stared at Summer. "What?"
Summer put her hands on her hips. "I found them playing with worms outside."
Lizzie scrunched up her nose. "Boys are icky."
"I know!" Summer moved aside. "They're out back with Uncle Seth waiting for you to go swimming." Lizzie immediately took off running. Summer watched her go, laughing slightly. "She has so much energy, Atwood. I have no idea how you keep up with her."
Ryan laughed and walked over to Summer, offering her a half hug. "I have no idea either."
"When's Coop coming?"
"She gets off work at two, so she'll be here after." Ryan looked back at Jamie who still hadn't walked in. "Summer, this is Jamie. Jamie, this is Seth's wife Summer."
"I'm Marissa's best friend," Summer said, not liking to be only associated with Seth. "Known her since we were about Lizzie's age."
Jamie reached out his hand, fumbling with all of Lizzie's stuff in his hands. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Cohen."
Summer scrunched up her nose as she shook his hand.. "Ew. No. That's just wrong. Call me Summer."
Ryan laughed at Summer's face. "Well, you are technically Mrs. Cohen," he teased.
"Ugh, don't remind me." She gestured towards the house. "You can leave Lizzie's stuff anywhere, really. The house was clean when I went to bed last night, but Logan and Archie managed to destroy it this morning."
Ryan and Jamie followed Summer through the house to the back. "Something tells me Seth had a lot to do with that."
"Sometimes I feel like I have three children," Summer said, rolling her eyes.
When they reached the backyard, Jamie's eyes widened again. Seth and Summer had a huge backyard complete with an infinity pool and specially designed grill area, where Seth was flipping burgers. "Ryan! Come help me!"
Ryan turned to Jamie. "Duty calls."
Jamie merely nodded, still surveying the backyard. It was similar to Ryan and Marissa's place, but slightly larger with more elaborate ceramic tile floorings and walkways. Lizzie ran up to him and said, "Jamie do you have my floaties?"
He nodded, handing Lizzie the floaties. "I'm going to put your towel over here, okay?"
Lizzie nodded and Jamie put her towel on one of the chairs. He watched her jump into the pool, much to Ryan's consternation. "Elizabeth Grace Atwood!"
Lizzie wiped the hair from her face and looked at him sheepishly. "Sorry daddy."
Ryan stared at her for a long time, his gaze telling her everything. Without another word, he turned back to Seth and continued talking. Summer walked behind Jamie and said, "Lizzie is quite the character." Jamie nodded, smiling briefly but saying nothing. Summer shielded her eyes from the sun as she glanced over at him. "You remind me a lot of Atwood when he first came. Quiet. Guarded."
Jamie felt nervous and shy, unsure of what to say. "Sorry."
"It's not a bad thing." She shrugged, removing her hand. "I like to think Coop has a lot to do with him opening up. It wasn't easy with them, but I think they really complete each other."
Jamie was surprised. Ryan and Marissa were just such an easygoing couple that he couldn't imagine them ever not being this good together. "It wasn't easy?"
Summer let out a short laugh. "Oh, god no. I remember Cohen – that's Seth – he used to try to meddle and get them back together all the time, but I always told him it was a mistake. It was really messy between them in high school. For a long time I thought they just were better off apart than together." She paused, lost in memories. "Well, until… yeah."
"Until what?" Jamie asked curiously.
Summer glanced his way, studying him carefully. He was so much like Ryan, but so different at the same time. His eyes were guarded, but not suspicious like Ryan's used to be. He seemed nervous but comfortable. His hair was darker, more of a light brown than blonde. He seemed so young yet at the same time so much older than fourteen. "You should ask them sometime," she finally answered.
Jamie looked at Lizzie, his lips twitching into a smile when he saw how excited she was to be playing in the water. Summer followed his gaze and smiled at her boys and little niece. Lizzie reminded Summer a lot of herself as a child, but with the grace and thoughtfulness of Marissa. "Why do you call Marissa Coop?" Jamie asked.
Summer smiled. "Her maiden name is Cooper. I started it when we were kids and it sort of stuck." She laughed a little. "Ryan is very adamant that she is an Atwood now, but she'll always be Coop to me."
Eventually Jamie went into the pool with Lizzie and the boys. Lizzie climbed onto Jamie's shoulders and pretended like he was a horse, ordering him around the pool. Logan and Archie protested it wasn't fair, but Lizzie merely grinned at them in triumph. Seth, Summer, and Ryan all watched with amusement, Ryan rolling his eyes and grinning at his mischievous little girl.
