“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she exhaled, burying her face in her hands.
“He seemed… good,” Will mused.
She gave him a look. “That’s great. Meanwhile I’m going to go jump off a tall building.”
“Come on. Get up. We’re all adults here, and I don’t know about you, but I’d love some pancakes.”
“Will, my entire family is inside.”
He moved to the foot of the bed and stood, his head almost touching the ceiling. He found his boxers and slipped them on, then extended his hand to her.
“I’m all in, Lizzy.” He smiled. “You’re stuck with me, too.”
“Get ready for a shitshow,” she muttered to him, then leaned up and put her hand in his.
A disjointed cacophony welcomed them when they entered the house. Laughing and yelling could be heard over the sound of a local commercial blaring on the television.
Lizzy hesitated in the foyer, looking up at Will with a crease of worry between her eyebrows.
“What?” he asked.
She let out a shaky breath. “What if they all just… freak out?”
“They won’t.”
“What if they bombard you with insane questions?”
“I’ll probably answer them.”
“What if they’re so embarrassing I run into the woods screaming?”
He smiled. “Then I’ll come find you and bring you back.”
A smile of her own started to slowly turn up her lips. “Really?”
“Yes. After the pancakes. I’m hungry.”
She laughed. The warmth of it was enough to run a slow current through his body. He wanted to kiss her suddenly, carry her back to the boat and delay the rest of the morning for a few hours, but he could already hear movement from the kitchen.
“Lizzy?” Mrs. Bennet called out. “Where have you been?”
“Come on,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss away the frown line between her brows before leading her forward.
They entered the kitchen, but there was a delayed reaction to their arrival. Kitty and Lydia were at the kitchen table arguing, while Mary sat opposite them reading a book. Mrs. Bennet was standing at the kitchen sink, her phone to her ear as she ignored the pancakes on the stovetop, nodding and agreeing with whoever was on the other end.
Then she caught sight of Will.
Her mouth fell open as she took in his rumpled sweater, his matted hair, and his hand wrapped around her daughter’s. That’s all it took for her to lose muscle function and drop her phone to the floor.
“Oh my God, Mom!” Lydia yelled. She turned in her chair to continue chastising her, but her eyes locked on Will and Lizzy instead.
“What’s wrong?” Kitty asked her twin.
Lydia let out a strangled whine.
Kitty turned to see them, too. Then Mary.
The kitchen was enveloped in silence.
