Because in my darkest hour … he let me know that he was there in his own way. And for that, I’ll always do the same.
THIRTY
ISLA
While my mom,Aunt Mila—my dad’s younger sister—and grandmothers work in the kitchen, cooking only God knows how many pounds of food, I set the last plate down at the dining room table and admire my own work because this table looks like it’s straight from Pinterest, I can’t lie.
And it’s probably because that’s exactly where my and my mom’s inspiration came from …
Despite the various Christmas trees scattered throughout our home and the fact that my parents’ house very much looks like The North Pole right now—and has since the clock struck twelve on November 1—Thanksgiving has always been one of my mom’s favorite holidays. My grandparents always come out for it, and sometimes, Aunt Mila and her husband, Beau, and their kids will come out too. This year is thankfully one of those years where they could make it.
Hendrix went over to visit Juliet this morning for the holiday. I told him I could go, but I think he knew that I usuallyhelp my mom with the Thanksgiving festivities, so he told me he’d go alone and be over right after.
The past few times we’ve gone to see her, she’s seemed more confused than ever. And she’s lost a lot of weight too. It’s easy to tell how hard it is for Hendrix to see her that way, but still, he makes sure to go visit her or to call weekly.
And Lilly has made a point to go see her too. The first time she did, we tagged along, and the second Lilly walked through the door, Juliet’s face lit up. She couldn’t place her name or how she knew her, but she just kept smiling, and it seemed like a certain calmness washed over her.
Like she was waiting to see her again.
I’m so excited that Lilly—and her foster parents, Paige and Kolt—will also be joining us for Thanksgiving this year. The Kolburnes are such good people. Lilly literally hit the jackpot when it came to finding them. And I don’t mean their money either.
As happy as I am that she found her forever family, it’s actually insane to me that this whole time her brother was wondering where she was, she really was only a few hours away, living with Kolt, who is one of my dad’s NHL friends. And my mom adores Paige and has met her for lunch several times.
When things finally shifted between Hendrix and me and I saw through the act he was putting on and he actually opened up to me about his sister, I knew I had to help him find her. And since my friend Collin Carter is weirdly good at finding information about people, I knew he’d be the one to help me.
Collin helped me when I wanted to find out more about who my biological father was, but even he couldn’t find much out about Lilly’s whereabouts, aside from the school she attended and the restaurant she worked at. Then again, he’s only nineteen years old, and he isn’t an actual private investigator, just in school to become one. His grandfather just owns a wildlysuccessful PI firm, and he’s learned from that too. But in the end, it all worked out because knowing where she worked was enough for us to find her.
I can hear my dad and all the other men in the house laughing from the other room. My dad, as usual, is making himself the center of attention, and every now and then, I hear Uncle Beau’s deep voice chime in.
Hendrix and I have been together for a little over a month, and even though he’s been around my parents and my little brother, he hasn’t met my grandparents or my aunt and uncle yet. And let’s be honest; I’m not sure who’s more intimidating—my grandfather Hardy, my grandfather LaConte, or my uncle Beau.
It’s a close race, for sure. But seeing as Beau has huge muscles that are covered in tattoos and a tough staredown … I may go with him.
My dad’s father, my Bampie, is the nicest guy—once he trusts you. But to outsiders, he can come off a little rough and intimidating.
Papa LaConte coached college hockey up until a few years ago when he retired, and I’ve heard of him making multiple players cry.
So, I guess what I’m saying is, if Hendrix is sweating a little on the way here, I’d understand.
There’s a knock at the door, and just knowing that it’s likely Hendrix sends my heart into a crazy rhythm, and my cheeks actually hurt because they are so damn hot.
Despite feeling like a schoolgirl with her first crush, I eagerly rush toward the door. It’s been a few days since I’ve seen my guy, and I’m beyond ready.
When I pull the door open, I’m met with his signature grin that, however many times I see it, still gives me the stupidbutterflies. Then again, I’m sure Hendrix’s grin could do that to just about anyone on the planet.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” I practically squeal, my nerves slowly melting away just before I leap into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
“Happy Thanksgiving to you, Nineteen,” he drawls, twirling me around. “Missed you.”
“How was Juliet today?” I ask softly, knowing that it may have been a rough morning for him.
He smiles, but I can’t tell right away if it’s a disappointed smile or a happy one.
“You know, she was actually pretty good,” he finally says. “She didn’t know who I was, but she was happy to see me. We played a few rounds of bingo in the community hall.” He breathes out a tiny laugh. “You know how much she likes that.”
Before I answer, he looks me in the eye and plants a kiss on my lips, like he’d been waiting all day to do that and couldn’t wait another second or something. Sliding one hand up my back and to my hair, he intensifies it slightly while also still keeping it romantic and not too hot and heavy.
As corny as it sounds, I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of kissing Hendrix. And I hope he doesn’t ever get sick of kissing me either.
