by Brie Paisley
“Thinking about Bethany?” He asks, and I’m glad he lowered his voice. The last thing I need is for Shelby to think I miss her. I do, but only as a friend. I’ve tried to talk to her about it, but it’s hard when I see how jealous she still is about the whole situation. I can only hope one day everything will work itself out.
“It’s just strange not having her here since she’d been coming almost every year since we became friends. All this change this past year is hard to get used to.” Caden nods, and I look to the kitchen seeing Shelby laughing with Mom and Annie. I grin, and all thoughts of Bethany disappear. Only Shelby can do that to me. Cason is by Dad and William, sitting at the kitchen island, and I turn back to Caden to ask, “Caleb not here yet?”
“He’s on his way. His plane got delayed, or something like that.”
“Good. Mama would flip her shit if he didn’t show.”
Caden’s face pales as he says, “Oh, fuck, we know better than that. I like my balls right where they are.”
I laugh and shake my head. It’s never a dull moment with him. I place a hand on his shoulder, and we make our way into the kitchen. He makes his way over by Cason, Dad, and William, as I walk to Mom. She’s putting the final touches on a peanut butter cake, and I look over her shoulder and say, “That’s mine, right?”
She laughs, and I see Annie shake her head. They all know how much I love Mom’s peanut butter cake. “No. This is for everyone,” Mom tells me, but I know she made an extra one for me to take home later since she does every year. When Mom turns to wipe her hands off, I swipe my finger in the frosting. I quickly put my finger in my mouth, but she catches me anyways. “Caden, I mean Caleb. Oh, whatever your name is, stop that right now!” We all laugh at her, knowing she always calls us by the wrong name when she gets flustered with us.
I hold my hands up as she shoos me out of the way, and take a seat on the stool by the island. I sit back and listen as everyone begins to talk amongst themselves. Caden, Dad, William, and Cason talk about sports, and the truck Caden and William are still rebuilding together. Mom, Annie, and Shelby pull out a sales paper for the after Thanksgiving sales. I grin, watching them make out a game plan for Wal-Mart, but it’s necessary if they want to get everything they circled. Plus that place will be in utter chaos, and I won’t be there if I can help it. Shelby looks up and smiles, catching me admiring her. She blushes, something I crave to see, and she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. Beckoning her to me with a tilt of my head, she doesn’t waste a second before she walks over to me. I turn her back to me and hold her waist as she stands in between my legs. I wrap my hands around her stomach, then place my head on her shoulder. I feel her sigh, and she leans back into me. I’m perfectly content with her staying right here for the rest of the day. We’re oblivious to everyone else around us, caught up in each other’s embrace. I kiss her softly on her neck as I tighten my hold on her. Feeling her shiver as my lips touch her earlobe, I know I need to stop before getting to a point of no return.
“Can you two please stop with all the lovey dovey crap? You’re making me want to puke,” Caden says and I chuckle against Shelby’s neck. I pull back to stare at him wishing he’d leave us alone, but he’s right. I don’t need to be kissing her here anyway, knowing I can’t devour her until we get back to my house.
I don’t get a chance to respond. All of us turn to the door when we hear, “Sorry I’m late!” Caleb stumbles as he fumbles with his glasses, trying to get in the door, and I can’t stop from laughing at him. He’s so awkward for a twenty-three year old.
“Well look who it is. What’s cracking, oops baby?”
“Caden, do not call your brother that,” Mom scolds. Caleb ignores Caden’s nickname, but it’s actually very accurate. Mom told us the story once for Thanksgiving of how Caleb was literally their ‘oops baby’. Mom and Dad had wanted to stop at four boys, but apparently Mom’s birth control failed. Caleb walks over to Mom giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before she says, “Ignore Caden. He knows you’re my favorite.”
“What! I thought I was your favorite,” Caden squeals like a girl. Cason, Shelby, and I can only laugh as Annie, William, and Mom shake their heads. Caden is such a drama queen. We all know Mom’s teasing him, but it does make for high-quality entertainment. Caden huffs loudly, and Mom tells him to help her set the food on the table.
