Tethered (Book Two of The Invisible String Series)

Valentine's Day

Y/N POV

Turns out life with a teenager is kinda fun, and I gotta say that I think I've kinda settled into this whole parenting thing a bit. I mean, I haven't lost or misplaced Liv yet, so that's always a plus in my parenting book.

Thankfully, we've still managed to keep the whole thing under wraps and Lizzie and I are working on publicly announcing bringing Liv in our lives sometime soon. I'm still not sure when, but Jamie is wanting to hold off on doing it for now so that we can focus on the band's tour promotions. I'm not really complaining about it, though and neither is Lizzie. As much as we don't want to hide Liv, we also don't want to throw her into our world just yet. The longer we can prolong that, the better, because when that happens I know that girl's world is going to be flipped upside down. It's hard enough being a teenager, let alone having famous parents/guardians/whatever-we-are (we haven't crossed that bridge just yet, and I'm not about to push the topic).

It's also been great having an extra hand in planning the proposal, which is happening the day after tomorrow, and what is currently keeping my stress level at an all time high. It's Valentine's Day today, and my plan has officially been set into motion. Tonight is just gonna be a simple dinner date, because I do want to celebrate today with the love of my life. But as we speak, Lizzie's sisters and my mom are all flying in- under the guise of celebrating Lizzie's birthday, of course, and so far everything is working out perfectly. The decorations are being delivered tonight while we're at dinner, and Liv is gonna hide them in Lizzie's garden shed outside before we get home. The ring has been professionally polished. I've got all the pictures printed out and hidden underneath the ring on the top shelf of the closet. And Lizzie is none the wiser about any of it.

"You look really tense, she's gonna know something is up."

I send a glare over at the teenager, who's currently smirking at me from her spot where she's lounging on our bed as I try and figure out what I'm going to wear for dinner tonight. "You know, when I asked you for help I didn't think you'd end up becoming a pain in my ass. You're officially off proposal detail."

That earns me a gasp from the teenager, who scrambles off my bed to join me in my walk-in closet with wide eyes. "No! No, I'm sorry! I was just trying to lighten the mood!"

Laughing, I turn back to my wardrobe, attempting to see if anything sticks out to me. Of course, nothing does and I find it mildly annoying. Usually I don't have this much trouble picking an outfit, as I'm not really the kind of person who obsesses over how I look, but I guess some of my stress from planning the proposal has seeped into my mood tonight and is affecting my decision-making process. "I was joking, kid. Also, I have nothing to fucking wear!"

Liv snorts, pushing past me and begins pulling out a series of tops and bottoms, glancing at them before putting some back and going back in for more. "You're being dramatic, don't you think? You'll literally look amazing in anything you wear, stop freaking out so much."

The teen holds up a few combinations that I don't hate, but I also don't love, but manages to pull out a long-sleeved jumpsuit that I forgot I had and smiles down at it. "You should wear this. It's cute. Plus, it'll match Lizzie's dress."

It's probably better than what I would have picked out right now, so I take the jumpsuit from Olivia and hang it on the back of the closet door. The teen automatically moves to grab a pair of simple black heels that match it perfectly, and I smile at her appreciatively. "Thanks, kiddo. Have you guys decided on how you're gonna distract Liz yet? I remember you all said something about the mall, but I didn't know if you had a specific place in mind."

Liv plops herself back down onto our bed, returning my smile. "Scar and the twins just said we're taking her there for a birthday shopping spree, so I have no idea what that entails."