Hey, folks! We're almost at the end of this story. I hope you've enjoyed the journey I gave Jackson :)

Enjoy!

Summer 1993 – Day 45

Wide awake and lying on his bed, Jackson rested his hands on top of his stomach as he twiddled his thumbs. According to his watch, it was 11:58 PM. Only two more minutes and he would officially be fourteen years old. He had trouble sleeping, but not because he was anxious for his birthday. They hardly excited him anymore since his mother forgot about his birthday the previous year. April had left a note underneath his pillow sometime during the day. He wasn't sure when, but she apparently snuck into his cabin at some point and dropped it off for him to find. She asked him to meet him by the lake at midnight. It wasn't that he was afraid to sneak out. He simply wasn't sure if he could get away with sneaking out of his cabin.

He didn't consider himself to be very stealthy. Somewhat clumsy and uncoordinated, the nerd was positive he would bump into something in the dark and wake up his counselors and bunk mates. And unlike owls, he was completely blind in the dark even with his glasses on. However, he couldn't keep April waiting. What kind of boyfriend would he be if he never showed up?

For somebody who had been adamant about following the rules at camp, his girlfriend turned into a small rebel since they became a couple. Stealing food from the dining hall, sneaking into the boys' cabin and now sneaking out past curfew. Jackson was amazed his nerdy self could have that effect on an innocent girl like April. In some ways, she changed him into a slightly more confident person in exchange.

Checking his watch again, it was now 11:59 PM. He told himself to stop being a pansy and be bold. Taking a deep breath, he quietly climbed out of his bed and picked up his shoes from the floor. Instead of wearing them, he carried them in his hand as he tip toed towards the door. The floors were old and creaky, making him cringe when even the faintest sound beneath his feet could be heard. His next challenge was the screen door, which made a loud noise when anybody entered and left the cabin. He closed his eyes as he slowly opened it. It felt like an eternity before he finally opened it enough to slide out and it took another minute or two to close it.

The air was a little chilly as he sprinted to the lake with his shoes still in his hand. It was five minutes after midnight, so he hoped she was still waiting for him. When he arrived at the lake she was nowhere to be found. He sighed, realizing he had taken too much time being careful and she decided to retreat back to her cabin.

But that didn't appear to be the case. April jumped out from behind a tree and covered Jackson's eyes with her hands. "Happy Birthday!" she gleefully greeted him. The redhead stepped in front of him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I know you said you didn't want to celebrate your birthday, but how can you not celebrate it at all?"

"Well, it's nice of you to remember. My mom didn't last year. She was away at a conference in Miami when I turned thirteen," he replied, sadly smiling at her. "So, umm… what do you have in mind?"

"I have a little present for you," she answered, taking his hand and leading him towards the tree. April picked up a small box with a bow tied around it and held it front of him. "Okay, it's nothing extra special, but I wanted it to feel special. It's just something I made in arts and crafts."

Jackson removed the bow and opened the box. Inside was a handmade picture frame with a photo of them together before the most recent dance. Each side of the frame was covered with tiny beads of a different color. "Thanks. It must have taken forever to glue all of these on."

"Yeah, and I even glued my fingers together on a few occasions," she sheepishly admitted and chuckled. "I… I thought it would be cool if you brought a picture of us home with you because camp is over next week and umm… if you don't come back next year, I don't want you to forget about me."

"I won't forget about you. Ever," he confidently assured her.

"You promise?"

"I promise," her boyfriend confirmed, pulling her by the waist and kissing her. In his mind, being fourteen made him one step closer to becoming a man. And considering nobody else was around, he had no problem acting bolder around April. She took a step back as she kicked off her shoes and lifted up her shirt. Jackson's eyes grew wide as dirty thoughts rushed through his mind. "Uhh… are you- are you doing what I think you're doing?"

April pulled her t-shirt over her head before staring at him confused. "What exactly do you think I'm doing?" She gazed down at her neon green and orange bathing suit and looked up at Jackson again. "We're going swimming in the lake. This is my bathing suit."

He cleared his throat, quickly nodding his head as he scratched the back of his neck. "O-oh of course. I… I know that's your bathing suit," the birthday boy stammered. His perverted side had hoped he was getting a free show, despite the fact that he figured she wasn't that type of girl. "Anyway, the lake? What if we get caught?"

"We won't if we don't make a lot of noise," she insisted. "Now strip."

