Saturday morning began with sunshine—and Lia Henderson's brilliant plan to spend the day off not in the café.
"…Finally," she muttered, stretching. "…No espresso machines, no muffins, no chaos."
Ethan Cruz appeared in the doorway, a mischievous grin on his face and a backpack slung over one shoulder.
"…Finally," he echoed, "…a day off… and I plan to ruin it. In a good way."
"…Ruin it?" she asked, suspicious.
"…Adventure," he corrected, wiggling his eyebrows. "…Pack your shoes and your sense of humor."
Their plan: a short road trip to a nearby park and lake.
By mid-morning, they were driving down a winding road, music blasting, laughter filling the car. Lia sat in the passenger seat, singing loudly and badly along to every song.
"…Stop!" Ethan shouted, laughing as she hit a particularly off-key note. "…The car might explode!"
"…Never!" she yelled, grinning. "…Sing with me!"
He joined in, off-key and even worse than her, creating a disaster of harmonies that had them both laughing until they cried.
At the park, things quickly went chaotic:
Ethan attempted to set up a picnic blanket—but tripped over a tree root, sending sandwiches flying.
A curious duck approached their blanket, eyeing Lia's chocolate croissant.
Lia attempted to shoo the duck, only to step in a puddle and slip, landing—fortunately—into Ethan's arms.
"…Seriously?" she groaned, soaked and laughing.
"…Seriously," he said, holding her tight. "…But this… is kind of perfect."
Her cheeks warmed. "…Messy, chaotic, ridiculous perfect?"
"Exactly," he whispered, brushing wet hair from her face. "…And completely ours."
By late afternoon, they sat by the lake, watching the water glisten under the sun. Ethan reached for her hand.
"…You know," he said softly, "…I think we make a pretty good team. Chaos, disasters, and all."
"…We do," Lia agreed, leaning against him. "…Even when muffins fly or ducks attack."
He chuckled. "…I wouldn't trade it for anything."
"…Me neither," she whispered, kissing his cheek. "…Not even for quiet, chaos-free days."
"…Good," he said softly, leaning closer. "…Because I have a feeling we'll never get one of those."
By evening, driving back to the city, both were exhausted, laughing at the day's disasters and stealing quick kisses whenever the light turned red.
"…So," Lia said softly, resting her head against the car window, "…what's next for us?"
"More chaos," Ethan said, grinning. "…More adventures, more laughter, more… us."
"…Then I'm ready," she said, smiling. "…All of it."
Because life with Ethan Cruz wasn't just unpredictable—it was completely, ridiculously, wonderfully theirs.