The thought makes me think of Wes.
Picturing him sitting here with us, as one family, would make everything complete. I reach for my phone multiple times, but I can’t seem to get privacy.
Around noon, I’m on my way to the bakery to pick up the pies my mom ordered, so I call Wes to see how he’s doing. When he doesn’t answer, I take my time, driving the back roads and taking wrong turns, but by the time I get back home, he never returns my call.
I’m worried he won’t go to the commissary and instead eat takeout alone. Even though he says he’s okay with staying home, I know he’s not. Wes likes people. He thrives when he’s interacting, and I worry that without that interaction on a day when you should be with your family, it will upset him even more.
After everything else is prepped, I head to my room to get more formally dressed for dinner and head back into the kitchen. Dad is taking the turkey out of the oven while Mom loads pans of prepared food in the oven to make sure they are warm enough.
“You look beautiful,” Dad says when he sees me.
I twirl in my fall dress with knee-high boots. “Thanks.”
He gives a wistful grin. “You’re so grown-up. I don’t know what’s going on at Berkeley, but you seem older. My little girl is gone.”
“She’s a woman now, Shane,” Mom says. “Soon, she’ll be out there, making a difference for our society and environment. She’s our brilliant, beautiful girl.”
Even though I should be used to my parents’ boasting, I blush. They’ve always been supportive, and it’s not lost on me how lucky that makes me.
There’s a knock at the door, which has us all looking at each other in wonder.
My dad heads to answer the door, and when I hear him announce, “Wesley. This is a surprise,” my heart pounds.
I turn around so fast that I have whiplash. Sure as the sun is golden, Wesley Knight is standing in my parents’ doorway. Blue jeans, a crimson sweater, and a leather jacket.
“I hope the invitation still stands for joining your holiday dinner,” he says as he holds out a bottle of wine to my dad.
“You know it does, son. Come on in.” Dad puts his arm around Wes. I see a flash of relief in his eyes as they walk in, and the door closes behind them. “Stacey, look who decided to come after all.”
The smile that instantly graces my face is hard to hide as my belly does flips at the sight of him here. “Good thing Mom cooks for an army. We could use an extra body at the table.” I smile brightly.
Wes’s hazel eyes sear into mine as he walks down the foyer. He drove six hours to be here. It might not have been to see me, but from the way he’s staring at me, I can pretend in this moment that I’m the only person in the world he wants to be with right now.
Mom brushes past me with her arms out as she greets him. “I’m so glad you made it! Let me take a look at you! Last I saw you was during the spring playoffs, and you’re even handsomer.”
She talks to him in rapid-fire about all the food she made and how there’s plenty of room for him to join us. She gushes about how happy she is to see him and runs her hand down his face, like he’s still the young boy who spent many days playing video games in her living room.
Chad and Nicole come downstairs, freshly changed for the holiday, and they exchange hugs with Wes.
“Dude! You actually came!” Chad exclaims.
I want so badly to rush over there and wrap my arms around him and show him how happy I am to see him, but I calm the urge and start washing the dishes in the sink, just so I have something to do with all this nervous energy.
Mom and Dad make their way back into the kitchen to finish cooking while Nicole and Chad walk to the living room.
Wes comes back toward me and leans against the counter. I chance a glance at his rogue smile and become flush.
“What’s up, Squid?” Wes says as he leans in slightly with a hand in his pocket.
“You drove six hours and didn’t tell anyone you were coming?”
“What can I say? I like to make an entrance.”
I grin as I scrub the dish in my hand. Wes takes it from me along with a towel that was lying on the counter.
“Are you cool with your roommate crashing your family holiday?” he asks while drying the plate. “You’re not sick of always having me around, are you?”
When I look up into his eyes, I find myself lost in the acceptance they seek. I bite my lip and shake my head. “Not at all.”
As the broad smile graces his face, I turn my attention back to the sink and finish washing the spatula, handing it to him to dry. We’ve done this routine a dozen times at the apartment after Chad and Nicole cook, yet the familiarity suddenly feels more intimate now.
Dinner is torture. The food is delicious, the conversation is lively, yet having him so close and having to act like he’s the same Wes that drove me nuts my entire life is unbearable. Especially since he’s sitting next to me with his knee rubbing my leg in a not-so-subtle way.
I find myself questioning every word that comes out of my mouth. I wonder if I’m being too obvious or acting weird either way, so toward the end, I stand up and start clearing the table. I notice the way Nicole smiles at me but try to ignore it and go about my business as the helpful daughter who seemingly has no one special here to sit with and visit.
We spend the rest of the night playing Taboo—or what we call the beeping game because of the obnoxious noise the game makes.
Mom pours wine for the women while Dad breaks out the scotch. As we pick the two teams, we decide girls against boys. Mom and Dad are at each end of the table while Chad and Nicole take their seats. Wes is next to me, but this time, it’s more than his knee that rubs against me.
I go first, and Wes grabs the buzzer to act as my referee. He scoots his chair over, pretending he’s keeping an eye on the competition, and by doing so, he lays his hand on the edge of my seat. I have to take a deep breath to calm the heavy beats it causes in my heart. My chest tightens as the warmth of his body overwhelms me.
I glance his direction, and the smirk he gives me proves he knows exactly what he’s doing by playing dirty to win the game.
As I turn the card, I look at the word Astronaut. I yell out, “Guys. Up. There. Flag.”
He lifts a fist to his mouth and coughs while his other hand lifts my dress. His fingers skim the skin of my leg and shivers run up my body.
“Shuttle!” I shout carelessly.
Wes buzzes me as loud as possible and reminds me I’m not allowed to say the word shuttle. I grunt, flipping to the next card, and scoot my chair away from him while giving him the evil eye.
He groans, and I smile.
He moves his seat closer again, even more so than last time. Everyone thinks he’s hysterical. I play it off as if he’s utterly annoying.
Deep down … I love it.
I stare at the card that says Swimmer.
I look straight at my mom. “Me. I’m this.”
Mom smiles, saying, “Beautiful, sweet, kind, amazing.”
I hear Wes whisper under his breath, “Yes, yes, yes, yes,” as his hand moves up my thigh.
I get flustered and can’t think of what to say or even what’s going on. I try to recover and say, “No. Mom. What sport—”
Wes buzzes the beeper again, pointing to the word sport on the card. “Dang, Squid. That’s zero for two.”