Free Imperfectly Real (A Series of Imperfections) by A.E. Woodward Page B

happy.”
    Shane immediately stood and took her into his arms. I looked away, not wanting to intrude on their intimate moment. My eyes fell on Elizabeth, she was gazing at them with longing in her eyes. I wondered if her engagement had been as emotional … if she had been happy when Mason popped the question. Part of me thought that maybe she hadn’t. She turned to me and smiled through the apparent sadness on her face. I directed my attention back to the happy couple just in time to see Shane slip the ring on Emma’s finger. She turned to Elizabeth and smiled. “Mom is going to make this so difficult isn’t she?”
    I remembered hearing Emma bitch about their mother’s behavior when Elizabeth had been planning her wedding. But even I knew that Mrs. Sloan would be a pain in Em’s ass over this.
    “You know how she loves to plan parties.” Elizabeth forced a smile, offering Emma hope that she could deal with Mrs. Sloan. I wondered if she and Shane would just end up eloping in order to avoid the shit-show.
    “Any excuse to show off,” Emma added as she sighed. She knew that she was agreeing to a torturous few months of planning—Mrs. Sloan would surely make this process a living hell for her.
    “I love you so much for this,” Shane spoke as he kissed her cheek one final time.
    Seeing my moment, I stood and congratulated the happy couple before excusing myself to the restroom, leaving the others to celebrate alone. I knew that this was going to make things all the more interesting now. I was going to be forced to see Elizabeth more than I’d been expecting, and I was happy about it.
    We got back to the condo just in time to relieve the babysitter of bedtime duties. It was a hustle of activity as the girls hurried around trying to get the kids ready. Dinner was served, baths were run, kids screamed—It was chaos. Rob left to go meet up with the partner’s daughter, leaving me to my own devices with no real opportunity to escape.
    Once the kids were asleep, the four of us sat in the living room mindlessly watching T.V. Shane and Emma were curled up together on the futon. She was absently twirling the new ring on her finger as Shane dozed off. I kept looking at Elizabeth, desperately wanting to be alone with her. She was leaving in the morning and I wanted to steal a few more moments with her before then.
    “Sheesh, I’m exhausted,” Shane spoke, standing and scrubbing his face. “I’ve got an early day in court tomorrow so I should head to bed. I’ll be gone by the time you leave in the morning, Liz.” He paused and she stood to give him a warm embrace. “It was good to spend some time with you and Emily. I’m glad you were here this weekend. You’re welcome anytime.”
    Elizabeth smiled. “Thanks for showing me a good time.”
    “No problem.” Shane turned to Emma who was still perched on the futon. “You coming, Em?”
    She stood and stretched. “Right behind you.” She looked over at her sister sitting in the chair. “You all set, Liz?”
    “Yeah. I’ll see you in the morning, right?” she asked.
    Emma stood and stretched her arms over her head. “What time are you planning on heading to the airport?”
    “Not until ten o’clock. I’m hooking up with Mason at the airport for the flight home, and his flight from Chicago doesn’t get in until eleven o’clock.”
    For some reason, hearing her talk about her husband stirred emotions in me that I hadn’t been prepared for. I didn’t understand why I felt jealous—especially since I had no right to.
    “Alright,” Emma yawned, “I’ll be able to see you off in the morning before I head into work.”
    My heart began pounding as soon as Emma made her way up the stairs. The idea of being alone with Elizabeth excited me. I wanted to be near her and have her talk to me again. I wanted to understand her, and know what made her tick. Once I heard Emma’s door close, I turned my attention toward her and grinned devilishly
    “Well, that was an