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Gabriel stroked his chin in apparent agitation. “Surely we can stay for dessert.”

“Oh yes, you have to.” Audrey looked as though she wanted to ask where exactly they had to be, but she held her tongue. “Evette made a cranberry tart that looks absolutely delicious.”

Evette gave a pleased smile. “It’s a German recipe I picked up.”

The conversation transitioned to the recipes that Evette had discovered throughout her travels. Iris began to shovel in her food, only half listening. The sooner they got out of there, the sooner the inquisition would end. All she wanted now was to curl up on the couch with a book and forget the day had ever happened. Not that it had been terrible, but she felt so guilty for tossing Blair into the lion’s den with such little warning. Gabriel’s passive aggressiveness was bad enough for him to deal with without her mom’s probing questions.

While Evette was in the kitchen retrieving the tart, Iris’ mom leapt up with a gasp. “I almost forgot!” She hurried out of the dining room, returning a moment later clutching a large satin-covered book. Iris’ stomach sank. It was the photo album she’d been helping her mom with for the past couple of weeks, and it was heavy enough to knock out a fully grown bear. Iris wasn’t really in the mood for familial reminiscing, but it didn’t appear as though she would have a say in the matter.

“Oh my gosh, is that Iris?” Audrey leaned over as Iris’ mom opened the album to the first page.

She beamed. “On her first day of second grade.”

Oh, good lord.

Resolved to the inevitability of having to relive memories from the ancient past, Iris glanced at the familiar photos from her seat across the table. Her attention was really on the others. Gabriel smiled serenely as he listened with rapt attention to her mom’s lighthearted stories about her childhood, from the time they missed their plane back from Disney World when Iris was seven, to the memorable moment a decade later when the fire alarm was pulled during her and Audrey’s high school graduation. Her mother smiled as she pointed to a picture of Iris and Audrey arm in arm, their caps thrown above their heads into the starry night.

Blair, who sat at Iris’ left, leaned in to look too, though he remained a silent observer.

Iris felt suddenly vulnerable with all of her awkward growing up moments on display for all to see. Her embarrassment only mounted when her mother flipped the page to show eighteen-year-old Iris’ first day at Bennington, her hair dyed a ghastly shade of radioactive green. That was certainly a look.

By the time Evette popped back in with the warmed up cranberry tart and six dessert plates, they were onto ‘Iris: The Later Years,’ beginning with a collection of photos from two Christmases ago, the first pictures that featured Gabriel.

“Look at that sweater.” Iris’ mom grinned at Gabriel, who shook his head in mock outrage.

“You insisted, Mary.”

She squeezed his arm affectionately. Gabriel had been a mom-favorite since Iris had first introduced them.

Iris turned to Blair, trying to include him in the conversation. “My mom likes to bully us all into wearing ugly Christmas sweaters while she dresses in some flattering outfit so that she looks the best in pictures.”

“Oh, stop it.” Her mother laughed, flipping more quickly through the final pages. When at last she reached the end, she closed the book, gave it a soft pat, and set it aside.

They tucked into the cranberry tart, which was indeed delicious, though Iris rushed through her slice so quickly she barely tasted it.

“Before you leave,” Audrey said, her eyes twinkling, “I think we should go around the table and each say what we’re thankful for.”

Iris’ fork paused in midair on the way to her mouth for her final bite of tart.

“I’ll go first,” said Audrey when no one else volunteered. “I’m thankful to have finally traded in my tiny, mouse-infested apartment over Fiona’s Pizza for this gorgeous new place with my beautiful fiancée. Mostly, though, I’m thankful for all the love in my life, and for getting to spend this day with all of you, friends old and new.”

Her smile was so genuine that Iris couldn’t even roll her eyes at the cheesiness. She raised her glass. “Here here.”

“Iris?” Audrey asked. “What about you?”

Iris pressed her lips together, thinking. “I’m thankful to be here with all of the people I care most about.”

She hesitated. Maybe it was a little weird to include Blair in that statement, since they’d really just met. Even Evette was someone Iris didn’t know well yet, since so much of her and Audrey’s relationship had been long distance.

“For delicious food, family, friends, and…” She glanced around the table, searching for a word to bookend her impromptu speech. “…festivities?”

A small laugh echoed around the table, along with another chorus of “Here, here!”

“Blair.” Audrey leaned her elbows on the table, her head resting in her clasped hands. “How about you?”

Everyone turned to Blair, who looked as though he wished he could sink through the floorboards. His gaze landed on the photo album. “I’m grateful to all of you. For welcoming me into your home. I’m…” His focus moved from Audrey’s open expression to Gabriel’s narrowed eyes. He faltered, glancing down at the crumbs on his plate.

“We’re happy to have you here,” Audrey cut in quickly. Iris gave her an appreciative smile. “Gabriel?”