Shelby turns her head to me and says, “Your family is still just as crazy as they were before I left.”
“They are, but you love it.”
She smiles before saying, “I do and I have missed this. Thank you, Carter.”
Frowning, I ask, “What for?”
“For bringing me here, and making me feel so welcome again. For just being you.”
I take a hold of her waist pulling her in close, asking, “Have I told you how much I love you today?”
She blushes a bright pink, then says, “Yes, but you can tell me again.”
“I plan on telling you for the rest of our lives, and thoroughly showing you later.” Her eyes dilate with lust, and my hands wander down to grab her ass. I’m aware we’re in a house full of my family, but I just can’t help myself. “I love you so much, Shel. Sometimes it scares me of how much you mean to me, but I wouldn’t change any of it. I love how you understand me. How you complete me, and especially how you make me feel like I’m the luckiest man alive.”
Her hands wrap around my neck, and she says softly, “You know exactly what to say to make me fall in love with you even more than I already do. I love you, too.” She leans in and sweetly kisses me. I savor it, letting her kiss fill me with an almost uncontrollable urge to take her back home, and show her all the sensations she brings me.
Our kiss doesn’t last long as we hear Caleb’s throat clearing. “Sorry, but Mama says the food is ready.”
Shelby reluctantly backs away, and I get off the stool to follow her to the kitchen table. Before we sit down, she says, “Does anyone feel like the women are outnumbered here?”
I chuckle as Mom says, “I’ve felt that way for a long time.”
“Just wait, Linda. It’ll be equal numbers soon,” Annie says to Mom. Caden’s eyes widen as Cason sits by him with a brooding look. Caleb shakes his head as if he can’t wrap his mind around it, and I kiss Shelby on the cheek then pull her chair out for her. Annie’s right. One day all my brothers will find their ‘one’, and I can’t wait to give them hell about it.
No one else comments on the subject. We’re all too preoccupied with filling our plates with the food Mom and Annie cooked. The conversation begins to flow once everyone has their plates fixed, and I glance at Shelby as she laughs at something Caden says. These are the moments I cherish. The ones that I’ll hold close to my heart, and always remember. Being with my family and the one woman that holds my heart, is exhilarating. I can’t even begin to put into words how much I enjoy this time with everyone, and when Shelby turns and grins at me, my heart swells with more love that I could ever imagine it could. I take her hand in mine, and squeeze it. She does the same back, and I place a kiss on the back of hers. We stare at each other for a moment before turning back to our food, and I realize that this year, this Thanksgiving, I have so much to be thankful for.
After everyone is finished eating, we sit around the table for a bit longer before we start cleaning up. It’s another tradition of ours that Mom and Annie cook while the rest of us clean up afterward for them. It’s only fair since they spend so much time preparing a huge meal for us. Shelby and I start to wash off the dishes as Caden and Cason put away the leftovers. Caleb, William, and Dad clear off the table and make sure to put everything back where it belongs.
The task doesn’t take nearly as long with all of us working together, and once Shelby and I are finished, I dry my hands off and gaze at her. She places her arm around me and whispers, “Don’t be nervous. Your Dad is going to be so proud of you.”
I smile down at her, and it’s still amazing how she knows what’s going through my
mind. I plant a kiss on her forehead before I say, “Thank you, Shel.” She beams at me, and she slowly pulls away so I can walk over to Dad.
He’s sitting by William now in the living room, and they’re watching the football game. When Dad notices me, he mutes the TV, waiting for me to start. “I know you’ve been waiting patiently for me to come to a decision on whether or not to take over the firm when you retire.” He doesn’t say anything, still waiting for me to finish. I swallow, feeling my nerves bubbling to the surface. I know I need to do this, but at the same time … I’m afraid I’m going to fuck it all up. I let out a huff as I say, “I’m going to take over when you decide a date to retire.” I instantly feel my shoulders relax, and when Dad grins, I can tell I made the right choice.
“It’s about damn time!” Caden yells from the kitchen, and I hear Mom scold him right after for his cussing. I just realized how everyone was listening in, but I can’t be angry for their eavesdropping.
