I shrug, even though I’m totally over what happened last night. Now that I’m no longer a huge bundle of nerves, I realize he was only trying to be sweet with his surprise announcement. “I don’t know. I kinda like you groveling like this.”
“Oh, baby,” he croons. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
“There she is.” Nadine seems to be over last night’s irritation as well. Thank God. She meets me at the bottom of the stairs dressed in a camel-colored suede shift dress and knee-high boots to match. Her shoulder length hair is flipped out in a seventies do, and she’s got a full face of makeup. The woman is a knockout.
“Hey. Sorry I took so long.” I smooth down the front of my white linen romper. “I almost fell asleep in your big tub!”
“Don’t be silly. You relax all you like, but there is someone here who’s dying to see you.”
Nadine takes me by the hand, leading me to the living room, where Liam’s younger brother, Cliff, is deep into a game of Monopoly with Ellie. I haven’t seen him in nearly ten years. He’s sure grown up from the pimple-faced fifteen-year-old boy I remember.
“Cliff? No way. It can’t be…”
“Hi, sister-in-law.” He smirks. It’s a devilish smirk that reminds me a lot of his older brother’s. I imagine he gives the girls hell. He pushes up from where he’s been sitting cross-legged on the rug to give me a squeeze. “Good to have you back.”
I don’t know why his whispered words make me tear up. Such a simple sentiment, but I’m fighting back a torrential downpour. I didn’t just lose Liam in the divorce. I lost his family. And Cliff hit the nail on the head. It feels really good to be back. To be home.
“Missed you too, little brother.”
“’Bout frickin’ time,” Roger announces, coming in from the porch. He’s decked out in a fresh flannel, tucked into a pair of khakis, with a belt. He’s even wearing loafers. “You look beautiful, Nya girl.” He gives me a nod before rushing toward the dining room. “Now, let’s eat!”
“You trying to kill me?” I jump at the feel of Liam’s warm breath on the back of my neck. His woodsy scent sends a shiver dancing along my spine.
“What I’d do now?”
He growls. The sound is low and thick in the back of his throat. It’s sexy as hell. “This outfit. I can see every curve through this thin material.”
I glance down at my clothing, which is not at all revealing—an all-in-one jumper with spaghetti straps and a v-neckline that’s quite modest. “That’s only because you saw me practically naked last night.” My cheeks heat.
Another groan sounds behind me as he places a hand at the small of my back, guiding me toward the dining room to join the family. “Haven’t been able to wipe that vision from my head. Trust me.”
I do my best to shake the lustful feelings away as I take the chair Liam’s pulled out for me. Nadine outdid herself. No surprise there. I’ve never known anyone who could put together a movie-worthy spread at every family meal, but this woman is Suzy Homemaker to the nth degree. The turkey sits on a platter at the center of the table. It’s the perfect shade of golden brown, crisp on the outside, and I have no doubt perfectly moist inside. Side dishes of mashed potatoes, yams topped with marshmallows, green bean casserole with those little crispy onions on top, stuffing, cranberry sauce, spiral sliced ham, and bread rolls are arranged artfully in coordinating serving dishes. I have no doubt each of our place settings set them back a pretty penny.
“No empty spot this year,” Ellie announces with a radiant smile. She looks so pretty in her burgundy corduroy dress with her hair styled in two French braids. Nadine must’ve gotten ahold of her while I was lounging in the bath. Having raised two boys, she’s always enjoyed doing girly things with her granddaughter. Hair. Nails. Shopping. She loves it all.
Roger and Nadine are seated at opposite ends of the table, with Ellie and Cliff on one side and Liam and I on the other. I can’t help imagining my chair empty the past few years, and it stings. I’ve missed out on so much, and nothing makes me realize it more than being here and having it staring me in the face.
“We sure do have a lot to be thankful for this year Ellie-Lou,” her grandmother agrees while smacking Cliff’s reaching hand. “Grace before food. Put that roll down right now, young man.”
Cliff’s face heats as he drops the buttery roll on his plate and bows his head. The rest of us follow suit without having to be told.
“Heavenly father, we want to thank you for blessing us with the means to provide this beautiful meal for our family. And we ask that you bless those less fortunate, that they might have a special day with their loved ones despite their circumstances. We want to give an extra special thanks on this day of Thanksgiving to you for bringing our Nya back to us. Please bless their marriage with love, honesty, forgiveness, and grace. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.”
A chorus of amen rings out around the table before hands and dishes are flying every which way. For a moment I can’t do more than watch as everyone else loads their plates, just taking it all in.
“Turkey?” Liam asks when he notices I haven’t moved.
“Yes, please.”
He places a slice of breast meat on my plate and douses it in gravy, remembering just the way I like it. He adds a spoon of potatoes, green beans, and a roll to my plate before he finishes serving his own and folds back into his seat beside me.
“Good?” he asks gesturing with his eyes to my dinner.
“Mmhmm. Perfect.” My voice cracks, and I know that he’s aware I’m referring to more than the food.
“Just breathe,” he whispers so only I can hear. “We’re gonna be fine.”
For the first time since all of this started, I think I might actually believe him.
Liam
“To do”
Once the sun has set, we all head out into the cool night and gather around a bonfire, taking turns naming the things we are most thankful for from the past year. It’s something we do as a family every Thanksgiving, unless it’s raining of course… then we sit inside by the fireplace. Either way, the holiday doesn’t pass without the thanks being given. Momma is a stickler for tradition.
Ellie insists on being first, a request that is quickly granted. As an only child as well as the one and only grandchild, there isn’t much she wants that she doesn’t get.
“I’m thankful that my mom and dad got married and we get to live in the same house… Oh! I almost forgot, I’m thankful for Midge too.”
“Midge,” Nya huffs. She’s facing away from me, but I can practically see her eyes rolling back in her head. She spoils that little dog rotten and still acts as if she’s the biggest thorn in her side, next to me of course. Let’s face it, not even the dog can steal that title.
Ellie sticks her tongue out at her mother, rotating her head from side to side.
“Don’t do that.” Momma tries to hide the fact that she’s fighting back a smile when she admonishes my daughter. “That’s your mother, and I know you’re just playing around, but it’s still disrespectful.”