Jet narrates Fourth of July festivities along the Trinity River, where she knows Ryan has planned a surprise. Nana arrives first, followed by Shauna, Michael, and Kendi, all pretending it is an unplanned gathering. During the fireworks, the word “Lillian” and then a lancework question, “Re-marry me?” appear in the sky. Ryan kneels and privately speaks to Lillian; Lillian answers “Again and again,” and they kiss as he adds a new ring to her finger, drawing cheers from the crowd. Jet reflects on finally having the togetherness she has envied in other families.

Ryan had leveraged his art-world connections to arrange the fireworks proposal, coordinated with Jet under the pretense of celebrating her birthday and trying “a new camera thing.” Afterward, the families banter and Jet and Kendi spend the night at Nana’s while the adults continue celebrating, emphasizing the warmth and acceptance Ryan has earned from Shauna.

During Ryan’s first long weekend staying at Lillian and Jet’s apartment, small frictions emerge as new habits mix with old routines. Ryan grills and feeds Seth meat scraps, and Jet and Lillian share uncertain looks. While Jet practices the Preamble for school, Ryan unexpectedly tears up, then recites it from memory, prompting Lillian to mask a flash of pain at his mention of childhood. After dinner, Ryan does dishes and tries to fit into their evening rhythm; Jet claims her usual homework time with Lillian and resists Ryan’s presence.

Before bed, Ryan invites Jet to join him in a friend’s darkroom the next day and dinner at Chili’s with Lillian. Jet is thrilled, and the next day the darkroom lesson and dinner go well. Back home, Jet finds Lillian and Ryan cuddled on the couch in a way that makes Jet feel displaced. She withdraws to call Kendi, and they commiserate about feeling like third wheels in their newly blended families.

With Shauna and Michael on a delayed honeymoon, Kendi stays with Jet and Lillian. Classmates tease Jet and Kendi as “lovebirds,” so Jet overschedules with friends to push back against the gossip. One night, after a basketball game, Jet returns home to find Kendi awake reading and the apartment seemingly normal. Expecting Lillian to be waiting up, Jet discovers Lillian collapsed on the bedroom floor, cold and unresponsive, with her engagement ring finger swollen.

Kendi calls 911. Ryan arrives and stands stricken as paramedics confirm Lillian has been dead for hours, likely from cardiac arrest pending autopsy. Jet enters a dazed state through the obituary and funeral, fixating on the banality of Lillian’s last evening: dinner with Ryan and Kendi, a headache, and lying down to rest. Jet is consumed by guilt and misdirected anger toward Kendi for being present while she was out, believing she might have saved Lillian. The chapter closes with Jet, numb and grieving, accidentally brushing with soap, vomiting, and opening the bathroom window to a starless, wind-lashed night.