I smile as I glance around at the group, taking the bowl Wylie passes to me and serving myself with a generous portion.
Growing up as an only child, I was raised in a unique family dynamic where all of the attention was consistently, and often painfully, focused on me. My parents divorced when I was just three years old, and shortly after, my mom met and married my stepdad, so our small trio at holiday gatherings was the norm.
But this—being included in the Cameron family holiday traditions—felt more like how the celebrations should be spent. Potluck styled meals instead of takeout, inside jokes and loud laughter instead of quiet conversation and classical music playing in the background. It filled me with warmth and gratitude to have found my chosen family here.
Jovie enters the dining room, her and Nash’s two twin boys on either hip as she plops them in to bouncer seats at the end of the table.
“Ok you two. Sit here, be cute and let me eat, please.”
Nash hooks his ankle around the bottom of the bouncers to pull them closer to his chair so that Jovie can have some undistracted time without the wild babies.
“It’s so nice to have you with us this Thanksgiving, Dallas. This is Stevie’s first holiday spent living in Lonestar Junction, too.”
“Second, technically,” Stevie replies.
Wylie grunts, “Can’t forget the first one. I had Stevie for dessert.”
“Language!” Jovie shouts, “My children are listening.”
Wylie snorts while Stevie rolls her eyes. “Sorry sis, but I can’t imagine how wild of a time y’all are going to have it with those two.” She points at her two nephews on the floor who coo and smile back at their aunt.
“Just keep ’em away from Uncle Wylie and maybe they’ll have a chance at meeting a nice woman instead of having to have a contract to get someone to marry them,” Clay chimes in with a grin as he sips his beer.
That elicits another loud laugh from Wylie who throws his arms around Stevie’s shoulders and kisses her passionately on the lips.
Clay was the youngest of the Cameron gang by ten years and currently managing Ashwood Ranch for Nash and Jovie while they focused more on the co-op and raising their newborn boys. I didn't know him well, but the little time I'd spent around him since moving to Texas I quickly realized that he was consistently keeping the family laughing with his antics and perpetually happy countenance.
“So… Dallas… I want to hear about what happened with Dove last night?” Stevie asks, trying to change the subject discreetly and failing miserably.
“We agreed to meet up for dessert tonight at the co-op. She said she's bringing a pumpkin pie that I need to try.”
Wylie snorts, “Sounds like someone else is getting dessert tonight.”
Stevie nudges him in the ribs as Jovie groans out a quiet, “Gross.”
“Oh, cool it, JoJo, like we didn’t have to hear you and Nash going at it for months when you first moved down here.” Wylie shoots back as she blushes and returns her attention to her meal while Nash chuckles and shakes his head.
“Take me through this again, you know Dove how exactly?” Wylie asks.
I go on to tell the group about the years-long pen pal relationshipDove and I kept up when we were younger, leaving out the more personal details I want to keep just between us. I feel protective of that bond and wouldn’t share anything with her friends—who’ve known her far longer than they’ve known me—without her permission.
“The last letter she wrote me I just received a week ago.”
“She wrote you… recently?”
I nod, “Yea. She said she sent it while she was on tour.”
“Anything interesting in it?” Stevie asks.
Oh, just her telling me to fuck off and that she’s done with holding out hope for ever meeting me since she’s in love with some random guy.
“Nah, not really.” I consider mentioning the part where she said she was in love but decide to keep that information private. I’d never want to betray Dove’s trust and wasn’t sure if it was a relationship that she wanted to be public considering it didn’t seem like she’d brought the guy home with her this weekend.
“Seems kind of odd that she wrote you a letter one week ago and then here you two are, meeting for the first time,” Nash chimes in.
“Or romantic,” Jovie sighs with a smile. Wylie catches my eye, likely noticing my blank expression and thankfully, changes the subject.
“Speaking of romance… Clay, how are you and Savannah doing?” he asks.
