Maria was showing Phaedra the ingredients for the potato salad the Dvorkins always had during the holidays. Jamie, Kyle, Alexei, and Sean had boiled and peeled what felt like enough potatoes to feed an army that morning in preparation for the meal ahead before he’d had to leave. Evgeni was in charge of the two turkeys, while Tatyana finished up the stuffed cabbage rolls. Valentina half helped and half made sure none of the boys laid a finger on the pumpkin pies cooling on the counter near therefrigerator.
“Hey,” Kyle said with a smile on his face as he came over to give Jamie a welcome-back kiss. “You took forever. Flowers look greatthough.”
“I promise I didn’t go to Manhattan for them,” Jamie saiddryly.
“These are beautiful, Jamie. Here, let me put them on the table,” Valentina said as she came over to take the vase from him. “Mama! Look what Jamiebrought!”
Valentina held up the vase to show her mother. Maria looked up from the food prep and smiled at Jamie with a fond look on her face. “Very pretty.Spasibo.”
Kyle grabbed Jamie’s hand, leading him to the kitchen. “Come on, let’s get youabeer.”
“You even think about sticking your finger in those pies, I will make you regret your choices in life, Kilyusha!” Valentina called out as she headed for the dining room table to set theflowersdown.
“I’ll make sure he keeps his hands out of it,”Jamiesaid.
“You’re no help at all,” Kyleretorted.
“Never claimedtobe.”
Kyle sighed dramatically, but didn’t protest when Jamie put himself between Kyle and the pies sitting on the kitchen counter. He got them both a beer, checked in with the cooks in the kitchen in case they needed a refill, topped up Phaedra’s glass of sparkling apple cider, before they claimed a spot on the couch not being monopolized by AlexeiandSean.
“I missed the parade, didn’t I?” Jamie asked as hesatdown.
“You didn’t miss football,” Sean replied, eyes glued to the three-dimensional holographics being protected by the television into thelivingroom.
“Who’splaying?”
“The only team that ever plays on Thanksgiving,” Kyle said. “TheCowboys.”
“All show, no substance,” Alexei muttered before he shoved a deviled egg into his mouth. Judging by the half-empty platter on the coffee table, he’d been snacking on mostofthem.
Jamie laughed and took a sip of his beer, putting his hand on Kyle’s knee because he could. “Did you guys pick out anapartmentyet?”
“You really don’t—” Seanbegan.
“Still looking,” Alexei interrupted, covering Sean’s mouth with his hand. “Will tell you when find it. Letyoubuy.”
Sean rolled his eyes, but when Alexei removed his hand, there was a fond smile on the agent’s face. They both looked a far cry better than when Jamie had last visited them in Medical. At least now Sean was talking, even if he still couldn’t quite look Alexei in the face for long, and both still had problems with people getting too close at the moment. In a family that liked to hug as much as the Dvorkins did, Jamie knew that was hard for everyone involved, but he had faith they’d get through this roughpatch.
Kyle leaned against him and Jamie took the opportunity to wrap an arm around his shoulders. Kyle started to talk up the Cowboys and trash talk the other team just to get Alexei riled up. So long as they didn’t resort to wrestling, Jamie didn’t mind. He wanted to enjoy his beer inpeace.
The Dvorkins were a friendly bunch, always in each other’s personal spaces, teasing in both Russian and English. Jamie enjoyed being around all of them, their warmth a far cry from the formal holiday dinners his parents always put on. That sense of family carried them through the afternoon todinnertime.
The dining room table could seat twelve, so everyone had plenty of elbow space, and nearly every platter of food made it onto the table itself. One of the turkeys had pride of place at Evgeni’s end, cooled enough to be carved. Tatyana poured everyone wine taken out of Jamie’s wine room for the occasion, while Maria ferried warm bread to the table. Phaedra had cut and drawn place cards for everyone, and they all took turns admiring her artwork and praising her skill with coloredpencils.
As the group gathered around the table and prepared to sit down, Jamie cleared his throat, catching everyone’sattention.
“Before we dig in, I have something I want to say,” Jamie said, looking at everyone’s smiling faces. “Thank you all for being here today. I honestly wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now, and a lot of that has to dowithKyle.”
He turned to face Kyle, feeling his heart pounding in his chest, half-wondering if anyone else could hear it. “Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if you hadn’t walked into that barlastyear.”
“Boring as fuck,” Kyle said with a teasingsmile.
Jamie’s laughter mixed in with everyone else’s as he reached for Kyle’s left hand. “It’d be something, that’s for sure, but not anything I wouldenjoy.”
Jamie went to one knee and pulled out the ring box with his free hand, clutching it so hard the corners dented his skin. He looked up into Kyle’s shocked face and felt his heart skip a beat. It was like missing the last step, that moment of free fall and spike of adrenaline, unsure of the landing. But he knew Kyle would be there, always, to catch him every single time. To guard his six and keep him alive and wake up with him in dawn’s early light, there, forever, in battle-testedlove.
Kyle was the only person Jamie had ever loved like this—wholly, completely, with every fiber of his being. Jamie wanted him to know that in a way the rest of the world could one day see as well when they no longer had to hide their love for eachother.
