Thanksgiving

"Okay. We've got turkey, a ham, two kinds of potatoes, gravy, mac and cheese-"

"Mac and cheese!"

"Honey, don't distract me. Mac and cheese, green beans, bread stuffing, rolls..."

My eyes roved the spacious kitchen but I wasn't seeing the appliances or the marble counter or the setting sun through the window over the kitchen sink. I was reviewing my mental menu, to make sure it matched my written menu. I nodded. "I think that's it." 

I wedged the barrel of a pen into my mouth and flipped the page of my spiral notebook up over the steel rings. I silently paced the kitchen, counting the number of desserts on the following page. Satisfied, I resumed my seat on the bar stool and dropped the pen next to the pad on the counter.

"Okay, I have my shopping list done so I'm ready for tomorrow." I wilted at the thought of being alone with Karen in a grocery store. With pleading eyes, I turned to JC. "Please tell me she's not all put together and perfect?'

"Sorry, honey." JC opened his mouth wide and bit into an apple. Methodically, his jaw worked until he had chewed the fruit enough to speak. "She's a regular Betty Crocker. Loves to cook, real organized. You'll be fine, though. She likes you, so she won't pick on you too hard."

I groaned, my head sinking into my hands. My voice was muffled as I whined. "You couldn't just lie to me, could you? I feel like I'm auditioning."

"Nah. That was last year."  JC winked and slapped me on the back a few times.

I sat up, irritated but trying not to let it show. It wasn't his fault that I was nervous. It was only his family coming to Thanksgiving dinner. A dinner that I was cooking at his suggestion. And, oh yeah, why don't I invite my family down, too? The whole gang! Wouldn't that be fun?

"Honey... I just..." I sighed. "Could you go make sure the boys haven't killed each other, or something?"

JC chuckled. His hand still rested on my back. I could feel his body heat through my t-shirt. "In other words, go away?"

"Yes. Please go away."

JC leaned over and dropped a wet kiss on my cheek. "Fine, I'm going away. But don't be in here by yourself freaking out. It'll be okay. It's the holidays. Relax."

I watched JC twist around on the bar stool, slide off of it and saunter around the corner. Of course he could tell me to relax. His only responsibility was to keep my nephews occupied. I had dinner to shop for, a strategic cooking plan to develop and I still had to figure out how to comfortably fit over twenty people into the house for Thanksgiving dinner.

Truth be told, I was pretty excited about the holiday. Both of our families would be together under the same roof. I couldn't wait for my brothers to meet Tyler and for my sisters in law to get to know Allison and for everyone to get to know everyone and start bonding as a family.

JC and I had already been in Orlando for a few days. We aired out the house, restocked the refrigerator, and bummed around Winter Park. When we got tired of that, we hung out on the dock, watching the sunset and the water ripple and splash onto the shore. We went back to the same deli shop that he took me to last year, and then, just like last year, took a boat ride out to the middle of the lake. It was so calm, so quiet, so peaceful, but by the time people started showing up later in the week, we were ready for company.

I heard faint bickering down the hall, and then JC's voice, stern and authoritative. I smiled to myself, catching only a few words here and there. The boys had only been here for a few hours and JC was already laying down the law.

I'd tried to warn him, earlier that day.

"They'll ask. Wait, no... they'll beg." 

I pressed ‘end' on the cell phone and set it on the coffee table in front of me. The caravan from Atlanta - my parents and the boys in their car, everyone else in the van behind them-was nearing Orlando on the way to Tampa. They planned to stop in for an hour or so, let the boys stretch their legs, have some dinner and then drive the remaining hour and a half to my Uncle Walt's.

I sat on one end of the couch, JC sat at the other end. "The boys are going to see that lake and your movie room with all those games and want to stay overnight. And I know you hate saying no to them so if you say yes, they get to be your responsibility because I have to plan dinner."

"Okay," he said. The TV flipped from one station to another.

"You think I'm kidding and I'm not. I'm going to look right at you when they ask. Because they will."

"Okay," he said again.

My eyes narrowed and my lips set in a flat line. "You'll be the one that spoils our kids. I can already tell."

