by Fields, MJ
I can see Mom smiling out of my peripheral. “He’ll be amazing at whatever he does, big dude. Now let the boy eat some pie.”
“Didn’t you go on a date tonight?” Dad asks.
“Oh my God, Xavier, not all seventeen-year-old boys are as nasty as you and your brothers were.”
“Hey, I resent that remark,” Zandor calls from the main level.
“I’m pretty sure all four of you fools do,” Mom says, walking up the stairs.
“Not for nothing, Taelyn. But had you women been around in those days, we wouldn’t have had to try the proverbial glass slipper on so many feet,” Uncle Cyrus chimes in.
“Ass slipper, you mean?” Aunt Bekah laughs.
“Kitten, are you projecting?” her husband, Uncle Zandor, asks.
“There are children in the room.” Carly laughs as she sets the piece of pie on the counter.
Then Kiki starts laughing, and Uncle Jase snaps, “What the fuck is wrong with all of you?”
And then, well, we all laugh, because what else are you going to do?
* * *
“You really didn’t have to come with me,” I tell Dad because, yeah, I really didn’t want him to be here at fucking all.
“Some dads hunt with their boys on Thanksgiving mornings.” He chuckles. “Others go get fancy coffee from a shack.”
I pull up and hear her voice. “Welcome to The Bean. What can I get for you this morning?”
I start to respond when Dad leans over and says, “Gonna have to go with seventeen of the pumpkin spice variety the boys got here last night. Apparently, they were lit.”
Lit? Jesus, Dad, no one says lit anymore, I think.
“Um, did you just say seventeen?”
“Sure did, doll,” he replies and, again, I want to die. “Treinta size them bad boys.”
“Sir, could you repeat your order, please?”
Before he has a chance, I do. “Sixteen large pumpkin spice; the stronger, the better. And one decaffeinated.”
“Oh, shit, Kiki’s gotta lay off the caffeine. Good call. Thanks for clearing that up, little dude.” Dad snickers. “Cream on all of them. It’s a holiday.”
“Oh my God, are you for real?” she huffs.
Dad looks at me like what the fuck and starts laughing.
“Seriously, isn’t there someone else you can torment today?” she snaps.
“Doll, are you for real?” Dad laughs.
“Dad, Jesus, let it be,” I scold him then turn and look at the screen. “That will be all.”
I hear an intake of breath, and then she clears her throat and says, “That’s ninety-eight fifty-two at the next window.”
I turn and look at Dad, trying to figure out a way to ask him to just dial it down a fucking million, but he’s messing with my radio.
“Jesus, Tricks, this is all off.”
Let’s hope he keeps trying to fix my radio.
I pull up to the window, and my phone rings.
“It’s Brand,” Dad says. “Talk some sense into his ass. And probably shouldn’t mention I’m in the vehicle. He’s hatin’ on me these days.” He hits the button on my steering wheel to accept.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Brandon.”
The window slides open, and she’s glaring at me again.
“The fuck it is,” he grumbles.
“I’m actually picking up coffee right now,” I say as Dad tries to hand me his black card and I push it back, not wanting Savvy to see that shit, because all of a sudden “privileged” seems worse than a four-letter word to me.
“Great. When will you be back at the rental?”
“Ninety-eight fifty-two,” Savvy says, annoyance evident in her voice.
“I’ll call you back,” I tell him as I reach in my pocket to pull out some cash.
“Give me an invite and save the call.”
“You’re always welcome,” I tell him, handing her the money.
“You sure your dad will feel that way?”
Dad smirks.
“I’m sure. Chat later.” I start to hit the end call button.
Brand barks out, “What time?”
“One for dinner, but whenever, we’ll be there.”
“When?”
“B, I’m grabbing coffee then heading back. Won’t be long.”
“It would be quicker if you’d take this,” Savvy says, handing me one of those cardboard carriers with four cups in it.
“Is someone with you?” Brand asks.
“Yeah.”
