“What are we bragging about?!” A tall blond said, entering the room with a dazzling smile and an air of chaos. She had the same bone structure as the other women in the room, so I pegged her as the last Alcott sister.
“Jo-Anna, you’re finally here!” Madeline grinned as the blond, Jo-Anna, hugged Cate, then crossed over to hug her and greet the belly.
“Yes, your favourite auntie is here, and I brought all kinds of gifts for my new little niece,” Jo-Anna cooed, rubbing her hands on Madeline’s belly. “Ooh! She kicked!”
“She’s been doing that a lot lately,” Madeline chuckled.
My throat felt a little tight with the sisterly display of love and affection. Sage wordlessly put her arm around my shoulders, smiling at her cousins while giving me a comforting squeeze.
Sage could relate. Her mother wasn’t very maternal, either. We’d bonded over that fact, relating to each other on a deeper level. In Sage, I found the family connection I’d been missing with my own parents.
But Sage had gotten to grow up visiting the Alcott’s, so she’d had more exposure to this familial affection. Not to mention, Nix’s family was very involved. I swallowed, wondering about that pesky little thing called the future.
“Who wants wine?” Livia asked, holding up two bottles of wine, one white and one red.
“Oh, me. You know I need to drink away the traffic,” Jo-Anna chuckled as Livia set to pouring glasses.
“None for me, thanks. I’m off drinking for a bit.” I said quickly when Livia went to offer me a glass.
“It’s good to do a detox every now and then. I’ll join you in not drinking,” Sage added.
“You’re both braver than me. I cannot face the holidays without a cup of good cheer, if you know what I mean,” Jo-Anna said, lifting her wine glass up and taking a generous sip.
“Jo-Anna! Are you insinuating you need to drink to be around your family?” Auntie Em asked, sounding more than a little hurt.
“Of course not, Mom,” Jo-Anna answered, putting her glass down and wrapping her arms around her mother. “But it helps!”
Auntie Em smacked Jo-Anna with the dishtowel she was holding.
“What! I’m just saying, it’s not always the easiest being around lovey-dovey couples on the holidays,” Jo-Anna pouted.
“Hey, I’m single,” Cate pointed out, accepting a top up from Livia.
“Yeah, but you’re also a fancy film director,” Jo-Anna rolled her eyes. “It’s not the same as holding a deadend up that’s going nowhere.” She seemed to look at Sage and me for reinforcement.
“You’re not wrong there,” I sighed.
“You’re both single by choice,” Sage pointed out with a laugh. “Jo-Anna, because she’s the pickiest human being I’ve ever met, and Nellie because—” Sage hesitated, her cheeks colouring.
“No, go on. I want to hear this. Why is Nellie single?” Jo-Anna demanded, her eyes sparkling with mirth.
“I’m picky, too,” I replied quickly.
“Sure, we’ll call it pickiness,” Sage rolled her eyes with a smirk. “You’re guarded.”
“I am not!” I sent her an affronted look.
“It’s not a dig, Nell,” Sage assured me. “Lots of people are guarded. Jo-Anna’s guarded too; she hides it behind pickiness.”
“This is true,” Jo-Anna confirmed with a nod. “And I’m not ashamed, either. I’m holding out for that one-of-a-kind love, the kind that Mom and Dad have.”
“Aww,” Auntie Em put her hand over her heart, noticeably surprised and softened by Jo-Anna’s comment.
“Anyway, enough about that,” Livia waved her hand, as if warding off the heavy direction the conversation had gone in.
As I sat with the Alcott’s around their formal dining room table later that evening, I allowed myself to settle into the auras around me. With Em and Ed’s girls home for the holidays, the atmosphere was joyous and welcoming. Conversation flowed easily while everyone shared about their lives and the things they were thankful for, or discussed shared memories while talking over each other.
The laughter was so frequent, I couldn’t help but smile, even if it made me a little homesick for something I’d never experienced before.