Eventually Marissa came and they all ate. After a while had passed, Lizzie and the younger boys begged to go back into the pool. While they were outside, Ryan turned to Jamie and grinned. "Watch this."
Marissa and Summer were helping the boys put on their floaties by the pool. Ryan walked over to them casually, pretending to observe what they were doing. Surprising Marissa, he rested his hands on her hips and casually started pulling her towards the pool. "Ryan, you better not," Marissa warned, her voice slightly raising at the proximity.
He merely smirked. "Better not what? Do this?" He pushed, and Marissa shrieked in surprise.
"I'm taking you with me!" She shouted, holding onto his arm and pulling him in with her. When they surfaced, Ryan shook the water from his hair and grinned at her. "You're so dead," she said with a playful grin.
"Oh really? What are you going to do about it?" Ryan asked tauntingly, raising his eyebrows in amusement.
The two started swimming around trying to dunk each other, both laughing hard. Lizzie watched her parents with a slightly shrug to Jamie. "That's mommy and daddy," she informed him. "They do stuff like that a lot."
Jamie watched the two adults acting like children with a sort of awe. Someday I want that, he thought silently. He really did.
XXXXX
As the sun started setting, Ryan and Marissa figured it was time to get going. They started saying their goodbyes, and Lizzie completely blindsided Jamie by asking, "Jamie, are you staying here too?"
Jamie stared between Lizzie, Ryan, and Marissa dumbfounded and uncomfortable. "Um…"
Summer piped in. "Lizzie stays every Saturday night. You're more than welcome if you want."
Jamie looked at Ryan now, and Ryan immediately understood. "Maybe some other weekend."
Jamie's shoulders relaxed and he nodded. Lizzie thought about this, then decided it was okay. "Then I'll just play with Logan and Archie."
Ryan and Marissa both walked over to Lizzie, and Ryan lifted her into his arms. "See you tomorrow at Papa's."
Lizzie smiled at her parents. "I'll be a good girl, promise."
Marissa smiled. "I know you will." Ryan and Marissa both kissed one of her cheeks, making Lizzie giggle.
They both set her down, then Lizzie came over to Jamie and hugged him. "Bye Jamie I'll miss you!"
Jamie swallowed hard, wrapping one arm around the little girl awkwardly from his height. "I'll miss you too, Lizzie," he promised softly. And he would.
Ryan wrapped an arm around Marissa and she leaned into him as they both watched the exchange. There was no doubt about it – Lizzie and Jamie definitely had a connection. After they finished their goodbyes, Ryan, Marissa, and Jamie left.
In the car, Jamie told Ryan, "I hope I'm not getting in the way of anything."
Ryan laughed a little. "No. At first, after we had Lizzie, we desperately needed that alone time." Ryan looked off at the road remembering that time, deciding it was best not to go into detail about that.
Marissa sat next to Summer on the beach, looking out at Ryan and Seth with Lizzie in the water. Lizzie was nine months old and already walking and occasionally talking. Ryan was watching her walk in the water, every bit the overprotective and worried father. She took notice of his tan muscled body that she could so easily put her hands all over, starting with his chest, then his stomach, down to…
"What's the longest you and Seth have gone without…you know…" Marissa asked Summer, biting her lip, forcing herself to look away from her enticing husband.
"Sex?" Summer asked. Summer thought about it. "I don't know. A month, maybe?" Summer glanced over at her best friend, noticing the way her eyes seemed trained on Ryan. "Why? What about you?"
Marissa breathed out, looking down. "Before Lizzie was born," she admitted.
Summer didn't understand at first. "Before she was born what?" Then suddenly it seemed to hit her. "Wait, you haven't since before Lizzie was born?"
Marissa nodded, giving Summer a look. "The last few months it just wasn't very practical. Then after I had her, we weren't supposed to. Then once we got the okay, we just didn't have time. Between work and Lizzie always taking our time up, whenever we technically had time we were just exhausted and ended up falling asleep."
Summer still couldn't believe it. "Lizzie is nine months old. That's just…" She couldn't imagine it. "God, you must be horny all the time."
Marissa laughed, though it wasn't an exaggeration. She and Ryan had always had a sexual relationship, even before they were having sex. But now? All it took was looking at him and she was pretty much ready to go. "I miss him so much. Not even just the sex. Sometimes just watching a movie or hanging out just the two of us. I love Lizzie to the end of the earth, but I just miss Ryan so much sometimes."
