Joey sucked in a breath and turned toward him. “In fact, Uncle Tex is hosting Thanksgiving at his ranch.”
She cleared her throat, knowing she could ask Adam to come eat dinner with her that day, and Aunt Abby wouldn’t care at all. There would be plenty of food. Wade and Cheryl and their kids would be there as well, and so would her parents. Sometimes Georgia’s parents joined the big Young family as well, and sometimes so did Aunt Faith’s sister and her family.
“Would you want to come with me?” she asked. “What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”
Adam blinked as if he hadn’t even realized Thanksgiving was so soon.
“They’re actually having it on Sunday,” she said. “Instead of on Thanksgiving Day, because everybody seems to have their own core family things, and then they can come to the big family thing if they want.”
“What are you doing for Thanksgiving?” he asked.
“Well, I was going to go….” She trailed off and then reached way down deep for her well of bravery. “To my parents’ house. Grams and Gramps are going with Uncle Jem and Aunt Sunny this year, because Cole and Rosie are going to be in Las Vegas with their mom.”
She swallowed. “You could come to that too, if you want. I think this year it’s me and my two younger siblings, my momma and daddy, and they invited Graham and Laney Whittaker, because they’re technically OJ’s biological grandparents, and we do a lot with them.”
Adam looked away out the big windows to his right that showed his backyard. “What are you going to tell your parents?”
“I’m not going to tell them anything different than I tell everyone else,” Joey said, deciding on the spot. “My daddy’s going to call. I know that.”
“Do you think he’ll be upset?” Adam asked.
Joey thought for a moment, this question not new in her mind. “I don’t know,” she said thoughtfully. “I can’t imagine he would be. He knows you; he respects you. If he didn’t, there’s no way he would have signed on with you being the band manager for Country Quad.”
“Having someone be a band manager is totally different than thinking they’d be a good boyfriend for your daughter.”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter what he thinks, does it?” Joey asked.
Adam swung his attention back to her.
“I think you’re a good boyfriend for me, so it doesn’t really matter what he thinks.”
Adam cradled her face in one hand, and Joey loved it when he did that. She felt cherished and seen, as Adam never let his attention wander somewhere else when talking with her. He didn’t overlook her, and he wasn’t biding his time with her while he waited for something better to walk by.
“So I’m just gonna tell him,” Joey said, tapping in the message box at the bottom of the family text. She grinned. “And it might as well be fun, right?”
“I don’t think any of this is fun,” Adam growled, and that made Joey laugh. Her thumbs flew over the screen and she typed out whatever came into her mind.
Hey, everyone, since the holidays are coming up and we’ll be spending time together as a big group, I just wanted to let everyone know that I started seeing someone, and I’d like to invite him to the big Thanksgiving dinner at Uncle Tex’s.
She sent that and held her phone out so Adam could see it.
“Ten seconds,” she said. “My young adult cousins and I tease how no one can put anything on the family text and not get a response within ten seconds.”
“That can’t be true,” Adam said.
Sure enough, a message popped up from Aunt Hilde.
Oh, that’s great, Joey, I’m sure it’s okay if he comes.
It’s absolutely okay, Aunt Abby said.I can’t wait to meet him.
You’re seeing someone new?Georgia asked, and Joey pointed to the text. “That’s my momma.”
Have you told your mother?Georgia asked.
The real question is, if she’s told her father, Luke sent.
Does this boy live in Coral Canyon?Uncle Gabe asked.Or Dog Valley?
