Chapter 13

13

L IZ

"Where were you?" Terry asks as I claim my seat at the table.

"I was outside with the girls. We had ice cream in the kitchen," I say, my mother's stare burning holes into my face.

Her gaze lingers.

"Things all right?" she asks.

"Yes. Everything's fine. How long do you plan to stay?"

"You're bored already?"

"I'm not bored. It's that… There's not much for me to do here."

My mother cracks a smile.

"Chill. Eat a cookie."

"I had too much sugar already."

"Hence your restlessness."

She sighs and shifts her eyes away from me.

"It's going to be a beautiful wedding, " she says, bringing her glass of wine to her lips.

"That's what everybody says."

She takes a sip.

"I don't know if you'll ever want to get married…" she says and stops when she flicks her eyes to me and notices my stern look.

"Never mind," she adds.

"Now you know why I don't like weddings. Inevitably, people talk about this."

"It was just an idea."

I pin my stare on her.

"What was the idea?"

She looks at me.

"If you ever get married…"

She pauses while I wait.

"You should have a beach wedding."

My eyebrows wiggle up.

"Beach wedding? Where did that come from? I thought you liked Thea's wedding."

"I do. But I'm just saying. It's different."

"And we'd need to travel to the beach. Can you imagine how expensive that would be?"

"We'll worry about that later."

Smiling, she takes another drink.

I love that about my mother.

I love how optimistic she is about everything.

She said to me once she wouldn't have gotten anywhere had she not had an optimistic view on life.

I agreed with her back then.

"You know what would be different?" I continue.

She tilts an eyebrow, shooting me a questioning look.

"A winter wedding here in town. Can you imagine that? Christmas decorations adorning the trees. Showing up in a horse–drawn sled. Wearing a gown, a hooded cloak, and gloves. Slowly swirling snow falling from the sky."

I don't know what's gotten into me, but my imagination is jam packed with all these details.

For someone who has never thought about wearing a wedding gown, I surely know a lot of details about how I'd want that wedding ceremony to unfold.

I think I need a drink.

"It would look wonderful," my mother says, embracing the idea.

"It would," I say, signaling to a server.

The man heads my way when my phone pings with a message. I dig into my purse and pull it out.

"Who is it?" my mother asks.

"Uh…"

I move my eyes to her.

"Thea is asking me to replace the nanny for a few moments. She's tied up with something else."

Terry's lips part while I stare at her, frozen.

"And? What are you waiting for? Go."

"What am I supposed to do with the twins?"

"Did she ask you to do something?"

"No. They were asleep when I saw them."

"Then you watch them sleep."

"That's it?"

She rolls her eyes.

"Call me if you need me. There's nothing else to do."

A smile tickles my lips.

"Can you imagine? She's asked me to watch the twins."

"Move before they wake up," she says, laughing before grabbing her phone and checking her messages. "And leave your things here."

I shove my phone into my purse, drop it on the table, and pull out of my seat before strutting across the tent.

Moments later, I enter the foyer and walk up the stairs.

The second floor is quiet.

If I remember correctly, the door to their room was the third on the right.

I push it open, and the nanny smiles at me before heading to the exit.

"I'll be right back," she says quietly. "You can sit over there."

She points to the chair in the corner next to the crib.

I nod and tiptoe to my seat while she walks out.

A few more seconds, and I sit in my chair and look around the room.

They sleep soundly. So beautiful and peaceful.

The entire room is a sanctuary, the energy calming and soothing. It's impossible not to have good thoughts or to feel at peace in this place.

A smile creeps to my lips at the thought that one day, the twins will learn about these memorable moments.

They'll hear the story from Thea, Ed, or even me.

I will tell them about tonight––how cute they were and unaware that their loving parents were celebrating their sacred union with their friends.

I wish Chloe was here too and saw all this and learned something from it.

I'm getting worried about her being so restless and without direction. It's not like her to be like that.

On the other hand, if there's anyone equipped to deal with crap is her.

I lean back and move my eyes to the backyard.

Garlands of flowers adorn the tent, while curtains of lights dangle from the trees.

It doesn't take long, and quiet steps approach the door.

Before heading there, I look at the twins to ensure they're still asleep.