Summer understood. "Well, what if me and Cohen took Lizzie for the night? It would give you and Atwood a night alone. We'll meet at the Cohens in the morning for brunch." She looked at Marissa knowingly. "You and Atwood desperately need a night to just jump each other's bones."
Marissa laughed, though it was true. "I don't know…"
"Coop, it's me. I can take care of her. And you know she adores Seth." It was true, Lizzie and Seth had a special bond that had surprised everyone. It even made Summer think Seth was growing and maybe even ready to have kids someday. "You're still young. You need this."
Marissa looked out at her husband, the wind blowing through his hair. He turned and caught her eye and the two held each other's gaze, that hunger evident in just a gaze. Without turning from Ryan, she said, "Okay. Thanks."
"It became a tradition after that. Lizzie would go to Seth and Summer's on Saturdays. She grew used to it and even though we've argued with her that Seth and Summer have enough on their plate, she insists she spends every Saturday night with them. Seth argues it's a tradition, so we just let it happen."
Jamie thought about this, deciding it made sense. "What about Seth and Summer? When do they get their time alone?"
"Their work schedules aren't as hectic as mine and Marissa's," Ryan admitted. "But every now and then we'll return the favor and babysit for them. Me and Marissa love the twins."
"Well, sorry for interrupting your alone time," Jamie said, feeling awkward.
Ryan smiled. "It's no big deal. These days me and Marissa just enjoy watching TV sometimes. It's just nice to have a quiet house. I love my daughter, but she's got more energy than any of us can handle."
Jamie laughed slightly at that. "She really does."
When they arrived home, Ryan and Marissa went to the couch and sat down together. Ryan had his arm around Marissa, and she was leaning her head against his shoulder, cuddling into him. Jamie sat on the chair close to them as they turned the TV on, observing them. He remembered what Summer had said earlier about it not always being easy between them. "How did you two meet, anyway?"
They both glanced his way, still cuddling together. "It was my first night in Newport," Ryan began. "Sandy, my adoptive father and lawyer at the time, was inside talking to his wife Kirsten about bringing me home. I was left in the car, so I got out and went to the end of the driveway to smoke."
Jamie raised his eyebrows. "You smoke?"
Ryan shook his head. "Not anymore. But back in Chino my brother and I would do it together. He taught me a lot of things." Marissa rubbed his chest comfortingly. Even to this day, Trey was still a hard subject for Ryan, even though he had returned into their lives occasionally, mostly to get to know Lizzie. Ryan still felt bad for all that had happened, even though Marissa promised it was okay.
"I lived next door to the Cohens most of my life," Marissa informed Jamie. "I was at the end of my driveway waiting for my boyfriend to pick me up."
Jamie raised his eyebrows once again. "You were dating someone else?" He knew it was silly, but it was weird to think of either dating anyone else after seeing them together so happy now.
Ryan laughed softly, and Marissa shot him a look. "Yes. His name is Luke. We're actually friends now."
"All three of us," Ryan added. They still kept in touch with Luke, who had moved from Oregon to LA after college.
"I noticed Ryan and was intrigued. I had never seen him before, and in Newport you don't get a lot of new people," Marissa continued, smiling to herself at the memory of the younger Ryan Atwood in his leather jacket looking over at her. "So I asked him who he was. To which he said the cheesiest, corniest line I've ever heard."
Ryan shot her the look now. "Okay, who still married me?"
Marissa giggled and reached over to place her hand on his cheek, pulling his face to hers. "I did. Silly me."
"Luck you," he mumbled against her lips, though he smiled too when he pulled back.
Jamie watched the two with a quirked eyebrow. "What exactly did he say?"
Before Ryan could respond, Marissa said, "He told me, 'Whoever you want me to be,' like the very smooth guy he is."
Ryan tickled her sides in response, making her laugh. "Oh you think you're funny?"
She laughed and fought him back, finally getting him to stop. "I'm hilarious."
Jamie couldn't help the small smile watching the two. "Cool line, Ryan."
"Feel free to use it," Ryan joked, him and Marissa settling into their previous position with his arm around her.
"Back to your question," Marissa said, moving the conversation along. "We got to talking."
"She gave me this smile," Ryan said with his own soft smile.
"And then Sandy interrupted us," Marissa said, laughing at all the times the Cohens had walked in at inopportune times – all three of them.
"And then your boyfriend came," Ryan added, laughing himself. "But not before you invited me to see you at the fashion show."
"Completely innocently, of course," Marissa said, trying to keep a straight face. "Just trying to be nice."
Ryan looked at her and laughed. "Mhmm, sure."