His laughter was quiet, evident only by the shaking of his belly and the smirk on his face. "I can be tough when I want to be. I just don't want to be, right now. I don't mind if they stay over. And I know Aunt Serena can't help herself."

I grabbed a teal colored throw pillow with gold fringes-it matched the rug on the floor, I guessed. It narrowly missed his head as he nonchalantly ducked and sat back upright. His eyes never left the TV.

"Aunt Serena will be busy, is what I'm saying. United front, and all that."

"Honey... okay. I get it, but I really don't mind if the boys stay over. They're not infants. They want to play games and watch movies and swim in the lake and stay up late and hang out with Aunt Serena and her really cool boyfriend. I'm okay with that."

"Especially the really cool boyfriend part."

He nodded. "Especially the really cool boyfriend part."

Just as I predicted, an hour later each of them was hanging off of an arm or a leg and begging, loudly, to stay over. Matthew and Devon were both an inch taller since the last time I'd seen them. CJ had shot up like a weed and was looking more like a mini-linebacker every day, so to see these big boys brought to their knees, hands clasped and making promises that would be impossible to keep was making it hard to not laugh.

JC paced, pretending to think hard about his decision. He stopped, his arms folded across his chest, and looked each of them in the eye.

"We promise to be good, right?"

Three heads nodded.

"We promise that there will be no fighting. We will play fair. We will watch out for each other and we will have a good time?"

"Yeah. Promise, we promise," came the answers. They'd be fools not to promise. When JC finally nodded and said yes, there were ear piercing, paint peeling screams throughout the house.

I shook my head and sighed. Here comes trouble.

Now, a high pitched wailing was coming from a room at the back of the house, growing louder by the second. My heart thumped in my ears and dark scenarios flew through my mind as I nearly jumped from the bar stool and swung around the corner of the kitchen into the dining room.

A flash of blonde curls swept past me. Seconds later, JC careened around a corner, socked feet slipping on the wood floors. He laughed loudly, his grin stretching from one ear to another. He streaked past me and ran behind CJ into the kitchen.

"I'm comin'! I'm gonna getcha!"

Another scream nearly pierced my eardrums and CJ ran back out of the kitchen. Instead of passing me again, he circled around behind me and hid behind my legs.

"He's gonna get me!" I heard through gut level laughter. "Don't let him get me!"

JC bounded out the kitchen and stopped in front of me, panting. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead and soaked the collar of his t-shirt. His hands were propped on his hips, except for when his thumb wiped a bead of moisture from his eyebrow.

"Hey," he said, heaving a breath. His face was beet red but his eyes were dancing. I loved watching him play with the boys, especially CJ. Even if I did think he might have a heart attack if he didn't take it easy. He wasn't nineteen, anymore. He wasn't even twenty-nine anymore.

"'Sup," I said, with a sideways tilt to my head.

"Have uh... you seen CJ?"

A giggle rose behind me. I reached back and patted him on the shoulder. "CJ? Gosh. He uhm. He was just right here. I think he went that way." I pointed down the hall.

JC glanced down the hall and then back to me. "Hmmm. So if he went that way, that means we're alone, doesn't it?"

"Sure. Yeah."

He stepped closer, and then closer, and tipped his head like he was going to kiss me.

"Eww, no kissing!"

JC's kiss stopped just short of my lips. He darted to the left and reached around behind me, shouting "hah!"

Another blood curdling scream came from CJ, and then he was off again, this time really running down the hall. JC was laughing so hard he bent at the waist and wasn't making any noise.

"Oh my God," he panted, when he could speak. "That kid is fun. He's gonna kill me, but he's fun."

"He'll sleep good tonight at least." 

He caught his breath and pulled the hem of his t-shirt up so he could wipe his face. "Just doing my job. He was annoying the other two so I said I'd play with him for a little bit so they could finish their game, but then they had to pick something that he could play, too."

He finished wiping his face and pulled his shirt down. "CJ decided he wanted to play ‘chase me around the damn house'."

I laughed, stepping close to him, and slipping my arms around his waist. "You remember that one night I said you were really sexy to me, right then?"

