Tethered (Book Two of The Invisible String Series)

Family

Y/N POV

An obnoxiously loud meow startles me out of my sleep, and I lazily blink one eye open to see Nox sitting on Lizzie's unoccupied pillow, tail swishing back and forth.

I smile slightly, reaching out to scratch between the cat's ears for a few moments, enjoying the loud purrs that accompany the attention the little demon had apparently been seeking this morning.

With a yawn, I pull myself out of the bed and stand on slightly wobbly feet as I try to stretch out my muscles. I'd caught a glimpse of the clock on my bedside table, noticing that it's barely after nine am. Which means that I've only been asleep for a few hours. It was a little after two in the morning when I'd gotten Olivia's text and by the time I made the trip there and back with the teenager in tow, it was well past three. I think Lizzie and I both passed out somewhere around five, still feeling the effects of the adrenaline that came with worrying about Liv all night long. And as exhausted as I feel, I want to be awake when Olivia wakes. I don't want to chance her running off again, especially not before we get the chance to talk to her.

Attempting to keep my footsteps light, I carefully make my way out of our bedroom and down the hall towards the spare room, or Olivia's room now, I guess, and turn the knob as quietly as I can. I only open the door enough to poke my head in, just to make sure said teenager is still peacefully sleeping in her bed. Thankfully she is, and I smile softly as I notice how she's sprawled out across the bed. It doesn't look comfortable at all, but Liv is snoring lightly and I close the door behind me with a small shake of my head.

I let out another yawn as I reach the bottom of the stairs, and start to make my way towards the kitchen and the various sounds that are coming from there. I smile upon seeing Lizzie standing at the stove, apparently in the middle of making breakfast and oblivious to my appearance as the brunette softly hums to herself.

Once I've had my fill of observing, I walk a little further into the kitchen and up to my still completely unaware girlfriend, sliding my arms around her waist from behind. She jumps a little at the contact, but soon settles back into my embrace with a light laugh. "You startled me."

I let myself lean into her comforting warmth, nuzzling my nose into the crook of her neck as my eyes flutter shut. "Sorry. How long have you been up?"

"Not long, half an hour at the most. Is Liv still asleep?"

Nodding, the two of us fall into a comfortable silence as Lizzie resumes her cooking. I eventually release her from my embrace when she moves around the kitchen to gather various supplies, but not before stealing a quick good morning kiss and offering to help her finish breakfast. With the two of us working together, we manage to get everything done in just a matter of minutes.

I finally decide to break the silence as I grab some plates from the cabinet. "So how do you wanna approach this when Liv wakes up?"

From out of the corner of my eye I can see Lizzie take a deep breath before shrugging. "I have no idea. I know we need to tell her that we're planning on fostering her, but I also kind of want to approach the whole running away thing. I want her to feel comfortable enough to come and talk to us when things upset her, but I also don't want to overwhelm her with too much in one day."

I'm relieved upon hearing Lizzie's thoughts, because I also wanted to address Liv's want to run from things but wasn't sure if it was the right move. I mean, technically we're not her parents, but we are going to be her legal guardians and I agree with what Lizzie says. I want Liv to be able to talk about things with us, but I also don't want to overstep so early on in the situation we've all found ourselves in. "I agree, but I guess we'll just take it one step at a time?"