Jamie quirked an eyebrow. "So you broke up with your boyfriend for him?"
Ryan laughed and Marissa made a face. "Well, um… not exactly?"
Helping Marissa out, Ryan said, "It was kind of complicated. We didn't start dating for a long time."
"And broke up because of someone," Ryan teased.
Marissa gave him a look. "Um, who broke up with me after my friend died?"
"Someone very, very stupid," Ryan assured her, leaning in for a kiss, which she returned.
"Just how many times did you break up?" Jamie asked, his eyes widening.
Ryan and Marissa both looked at each other, laughing a little. "Too much to count," Ryan said.
"But in the end, we always seemed to find our way back to each other," Marissa said, cuddling into Ryan a little more. He smiled softly, tightening his grip around her.
Jamie nodded. He had already seen they had a connection, just like Seth and Summer did. "Were Seth and Summer already dating?"
Ryan laughed. "No. Seth was in love with her, but she didn't even know he existed until I came to Newport."
"But Summer was helpless against his geeky Cohen charm," Marissa said, giggling a little. "As much as she tried to fight it."
"So how did you two get engaged?" Jamie asked, exceedingly curious about their relationship. He had never been able to ask his parents these things, and even though Ryan and Marissa were much younger than his parents, it was still nice to finally have someone he could ask these kinds of things.
"Well, Ryan was drunk when he proposed," Marissa said, to which Ryan glared.
"Okay, only the first time," Ryan argued.
"I don't see what the big deal is!" Marissa shouted, throwing her arms up in the air.
"The big deal is I don't trust Breydon!" Ryan shouted back. Marissa's friend from her Anatomy class was really rubbing him the wrong way. He trusted Marissa, but he didn't trust Breydon, especially at a party with drinking and alcohol. He had heard things about the kid's friends, and he was worried for Marissa's safety more than anything else.
"Well, I'm not Breydon, Ryan. I'm me. Do you really think that I'm going to let someone just come onto me or do anything that makes me uncomfortable?" Marissa asked, lowering her voice. "I thought we were over this. We've been doing really well, and suddenly you're reverting back to your jealous self?" "It's not me being jealous, it's me being concerned!" Ryan said, raising his voice more in frustration than anger. "I've heard stuff about his friends, Marissa. I've heard stuff about him. What if it's true?" "What if it's not?" Marissa asked. "When you came to Newport people said all kinds of horrible things about you, and I never believed a single one because I knew you were good." Her voice softened. "Well, I've spent time with Breydon. He's not a bad guy. I don't believe it."
Ryan wouldn't let go. "I don't want you to go to that party. You're not allowed to go." "Oh, I'm not allowed?" Marissa asked, raising her eyebrows in a challenge. "So you're telling me what I can and can't do?" Ryan knew he had messed up saying that, but he was too stubborn to admit as much. "I'm telling you don't go to the party."
"Well, I'm going," Marissa said, glaring at him and grabbing her jacket. "If you want to come, you can. If not, see you when I get home." With that, Marissa walked out.
An hour later, Ryan arrived at the party, immediately looking for Marissa. He had sulked, but in the end he decided he would go just to keep Marissa safe more than anything else. When he arrived, he saw Marissa in a large group sitting in the middle of the room. Breydon was sitting next to her, his arm around some other girl that Ryan had never seen before. Marissa seemed tense, but not uncomfortable. She caught his eye but looked away, obviously still pissed with him for telling her what to do. She could be so stubborn.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked, leaning over the couch to speak into her ear.
"Oh, hey Ryan!" Breydon slurred. "Glad you could make it bro!"
Ryan merely nodded and forced a smile in his direction before looking at Marissa again. "Please."
Marissa rolled her eyes and stood, walking to the corner of the room with him. "Yes?"
"Okay, you've proved your point. You can do what you want. Can you please come home now?" Ryan pleaded.
Marissa folded her arms across her chest. "What if I'm having fun?"
Ryan sighed. "Marissa, please stop being difficult."
"What's difficult? I was invited to hang out with my friends. I came and I'm having a good time. Now, you can stay and help yourself to a drink, or you can go back home, but I'm not leaving." With that, Marissa turned and walked back to the couch, sitting back next to Breydon. Ryan knew she was proving a point that she could do what she wanted, and he knew that she was right, she could do what she wanted, but he was still upset with how stubborn she was.
Sighing, he reached over and poured himself a drink, gulping it down before pouring himself another. It was going to be a long night.
