Mean girls softly played in the living room making it obvious that it was Sophie that chose the movie. Sophie sat in one corner of the couch, her legs tucked beneath her, Darren stretched out beside her with one arm slung lazily along the backrest.
Out of nowhere, he said, "I still can't believe Amy and Jace are getting married."
Sophie smiled instantly, like the words had been waiting for her. "I can."
Darren turned his head toward her. "Really?"
"Always could," she said. "Even when things were messy. Especially then."
He frowned slightly. "They went through a lot."
"They did," Sophie agreed. "But it never felt like the kind of trouble that breaks people. It felt like the kind that proves they're meant for each other."
Darren considered that. "You sound very sure."
"I am," she said simply. "Some people just… fit. No matter how many times life tries to knock them apart."
She shifted, resting her head against the arm of the couch, eyes distant now. "They choose each other. Over and over. That's rare."
A small smile tugged at Darren's mouth. "You're really excited about this wedding, huh?"
"I can't wait," Sophie said, her voice brightening. "I already know I'll be the maid of honour."
He laughed. "Already decided?"
"Obviously," she said. "Amy wouldn't even question it."
"Well," Darren said casually, "I guess that makes me the groomsman."
Sophie straightened immediately. "Oh no."
He blinked. "What?"
"Jace has a brother-in-law," she said. "That's practically an automatic groomsman."
Darren scoffed. "That's not a rule."
"It absolutely is," she insisted. "Family always gets priority."
"So what?...you're saying I'm out?"
"I'm saying you're… on standby."
He shook his head. "Unbelievable. I've known Jace longer than that guy."
"Now that's where you got it wrong," Sophie said sweetly, "He's been married to Jace's sister ever since."
They stared at each other for a beat,mock irritation hanging between them until it cracked.
Darren laughed first. Sophie followed, her laughter soft and familiar.
"You're impossible," he said.
"You love it," she replied.
The laughter faded slowly, leaving something quieter in between them. Their eyes stayed locked a second longer than necessary. The TV kept playing, unnoticed.
Darren reached out, brushing his thumb along her arm. "Come here."
She didn't hesitate.
The kiss started slow, unhurried but never dull. Sophie shifted, straddling him easily, her hands sliding into his hair as his grip tightened at her waist. She pulled back just long enough to smile, breathless, before leaning in again. His hands made it's way into her hoodie, it roamed around her body effortlessly. They leaned back and he helped her remove her hoodie as they both laughed again.
"We were just talking about the wedding" Sophie said in between her laugh.
"It can wait" Darren said kissing her again.
The world blurred.
The television kept talking to an empty room.
And for a while, nothing existed but the quiet certainty of two people choosing each other,no questions, no doubt. Darren's hands slid to Sophie's sides, thumbs brushing bare skin where fabric had already been forgotten. He leaned back just enough to look at her, really look, like he was committing the moment to memory.
"You're beautiful," he said quietly. Not dramatic. Just honest.
Sophie's breath caught not because she hadn't heard it before, but because of the way he said it now, like it mattered. Like she mattered.
She shrugged out of the rest of her top, letting it fall somewhere on the couch, and his gaze followed the movement slowly. No rush. No hunger that felt careless. Just admiration, warm and unguarded.
Darren swallowed, then smiled that soft, undone smile. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that." He said remembering their bathroom moment the day he arrived Manhattan.
She leaned down to kiss him again, deeper this time, her hands tugging at his shirt until he laughed into her mouth and let it go, fabric joining the rest on the floor. His skin was warm under her palms, familiar in a way that still felt new.
He stood then, lifting her with ease, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. Sophie laughed softly, burying her face into his neck as he carried her down the hallway, the world narrowing to the quiet thud of footsteps and shared breath.
At the bedroom door, he paused, just for a second resting his forehead against hers and her back against the wall.
"Cold?" he asked.
She nodded, fingers tightening at his shoulders. "Not with you holding me the way you are" She smirked.
That was all he needed.
He opened the door and closed it behind them. The next stop was the bed. He gently dropped her on the bed leaning back admiring her. Sophie smiled shyly as if it were her first time. She sits up and pulls him to herself kissing him deeply. The rest of the night dissolved into extreme closeness, and intimacy that was accompanied by Sophie's moans. The type of ecstacy that only comes when words aren't necessary anymore.
....
Elizabeth sat on the far end of the sofa, legs crossed neatly, a throw draped across her lap more for comfort than necessity. Amy was beside her, tucked close enough that their shoulders brushed now and then, they've gotten so close over the past week and Amy knew better than to tell anyone what transpired between her and James. Jace occupied the armchair opposite them, one ankle resting lazily over his knee and eyes stealing glances of Amy every thirty seconds.