"Yeah..." He smiled down at me, his head tilted. "You uh... gettin' that feeling again?"

"Watching you play with them and be all authoritative..." I sighed. "Yeah. A lot."

A flash lit up his eyes and for a moment I considered trying to sneak away with him for a few minutes. We must have been sharing the same brain, because he wiggled his brows and tipped toward me until our lips were almost touching. "Well, uh...maybe--"

"JC! Come catch me some more!"

JC sighed, glanced down the hall and then back to my lips. He kissed me on the mouth hard, and stepped back. "Welp... I've got more being sexy to do. If you're done stressing out, come on back and hang out. Maybe we'll put on a movie, if Aunt Serena will make us some popcorn."

Grudgingly, I let him go. "Aunt Serena would love to make some popcorn if Uncle JC will ask the boys to put their pajamas on."

"Yes ma'am."  He saluted and started down the hall, then stopped and turned around again. "We're a pretty good team, you know? It's like... training."

I smiled, biting down on the corner of my bottom lip. "Yeah. Except, if our kids scream like that every day, I'll run away from home."

"You and me both, honey."

###

The next day, I slid into the passenger seat of Heather's roomy sedan, snapped my seatbelt on and turned to say hello to Karen in the backseat. She tipped her Starbucks cup to her lips, her brown eyes smiling above the rim and gave me a two finger wave. I straightened again and faced front, trying to hide my nerves. In theory, these women were about to become my family. Rather, I was about to become theirs. In theory.

The day was gorgeous-bright, sunny, just enough chill to need long sleeves. On the radio, a Maroon5 song blared loudly. Heather sang along, bobbing her head to the beat. My toe kept the rhythm, tapping along to her singing and bobbing. When the song ended, she turned the volume down again until the music was just a low hum over the sounds of the tires on the road.

"You look so tense, Serena. What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing," I said too quickly and too loudly. "Uhm, I'm just thinking. About dinner. Hoping I remembered to put everything on the list. And that everything turns out okay."

"Oh, it'll be fine. And if we forget something, we'll send Josh or Tyler to the store down the street. It's more expensive, but it's convenient." Heather reached across the center console to tap my leg a few times. It was oddly comforting. "So get rid of those worry lines across your forehead. They'll make you look old. Your boyfriend is a pop star. You have to look young and fabulous, all the time. Even when you aren't."

I laughed, turning my attention to the pretty lakefront landscape flashing by. Some of that pent up stress and anxiety began to seep out and I was breathing easier by the second. Heather turned into a grocery store parking lot and swung into a space near the automatic front door.  We weren't alone in our last minute grocery shopping; hordes of people were walking in and out.

Heather cut the ignition. The keys jingled together as she dropped them into a small, canvas cross body messenger bag.

"Okay, now," she said, turning around to talk to Karen. "We can't spend more than an hour and a half-two hours tops- in here. I have to pick up Tyler and Allison at the airport."

Karen frowned. "If we rush, we'll forget something. Call Josh and tell him to pick up Tyler."

Heather rolled her eyes. "Remember a couple of years ago? You made him go, and he got totally mobbed at the airport. He refuses to go anymore."

"Dad can do it, then. Or they can go together, whatever works. I'm not rushing through this shopping trip. Those men are doing nothing but watching football and eating. They can go."

Karen popped the latch on her door and got out of the car, adjusting her rust colored sweater over her waist and threading the strap of a Coach handbag over her arm.  "Let's go," she chirped, and then closed the door and walked toward the store entrance.

I looked at Heather and she looked at me, shrugged and pulled her phone out of her bag. "Sucks to be Josh."

We rushed to catch up with Karen, who was picking over the grocery carts lined up in the corral outside of the doors. I held in my laughter as best I could while listening to Heather talk to JC. Were it me, he'd find a way to wiggle out of it, but there was nothing he could offer Karen to barter.

At one point, after a few minutes of back and forth banter, she turned around and gave Heather a look. Heather seemed to jump back a few inches and hissed into the mouthpiece, "Just do it, okay? I'm getting that look and she means it for you."