Dad gets up off the couch, and grips my shoulder as he says, “I’m proud of you, son. I knew you’d come around eventually, and I know you’ll do a great job taking over for me. I wouldn’t have asked you unless I knew you were ready for the responsibility.” I nod, taking his praise to heart. It means a lot to me he has so much faith in me, and I’ll do my best to keep making him proud.
“Can we start the game now?”
Dad shakes his head, and I turn around and say, “Caden, can you chill out for five seconds, or are you in that big of a hurry to lose?”
“Oh it’s on! You’re going down!”
I chuckle, making my way back into the kitchen as I ask, “Who’s on your team then?” I quickly grab Shelby and pull her by me before he can pick her.
“Hey! That’s cheating.”
“Stop whining. You already knew she was going to be on my team.”
“I’m right here,” Shelby butts in.
I look down at her and say, “You don’t want to be on his team. Caden can’t draw shit to save his life.”
“I heard that, Carter!”
“Sorry, Mama.” I drop my head, as Caden, Cason, Caleb, and Shelby laugh.
“How about this,” Cason starts. “Caden, Caleb, and I will be on one team and you,” he points to me. “Shelby, Annie, and Mama will make the other team.” I’m beginning to like those odds. William and Dad decide not to play, opting to watch the game instead. Once we agree on the teams, Mama pulls out the drawing board, and hands each of us a pencil. We have a nice set up going on, and it’s much easier having a bigger spot to draw on. Caleb gets the cards, and timer ready as Annie sets up the score sheet. We don’t use the actual board game anymore, since it’s much more fun to play by score. For each one each team guesses right, it’s two points. Whoever gets to fifty points first is the winner and believe me, they will brag and rub in it for a whole year.
Like I said, we’re competitive when it comes to Pictionary.
“Which team is going first,” Shelby asks.
“Rock, paper, scissors,” Caden says and Shelby nods, accepting his challenge. Everyone else sits back as they begin, and I have faith my girl will win. I watch her get her game face on, and I can’t help but chuckle at how serious she is. Her eyebrows are furrowed and she stares right at Caden. She’s focused and determined to win. They both close their fists, and place it on the palm of their other one. They hit their palms with their enclosed fist three times before, Caden chooses rock and Shelby does paper.
“I win,” she says sweetly but I know it’s her way of being sarcastic.
“Best two out of three,” Caden tells her, but she shakes her head.
“Caden, she won fair and square. I don’t want to hear any bickering like last year,” Mom says to him, and I can’t help but laugh as Caden’s face turns into a scowl. He hates to lose and not get his way.
“Good job, babe,” I tell Shelby and she turns to me, smiling brightly. She kisses me then picks a card laid out in front of Caleb. I watch her as she looks over the categories and when she finds one she likes, she gets up and walks to the drawing board.
“Let me know when y’all are ready,” Caleb says. He has the sand timer in hand, ready to flip it for us.
Annie, Mom, and I move to the edge of our seats as we wait for Shelby to begin drawing. She stands on the side of the board so we can see what she draws, and she hovers over the board with her pencil and she says, “Ready,” to Caleb.
She begins drawing and it takes us a few seconds to start guessing. “Box,” Mom calls out.
Shelby shakes her head as I say, “Square.” She shakes her head again as she continues to draw. All I can think of is squares because that’s all she’s drawing. I rack my brain of what it could possibly be as she starts to draw the pattern.
“Oh I know! It’s hopscotch!” Annie says as she jumps out of her seat.
“I don’t see it,” Caden says, and I know it’s his way of saying we cheated.
I see it more now that Annie put a name to it. The only thing missing is the numbers in each box. Shelby laughs and punches her hands in the air as she says, “Suck on that, Caden!”
“I swear. Y’all are going to be the death of me,” Mom says to no one in particular.
I smile as Shelby makes her way back to me, and she wraps her arms around me and kisses me before sitting down. Caden rolls his eyes at us and starts to take a card before Cason stops him. “No way, you’re going first.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because you suck at drawing,” Caleb tells Caden and Cason nods in agreement.
