by Amelia Shea
A loud crash had her jumping back startled.
“Shit!” A frustrated feminine scream came from the kitchen. Rushing to the doorway, Sadie stopped and watched Emory throw her hands up in the air.
“You okay?” she asked.
She turned around quickly, obviously surprised by Sadie’s sudden appearance. She appeared agitated and slightly disheveled, still in her pajamas with her hair thrown up in a bun.
“Hey, Sadie! Yeah, I’m okay. Just trying to find the big pot and causing a cluster fuck in the process.” She put the pot on the counter. “Fuck it, I give up. Get some coffee and follow me.” Grabbing Sadie a mug she handed it to her.
Once her coffee was made, she followed Emory to the front door. Emory pulled down two fleeces from the closet. She handed Sadie a black one and they walked out the front door.
They had been sitting on the swing for a while when Sadie asked where everyone was. Emory told her they were all visiting Darla’s gravesite. It was something John and the kids did together on the holidays. This prompted Emory’s stories of Darla and what an amazing woman she was. She teared up.
“She was a great woman, you know. She lived for them, just loved them unconditionally. She even made those of us who weren’t family feel as though we had a spot here, in her home. In her heart.” Emory wiped her tears with the cuff of her fleece. Darla meant a lot to Emory, too.
She explained that all the kids took her death hard but Roxanne took it the hardest. She was very close to Darla, according to Emory.
“Are you close to your mom?”
Sadie shook her head. “Not really.”
“Me neither.” They were both quiet as two trucks drove up the dirt road.
“They’re home.” A soft sad smile appeared on her face as she dried her eyes completely. Sadie had a feeling Emory didn’t show her feelings too often.
Emory and Sadie watched in silence as the two trucks parked. John was driving one with Ethan, Roxanne, and Bogs. T and Stone hopped out of the other one. Sadie wasn’t sure how to act. She didn’t want to smile knowing they were just visiting their mother’s grave. This was a somber time for them. John walked up with Roxanne first, followed by Ethan and Bogs. They were all quiet.
“So, as always, I am keeping tradition alive. I fucked up the apple pie!” Emory announced with a straight face and got up from the swing. Sadie looked at her with disbelief, and then laughed, which was followed by everyone else laughing.
“Some things never change. Let’s go, Em, I’ll show you again how it’s done.” Roxanne giggled as she and Emory walked through the door. John was smiling and shaking his head as he followed behind. Ethan continued behind John but looked over at Sadie and winked before making his way inside.
She was surprised when Bogs took a seat next to her and just stared out into the yard. Stone and T walked up the steps and stopped at the landing. She smiled over at Stone who returned her smile but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. His eyes held sadness.
Bogs pushed his leg and the swing started to move. He rested his arm on the back of the swing, sitting about a foot away from Sadie. The four of them remained silent. Sadie didn’t know what to say. She looked to Stone again who was glaring at Bogs suspiciously. T looked at her with a smirk.
All of a sudden the swing jerked to a stop. Sadie was unable to stop her body from shifting. She was thrown forward, about to fall over when Bogs circled her body with his arm and pulled her to him. Sadie’s body went rigid when his chest rumbled with laughter.
“Sweetheart, please stop throwing yourself at me, Stone’s right here.” Bogs teased with a snicker.
Sadie pulled away and scowled at him. “You’re an asshole, you know that?”
She looked to T, who was laughing, and Stone rolling his eyes.
“Yeah, I do know that.” He roared with laughter and got up from the swing. “That move works every time.”
“Good thing for you, it was only way you got laid in high school,” T sniped.
“Yeah, right, man, I had all the ladies. You’re just jealous. I am a fucking legend,” he said as they both walked into the house leaving her alone with Stone.
She was still scowling when Stone took the seat next to her. He put his arm around her and pulled her into him.
“What was that all about?”
Stone chuckled as he looked out into the yard. “A move we used on girls when we were younger.”
“And they fell for it?”
“Every time.” He grinned.
“Then you guys must have dated a lot of stupid girls.” She huffed.
