I nodded, and she finally met my gaze. Her gray eyes sparkled silver under the light.
“Can you give me a minute to, um”—she blinked a few times, clearing the storm—“freshen up?”
I nodded again, and she smiled, a small smile, but it was a smile.I pulled the door closed and made my way over to Claire, who was not going to believe what I’d done.
“So… heads-up,” I whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear but not loud enough for the sound to reach Elizabeth, “I invited her to join us.”
“Interesting.” Claire’s dark brows popped up. “Why?”
I shrugged. “I wanted to.”
“Lincoln,” she said softly. Her concern was obvious, and without it, I’d have gotten into a lot more trouble growing up. “If you’re okay with it, I am.”
“It’s just a game, and you’re all here. What’s the harm?”
Rose clapped her hands together. “I think it’s an excellent idea. Especially after that article by her dad. Did you see it?”
“What article?”
Elizabeth walked into the living room still wearing the same pajama shirt but exchanged her shorts for a pair of sweatpants. I didn’t realize sweatpants could look that good. She sat on the floor across from me and lifted her bowl. “This spaghetti is the best I’ve ever had.”
“You should taste his stir-fry.” Rose rolled her eyes back. “Because of him, I’m insatiable.” Her eyes zapped open. “I’m talking about his food, obviously.”
“Is that what we’re calling it nowadays?” Dean teased, and to my absolute relief, we all burst out laughing. Including Elizabeth.
William smiled mischievously. “She wasn’t only talking about my food.” Rose pinched him, and he yelped. “Don’t wound me now, woman. We have an important date coming up.”
“What date?” Claire asked.
“Comic-Con!” Rose shrieked, looking at William with all the love she could muster. “Thunderstruck and Fun&Games have booths, and William and I will be competing to see whose booth gets more customers, so you have to come.”
“I’ve never been to Comic-Con,” Dean said, and I sometimes forgot he wasn’t raised a geek like the rest of us. “I’m game. Let me know when it is so I can schedule some time off.”
“It’s months away, but we get comps, so you’re all on the list. We’re telling you now so no excuses. Put it in your calendars!” Rose was practically vibrating with excitement. She then did what only she would do and asked, “Elizabeth, would you like me to put you on the list?”
And just like that, Elizabeth was here to stay.
42
ELIZABETH
[39 weeks ago]
@pancakesareelite:
So you have game night every week?
@theanswerisno:
I sometimes skip them
@pancakesareelite:
And you play board games together?
@theanswerisno:
Yep