Jackson felt a little hesitant to strip down to his boxers because April had never actually seen him in his swimming attire throughout the entire summer. Their activities schedules were different and he typically swam in the lake while she was busy engaging in another activity somewhere else on the campus. He was a scrawny twig. Having her see him without a shirt on made him feel slightly insecure about his body.

He timidly removed his t-shirt, dropping it at his feet. After slipping out of his basketball shorts, they both awkwardly stared at each other. She folded her arms against her chest, biting her lower lip and wishing she had bigger boobs. On the other hand, he hoped they would jump in the water soon because his dirty mind was at it again. At this point, he was trying to think about the Pledge of Allegiance to avoid embarrassing himself. He decided to take off his glasses to stop himself from seeing a clear visual of her.

"Are you okay?" she asked curiously. "I mean, can you see without those on?"

"Yeah, I usually swim without them on," he replied, setting his glasses on top of his clothes.

"Cool. Let's go." April led Jackson to the dock and stopped at the edge. She dipped her foot into the water to check the temperature. "The water doesn't seem too cold. What do you think?"

As he leaned forward to test the water, she caught him off-guard by pushing him into the lake. He swam up to the surface, while she giggled at him. "What was that for?"

"Oh, don't be a pouty face," the redhead teased before jumping into the lake and splashing water on top of him. She playfully swam away from him and forced him to chase after her.

Jackson eventually loosened up, splashing water back at her and laughing at her high-pitched shrieks. He dunked her under the surface, quickly swimming away before she could return the favor. "I'm sorry. Was that harsh?" he amusingly questioned.

"I'm gonna get you for that!" she squealed.

He decided to hide underneath the dock, accidentally bumping the top of his head when he popped up from the surface. April followed suit and if it weren't for the lights above seeping through the cracks of the wooden boards, they likely wouldn't have been able to find each other. She clung onto his shoulders and grinned knowing Jackson was having fun celebrating his birthday.

"Aren't you glad I came up with this plan?"

"Alright, yeah. You're making my birthday more awesome than I anticipated," he admitted, smiling back at her. "So, since it's my birthday…"

"Mhmm?"

Jackson placed his hands on April's waist, though one hand started traveling south to her backside. Her eyebrows shot up when he grabbed her butt and he immediately withdrew it to his side. "Sorry! I umm… I've been wanting to do that and I thought it wouldn't be as rude as touching your boob," he nervously said. "Don't be mad."

She covered her mouth and laughed. "I'm not mad. Actually, I thought you were gonna ask if we could makeout."

"Can we?" he eagerly asked, then shut his eyes and grimaced. Stupid teenage boy hormones.

"Well, it's your birthday," she nonchalantly answered and leaned forward to kiss him.

For Jackson, it was hands down the best birthday ever.

April's internal clock woke her up before the alarm clock on her bedside table could do it for her. She slowly turned over on her bed, lazily reaching for her clock and turning off the alarm. Flipping back over onto her right side, she smiled at the sleeping man next to her. It was August 5th, which marked Jackson's 34th birthday. He had spent the night at her apartment for a pre-birthday celebration, but it wasn't unusual for him to crash at her place. The majority of their weeks consisted of him going home with her rather than to his condominium.

Almost a full four months had passed since they officially started dating and she couldn't be happier. Her boyfriend was an egotistical, self-absorbed person when she first met him again, but he eventually transformed into a caring and considerate man. Many of their coworkers thought it was impossible. However, he proved them all wrong after he decided to change for the peds surgeon.

He practically worshipped everything about her, including Madison. His new philosophy about children also surprised the other doctors. The plastic surgeon spent a lot of his spare time hanging out with the now 4-year old in daycare. For her birthday, he bought her a pink bike with shiny streamers attached to the handlebars. She instantly fell in love with it, riding around on it at the park for hours – as long as Doc Jackson didn't let go of her. It was worth the lower back pain the following day.

While they weren't quite ready to move in together, April reserved a drawer and space in her closet for him. She also gave him a spare key to her apartment. It was close enough to living together without actually living together, which was an ideal situation for the couple.

She watched his bare chest rise up and down as he slept peacefully on his back. "Jackson," the redhead murmured. He was unresponsive, so she began planting kisses on his body, starting at his abdomen and working her way up to his chest. "Hey, birthday boy…"

He fought back his smile as the touch of her lips against his skin immediately aroused him from his sleep. It had been years since Jackson looked forward to his birthday. In the past, it was just another typical day for him. Nothing special. He hated thinking about the fact that he was a year older. Mama Avery's birthday greetings always included her asking if he found a woman to settle down with. This year, she wouldn't have to.