“Stupid girls or girls who just wanted to be kissed.” She looked up to him and his eyes were gleaming. She would have been one of those stupid girls, too.
They both sat in silence for a while swinging together. The air was chilly but it was a clear day. His family was scheduled to arrive in a few hours. Emory had mentioned he had his aunts and uncles and a few cousins coming. She was genuinely happy describing them until she got to Cousin Nina. Apparently, Cousin Nina was Emory’s least favorite.
“You should move in with me,” Stone stated.
Sadie whipped her head to him. “What?”
He shrugged and stared at her. “I think you should move here with me. I’ve got a two bedroom condo, pretty nice, decent size, it’s got a pool. You’ll like it.”
Sadie stared at Stone in utter confusion. “You want me to move here, with you, like, move in with you?”
“Yeah that’s what I said, babe.” He sounded amused.
“And we’d have separate rooms?”
It was Stone’s turn to gape at Sadie in confusion. “What? Fuck no we won’t have separate rooms. Why the fuck would we do that?”
“I don’t know, you said you had two bedrooms, I just thought…” She let the last part linger.
Stone snorted. “I mentioned the two rooms so you’d know, there’s plenty of room for your shit but, baby, the only place you’re sleeping is with me.”
They stared at one another not saying a word. Sadie looked out to the yard. Stone wanted her to move to Houston, move in with him. This was moving too fast. Wasn’t it?
“Isn’t it too soon?”
“Says who?” He paused. “You’ve been alone all your life, Sadie. You need more time by yourself? Look, think about it. You know what I want, I want you here with me. Just think about it but baby, decide how you feel, what you want, not what everyone thinks is ‘too soon.’ Fuck ’em, this is about us, you and me, Sadie. No else gets a say in our life. Okay?”
Sadie nodded.
“All right, now let’s go, we have to get in and help.” Taking her hand in his, they entered the house. In the kitchen, Roxanne and Emory were making pies. They were just about done when Sadie and Stone walked in.
“Stone, man, let’s go!” T bellowed from outside.
“Coming,” he yelled back and turned to Sadie, his hands gripping her waist. He bent down and lifted her onto her toes. His lips touched hers. Sadie was expecting a quick kiss with an audience in the kitchen. She got the opposite. His lips lingered before opening his mouth to her. Sadie held back but he didn’t hesitate. He licked her bottom lip before his tongue swirled into her mouth. Her hands lifted from his forearms to his neck and pulled him deeper into her. She moved her mouth over his and sucked on his tongue when it entered her mouth again. She moaned low and he crushed her against him.
“Stone!” T yelled with impatience from the yard again.
Stone slowed their kiss but didn’t fully stop. He pecked gentle soft kisses to her lips before straightening and releasing her. He smiled down at her and winked before strolling out to the deck into the back yard. Sadie watched him until he was no longer in sight.
Sadie’s attention was back to the girls, who were now openly staring with wide eyes.
“Holy fuck! That was hot!” Emory roared as she fanned herself with a pie tin.
* * * *
After helping in the kitchen and prepping all the f
ood, they went their separate ways to shower and get ready. Sadie had gone outside before going to her room. She wanted to see Stone. She walked out onto the deck and saw the four guys playing football in the field beyond the fire pit. Stone and Ethan versus Bogs and T.
Sadie jumped slightly when a hand touched her shoulder. She turned her head to see John, looking thoughtful as he watched the guys.
“They’ve been doing that every Thanksgiving since they all came to us. One of Darla’s fondest memories was our boys playing football in the field on Thanksgiving morning.” His tone was somber, locked in a memory.
They stood together watching them for a few moments. Sadie understood why this was one of Darla’s favorite memories. It would be one of hers too. John tightened his hand on her shoulder.
“This will be one of my new favorites, I think. Your first with us.” He released her shoulder and walked toward the guys. Sadie watched with a warm welcome heart before heading to her room to get ready.
At one o’clock exactly, the doorbell rang. She was in her room getting ready.
