Tethered (Book Two of The Invisible String Series)

Forever With You: Part One

I don't bother arguing with either woman, because it would just be pointless to, and I have to admit that they do have a point. I'm going to be of no use to anyone out here if I'm walking around stressing about everything, and I do need to kind of figure out exactly what I'm going to say to Lizzie. So I settle myself down at our kitchen table, where there are various pictures of Lizzie and I taken over the course of our relationship sprawled all on the table's surface, and finish what I'd been doing earlier before going to wake Lizzie, a small smile on my face.

By this time tomorrow, I'll officially be engaged to Elizabeth Olsen.

And I can't fucking wait.

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Lizzie's POV

I trail behind the others as we walk into the mall, letting out a light sigh. This wasn't going to be as fun without Y/N here, and while I'd been ecstatic to spend some time with my sisters- who I only get to see on very rare occasions like this, I'm also still slightly annoyed that my girlfriend isn't here to keep my birthday blues from creeping back in.

Realistically, I know I shouldn't be freaking out about turning another year older, but I am. And I know a lot of it stems around my anxiety about the future, because ever since we'd officially taken Liv in I'd been thinking non-stop about adding onto our little family. I know Y/N doesn't want to carry, and I'd readily agreed to do it when we briefly talked about it all those months ago. But that was back when I was thirty, and most of my eggs were still viable and there weren't a shit ton of complications that could develop with being pregnant over the age of thirty. I've been secretly searching all the statistics when Y/N isn't looking. I know I shouldn't, but I couldn't stop myself and there's a 1 in 4 chance. That's a twenty-five percent chance that I'll be able to successfully carry to full term and it's just been stressing me the fuck out. Because what if after all this is said and done Y/N realizes that I can't give her a family like someone else closer to age can? What reason would she have to stay?

I know she loves me, I feel it every time I look into her eyes, but the thought of losing her, in any way or for any reason, makes me sick to my stomach. It's been of fear of mine since the beginning, and I know it's been sticking around at the surface of my anxieties because of the attack. It's just been all I can think about lately.

"Hey, Lizzie, are you okay?"

I'm shaken out of my thoughts by Olivia's voice and give the teenager a smile as she slows her pace to match my own, her eyebrows pulled together with what I can only describe as worry. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."

The sixteen-year-old stays by my side as the twins and Scarlett head into the first store, and the two of us trail behind them with much less enthusiasm. I'm almost lost in my thoughts once again when the feeling of someone's hand gripping my own forces me back out of them and I glance down to see Liv holding onto my hand as she warily looks around at the packed department store around us.

My heart goes out to her, it really does, because I understand her anxiety. Probably a lot more than anyone else does, and while I can usually maintain a steady grip on my own fears I know what it's like before you get to that point where you do have control. So I simply slip my arm around the girl's shoulder and pull her into my side as we brave the masses together, giving the teenager a wink when she looks up at me with a thankful smile on her face.

I watch, amused as the girl's face suddenly shifts and she glances back up at me. "Oh shit! I haven't told you happy birthday yet!"

"Language, sweetheart."

Liv smiles up at me sheepishly, which only causes me to smile in return. I've been trying to curb the girl's language as much as I can. Even though I know I have my own bad habit. It momentarily makes me feel like such a hypocrite. "Sorry, but happy birthday!"