“Nice. You could have given me a damn heads-up,” he snaps.
“B, chill. You’re good. See you later.”
“Yeah, whatever.” He hangs up.
“Hey, doll,” Dad says, leaning over and looking out the window.
“Fuck,” I mouth, knowing damn well that “doll” is probably going to be taken just about as well as “babe” was last night.
She looks at him, completely devoid of emotion.
“When you get famous, don’t let it go to your head. Nobody likes an asshole.”
I look at her and about die when I see a smirk, which produces a dimple. Then, in the blink of an eye, it’s gone.
“Thanks for the advice.” She slides another carrier out, and I grab it.
“Thank you.” I hand her the cash.
“I’ll have the rest out to you in just a couple minutes.” She turns around and walks to the counter.
“I like her rasp.”
“Yeah?” I ask.
His phone rings, and he grumbles, “The fuck,” then hits accept. “You’ve reached Xavier Steel, and it’s fucking Thanksgiving. Grab yourself some pumpkin spice coffee, turn on some football, and enjoy your day. That’s what I’m doing. Catch you on Monday. Leave a message after the beep. X, out.”
He holds the phone out to hang up the phone when I hear Mom question, “X out?”
He laughs. “Sorry, Irish.”
“What if that was my parents?”
“Then they would have hung up and called you.” He laughs. “What can I do for you, babe?”
Savvy clears her throat right before he starts laughing again.
I take the tray. “Thanks.”
She rolls her eyes and mumbles, “Mmmhmm.” Then she turns back around to get some more.
“Mom wants to know if they have pumpkin muffins.” He holds the phone away from his ear as she cusses him out while he laughs.
“The rest of your order,” Savvy says with no sort of inflection in her voice.
I take the tray and hand it to Dad, who sets it on the floor, and then Savvy hands me a lone cup.
“Decaf.”
“Appreciated.” I take it from her.
“You stuck in there all day?” Dad asks.
“Just till noon,” she answers.
“Big plans?” he asks.
She nods. “Huge.”
“Nice.” He grabs two cups from the carriers, hands me one, and then holds his up. “Cheers, doll.”
I look at her and am about to mouth sorry when she holds up a mug. “Cheers, big dude.”
Laughing, Dad tips his cup up then takes a sip. “Fuck, this is amazing.” He licks the cream from his lip. “What’s the secret to the cream?”
“Dad! Really?” I gasp.
“Chill, little dude,” Savvy says, and I whip around to look at her. Her dimple disappears. “I attempted to make it taste like cream cheese.”
“Doll, you fucking nailed it.” Dad takes another drink. “Can’t wait to see what you can do at Christmastime.”
“Awesome. Have a great day, dudes.” She tries to hand me my change, but I ignore her, knowing damn well she’s not going to drop it in my lap with “Big Dude” in the vehicle.
Driving away, I can see Dad holding back his laughter. As soon as we pull out on the road, he unleashes it.
When he finishes, he asks, “She your date last night?”
“No, her roommate was.”
“Shit, Tricks,” he sighs.
“Yeah, shit.”
“Next time, give me a heads-up when you’re trying to impress a chick. I can be a killer wingman.”
“How about we just focus on losing little dude from your vocabulary for … I don’t know, ever?”
He cracks up again, and yeah, I laugh, too.
Obviously, Savvy and I aren’t going to happen. First clue should have been when she told me it wasn’t going to happen.
Genius move, Romeo, I think to myself, fucking genius.
Chapter 5
“What can you do to promote world peace?
Go home and love your family.”
~Mother Teresa
Patrick
Standing on the deck with my cousins, we watch the ocean roar.
“Looks angry today,” my cousin Justice says as he walks up beside me.
“Sure does.” I look over at him. “You excited about the new school on Monday?”
“Excited and school in the same sentence?” He shakes his head. “Should be a crime to put them together like that.”
“New ass to be had,” Amias says, handing me a pair of binoculars and nodding to a few girls running on the beach.