"C'mon, honey. Stop toying with me. I know you're fully aware of what I'm doing," his girlfriend scolded him, climbing on top of him and kissing his lips. "I don't have a ton of time to waste because I have to get ready for work."

Jackson grinned against April's lips, clutching her waist with both hands. He was a very happy man after his right hand had been officially cleared for surgery just two weeks ago. Mark was also thrilled to have the other half of his Plastics Posse back in the OR, albeit he personally loathed the nickname. Operating again and being in an exclusive, healthy relationship – everything felt perfect. He wouldn't want it any other way.

"Can't you call in sick?" he mumbled in between kisses. "It's my freaking birthday."

"I know. I'm sorry," she groaned, sitting up and straddling his lap. "But I can't. I have a very delicate heart valve replacement surgery on a 14-month old, so blowing that off would be really awful for my conscience."

"Just this once, I want to revert back to my selfish ways and keep you all to myself," he jokingly whined, making her laugh. The plastic surgeon's hands roamed up April's thighs and slid underneath her extra large Brown University t-shirt. "Is Maddy awake?"

"If she hasn't knocked yet, then she's still asleep."

"Which means she could be knocking at any minute now." He attempted to sit up on the bed to kiss her, but she pushed him down onto his back. "I thought you didn't want to waste any time."

A mischievous grin formed on April's face as her fingers clutched the waistband of Jackson's boxer briefs. "You're right, but it's your birthday, so you should be relaxing. Let me do the work, okay? Think of this as one of many presents you'll be receiving from me today," she teasingly replied.

Like he was going to complain. With the peds surgeon, he was having the best sex of his life. Being in love changed his perspective about sex. While he had his share of model-type women that a person like George would never get the chance to sleep with, he had sex with them for the sake of getting laid. But with April, it was more than just sex and that made each experience all the more enjoyable for the both of them.

Plus, what she was doing to him at the moment was quite the birthday present until…

Jackson's head shot up when tiny knocks on the door alerted him. "Maddy's up," he breathlessly said, pulling up his underwear and covering himself with a pillow while he sat up on the mattress. At least ten Pledge of Allegiances were necessary before he could climb out of bed.

April sprinted into the bathroom to quickly freshen up before she casually approached the door. By then, Madison had grown impatient and pounded harder while she whined. She opened the door to see her daughter holding a large, overflowed bowl of Cocoa Puffs with milk dripping from the sides. "Maddy, did you make yourself breakfast?" Peering out into the hallway, she gasped at the trail of milk and cereal all over the floor. "Oh, gosh. Look at this mess!"

Madison frowned, her innocent eyes becoming glossy as she gazed up at April. "I make breakfast for Doc Jacks'n," she softly replied. "For his birfday."

While her mother was trying to hide her anger, Jackson slid out of bed and grabbed a pair of basketball shorts from his drawer. He slipped them on and approached the tearful child. "You made this for me? Thanks, it looks really good!" he enthusiastically said, kissing the top of Madison's head. Taking the bowl with one hand, he picked her up with his other arm. "Let's go eat this at the dining table, then we can clean up afterwards."

"Jackson, if the milk dries up, the floor's going to be sticky," April agitatedly called out as she watched her boyfriend tip toe his way around the spilled milk and Cocoa Puffs on the floor. She rolled her eyes when he ignored her.

Between the two of them, Jackson was more laid back when it came to disciplining Madison. Perhaps it was because he wasn't exactly her father or he preferred being the so-called cool parent. But he was also a sucker for those sad eyes whenever she knew she was in trouble. She clearly had him wrapped around her little finger.

On the other hand, April adored their relationship. Their interactions seemed natural. He loved taking care of her and she had grown attached to him. The 4-year old continued to call him Doc Jackson, but she suspected calling him Dad wouldn't be a problem in the future.

"Fine, fine. I'll clean it up myself," she spoke to herself as she walked to the kitchen. "What plans do you have for today until your birthday dinner at Mark's?"

"Not sure yet," he responded with a mouthful of cereal. "How about I drop you off at work? I can pick you up later, so we only have to drive one car. I'll bring Maddy with me to my condo for a while, then we'll stop by Molly Moon's for my birthday."

"Yeah, yeah!" Madison excitedly chirped. "I like Molly!"

April chuckled while she cleaned up the scattered pieces of Cocoa Puffs from the kitchen counter. "That's not fair. I want ice cream too," she playfully complained. "Save some for Mommy, okay?"