She adjusted her dress and put on knee high boots. She had had this dress forever but only wore it once. It was form fitting with a V-neck that dipped down to show off some cleavage. She loved the cap sleeves and how it landed at mid-thigh. It was a really pretty, sexy but refined dress. She curled her hair so she had long waves throughout. She did one last look before opening her door.
When she opened the door Ethan was heading to the stairs. He stopped and waited for her at the landing.
“Hey!” She was fidgeting with her dress. It still had a wrinkle or two from the luggage; she hoped it didn’t look too crumpled. She was a little unsure from the way Ethan watched her.
“Hi, Sadie. You look beautiful.” His compliment put her at ease. He held out his arm in a very old charm way and she hooked hers around his and they descended.
“Thank you, Ethan. You look very handsome, by the way.” She looked him over in his dress pants and button down shirt. The man was insanely gorgeous. If she wasn’t in love with Stone, she would be harboring a major crush on Ethan.
“Why thank you, Miss Wallace.”
There were many voices coming from the living room. Loud, happy greetings. Sadie’s hand was still on Ethan’s arm as they entered the living room. There were people everywhere. Sadie scanned the room for Stone but didn’t see him. This was awkward, these people were all family, and she was a complete stranger to them. A large woman came barreling at them and grabbed Ethan in a hug. He was taken aback. Sadie pressed her lips together, suppressing a giggle at his reaction.
Sadie watched as everyone smiled and hugged one another. There were two men and two women about John’s age that she assumed were the aunts and uncles. There were three men who seemed to be about mid-twenties gathered with T, Roxanne, and Emory.
Her eyes scanned again and locked with a beautiful dark-haired woman. She was probably in her late twenties as well. She had a chin length bob of black silky hair. She was tall and had an amazing body, thin but curvy. She was stunning. She looked like she belonged in magazines. Once her perusal of her was done Sadie realized her dark eyes were giving Sadie a death stare. She smiled at her but the woman continued her glare.
“Sadie?” She heard from her left. Ethan was back from his bear hug and now had his hand on her back. She looked at him to see a questioning look.
“I’m sorry, I must have zoned out,” she explained while trying to recover from the death stare.
“I should introduce you to the family since Stone isn’t down yet.” He looked curiously at Sadie.
“Oh sure.” She tried to compose herself.
They were about to walk over when John raised his arm to get everyone’s attention and walked toward Ethan and Sadie.
“We have a very special guest for dinner tonight, everyone. The beautiful Sadie Wallace is with us today, her first Thanksgiving of many, I hope, with our crazy clan.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she sunk into him. He felt like protection. He felt like a dad.
“Well, welcome to the crazy, Sadie, It’s so lovely to meet you. I’m Ethan’s aunt, Judy.” The woman who hugged Ethan reached out her hand for hers with a big welcoming smile and clasped Sadie’s between hers. She kept her hand while looking between Ethan and Sadie. “Beautiful, just beautiful. You two are perfect together, you’ll make gorgeous babies.” She winked as Sadie’s eyes enlarged and Ethan laughed uncomfortably.
*
It had taken Stone longer than expected to get ready. Helping his dad earlier and then being beaten to the shower by Bogs had made him the last one to make his way down into the living room. He checked Sadie’s room but it was empty. He was hoping they’d get a chance to talk about moving in together.
She seemed concerned and reluctant when he asked her earlier. He knew she thought it was too soon. He also knew from the look in her eyes that she wanted it, she just wasn’t ready to say it.
He headed downstairs and heard his family. Before he hit the last step, he looked over to see his aunt holding Sadie’s hand grinning at her. His extended family would love her, he thought and smiled.
“Beautiful, just beautiful. You two are perfect together, you’ll make gorgeous babies.”
Stone lost his smile. What the fuck? He stalked into the living room and came up behind Sadie.
He grabbed her waist from underneath John’s arm and pulled her backward into the wall of his chest. Stone’s arms curled around her with his hands resting at her stomach.
“The only babies she will be making are mine.” His tone was harsh and possessive.
