“I need to make a delivery,” I said, pouring cream into the second mug and adding two heaping teaspoons of sugar.
“Just as she likes it,” said Diana, watching me.
“I aim to please. Her especially.”
That got me a smile from both her parents as I left the kitchen.
Once Wagner tookover baby duty, Saffron and I went downstairs to help with breakfast prep—pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage—just like it would be at my Ma’s house on Thanksgiving morning. Except she’d also have chorizo.
Saffron and I moved around each other with the same ease we’d developed while together before she left to come up here. Each time we passed each other, I’d slip my arm around her waist and pull her in for a kiss.
I caught Lucas and Diana exchanging glances, but neither commented.
After breakfast and showers, Saffron and I went for a walk. The Napa morning was clear, cooler than down in our valley, but it felt good.
“Did my mom and Felicity really set this all up?” she asked as we walked hand in hand down the sidewalk.
“Yep. They like me.”
She smiled. “You think so?”
I stopped walking. “Your dad asked if I was serious about you.”
“What did you say?”
“That I’m all in.”
She gazed up at me, searching my face. “Are you?”
“Absolutely, Saff. I really am.”
I kissed her, long and deep, right there on the neighborhood corner, not caring who saw.
By midafternoon,the house smelled like Thanksgiving—turkey roasting, onions and celery sautéing for stuffing, and the sweet smell of pie crust baking. Everyone helped. Lucas managed the turkey with the focus of a man on a mission. Diana directed the side dishes while Felicity supervised from the living room, holding Beatrice and calling out instructions.
Wagner and I got stuck on mashed potato duty.
“So you and Saffron?” he said as he peeled another potato.
“Yep.”
“About time.”
I smiled despite myself. “That’s what everyone keeps saying.”
“Because it’s true.” He tossed the peeled potato into the pot. “You should know there’s been a running bet about how long it would take you to make your move.”
“Yeah? Who won?”
“Lemme think. Since we had to keep renewing it year after year, I guess Lucas got the closest.”
“What did he win?”
Wagner nudged me with his shoulder. “I heard all he asked Santa for this year was another son-in-law.”
“I hope to make his Christmas wish come true,” I said. “Maybe not the wedding, but definitely the proposal.”
Wagner dropped his knife on the counter, looked around to see who else was in earshot, then squeezed my shoulder. “I can’t tell you how happy that will make Felicity.”