“My own teammates are against me!” Shelby and I burst out laughing because knowing Caden, he really means it. Mom and Annie shake their heads, and Cason ignores him completely as he picks a card. I reach across the table and take the timer from Caleb once Cason has his category, and I sit back as he makes his way to the board. I already know this is going to be good because not only is Caden horrible at drawing, he’s the worst guesser. I turn and wink at Shelby, because she’s about to see why Caden always tries to cheat.
Cason nods to me when he’s ready and I flip the timer. He begins to draw, and to me it looks like a curvy line. “Squiggly line!” Caden yells and Shelby snorts beside me. Cason doesn’t even acknowledge him as he adds more to his drawing.
Caden repeats his guess several times before Caleb tells him, “Just because you keep saying the same thing, doesn’t mean it’s going to magically change.” Caden rolls his eyes as I turn back to the board. It’s looking more like a snake now. “Water hose,” Caleb guesses.
“Rope,” Caden tries again. Cason still draws and Caden adds, “It is a noose? Damn, bro. We don’t want you to hang yourself.” Cason turns around, and I chuckle at the brooding look on his face. He’s getting annoyed with Caden.
“Power cord,” Caleb says, and Cason draws more, and rolls his hands as to say keep going and you’re close.
“Uh, I’ve got nothing,” Cason says in defeat. He huffs and sits back in his chair, and I call time.
Cason rolls his eyes, crosses his arms, and says, “It was an extension cord.”
“How did you think we could guess that? It looks nothing like an extension cord.”
“Caden.” Cason stops, taking in a deep breath, before saying, “What’s the point in our bond if you don’t use it when we play games? We always lose because you suck.”
“Alright, boys. Play nice or I’ll stop the game now,” Mom tells the both of them. Cason nods and sits back down as Caden mumbles under his breath.
I lean over to Shelby and say, “See what I mean?” She nods and laughs when Caden begins to pout.
We end up playing a few more rounds before Mom finally calls the game. Caden and Cason will not stop bickering back and forth, and I feel bad Caleb looks so defeated listening to them. I’m proud Shelby did so well. When I tell her, she smiles at me then kisses me sweetly. We help Mom and Annie put away the game, and then we join Dad and William in the living room. Shelby sits down by me, and I place
an arm around her, pulling her close. Caden and Cason are still fighting, which isn’t surprising, and Caleb sits by Mom and tells her how school is going. Annie takes a seat by William and I look around the room seeing how normal and comforting this is. I run my hand through Shelby’s hair, silently thanking her for being here with me.
If it hadn’t been for her, I’m sure I wouldn’t be so relaxed, content, and blissfully happy with the way things are going.
Caden and I spar in the ring in Cason’s gym as Shelby gets her first lesson in self-defense. It’s hard for me to concentrate on following Caden’s jabs when all I can focus on is Shelby. She seems to be doing great with Cason’s lesson, but I can’t help but worry. I was proud of her when she asked Cason before we left my parents on Thanksgiving to train her, and I could tell she was excited to get started.
I turn back to Caden, and groan when I miss him, and he jabs with his right hand, catching me in my ribs. “What’s up with you, Carter?”
I let out a breath and drop my hands. I put my boxing glove under my arm and pull, taking it off as I say, “I can’t focus.”
“I can see that. I whooped your ass today. Are you worried about Shel? You know Cason will teach her everything he knows.”
I nod and say, “I know. I just don’t want her to think she has to do this, or she feels like she needs to prove herself.” I know how determined she can be at times, and I’ve told her more than once she didn’t need to do this. But I also know if learning how to defend herself will ease her worries, and give her another reason to forget her past I’ll have to find a way to stop worrying so much.
“Well they’ve been at it for over two hours. I think she’s fine.” Caden and I glance over at Shelby and Cason, and I smirk seeing her block Cason’s attack. She already seems experienced, and I can’t help to feel pride seeing her lock Cason’s arm in a hold, making Cason bend at the waist.