"But it'll melt!" she squeaked, covering her mouth as her high-pitched giggles filled the room.

"Yeah, sweetheart. Ice cream melts," Jackson teased, turning in his seat to look back at his girlfriend. She rolled her eyes at him and he laughed. "I can think of a much better dessert for later, though."

"Shh!" The peds surgeon turned her back towards him to hide her flushing cheeks. "Not in front of you know who."

Madison dug her arm into the cereal box and pulled out the prize inside. "Mama, I got da toy!" she exclaimed, dropping the box onto the floor and spilling out the rest of its contents.

April spun back around, slapping her forehead after she discovered the new mess her daughter created. "Madison Leanne! We just bought that cereal yesterday and now it's all over the place," she said in frustration. "What are you going to eat for breakfast now?

Jackson scooted his bowl towards Madison and smiled. "Here, we can share. I'll get you a spoon."

His girlfriend folded her arms, furrowing her eyebrows at him when he walked into the kitchen. "Jackson, you can't keep spoiling her," she whispered. "Otherwise, she'll expect everything to go her way and I'll be the bad guy when I need to discipline her."

"She made me breakfast. I can't help it," he murmured, shrugging with a cheesy grin on his face. "Don't worry. While you're at work, I'll make sure she doesn't stir up trouble. She behaves 95% of the time when I watch her."

"Yeah, 'cause you're the fun one between us," she muttered.

"There's no reason to be jealous. She was just excited to do something for my birthday, a little too excited obviously." Jackson kissed the top of April's head and rubbed her back. "Why don't you go shower? I'll clean this all up for you."

"Okay, but keep an eye on Maddy while she eats. Oh, and make sure she doesn't choke-"

"I've got this," he assured her. "You've trusted me long enough with her, so she'll be alright."

April hopped up onto her tip toes, kissing Jackson's lips. She grasped his shoulders as a grin formed on her face. "Thank you. By the way, your present from this morning will continue later tonight," she seductively said and laughed when he softly groaned. "It'll be worth the wait. I promise."

Strolling down the hallway in the hospital, April had finished scrubbing out of her lone surgery of the day. It was a successful procedure with a few hours left to spare until Jackson picked her up from work. After speaking with her patient's parents, she stopped by the nurses' station to update a chart.

Alex approached his coworker and stood beside her. "Hey, are you busy?"

"If you're going to ask me to forge signatures for you again, the answer is always the same – no," she casually replied without bothering to look back at him. "And don't turn to your residents either. It's against the law, you know."

"That's not what I need you for," he retorted, rolling his eyes. "It's a personal favor."

"You know I don't do those either. Besides, I'm in a relationship with your best friend in case you forgot."

"Dammit, Kepner. I'm serious right now. Can you give me two minutes?" Alex impatiently questioned. "I swear, it's nothing perverted or whatever. I just need some freaking advice from someone who might actually help me out."

April closed her chart and handed it to the nurse behind the counter. "Okay, what do you want?" The two pediatric surgeons walked side by side down another hallway. "How can I help you, Karev?"

"Well…" He scratched the back of his head, slightly grimacing. "I need… dating advice."

She stopped in her tracks and smirked at him. "Dating advice?" the redhead skeptically repeated, folding her arms. "Your typical routine of picking up a woman at Joe's isn't working for you anymore?"

"Dude-"

"First off, I won't help you if you're gonna call me dude. As you can see, I'm a woman with breasts," she reminded him, pointing at herself. "Let's start over. Why do you want dating advice from me?"

Alex shoved his hands inside of his lab coat pockets, quickly shrugging his shoulders. "Avery's not here, so I can't talk to him and since you're his girlfriend I figured you might know better than he does." He continued walking with April. "The guy's freakin' crazy about you. I've never seen him so whipped before. He says you're a wildcat in bed."

"He said what?" she gasped.

"Oh, shit. You weren't supposed to know that, but uhh… the point is, you're good for him and what I want to know is… how can I find a woman who won't slap me across the face after five minutes?" he awkwardly inquired. "I do have my eyes set on somebody, but I need to impress her. I screwed things up the first time, so she doesn't exactly trust me anymore."

April raised her eyebrow curiously. "Who's this woman you're referring to? Does she work here?" She watched him peer over her shoulder and she turned around to see who he was staring at. Standing in front of a vending machine was Izzie. "Oh. Stevens? You like her?"