With that, she slapped her phone closed and slid it into her bag. I pulled out my list. "Okay, should we split this up? I divided it by sections." Karen took a section from the list, grabbed the cart and headed off to the produce aisle. Heather and I pulled another cart and decided to conquer the rest of the list together.

She was shorter than me, with mousy brown hair that hung straight and just past her shoulders. She seemed more comfortable in her sweatshirt and jeans and fresh face than I seemed in my crisp, ironed blouse and tailored jeans. I had washed and straightened my hair, wore my good jewelry, had a full face of makeup on and low heeled boots.

Inwardly, I blushed at myself and couldn't wait to get back home and change. I was dressed to impress at Hollywood Whole Foods, because I never knew when I might run into someone with a camera lens and I hated looking like ass. Melissa still sent me photos, despite my begging her to stop. And I always looked at them, despite begging myself to stop.

For Winter Park, I looked ridiculous.

"So, Josh said something about an anniversary? How long has it been, again?"

We headed down the spices and sauces aisle, stopping in the middle and browsing the selection from McCormick. On the list was sage, turmeric and cream of celery.

"Yeah, it was a month ago. Two years." I couldn't help a proud smile.

"Cool. What did you guys end up doing?"

"Oh, not much. We went to dinner-I've always wanted to eat at BOA and he never wants to go because the cameras hang out around the front entrance. He finally took me and it was amazing. And then we went to the Viper Room. Michael's band was doing a show there and I'd never seen him play, so we went. Then we had a few people over for a little after-party."

Heather was laughing. "Not much? That's like three nights out for me and my boyfriend." She giggled, tossed a few spice containers into the basket and pushed the cart further down the aisle.

"I guess it sounds like more when I say it out loud. We had fun."

"Good. I'm glad he stopped working long enough to show you a good time. Normally..." Her voice trailed off.  

"Normally what? Heather? What were you going to say?"                                    

She hesitated, staring at the list. Maybe to avoid meeting my eyes. "Normally, whoever he's dating-which, let's face it, he's only dated three women longer than a couple of months-she has to make the plans and then has to track him down and tell him where to go and he's annoyed because he'd rather be working. When he and I talk lately, it's always about how he's planned something for you, or he's getting ready to do something you want to do. He's not all about work, anymore."

"Is that good? That's good, right?"

Heather stopped the cart from its slow crawl down the tiled linoleum.  Her clear, peaches and cream skin seemed dull under the fluorescent lights. Overhead, the Muzak buzzed a bland, syncopated 80's pop tune.

"Look, I know you're nervous because of... well, everything. You kind of have big shoes to fill, but... sometimes it seems like you're still looking for signs that he likes you-loves you-and wants to be with you. You have to know these things in your heart, Serena. Just trust me; you're still on the honeymoon. There will be times when he doesn't show it and doesn't say it. There will be times when you just have to know it. That's what will make the difference between you and the others."

I dropped my head and shuffled my feet in my ridiculous shoes. Of course I knew it, when I was alone with him. It was when we got around other people, people that have known JC long enough to call him Josh,  people who have loved him longer, knew him inside out and infinitely better and more than I ever could, that I wasn't so sure.

"I just want to feel like I belong," I admitted. "I want everyone else to feel like I belong, too. So, if it seems weird to you that he's all..." I made the air quote signs with two fingers of each hand. "Devoted to me, then it makes me question things. I try not to let it bother me, but...." I shrugged and dipped my head.

Heather's eyes softened and she smiled. She gave my arm a soft pat and a squeeze. "It's hard, I get it. But you know, we all want what Josh wants. If he's happy, we're happy. Especially mom and she-" She stopped to glance around the end cap.

"Mom is the toughie. Dad's easy, but she's real protective over Josh. I won't share which of his girlfriends she didn't really like, but she makes it kind of obvious. If you don't feel like she hates you, then she loves you. So relax. Have a good time. It's the holidays."

That was the second time in as many days that I'd heard that from a Chasez. It wouldn't have to be said again.