A few hours later, and Ryan was perhaps drunker than he had been since he first drank all those years ago in Chino with Trey and Theresa. He was no longer completely concerned about Marissa, just pleasantly happy. He found Marissa in the corner talking to a girl from her English class and clumsily wrapped his arm around her. "Heyyyy there you are…"
Marissa was still a little pissed at Ryan, but she instantly noticed his slurring words and hazy eyes. "Ryan, are you drunk?" He gave her a look. "Pfft? Me? Drunk?" He shook his head. "I don't get drunk."
Marissa couldn't help the amused smile. "Oh my god, you're so drunk."
He shook his head back and forth dramatically. "No, no no." He leaned in closer to her, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Maybe a little." He showed her with his fingers how little he was drunk, varying the sizes and getting distracted.
The girl from her class shot her a knowing smirk. "I'll talk to you on Monday, Marissa."
Marissa nodded and smiled at her. "See you, Kylie." She turned to Ryan again. "Hey, let's get you home, okay?"
He perked, his fingers still moving. "Okay."
She somehow managed to get him to their apartment a few blocks away, though they stumbled quite a bit. When they got in, she managed to get him into their bedroom and sitting on their bed. She began helping him undress, since he was too distracted to do it himself. "That wasn't so bad of a party."
Marissa nodded. "I told you it wouldn't be," she said as she got his shoes off of him.
"Breydon isn't so bad." He thought about this. "I was just worried cause I love you, you know?"
Marissa couldn't help the flutter in her stomach hearing Ryan say those words, even if he was drunk. "I know," she said softly, looking up at him. He was looking off into space, frowning.
"No, you don't," he slurred, upset. "I don't wanna tell you what to do. I just… I love you so much." He looked at her, his eyes soft and sad. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"I won't," she promised, resting her hands on his legs. "I promise, okay?"
"Okay," he said, nodding. He tried unbuttoning his shirt, but kept fumbling. "Stupid buttons."
"Here, let me help," Marissa said, biting her lip to keep from smiling.
She unbuttoned his shirt for him, and he watched her hands very seriously. "Thank you," he mumbled, his eyes trained on her face.
Her cheeks reddened under his serious gaze, and her eyes met with his. "You're welcome."
She finished helping him get ready for bed. He smiled at her when she finished. "I really do love you."
She blushed again, looking down. "I love you too."
"Come lay with me," he said, patting the bed next to him. She hesitated, then fit herself against him, resting her head on his chest. He still smelled of alcohol, but with his shirt and jeans off he didn't reek of it anymore. He wrapped his arms around her, breathing out slowly. He was happy. "I like doing this."
"I know," she said with a slight giggle. "I always knew you liked cuddling."
"I like cuddling with you," he admitted, his words still slurring. She decided she kind of liked drunk Ryan. He was much more open.
"I should go shower and get ready for bed," she said after a while, starting to get up.
He groaned and tried to keep her with him. "No. Stay here with me. You're fine."
"Ryan, I need to shower. I smell like spilled beer," she said carefully.
He shook his head. "No. I don't like it when you leave." He waited for her to fit her body against his once again before relaxing. "Even for a little bit. I want you to stay with me."
"It's just the shower," she reminded him, though she wasn't putting up much of a fight. Ryan was warm and comfortable and familiar.
They stayed quiet for a while, then Ryan randomly said, "We should get married."
Marissa's eyes shot open and she pulled back to stare at him. "Ryan," she began, but he shook his head.
"We should. Let's get married."
She bit her lip as she looked at him. She had to remind herself he was drunk, that this wasn't real. He would probably forget this in the morning. "We'll talk about it in the morning, okay?"
He sighed, but nodded. He was getting sleepy. "Okay." He closed his eyes, pulling her back against him as he got ready to sleep. "Night Riss."
She leaned her head against his chest again, eyes wide open. "Night, Ry."
In the morning, Ryan awoke with a piercing pain in his head. He groaned and rubbed his temples as he sat up. He glanced over and saw that Marissa had left him some aspirin and a glass of water, so he immediately drank down the pills.
Marissa walked in and smirked at his discomfort. "Someone partied a little too hard last night," she said knowingly.
Ryan groaned again. "Don't remind me."
She came over to him and brushed some hair from his face. He looked absolutely miserable but so adorable with that pout. "How are you feeling?" "I'm remembering why I rarely drink," he groaned.
She smiled, rubbing his back soothingly. "I have to say, drunk Ryan Atwood is kind of fun."
