Kai
Thanksgiving Day 2019
This is the first holiday I’m spending with my family truly back together. I feel so fulfilled, as though the missing pieces in my life are back together; I found the last piece of my puzzle. Even though everything is still so fresh, I’m finding a lot of comfort in our small routines. It’s so special to me to wake up every morning with Blakely beside me and Amari down the hall from us. It brings me so much peace to see us all come together in the evening after a busy day and watch my family sitting around the table, enjoying each other’s company with a full plate of food for each of us. An overwhelming happiness has filled my heart every day since my family moved in with me.
As I drive to Brooke’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, the sun is shining bright—like it has every day since Blakely said she loves me. We’ve been so caught up with each other that wehaven’t seen or talked to family much. After showing Blakely our house, we went straight to her mom’s to pack her bags again because she and Amari weren’t leaving my sight. Although I’m sure word spread fast, and everyone knows we’re together.
I scrunch my brows, confused at the sight of everyone’s cars already at Brooke’s house. We’re usually the first ones here, since B helps her mom cook and set up for dinner.
“That’s weird. Everyone’s already here,” B says, clearly just as confused as I am.
I reach for B's hand and kiss the top of it. “Are you ready to walk through those doors as a family again?”
She chuckles. “Nothing has really changed. Does it feel like it has?”
“Everything has changed. Now, instead of just wanting to kiss you, Icankiss you,” I say, placing a soft kiss on her lips.
“Eww!” Amari says from the back. “You guys do that too much.”
We both turn our heads toward her and chuckle. “We love each other,” I say.
“You guys have always loved each other, but you guys never kissed,” she says with a crinkled nose and furrowed brows.
B rolls her eyes. “Come on. Let’s get inside and see what’s going on.”
As we walk inside the house, my mouth waters from the aroma of a roasted turkey and the sweet scent of pie lingering in the air. Amari walks ahead of us as I intertwine my fingers with B’s. The moment we walk into the kitchen, whistles echo in the air. Everyone is already sitting around the table with big smiles on their faces at the sight of us. I lift B's hand up in the air with mine. B gazes up at me with a wide grin on her face. I pull her closer to me and kiss her on the lips. Everyone is still cheering us on. B laughs between our kiss, crashing her teeth against my lips.
After everyone has served themselves dinner and we’re all sitting around the table, Kevin blurts out, “So have you guys done the deed?” He raises his brows up and down.
“Kevin!” B exclaims, staring at him in shock.
“What’s the deed?” Amari asks looking between me and her mom.
My head shakes in embarrassment. I’m younger than him, and he still acts like a teenager sometimes. Is he ever going to grow out of it? I always used to apologize for him but now everyone, especially Brooke, is used to it. They just shake their heads and continue on with their day.
"It’s kissing,” B says to Amari.
Amari makes the same disgusted face she made in the car. “They kiss all the time. It’s gross,” she says, sticking her tongue out.
Everyone around the table giggles.
“So, when will you guys be moving into the new house?” Brooke asks.
“What house?” Kevin asks, chewing with his mouth open.
Paige looks at B with her brows scrunched. “Yeah. What house?”
No one knew about the house. Brooke and Bryn only found out because B told them when we came over here to pack her and Amari clothes. We’re doing our final walk-through in a week, and then we can move in.
"Kai built us a house,” B says.
Paige gasped. “What?”
Kevin crosses his arms, confused that he never knew about this. “Why didn’t I know about this?” he asks, as if he should’ve been the first to know.
“No one knew about it,” I say, taking a sip of my water. Ever since I got back with B, I haven’t wanted a drink. I usually never feel like drinking, but I’ve always grabbed one because it wasthere. It’s nice to know I could stop myself after one or two, but now…even when it’s in front of me, I haven’t wanted it. In a way, I was still drinking to numb my loneliness from not having my family.
“I just found out. He’s been building it for two years,” B says, shifting in her seat.