Alex shyly nodded his head. Normally cocky and overconfident, the timid side of him was one nobody had seen before. "You know, I figured since Avery hasn't been sleeping around in months and the crap with Izzie is all in the past, maybe I have another chance with her. I just need some tips. How can I convince her to go out with me?"

"Umm… well, first you have to stop acting like a douche. Stop calling us chicks too," she started, slightly smiling in amusement as he pulled out a notepad and a pen.

"Don't be a douche. Got it," he recited while he scribbled notes. "What else?"

"Make some small talk with Izzie. Talk about things she's interested in," she added. "Then, ask her out in a polite manner. Sound sincere. And take her somewhere formal for your first date. She'll know you're being serious."

"Can I screw her afterwards?"

April rolled her eyes. "And another thing, don't use the word screw or any other slang word for sex. Leave your Karev dictionary at home," she suggested. "You've never really dated anybody for more than a week, have you?"

"I prefer jumping straight to the sex. Sue me," Alex bluntly replied. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, I guess." She firmly patted his shoulder before she walked away. "Good luck!"

"Wait! What if your advice doesn't work?" he called out.

The redhead spun around on her heel and brightly grinned back at Alex. "Beg. Beg on your knees," she quipped.

"Whatever. Thanks for your freaking help, Kepner!"

April smiled to herself as she turned the corner. She walked to Mark's office, stopping at the doorway and knocking. Her older brother was sitting behind his desk filling out paperwork. "Can I come in?"

The plastic surgeon waved her over. "Yeah, sure. Good thing you showed up because I want your opinion on something. Aside from ordering the smoked duck for Avery's birthday, I had shirts made for our department." He opened a drawer and pulled out two colored t-shirts – one black and one light gray. Both had the words Plastics Posse printed on them. "Which shirt do you think he'll like more?"

"Oh, gosh. You're serious about this Plastics Posse thing? I thought you were joking," she admitted, sitting down in front of his desk. "Umm… are you going to make Jackson wear one of those tonight?"

"I didn't even think of that idea," Mark gleefully answered. "Maybe I'll wear mine too. So, black or gray?"

"Uhh, gray?"

He nodded in agreement. "That's what I had in mind. I guess I'll keep the black one then." After putting the t-shirts back into his drawer, he slyly grinned at his sister. "How was your morning? Give your boyfriend some hot birthday sex?"

She stared disgustingly back at him. "Mark, there are some topics you and I should never talk about. Sex is at the top of the list."

Mark chuckled. "That was a joke anyway. Do you honestly think I want to know about your sex life? Sometimes I still see you as that goofy looking girl with pigtails." He smirked at April. "How old were you when you stopped sporting that hairstyle every week? Twenty five?"

"Shut up," she playfully retorted. "For what it's worth, Jackson loved my pigtails."

"He loves everything about you. Why don't you two just move in together? He's always crashing at your apartment, which is average compared to his condo – no offense. And if he prefers sleeping next to you at night, then what's the point of keeping his own place?"

"We're happy with the way things are right now," April insisted. "He has a key to my apartment and there are spaces for his clothes. Isn't that enough? We don't want to rush anything."

"Oh, give me a break," Mark scoffed, lifting his legs and crossing his ankles on top of his desk. "If you want my opinion, Avery closed up shop from the moment you two started dating. Plus, I know there's nothing about you that would push him away. Maddy likes him, right?"

"She loves him. In fact, Jackson kind of spoils her," the peds surgeon answered, then she softly laughed. "You know, both of you guys are so weak. Kylie and Maddy know how to win you two over easily."

He rested his hands behind his head, smugly grinning at her. "Nah. We're just awesome. They're Daddy's girls. And before you say anything, Avery's shown he can be a great father. Never thought it was possible, but he's transformed into a better person before my eyes. It's like a miracle."

"It's not a miracle," she countered and smiled. "That good person in him was always there. It just took some time for him to resurface."

Waiting outside of the hospital for Jackson to arrive, April stood by the curb close to the parking lot. Her shift had ended and her boyfriend's dinner party was scheduled to begin in an hour, which gave her little time to change into classier clothes at her apartment. A brand new and shiny black Acura MDX pulled up in front of her. The passenger window rolled down and the plastic surgeon was inside, surprising her in the process.

"Hop in, beautiful," he happily greeted her.

Although confused by the sight of the new ride, April climbed into the front beside Jackson. "What is this? I mean, I know what it is, but… where did this car come from?"

"Doc Jacks'n bought a car!" Madison yelped from behind them in her car seat.