The maid entered without ceremony, as though she'd done this a hundred times already and perhaps she had. She placed a shallow ceramic bowl at the center of the coffee table, filled with neatly arranged snacks, thin crackers and berries.
"Thank you," Elizabeth said warmly.
The maid nodded and slipped back out.
Amy reached for a piece absentmindedly, smiling. "This feels… nice," she said. "Like a proper afternoon."
Elizabeth smiled at that. "It's the little pauses that matter," she replied. "Moments where no one is rushing off to the next thing."
"That's true, Rebecca would have loved this kind of thing but she's always talking" Jace said.
His mom laughed.
Jace was about to say something else when his phone buzzed against his palm.
He glanced down at the screen, then groaned softly. "Speak of the devil."
Amy tilted her head. "Rebecca?"
"Rebecca," he confirmed, already answering.
"Hey, Bec."
Elizabeth lifted a brow knowingly but said nothing, reaching instead for her tea.
There was no preamble on the other end.
"Oh, now you answer," Rebecca's voice rang out, sharp with mock irritation. "I was starting to think you'd forgotten you had a sister."
Jace winced slightly, then laughed. "That's a strong accusation."
"Oh, don't even start," Rebecca shot back. "You fly all the way to Virginia, park yourself at Mom's house, and somehow it never occurs to you to come see where I live. Since, you know....." she paused deliberately "....I got married?"
Amy's eyes widened just a touch, amused. She was hearing her.
Jace rubbed his forehead. "Okay, when you say it like that....."
"I am saying it like that."
"it sounds bad."
"It is bad," Rebecca said, then softened immediately. "I'm kidding, maybe."
He smiled to himself. "I'm sorry. Truly. I think my brain still thinks you live down the hall from Mom's study."
"Wow," Rebecca said dryly. "So I'm a ghost now."
"You're a very loud ghost."
"Jace!" She called feigning annoyance.
"I'm not even lying, I see you over here almost all the time and I subconsciously still thought you lived here, you know, running around, talking to your friends over the phone, planning one thing or the other"
Amy bit back a laugh.
"Well....that was years ago J and we aren't kids anymore, I'd be a mom soon"
"Yh, that's true, my bad" Jace apologized, his eyes on the women sitting in front of him.
Rebecca sighed theatrically. "Anyway. The only way you're making this up to me is if you come over."
Jace straightened. "Come over?"
"Yes. Tomorrow. Lunch."
He hesitated. "Tomorrow....."
"Just you and Amy," she continued quickly, "and me and Nick. Nothing big. Nick can barely organize a grocery list without buying five of everything, so this is as low pressure as it gets."
Elizabeth's attention sharpened immediately.
"What about your mother, Rebecca?" She asked immediately.
Rebecca laughed. "It's just Jace and Amy mom"
"And Jace?," Rebecca added, voice dropping just slightly, "I don't know when you two are heading back to Manhattan. You vanish quickly, you know that. So tomorrow feels… right."
Jace glanced instinctively at Amy.
She met his eyes,already smiling.
"Alright," he said finally. "Tomorrow it is."
"Yes!" Rebecca exclaimed. "Good. I win."
"You always do," he said fondly.
"Say hi to Amy for me," she added.
He didn't even hesitate. "Rebecca says hi," he announced aloud.
Elizabeth leaned forward, smile warm and unmistakably maternal. "Tell her I miss her already and that I'm pretending she didn't just uninvite me from joining you two."
There was a pause then Rebecca's laughter rang through the speaker.
"I heard that," she said. "Besides you've been here before"
"That doesn't mean I can't come again"
"It doesn't, you're welcome everytime just not tomorrow" Becca said laughing as the others laughed too.
Jace shook his head, amused. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Love you," Rebecca said.
"Love you too."
He ended the call and let the phone drop back into his lap.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Elizabeth exhaled sharply. "Honestly, Jace."
He looked up. "Yesss?"
"You were supposed to go see her," she said. "You're the big brother. It matters."
Amy leaned back slightly, watching him with soft interest.
"I didn't mean to ignore her," he said defensively. "She's been around constantly since we got here. It doesn't feel like she's… elsewhere."
Elizabeth gave him a look. "She has a husband now. A home. A life that isn't centered around this house."
He sighed. "I know. I just...." He stopped, then shook his head. "In my head, she's still sneaking into the kitchen at midnight and stealing my cereal."
Amy smiled gently. "That's cute, Jace."
Elizabeth softened at that, though she still gave Jace a pointed look. "Tomorrow will be good for you both."
"It feels like I'm on trial," he muttered.
Amy laughed. "You kind of are."
"You're supposed to be on my side."
"I am," she said easily. "But I'm also really excited."
He looked at her. "You are?"
She nodded. "I've never been to Rebecca's place. I want to see how she lives. How she and Nick fit together in a space that's theirs."