I don't want to wake them. I want to walk out and let the nanny in without making any noise.

My hand is on the doorknob when I feel a light push from the other side.

"Just a second," I say silently, pulling the door open when the silhouette of a man having his back turned to me fills my view.

Startled, I open my mouth.

"David??" I whisper, recognizing him. "What are you doing here?"

He pivots to me.

"Looking for you," he says.

"Were you surveilling the corridor?"

He cracks a smile.

"Yes, I was."

A moment of silence sidles up to us.

A dark gray suit, black shoes and a light purple shirt highlight his athletic build.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I overheard Thea telling Rain that you were here."

A smile touches my lips.

"You can't be here. This is crazy."

Of all the traits I expected to see in him, impulsiveness has never been one of them.

That impression that he is always in control, never risking anything, begins to be tarnished by the unexpected shifts in his behavior.

"I want to see the twins," he says.

"Yeah. That's not going to work. You don't even want to see the woman you have brought with you tonight."

He bites his lip, pondering, a smile hidden in his eyes.

"You're up to something," I say, hoarse from all that whispering. "But nothing can happen here. We shouldn't even talk," I say. "Go back."

I press my hand against his chest, hoping to make him move. None of that happens as he takes my hand, lifts it to his lips, and places a kiss on the back of my knuckles.

"David?" I gasp as he takes me by surprise, mixed feelings swirling in my chest.

The last thing I want right now is to get caught here with him.

I can only imagine the gossip circulating around town.

Elizabeth Fox is David Moore's side piece.

It doesn't matter that I'm his main piece.

That's how it looks.

And we all know what David Moore does to his women––other than having fun with them, of course.

And yet, he is stern in his conviction, not letting go of my hand.

"Are you going home from here?" he asks.

"I don't know. My mother's driving me home. Probably. I need to get some sleep before tomorrow. I'm the flower girl, remember?"

Holding my hand, he looks down.

"How could I forget? You look amazing, by the way," he adds in a cold, cynical tone.

"What's with you?" I say, my voice getting raspy from speaking quietly.

He holds my gaze for too long, and my body reacts with warmth, tingles, and tension between my legs.

"You know what? I can't talk to you right now. I'm supposed to watch the twins. I'm sure they have baby monitors in the room and could hear us. I'm leaving now. Okay? Bye."

I slide my hand out of his lock.

It's not like me to be abrupt like this, but I have no choice.

Peeling my eyes away from him, I walk back into the twins' room, reclaim my seat, and listen attentively, hoping to catch the sound of his steps moving away.

Somehow, this doesn't feel right.

I did the right thing, though, pushing him away, yet it doesn't feel right, but I don't move.

Soon after, the door opens, and my heart skips beats.

Luckily, a woman's hand grips the door, and I push out of my chair, sighing with relief.

The nanny enters the room and takes my place, smiling.

She asks me if everything is fine, and I ensure her Thea's babies have slept all this time before saying my goodbye and pulling away.

The house is quiet, and there's no sign of David as I walk back. Some guests are in the house, but there's no sign of him.

Eventually, I exit the house and check the backyard and the tent.

I find my mother at the table, but David's seat is empty.

Pam is gone too.

"You're back," my mother says. "How was it?"

"Good," I say dryly, taking a seat at the table.

She pushes my purse to me.

"David Moore called," she says casually, and I turn to stone.

My heart beats rapidly. Fortunately, there's no one nearby to hear our conversation.

"What?"

"David Moore."

There's no suspicion in my mother's voice, and no questions flicker in her eyes.

"Why would David Moore call me?" I act surprised.

"You didn't tell me he had your number."

"He must've put all our contact information in his address book. Someone must've given him my number," I drone on. "And maybe he tapped my name by mistake. I don't remember giving him my number," I say, although my mother has already lost her interest in the matter. "I'm sure he wanted to talk to someone else," I murmur. "Have you seen him, by the way?" I ask as she's eyeing another slice of cake.

"Uh… Actually, I have."

She moves her eyes to David's table.

"He was here moments ago. He and his date just left."

My chest tightens.

"So when did he call me?" I ask, swiping my phone with my thumb and checking the time of his call.

"After you went upstairs."

Shit.

I fold in my chair like a wet towel.