Max sighs as he looks out at the ocean. “It’s like watching porn and not physically touching tit.”
Sucks to be him right now, truly. The kid lives to surf, and now he lives on the ocean and can’t get out there. Hell, I love surfing; can’t wait to wake up and head out my back door. Max, however, I straight up feel for him. Wanting something you can’t have—not cool.
“Gross.” Kiki makes a fake gagging sound as she walks up next to me, having missed the entire context of the ocean being Max’s porn.
To fuck with her, I say, “Nine o’clock, bro. That’s nice titties.”
Amias wraps his arm around her. “Kiki’s gonna have tig bitties soon.”
She elbows him in the side, and he grunts.
When we all laugh, Kiki gives us a death glare. “It’s Thanksgiving. The only breast any of you assholes should be thinking about is turkey breast.”
“What do we look like? Fucking pilgrims?” Max asks.
“Get your little asses inside,” Uncle Jase calls from inside. “You, too, Truth.”
When Truth went off on the nuns—the straw that broke the nuns’ backs—she did so by telling them they were basically judgmental bitches that hounded her about her skirt length. Shorter, obviously, because she was a hell of a lot more developed than ninety-nine point nine percent of every other girl in school. She also legit has a six pack, and that ninety-nine point nine percent of every other girl in school don’t have a four.
“Ha, ha, Uncle Jase,” comes from the deck below us.
“You need wheels for that wagon?” Amias calls down to her.
“Make it three!” she yells up. “Been sitting on it so much lately, waiting for school to start up, that it’s spreading.”
I yell down to her, “Stop complaining! We were stuck with the menstruating penguins until break. Trust me; I’d rather be sitting on my ass, taking in this view.”
I look at my phone when it vibrates.
A text from Brandon.
1:06 p.m. – How long you gonna let your dad chew my ass before you come in?
I walk in as Jase announces our oldest cousin, Bella, and her family are here. And I do it just in time to see some sort of standoff between Kiki and Brand.
Fucking matchmaker, I am not.
I walk up and immediately smell alcohol.
“Brand, you good?”
His eyes don’t leave Kiki’s. “Could be a fuck of a lot better.”
“Then let’s have a seat and get you there. No need to start shit on turkey day.”
* * *
Once we’ve all sat down, Uncle Jase is at one end, and Brand is at the other. Not sure how that worked out, but it did. And lucky fucking me, I’m between Dad and Brand. Should be an awesome fucking dinner.
Jase clears his throat, and we all look at him.
“Momma Joe’s not here to do this thing, but I think we know the drill. We’ll start with Xavier—”
“Why me?” Dad asks, running his hand through his hair.
“Because I said so.” Jase smirks at him.
“Fine. I’m thankful for family, you all, and our Forever Four Family.”
Cyrus chuckles. “You got it easy, man.”
Mom goes next. “I’m thankful to be with all of you and looking forward to heading to Boston to see my parents and brothers for a couple days.”
Carter, Bella’s husband, goes next. “Bella, Luna, you all. Thankful for it every day. Nothing more important than this.”
Bella looks at him. “You, Luna, family. Always.” She looks at Luna. “Now you.”
“I can?” Luna grins.
“Of course you can. This is our family.”
“I’m thankful for Momma Bella and Aunt Kiki’s gonna have babies.” She grins.
Brand sits straight up. Well fuck, there goes that.
“Luna, you for real?” Jase asks, and it hits me—Bella is pregnant, too.
Luna grins and nods.
Everyone gets up and hugs Bella and Carter, and I notice Kiki looking down. I wonder if she feels like the wind’s been stolen from her sails, but it’s not like Kiki to need the attention.
I look at Brand, and he looks straight-up annihilated. He looks … destroyed.
I get up and hug Bella, Carter, and Luna, congratulating them, before heading back to my seat, giving Kiki a quick peck on the top of her head as I pass.
Sitting down, I watch Luna hug Kiki and ask, “Are you so happy?”
“Yeah, Luna, of course I am.”