Elizabeth smiled, pleased. "You'll love it. She's made it warm, that daughter of mine knows how to design""
Jace leaned back, finally giving in. "Alright. Lunch tomorrow. I'll face my reckoning."
Amy rested her head briefly against the couch. "You'll survive."
"Have some more berries sweetheart" Elizabeth motioned to Amy.
"Thanks" Amy said as she reached for more.
Jace rose from his seat with an easy excuse. "Um....i'll be right back" He said and slipped outside.
Amy watched him disappear down the hall, then turned back to Elizabeth.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Elizabeth reached for her tea, took a small sip, then smiled at Amy with an openness that felt deliberate as though she were stepping into something important.
"I'm very happy for you," she said.
Amy's shoulders relaxed slightly. "Thank you."
"No," Elizabeth corrected gently. "I don't mean the engagement alone, though that makes me happy too. I mean you. In Jace's life."
Amy tilted her head, listening.
"You bring out the best in my boy," Elizabeth continued. "Not the polished version he shows the world. The quieter one. The thoughtful one. The one who remembers to come home."
Amy felt something warm bloom behind her ribs.
"You've added… life to this house," Elizabeth said with a small laugh. "Color. Spice. I hadn't realized how still and colourless it had become until you arrived."
Amy smiled softly. "I never meant to..."
"I know," Elizabeth said. "That's why it matters."
She set her cup aside and folded her hands together. "The women who marry into this family," she went on, "they are the pride of it. Not because of our name, or our legacy but because they turn structures into homes."
Amy swallowed, emotion pressing quietly at her throat.
"You already do that," Elizabeth said. "Without trying. And I want you to promise me something."
Amy nodded. "Anything."
"Continue being yourself," Elizabeth said simply. "Don't dull it. Don't soften it for comfort. You're good for my Jace and I know you too have been through a lot so be the best for each other. Let your laughter fill rooms. Let your compassion unsettle us when it must."
She reached across the small space between them and placed her hand over Amy's.
"When you and Jace marry," she added, "make a home that feels lived in. One where love is not quiet out of fear. One where joy is allowed to take up space."
Amy's eyes shimmered. "I will," she said, her voice steady despite it all. "I love him. I want that for us."
Elizabeth squeezed her hand once, satisfied. "I know you do."
Footsteps sounded in the hallway then it was heard approaching.
Elizabeth withdrew her hand and smiled, serene as ever, as though nothing monumental had just passed between them.
Amy sat a little straighter.
And when Jace surfaced glancing between them with faint suspicion, Amy only smiled carrying with her the weight and warmth of a blessing she would never forget.
He paused just inside the living room, eyes moving instinctively between the two women.
Something was different and he could almost tell.
His mother sat back in her chair, composed as ever, but there was a softness to her expression that hadn't been there before. Amy, on the other hand, looked… steadier. Grounded in a way that caught him off guard. Her shoulders were relaxed, her hands folded loosely in her lap, but her eyes carried a quiet depth, as though she'd just been entrusted with something precious.
He frowned slightly. "Did I miss something?"
Elizabeth smiled at him, entirely innocent. "You're always suspicious."
Amy laughed softly, shaking her head. "Nothing you need to worry about."
That only deepened his curiosity.
He crossed the room and sat beside Amy, their knees brushing. Without thinking, he reached for her hand. She laced her fingers through his easily, squeezing once and gentle, very reassuring. The contact settled something in him, even if he didn't know why.
Elizabeth watched them with open fondness. "You found a good one," she said to Jace, as though it were a casual observation.
He glanced at Amy, then back at his mother. "I know."
Amy smiled, her thumb brushing the back of his hand, a small, grounding motion. Jace felt it,felt her and the strange sense that whatever conversation had taken place while he was gone had anchored something deeper between them.
Elizabeth stood then, smoothing her skirt. "I'll let you two have a moment. Dinner will be ready soon."
As she walked away, Jace leaned closer to Amy. "Okay," he murmured. "Now I'm definitely worried."
She turned to him, eyes warm, steady. "Don't be."
"Should I be worried?" he teased lightly. "Or did she tell you any of my embarrassing childhood stories?"
"No," Amy said. "Nothing like that."
He searched her face. "Then what?"
She lifted his hand and pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles unhurried, intentional. "She reminded me of something," she said quietly.
"And what's that?"
Amy met his gaze fully now. "That we're building something real. Together."
The words landed gently but firmly, like a truth he hadn't realized he'd been waiting to hear spoken aloud.
Jace exhaled, a smile spreading slowly across his face. He leaned his forehead against hers. "Good," he said. "But I could have still sworn she told you something embarrassing about me."
That made her laugh as she leaned into him.
And for the rest of the evening, though he never learned what had been said in his absence, Jace carried the certainty that something important had shifted, something that would hold them steady in the days to come.