She briefly smiled at her daughter before she faced Jackson again. "You bought a car?"

He nodded as he drove out of the parking lot. "Yup, it's a birthday present for myself. Not only that, but…" The pretty man waited until they were stopped at a light to finish his sentence, so he could look back at her. "…I traded in the Porsche."

Her eyes widened. The Porsche was his prized possession. "You traded in your Porsche?" she asked skeptically. "You're kidding, right? That car was like your baby. After I drove it like one time, you inspected every nook and cranny for any damage."

Jackson laughed. "That was months ago. We just started dating," he recalled. "And my Porsche wasn't a family friendly car. Maddy's car seat was crammed in the backseat. This one suits us better."

"I still can't believe you- okay, now you're making me feel bad because you bought yourself a birthday present and you insisted I buy you nothing. That's not cool," she scolded him, jokingly pouting her lip.

"Because I feel like I have everything I need," he confidently said and grabbed a hold of April's hand. "If I'm allowed to be arrogant about something, it's the fact that I'm a happy man."

"I make you that happy?"

"Yeah. I'd do anything for you and Maddy." Jackson rubbed the back of April's hand with his thumb. "I love you both."

While she never doubted his feelings, actually hearing him openly talk about them was endearing. He had truly changed since she returned to her hometown. She squeezed his hand and smiled. "We love you too."

"I look stupid in this shirt, huh?" Jackson motioned his hand towards the Plastics Posse t-shirt Mark forced him to wear after he arrived at his home. He glanced down at the black lettering, shaking his head. "If he wasn't my boss, I would've tossed this in the garbage."

April giggled as she brushed her hand across his chest. "I don't know. It actually doesn't look that bad. At least you're not alone since Mark decided to wear his too. You two are almost twins," she teased. He rolled his eyes in response, then she slipped her hand into his and led him outside into the backyard. "I umm… I want to talk to you about something important."

"Okay. What about?"

"Well…" She nervously bit her lower lip, gazing down at their interlocked hands. "I've been thinking about this for most of the day now. Do you- do you want to move in together? It doesn't have to be my apartment. It's a little small, I know. And it's okay if you're not ready for that because maybe it is too soon-"

"Yeah, let's do it," her boyfriend interrupted her rambling and smiled. Jackson cupped April's cheek, tilting her head up to make eye contact with her. "I've spent more time at your place than mine in the last couple of months. I think we're ready."

"So, it's official?" the peds surgeon asked excitedly.

He leaned forward and kissed her. "You've made this the best birthday I've had since I was fourteen."

"Speaking of your fourteenth birthday, do you remember what we did?" April questioned as she eyed the swimming pool beside them.

"Of course I do. We went swimming in the lake. You let me grope your ass and we made out under the dock. Although, it wasn't the most comfortable makeout session, especially after a frog found the inside of my boxers and I banged my head about four times…" Jackson raised his eyebrow as a wide grin slowly formed on April's face. "What are you thinking about?"

Without any warning, she pushed him into the pool. Trying to hold back her laugh, she innocently smiled at her boyfriend after he swam up to the surface. "Oops," she snickered.

Jackson shook his head and pounded his fist against the water. "You are getting in here," he demanded, smirking back at her.

"No way! This dress I'm wearing is new!"

He climbed out of the pool, while she laughed at him. "I get it. You wanted to revisit our midnight swim at Wazi." Wrapping his arms around her, he picked her up causing her to scream out loud. "But you can't push me into the pool and think you'll get away with it."

Before she could respond, the plastic surgeon tossed her into the pool and jumped in after her. April splashed water at Jackson's face and while she wanted to yell at him, she laughed with him instead. "You bastard!"

"You love me," he humorously replied, pulling her against his body. "Thanks for giving me a reason to take off this Plastics Posse shirt, though."

"You're buying me a new dress," she reminded him before kissing his lips.

Mark opened the sliding door, furrowing his eyebrows at the sight of the couple in his pool. "I don't know what happened here, but dinner's ready," he announced, closing the door halfway before opening it again. "Oh, and don't come in until you're completely dry. I'll kill you both if you drip water all over my carpet. I'll get you some towels and dry clothes."

April chuckled as her brother closed the door. "We should get out now." She tried to slide out of Jackson's grasp, but he held on to her tightly. "Jackson, what are you doing?"

"Just a few more minutes," he murmured, smiling against her lips. "I'm trying to sketch this entire day into my memory because today was absolutely perfect."

I will post the last chapter this week!