Page 58 of Terms + Conditions
“We’re in this together,” I said and kissed her forehead.
Elizabeth didn’t say anything; she grabbed her purse and left to join the girls. I waited a few beats before leaving to find Nick and Finn.
Despite it all, standing here at the altar, if Elizabeth tells me no right now, I will happily walk right back down the aisle and find a way out of this mess.
Elizabeth takes a deep breath and there’s a new level of certainty when she says, “Yes.” She nods like she’s trying to reassure herself and me. I take my own deep breath and intertwine our hands, leading her to the final step toward the beginning of our new lives.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
NOW
THE CREDITS FORCHRISTMAS Vacationroll up the television screen as Chevy Chase’s character stands out on his snowy front lawn wearing a Santa Claus hat, his home covered in bright white lights behind him. Per tradition, the third night of the weekend is PGM (Pizza-Game-Movie Night), as it was so eloquently named by Selena a few years ago. We make Christmas-shaped pizzas for dinner, play a large game of Uno, and then watch a Christmas classic. PGM is my favorite tradition because we spend the night eating—pizza, popcorn, garlic knots, cheese bread…the list goes on.
When Elizabeth and I returned from the beach earlier, Lola and Selena were preparing the dough for pizzas while Georgie paced the back porch on a frantic phone call. Normally, I would say it’s safe to assume she was calling her husband, but now I can’t help but wonder if it’s the guy she was seeing. Everything was fine, she promised when she came back inside. Noah had disappeared again, having to do something for his parents, and it should only take a minute, but that minute turned into an hour and then two. Everything made so much sense now that I knew the truth, but being one of the only two people to know made it that much more awkward. I’m certain that Elizabethknows the truth, but it almost seems stupid to ask her. Of course she knows. It’s the only thing to explain the secrecy earlier this weekend.
After dinner and a round of Uno, everyone meandered down to the beach at Georgie’s request. Actually, she only asked the girls to join her, but Elijah, Jeremy, and I decided to tag along anyway. Elijah chased Selena down the beach, catching her by the waist and hoisting her into the air. Laughter turned into screams of horror when they tumbled into the water.
“Don’t even think about it,” Lola warned Jeremy.
“Well, I wasn’t, but now…”
“Should we join them?” I asked Elizabeth when Jeremy took off after Lola.
“Don’t miss out on my behalf,” Georgie said.
“Absolutely not,” Elizabeth warned. I laughed, pulling her to my side and kissing the top of her head. She snuggled a little deeper into me, tightening her grip on my torso.
Selena kicked water at Elijah before running back up the beach. I didn’t have time to register what was happening before Elizabeth was ripped from my arms and sandwiched between Selena and Lola—both soaked and covered in sand.
“I hate you guys!” Elizabeth squealed, and I laughed. Finally slipping from their grasp, she glared at me. “You think this is funny, Davis? Let me show you how funny it is!”
I tried to take a few steps back, but she had already wrapped her arms around me. The cool night air seeped into my clothes the same way her laughter seeped into my soul. When she pulled away, our eyes met, and it felt like there was a string between the two of us being pulled taut, bringing us closer together. My hand grazed her cheek, bending down to—
“Unless y’all want to catch a cold, I suggest we go in and change,” Georgie said, cutting the string between us. Elizabeth jumped about a foot away before she hustled up the boardwalk.
Now, the clock on the wall reads eleven o’clock, and the only ones who didn’t knock out during the movie were Jeremy, Noah, and me. Selena and Elijah were the first ones to pass out, cuddled together on the floor below me and Elizabeth on the couch. Lola was next; she was always a lightweight when it came to movie night, but at least she can say she lasted longer than Eli. Georgie wasn’t long after, falling asleep with her head in Noah’s lap. He arrived back at the house just before we started the ultimate debate of which movie to watch, and Georgie’s whole mood shifted when he walked through the door. She offered him the pizza she had made for him, but he declined—not hungry because he had eaten while he was out. Normally, that wouldn’t bother her, but I saw the tears she tried to hide that welled in her eyes. Pregnancy hormones, I guess?
Noah disappeared into their room after that and returned a few minutes later; it was like he had realized how tense things seemed because he tried to be a little less standoffish. Georgie doted on him, eventually snuggling up to him and falling asleep.
Elizabeth was last to fall asleep. Somehow, we had managed to secure the couch. I expected her to sit on the floor, but she laid down next to me, her backside pressed right up against me. With my arm thrown over her waist, she eventually fell asleep, turning over to snuggle further into my side.
I begin to rouse her. “C’mon, Sugar. Time for bed.”
She groans in response and snuggles closer.
Jeremy does the same with Lola, who yawns but does as she’s told.
I nudge Elijah with my foot, stepping off the couch, and he jerks awake instantly. His brown eyes are wide and alert, searching for the source of his rude awakening. When he realizes the movie is over and there isn’t a murderer standing over him, he groans and begins to wake Selena.
I gently shake Elizabeth’s shoulder, and she swats me away. After a little more prodding, she finally mustered the strength to get up. Yawning into a stretch, she rubs her eyes…
Noah peels himself from Georgie and the movement jolts her awake. She reaches for him, but he doesn’t seem to notice, or he doesn’t care. “Ready for bed, baby?” Georgie asks, her words dripping with sugar-coated honey.
“Yeah, let’s go, Gi,” Noah says, stalking out of the TV room without looking back.
Georgie notices my stare and offers a quick smile. “See y’all in the morning.” Without another glance, she hastens her steps to follow Noah down the hall.
“That is so awkward,” I say, following Elizabeth into the bedroom.