He thought back to last night, parts coming to him in snippets. "Well I'm glad you had fun," he said sourly. One particular memory came back to him, and he furrowed his eyebrows. "Did I…propose?" he asked carefully.
Marissa removed her hand, looking down at her hands. "Kind of?" she said lightly, trying not to become serious about it. He was drunk, after all. It didn't mean anything. He looked over at her and saw that she was trying not to make a big deal about it. She caught his gaze. "Don't worry about it. We all say stuff we don't mean when we're drunk," she said, pecking his cheek before standing.
He thought about what he'd felt in that moment with Marissa when he had said they should get married. He'd felt comfortable and safe and cared for. Marissa had taken care of him last night, and it had felt good. With her in his arms, he'd realized he didn't want to ever be apart from her. The more that he thought about it, the less absurd the idea seemed. "What if I did mean it?" he asked suddenly, making her freeze in the doorway.
She turned back to him, her eyes a deep blue green. "What?"
He stood and walked over to her, his headache forgotten. "I mean, what if I want to get married?"
She looked down, her heart beating hard against her chest. "Ryan, you don't have to feel bad about saying that. You were drunk. I know what it's like to say stupid things when you're drunk."
"But it's not a stupid thing," he said softly, resting his hands on her hips. He lifted her chin so she had to stare into his eyes. "I don't say it a lot, I know – or ever, really – but I love you, Marissa." The butterflies filled her stomach once again. Tears filled her eyes. "And I know I'm going to keep feeling that way. I've fought it before, fought this, but we keep finding our way back to each other and I know it's always going to be that way." He looked into her eyes. "So…marry me."
It wasn't a question, but a statement. "Are you trying to tell me what to do again?" she asked, her voice light but her eyes betraying her emotion.
He didn't take his eyes from hers. "Yes."
She blinked but maintained eye contact. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't dreamt of this, of marrying Ryan, but somehow it still seemed so surreal. "Okay," she whispered.
"Okay?" he asked, a slow smile spreading across his face.
She nodded, her own small smile forming, tears glistening. "Yes."
He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up and spinning her around. When he put her back down, he leaned in close. "I don't have a ring or anything."
She shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. "It doesn't matter."
They spent the next few hours, just the three of them, getting to know each other more. They laughed and talked late into the night, all three becoming more comfortable around each other. Finally, Jamie said he was tired, and they all headed to their rooms.
Once in their bedroom, Ryan started undressing to get ready for bed, yawning softly. "Sorry for not getting the night to ourselves like usual," he said.
Marissa shrugged. "It's fine. I like hanging out with Jamie." She walked over to him and rested her hands on his chest as she smiled. "Believe it or not, I didn't marry you for the sex."
He pretended to be surprised. "Wait, you didn't?"
She laughed softly. "No."
He rested his hands on her hips. "Seriously though, thank you."
She furrowed her eyebrows, angling her head. "For what?"
"Being so understanding with everything," he said, looking at her seriously. "Even Kirsten didn't really accept me at first, but you've been completely understanding and caring this entire time. You just let Jamie come in like it was no big deal, and I think it's pretty amazing."
She understood what he was saying at last. Looking down, she said, "If Sandy and Kirsten hadn't let you come live with them, I never would've met you." She looked into his eyes. "Other than the obvious that Jamie needs help, what if there's some girl at the end of a driveway waiting for her broody boy from Chino?"
Ryan swallowed hard, once again amazed at his wife. "I hope you know how great you are," he said softly.
She smiled, deciding to lighten the mood. "Oh I do."
He laughed and leaned in to kiss her, something he still thought he should've done that August night so many years ago. Thinking back on it all, though, he wouldn't change a single thing.
XXXXX
Tell me how much you loved or hated it!
Individual Replies:
Wozzler: At the end of season 3 we saw Julie growing and changing, so I always wanted to see what it would be like to see if when Marissa was still alive.
Sara: Ah, the Atwoods. It has a beautiful ring to it :)
Emily: I feel it would be awkward to change her name after seven chapters. Everyone will be in it though.
Thekiller00: Thanks :) I will reply to you at some point too haha.
xoElle23: Thanks buddy :)
Liliana: Gotta love Lizzie and Julie haha.
Nadine: I think the day Julie accepts she is in fact "grandma" is the day that she is no longer Julie Cooper haha.
Msofia2112: Oh there will be :)
Marissa Davis: Of course I still think of you! We've stuck with each other all these years through all these stories haha, it's hard to forget you :)
Hcky202141: I'm glad you like it! Hopefully you continue reviewing and liking it!
