“Even with the stinky beer?”
“Even with the stinky beer.” He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “I’m going to lick it off of you.”
“Hey, handsome,” she whispered. Her freshly scrubbed, happily sated man rolled over and fixed his gaze on her. “Happy birthday.”
He gave her a bemused look. “My birthday isn’t for a few more hours.”
“What time is it in London?”
He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. “Um, around three in the morning.” He turned to look at Elizabeth. “Ohhh. How official you are. Did you learn this at Birthday Fairy College?”
Elizabeth leaned over the side of the bed and disappeared from view. When she sat up and turned around, naked but for a silver birthday hat on her head, Darcy burst into laughter.
“You already gave me the best gift ever a few hours ago, but I must say I’m quite keen on this new one…”
“Good. Now sit up and close your eyes.”
“Um, should I be wearing more than my birthday suit or is nudity part of the plan?”
Elizabeth stopped and gazed at him thoughtfully. “Good point, my man. You’re even more brilliant at twenty-nine than you were a few hours ago at twenty-eight. Let’s put on some clothes. It’s chilly in here.”
“I am smarter,” Darcy said wryly. “I’d never make the mistakes now that I made with you last autumn.” He climbed out of bed and pulled on an old V-neck sweater and a pair of plaid flannel pajama pants. He watched Elizabeth don his matching pajama shirt and some polka-dotted leggings, smiling fondly at the haphazard match and thinking that soon all of her things, all of her clothes would be here. Darcy stared at her, lost in thought, until he heard her calling his name.
“Will? Come on. Let’s go in the den.”
He noted the two gaily wrapped packages in her hands and followed her to the small room, where he switched on the gas fireplace and sat on the sofa. She curled up beside him and placed the larger box on his lap.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
Darcy pulled on the ribbon and watched it fall gracelessly to the cushions. He glanced at Elizabeth and then began slowly tearing off the paper. Opening a plain white box, he pushed aside the tissue. His eyes widened as he pulled out a framed photo of himself and Elizabeth from last May, sitting next to each other at Pemberley, their heads bent together in conversation. Another frame, underneath it, held the selfie she’d taken of them before they’d left there a few weeks ago. He stared at the pictures, his eyes sweeping over one and then the other. He turned and looked at her. “Lizzy…”
She smiled and gestured back toward the box. He put the pictures on the table, and after casting them a lingering glance, he dug inside the tissue and pulled out two more silver frames. The first held his graduation photo from Cambridge—him in his robes, flanked by his father, Rich, and Aunt Catherine. And the last showed him sitting on the grass, his arm around a young Princess Coconut.
He sat numbly for a moment before turning to look at Elizabeth, his face a mix of confusion and wonder. “How did you…? This is amazing.”
“I have my sources.” Her voice was only a touch more steady than his. “Mrs. Reynolds, Rich, and Charles all wanted to help.”
Darcy blinked, trying to dispel the stinging in his eyes. “I haven’tseen this picture in years.” He gestured at the photo from Cambridge. “And these…” He reached to pick up the picture of him and Elizabeth, lost in their own world before they evenhada world. “Where is this from? Who took it? It’s fantastic.”
She laughed and reached over to squeeze his knee. “Lydia was quite handy with my cell phone that weekend. There are more.”
“Remind me to buy her a car, or ice cream, or something.” He closed his eyes before reaching over and pulling Elizabeth near. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” He kissed her and whispered, “I love you.”
Elizabeth tucked herself into him more deeply. “And I love you.”
He smiled, his eyes shifting to his graduation photo. His finger traced his father. “I’d almost forgotten he was there. It might have been the last time he left the house.” He looked at Elizabeth. “Rich and my aunt engineered it, I think.”
“He wasthere.”
“Yes.”
“There’s one more picture in the box, honey.” He rooted through it, finally discovering the last flat frame. It was smaller than the others. As he unwrapped it, he noticed Elizabeth was watching him closely, her face wearing an uncertain expression. The paper fell away, and Darcy gazed into the eyes of a five-year-old Elizabeth. Her front tooth was missing, her bangs were askew, and her eyes were bright and curious. She’d never looked more beautiful.
“Oh God. Oh, you were just as I thought. So adorable.” His voice catching, Darcy looked at the woman beside him.Scout.
“I thought…I mean, I’ve seen your pictures and houses,” she said shyly. “And I thought, after I told you that I’d wanted to be called Scout and you kept asking about my childhood…”
“You’ve no idea how perfect this all is. It’s brilliant; you’re brilliant.” He leaned in and kissed her tenderly, trying to convey all that he felt.