“I’m gonna have two babies to sit with, like you set with me!” She burst out in laughter.
She’s a freaking doll. Wasn’t born to this family, but it didn’t take more than two minutes with her to realize this is exactly where she belongs. She was part of us immediately.
Doll.
Before even thinking, I have my phone in hand and hit recent calls then message. I type in the address and hit send. Then I type a message.
1:19p.m-Offer still stands … Doll.
I immediately regret it, but whatever. She belongs somewhere, too.
I shove my phone in my pocket and try to forget what I just did.
Fat chance, jackass, I think to myself.
I look up as Kiki stands and hugs Bella. “Congratulations.”
“You, too,” Bella says with a sad smile.
Brand breaks his silence. “Just so I get this straight … Bella and Katy are both pregnant?”
Shit.
“We are.” Bella smiles.
“So, you and Carter are having a kid together.”
“B,” I whisper in warning.
He ignores me and asks, “And Katy?”
“Is pregnant,” she answers for herself.
His jaw tenses, and he begins to nod.
She glares at him, and I wish I had told her that he has the hots for her, instead of trying to stay the fuck out of it. And I’m two seconds from telling him to cut the shit and not push her—hell, we don’t even know who the baby’s father is. All we know is, when she’s ready to tell us, she will.
Then she says, “We’re all family here, except you, but somehow, you’re here, so listen up. I had no idea. Had a busy summer. Shit happens. So, it’s me and myself who are having a baby.”
“You left out I.” He stabs himself in the chest with a finger.
“Fine, it was a threesome.” She shrugs and rolls her eyes. “Me, myself, and I are having a baby.”
Holy fucking shit, I think as I look at Uncle Jase, trying to remember how good an arm he has, so when he launches the bottle sitting in front of him, I can move if needs be.
“Jesus,” Max mutters.
“How far along are you, Bella?” he asks.
“Second trimester.” She smiles.
“So you got pregnant around—”
“You see my ki
d sitting here?” Carter interrupts him.
Brand nods once.
“As my wife said, she’s about to enter her second trimester.”
Dad clears his throat. “Max, you’re up.”
“Yeah.” Max chuckles. “I’m thankful for Kiki and Truth getting booted out of school so now we can go to Seashore and live where the ocean meets the sand.”
“Same, man.” Amias laughs nervously. “About time we—”
“Katy got kicked out of school?” Brand interrupts them.
I run my hand through my hair and look at Mom, who shakes her head, telling me to stay out of it.
Truth answers, “The nuns were having a bad week. Kind of my fault.”
Brand’s jaw tightens, and he does that angry nodding again.
“You need to chill the fuck out, Brand, or I’m gonna drag your ass out of here,” I warn him.
“You have something to share that you’re thankful for, Brandon?” Jase asks, clearly having had enough of his shit.
“Lot more I’m not thankful for at the moment, so I’ll take a pass.”
“Xavier just told me you’re doing a European tour starting after the holidays. Ten cities, was it, X?” Jase says through his teeth.
Brand doesn’t even look at him; he’s staring at Kiki.
Jase continues, “Just thought of something you should be thankful for, Brandon.”
Brand tears his eyes from her and looks at Jase. “What’s that?”
“Luna.”
“Jase,” Carly whispers softly.
Brand looks at Luna. “I’m thankful for you, I guess.”
Luna grins. “Thanks.”
I kick him pretty fucking hard and whisper, “One more bullshit stunt, and I’m dragging you out of here, Brand. Just shut the fuck up and eat.”
And all goes quiet.
Seventeen Thanksgivings, and I am one hundred percent sure none were ever this quiet.
Dinner isn’t even over when Bekah, Tara, and Mom bring out pie.
“Who wants pumpkin?” Aunt Tara asks.
“Tricks is heavy into pumpkin these days,” Dad says.
“Nice, Dad,” I hiss at him.
“You okay, Katherine Anne?” Bekah asks, and I look away from Dad and toward Kiki.
