The rolling of my eyes proceeded us turning down another street, further into the core of Phoebe’s less than favorable district. My heart tightened. We were approaching the trailer park and if my rapidly inclining pulse was any inclination, my body did not want me to relive the trauma.
“Everyone comes from somewhere.” I shrugged, but the truth was, I was struggling. I looked out the window and the houses started to shift from one story homes of love to the rectangular metal boxes like the one I’d grown up in. I hadn’t stepped foot near that trailer park in more than a decade, and knowing I was about to lay eyes on it again was making me quiver in my seat.
As soon as I saw Van observing the change in my demeanor, I couldn’t handle looking at him in that moment. I couldn’t handle him seeing the truth in my eyes of the amount of pain I was in, so I looked back out the window. By some stroke of luck, Van didn’t press me about it and soon enough, I felt him move his gaze off of me and back to the window as he took in the rest of the town.
The trailer park looked exactly the same. Not run down, but not built up either. Not trashy but not glamorous. It just was. Like it always would be. I closed my eyes as we continued to pass it, unable to allow my eyes to bear witness to it any longer. I knew people still lived there, but more than anything, I wish that everyone would move so the ground could be leveled and cleansed of the sins committed there. Full exorcism, full destruction.
My breath came to me a little easier as I opened my eyes to see that we’d long passed the trailer park. We’d arrive at Kit’s parents’ house momentarily now. That had always been one of the benefits of being best friends all our lives. Kit was so close weusually were able to walk or ride our bikes over to each other’s places.
A few beats later, the car pulled up to the McKendrick house, a cute little rancher with a shades of beige brick exterior. The lawn was trimmed and wrapped in wrought iron that secured the perimeter. As I thanked the driver and got out of the vehicle, the first genuine smile graced my face. This place was my home, not the trailer park. Here was where my family lived, where I belonged. This was my safe space. Everything was okay because I was here now.
Shivering in the chill of the open air, I pulled my beige trench coat tighter against my frame before rapping my fist on the front door. More vehicles were filling up the driveway, so it was a good thing we didn’t have a permanent vehicle to add to the inevitable hysteria of being blocked in by whoever wanted to leave first. Van standing next to me in his usual full suit made me inwardly smile. He was committed to his role as my personal bodyguard. At least he had pulled on a fur-lined dark brown jacket. One didn’t survive Phoebe in late November without some type of coat on.
Van was fidgeting, and I wasn’t convinced that it was from the cold. His hands were practically vibrating in the pockets of his slacks, and when I met his gaze, it told a different story than one to do with the weather.
“Nervous?” I prompted with a lazy smile.
“Sort of.” Van admitted, shifting his stance off of one foot and transferring it to the other. “I get why Priyanka wanted me to come with you, but I can’t help but feel like I’m imposing on another family’s holiday celebrations.”
Suddenly I was hit with an insurmountable wave of guilt. “Did you have plans with your family? I can call Priyanka and tell her—”
“No, no. Not necessary.” Van said, a light chuckle leaving his throat. “My family doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Or Christmas, for that matter.”
Curious, I was about to ask him why when the door opened and pried our previous conversation away from us. The person behind the door gave me the biggest grin and I instantly felt relaxed.
“Hey, superstar.” Kit said as he pulled me into an overwhelmingly tight embrace that I felt down to my very core. I hugged him back earnestly, feeling my reservations about being in Phoebe and all thoughts tied to my mother melting away now that I’d been reunited with my real family. When Kit pulled back, he kept his hands on either side of my shoulders, giving me an up and down scrutinization. “Mom and I were placing bets on when you’d arrive.” I rolled my eyes because we weren’t even five minutes beyond the time that Kit had texted me this morning to arrive by. And considering both Van and I had had to ride in a sprinter all the way here from Nashville and then order a rideshare, I’d say we made great time. “You owe me twenty bucks for not being more late.”
“Whatever.” I brushed him off, playfully pushing him backward inside the house. The sounds of Kit’s laughter played off the walls of the entryway as I stepped inside the familiar home. I looked back at Van, who hadn’t been told to come in, and gestured for him to follow me. When he stepped forward, I made a mental note to formally introduce him, just to see if maybe that would put him at ease a little bit. Just because his family didn’t do Thanksgiving didn’t mean I wasn’t aware of how unusual it was for a security guard to accompany me to a family dinner.
Kit gestured for us to follow him to the kitchen, where I knew his mother and father would be double teaming the cooking, per usual. As soon as I stepped into the perimeter of the kitchen,I was assaulted by a slew of smells. A beautiful concoction of rosemary, garlic, lemon, and other delectable spices slithered throughout the room and it made my mouth instantly salivate.
As soon as Meredith McKendrick’s eyes found me, her face broke out into the smile that always resembled home for me. It was the same smile that was turning her husband’s face as he saw me as well, and while Clark McKendrick had a great smile, it paled to the motherly love that wafted off of the woman who had become more of a mother to me than the one that gave birth to me.
“Alistair!” Her voice turned shrill, and she twisted away from her husband from behind the kitchen island to wrap her arms around me. Taking in her the scent of her familiar shampoo as we embraced, I felt even more at home.
“It’s so good to see you.” I said back, staring into the crisp blue eyes that she shared with her son.
“I love your new song!Birthstone baby, baby, birthstone baby.” She mimed some of the choreography from the music video while singing to a part of the chorus, making me cackle with genuine laughter. Her husband popped up from his spot by the oven, smiling at his wife before his eyes found me.
“Happy to have you, Alistair!” The patriarch of the McKendrick family said to me from over the oven, oven mitts covering his hands as he went inside the oven to retrieve the turkey I knew must be waiting to be cradled.
Before I forgot, I stepped out of the way and waved a hand toward Van. “This is Van.”
“Ooh, very handsome.” Meredith cooed, stepping forward to shake the hand that Van outstretched. She looked to me as they shook hands. “New boyfriend?”
My eyes flared in surprise. I hadn’t expected for her to say that. Van let his smile form into a wicked smirk as he gave mea quick glance before setting his sights back on the matriarch of the home.
I stammered to find my words. “Uh, what? No, Van’s not my…my boyfriend…”
Why the fuck was that her first thought? Was it everyone’s first thought when Van had sauntered through the door? More importantly…did he look like my boyfriend?
My body seemed to invisibly vibrate at the idea. Van’s hands roaming over my bare skin, his lips locked to my neck, his strong, thick thighs helping to pin me down to the bed as I tossed my head back and moaned louder than I’d ever moaned in my life.
Fuck. I shook myself. I didn’t need to get a fucking boner right now. Alright, it was already happening, but I needed to cut off this line of thinking. I’d done so well at keeping my thoughts about Van strictly professional and one comment from a family friend and I was completely coming undone, unraveling at the very irritated seams.
I didn’t know what to say, or if I should say anything more. As they pulled their hands apart, Van saved me from Meredith’s lingering question. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. McKendrick. I’m Alistair’s security.”
“Security?” She echoed, locking her eyes on mine. “Such a handsome man.” As Kit reentered the kitchen, she tossed him a pointed glare. “Now why can’t you bring home a man as handsome as Van here?”