The room went quiet and slightly awkward. He noticed his dad suppress a laugh and Ethan doing the same. His aunt Judy, on the other hand, looked embarrassed. He knew she got the wrong impression of Ethan and Sadie standing together. He knew she didn’t mean any harm from her statement. But Stone couldn’t contain his possession. Sadie was his and someday, she would carry his children, this he knew without a doubt.
A female laugh came from the other side of the room. All eyes turned to his cousin Nina. Stone tried to keep from rolling his eyes. Nina was a bitch. Always had been, ever since they were kids. She sauntered over to stand in front of Stone and Sadie. Nina looked right at Sadie before placing her hand in front of her.
“Hi Sadie, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Nina.” Nina smiled but Stone saw right through it. She wasn’t happy to meet Sadie, she was just happy to hear Sadie wasn’t with Ethan.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Sadie replied cordially.
She smiled at Stone, then her gaze landed on Ethan. Stone watched her peruse Ethan before she turned around and headed to the kitchen. Ethan had really fucked up with that one. Dumbass.
“Let me introduce you to everyone else. C’mon, babe.” Stone took Sadie’s hand and led her in further into the room.
Stone introduced her to the entire family. They were very welcoming, as Stone knew they would be. He had a great family with the exception of Nina. He knew they would love Sadie.
Stone rolled his eyes when he heard one of his uncles say, “Sadie, you ever hear about the first time, we took Stone fishing.” The room erupted in laughter and he looked down at Sadie, who seemed eager to hear the story. For her, he’d let them share it.
Stone had Sadie’s hand in his while his uncle told the story. He noticed his aunts staring at them. They were smiling and whispering to one another. Stone tuned out his uncle, focusing more intently on what his aunts were saying.
“Darla would have loved that one.” He heard his Aunt Judy’s voice.
Yeah, his mom would have loved Sadie.
Stone had his arm around Sadie’s shoulder while he had an intense conversation, with Bogs and his Uncle Joe about who should be in the playoffs. The Garrison men didn’t mess around when it came to their football.
Stone had just taken a swig of his beer when he heard Emory call out Sadie’s name. He turned with Sadie in his arms. Emory was walking toward
them with a weird look on her face. Stone glanced down at her hand and saw she had her hand braced on a cell phone, covering it. Stone looked closer; it was Sadie’s phone. He felt her back straighten around his arm. When he looked down at her, her face paled.
“Hey, so your phone was ringing in the kitchen and well, I saw it was your mom and I picked up. It rang three times and I thought it might be an emergency. Shit, Sadie, I’m sorry!”
Stone immediately grew tense. He hadn’t met her mom but Stone knew her. From everything he read in Sadie’s file, he knew her and didn’t like her. This woman was the definition of a shitty mom. Sadie gave Emory a tight smile.
She reached out for the phone “That’s okay, Em, thanks!”
Emory handed Sadie the phone but didn’t walk away. Stone watched Sadie tense as she brought the phone to her ear.
“Hi, Mom,” Sadie greeted in an even tone. Stone could tell the way her body further tensed that she was bracing herself for what she knew was coming.
“Sadie Marie Wallace, where the hell are you?” She shouted so loud Stone could hear her perfectly. Which meant everyone else standing nearby could hear, too. It was confirmed when the entire room grew silent. Shit!
“I’m in Texas.”
“What the hell are you doing there?” she shouted louder. She was apparently getting angrier; Sadie stepped away from Stone but didn’t get very far when he grabbed her wrist and stopped her retreat. Sadie looked up at him with tears threatening her eyes. His girl was humiliated. He stared at her as he took the phone from her ear and held it up to his own.
Stone inhaled a deep breath. “Sadie is spending Thanksgiving with me and my family.” His tone was firm but didn’t convey the anger he was feeling. For Sadie, he wouldn’t embarrass her any further than her mom had.
“Oh, really, and who the hell are you? Put my goddamn daughter back on the phone.”
Stone watched Sadie’s face flush and she looked down at the floor.
Stone gently put his hand under her chin propping it up so she met his eyes. He was mad but held her eyes as he responded to her mom.
