"We plan to be there to support you," Maria said, and everyone nodded.
"I want those candy canes the firefighters throw from the trucks," Cooper said.
Aspen shook her head."You're such a child."
"No fighting," Maria said, and Aspen stuck her tongue out at Cooper when she wasn't looking.
"His family is kind of crazy," Eve whispered.
I smiled at her."Only in the best way."
Eve shook her head and said quietly, "They're so different from ours."
I covered her hand with mine."Maybe that's a good thing."
We'd suffered a loss, and there was still grief, but it was okay for us to do different things than we had in the past.We were forging new memories, and a future that was right for us.
Eve looked around the table."You might be right."
I wasn't a part of Ford's family, but I felt included.Especially since they were nice enough to invite Eve too.
Under the table, Ford squeezed my thigh.
I smiled at him, feeling good to be here with this family, enjoying the love and togetherness.
When the meal was gone and pie was being served, I leaned over to Ford and said, "Thanks for insisting that we come.This was better than what we had planned."
"I'm glad you're here."
In all the years we dated, I had never been here for a holiday meal, and it was a lot like their other meals, just amplified.It was exactly what I needed.
Chapter22
Ford
After dinner, we cleaned up, then sat in the living room with Aspen and my parents while my brothers played football outside.
Eve left early, claiming she was tired.When Natasha offered to go with her, Eve insisted she stay.
Natasha was worried about her, but Eve probably needed time to herself.
"Where are we spending the night?"Natasha asked.
I loved that we always ended up together.
I was cognizant of the fact that our arrangement had morphed into something very much like a relationship, but I couldn't talk to her about the changes until after the parade.She was busy with the planning, and I didn't want to distract her from that.
"Let's go to your place since you're working tomorrow."
She nodded, her face relaxing."That works for me."
A holiday movie played in the background, and Aspen kept a close eye on us.
"I'm looking forward to the parade on Saturday.There's something about it being in Christmas Town that makes the season more festive," Mom said.
"It was the one new thing we decided to try this year.A lot of the shop owners want to keep everything the same.And this is our way of testing how open the community is to new events there."
"I think you're going to get a good turnout."
