“Oh, Grant, that’s wonderful! No wonder you both seemed so much happier.” She shifted the centerpiece into one hand and hugged him.
“It feels good to put that to bed.” His eyes darkened, and that hungry look was enough to stoke the fire inside her. “Speaking of beds…” He pulled her closer. “Not that I want to rush through the rest of Thanksgiving, but I can’t wait to get you in ours.”
His mouth came hungrily down over hers just as Levi sprinted around the side of the house, nearly crashing into them. Archer was on his heels, hollering, “Get your ass back here!”
Joey darted past, bundled up in a pink parka and matching knit cap.
“What is going on?” Jules yelled.
Joey stopped in the middle of the yard and spun around, hollering, “Dad stole Uncle Archer’s phone because he wouldn’t stop texting some girl!”
“Give me that phone or I swear I’ll break your arm,” Archer said as he and Levi shuffled around a big tree, their arms out wide, knees bent, like they’d charge through the tree if they could.
“You can try…and fail!” Levi bolted toward the backyard.
“Go, Daddy!” Joey cheered. She looked over her shoulder at Jules and Grant and yelled, “All the guys are out back! Bye!” She ran around the other side of the house after Levi and Archer.
“Welcome to the crazy house,” Jules said, loving the glimmer of mischief in Grant’s eyes. She knew he was itching to get in on the mayhem. “You can go hang with the guys if you want. I’ll see if I can find my sisters inside.”
“Thanks, babe. See you in a bit.” Grant leaned in for a kiss and groped her butt. “Love you.”
“Love you right back, big guy!” She watched him walk away, elated for his family, then headed inside. The scent of love was practically baked into the walls of her childhood home, and today it was joined with the sweet aroma of joy and the sounds of women yapping in the kitchen.
“Julesy? Is that you?” her grandmother called out.
“Yes!” She hung up her jacket and went into the large kitchen to join them. Sutton and Daphne were putting away leftovers in Tupperware containers. Leni was picking at the turkey carcass and nibbling on the remnants as their mother and grandmother pulled pies out of the oven and set them by a tray of turkey-shaped cookies, messily decorated, which Jules assumed was Joey’s and Hadley’s artwork. “Happy Thanksgiving. Where’s Hadley?”
“She’s with Jock and the guys,” Daphne said as she put a top on a plastic container.
Leni gave Jules an appreciative once-over, her hair falling in loose layers over the shoulders of her black sweater. “Look who got all dolled up for Thanksgiving.” Their family always dressed comfortably for the holidays, and her sisters and Daphne and their mother were all wearing jeans and sweaters.
“It’s my first Thanksgiving with Grant, and I wanted to make a good impression.” Jules looked down at her black wide-legged slacks and white V-neck sweater with gold threading. She’d thought about doing something different with her hair, but she’d been a little nervous and had gone with her signature water fountain, needing the comfort of the familiar.
“You look beautiful, baby girl.” Her mother took off the oven mitts and wrapped Jules in a warm embrace. “But you know Margot and Alexander don’t care what you wear.”
“That’s right, darlin’,” her grandmother said. She was the only one other than Jules wearing slacks, and she looked sharp in a royal-blue blouse, layers of necklaces around her neck, and several bangles on her wrist. “Margot used to change your diaper. Anything looks better than those poop explosions.”
“Grandma!” Jules laughed.
Daphne giggled. “I’ve got to admit, it’s great to hear poop humor from someone other than me.”
Sutton put a container in the fridge and sauntered over to Jules. She was tall, slim, and fashionable in a tan wrap sweater and skinny jeans. Her blond hair was parted on the side, and it fell forward as she slowly eyed Jules up and down. “Mm-hm. Oh yeah, Len, she has it all right.”
“I know. I see it from here,” Leni said, washing her hands in the sink.
“What are you talking about?” Jules looked down at her clothes. “What do I have?”
Sutton cocked a smirk. “That freshly fu—”
“Loved look,” Leni interrupted Sutton, glowering at her.
“Ohmygod. Seriously, you guys?” Jules rolled her eyes, and everyone laughed.
Her grandmother nudged her with her elbow and said, “I hope you never lose that look. Your grandfather and I enjoyed sex right up until the—”
“Grandma!” Jules and her sisters snapped.
“Mom, control your mother,” Leni pleaded.
“Don’t look at me.” Their mother drew her shoulders back and ran her hands down her wide hips. “I’m surprised you girls haven’t commented on my freshly loved glow.”
“Mo-om!” the sisters complained.
“I noticed you were even more cheerful today, Shelley,” Daphne said.
“And I, you,” their mother said, causing Daphne to blush fiercely.
“Can we cut the sex talk, please?” Jules picked a cookie from the tray. “I want to catch up with Sutton and Leni before the guys come in. Sutton, how was your business trip?”
Sutton rolled her eyes and leaned against the counter. “We were in Minnesota doing a story about Niagara Cave. Talk about cold. I’m never going there again.” Sutton had been promoted from her fashion editor job with Ladies Who Write Enterprises to her dream job as a reporter for their World Discovery Hour show. The trouble was, she’d never done reporting before, and she knew nothing about the topics she covered. But Sutton was smart and a quick study, and she hadn’t gotten fired yet, which Jules took as a good sign.
“You should have snuggled up with that hot boss of yours,” Leni suggested. “Mm-mm. One night with Flynn Braden and I bet the memories alone could keep you hot for weeks.”
“He is a handsome devil, isn’t he?” their mother agreed.
“Flynn?” Sutton made his name sound vile. “The guy who’s been trying to get me fired since the day I was hired?”
“Oh, honey, I’m sure that’s not true,” their mother said.
“Womanly wiles go a long way,” their grandmother said. “Maybe he just needs to warm up to you. If you know what I mean.”
“Ugh. Thanks, Gram, but no.” Sutton bit into a cookie. “Can you bother Leni about her lack of a love life instead of me, please?”
“I don’t have time to date.” Leni looked out the window. “Besides, do you really want me to add to the gaggle of fools out there?”
“Hey, don’t call my man a fool,” Jules said as they all went to look out the window.
Jock, Archer, and their father were tossing a football and barreling into each other. Just beyond them, Grant was holding Joey’s feet and Levi held her hands as they tossed her into a pile of leaves. Hadley ran to Grant with her arms up, and he lifted her above his head, earning the biggest smile Jules had ever seen on the naturally stoic little girl. Grant lowered her into his arms, and Hadley hugged him around the neck, turning Jules into a pile of mush.