We ambled slowly through the store, picking up items here and there, crossing them off of the list. Heather asked about Tyler and Allison and the baby. We reminisced about the last time we'd all been together, at Tyler's wedding. "Speaking of weddings..."

Her slight smile grew wider and a sparkle gleamed in her eyes. "We're not going to be doing anything impromptu this weekend, by chance? Maybe?"

I shook my head, laughing a little. "No, no. If-when-if it happens, I've already promised my best girlfriend that she'd get to wear a seafoam green taffeta dress, and I just hate to break my promises."

"I look great in green!" She exclaimed, laughing.

"I'll keep that in mind," I said, nodding.

"I guess you aren't going to tell me."

I looked up from the list in my hand to find Heather pouting. My brow furrowed in confusion. "Tell you what?"

"If you guys are talking about getting married! Are you?"

I opened my mouth, and then closed it. In theory, he'd said. What did that mean? "I don't honestly know, Heather. I want to. He knows I want to. I think he wants to but... he's working some stuff out. In his head."

"Is he hinting at it?"

"Uhm..."

I took control of the cart, pushing it alongside the dairy case. I picked out a few boxes of butter and a few cartons of eggs, placing them gingerly in the cart. "Well, he hinted at it for a long time. And then we had that breakup incident." I glanced up at Heather. Her face clouded over at the mention of those long weeks when we weren't together. "He said, when we made up, that he wasn't going to bring it up anymore. And he hasn't, but that's only made me want it more. I told him that would happen. Anyway... when we were in Greece, I asked him."

"Asked him? Asked him what?"

I pushed the cart past the yogurt to the cheese, picking over the cubes of mild, medium and sharp cheddar. "What kind of cheese does your mom use for her mac and cheese?"

Heather grabbed my arm to get my attention. "Fuck the cheese! Did you-" She paused and glanced around, I imagined to make sure we were alone.  Her eyes were big and round, framed by long lashes. "Did you ask him to marry you?"

Slowly, I nodded. My face was on fire and I couldn't look her in the eye anymore. I hadn't told anyone, not even Melissa, that I'd asked. No one knew, because I couldn't bring myself to tell them that he hadn't answered yet.

"And?"

I shuffled my feet. They hurt, inside my ridiculous boots. "Uhm. He asked for time. He said he needed to think."

Heather's face went blank, her mouth went slack, the sparkle disappeared from her eyes. "Think."

"Yeah."

"Think. What the fuck is there to think about? He's in love with you. I've never seen him this way, before. This is definitely different, definitely real. Don't you think?"

"I wouldn't have asked him if I didn't think so, too." I picked out a few cubes of sharp cheddar cheese. Heather put them back and replaced them with another brand, medium flavor. I smiled my thanks and pushed the cart further down the aisle. It was cold in the dairy case.

"So, that was in Greece..." I could hear her mind clicking and whirring, counting the months. "That was like, nine months ago. He hasn't answered? He hasn't said anything?"

"He hints. He likes to tease me with it, and then at the last minute say he's not ready to answer. Right before our anniversary, we had a good, long talk. You know, about music and stuff."

"And?" Heather demanded. If she was sitting, she'd have been on the edge of her seat. I hated to create anticipation for something that was really nothing.

"And... he needs to figure out what he wants to do and for some reason that's stopping him from moving forward with us. I mean, I'm happy. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to push. But I'm still waiting."

Heather blew out a breath, puffing her cheeks. "God. I'd go crazy. How are you not crazy?"

"How do you know I'm not crazy?" I chuckled, and then waved at Karen across the store at the meat counter. She waved us over, so I aimed the cart that way. "Listen, don't say anything. To anyone. No one knows, and he freaks out under pressure and I really don't want to push him."

"Oh, of course. Of course. Mum's the word." She made a zipper motion across her lips and smiled.

By the time we made it to the checkout lane, we had two full grocery carts, had re-planned the dinner menu and sketched out seating options. I swiped my debit card through the reader while two baggers worked to place all of our items in plastic bags, then we wheeled both carts out to the car and loaded them into the trunk.

Heather's jaw dropped as she turned into the driveway a half hour later. The street was lined with cars and the house was full to overflowing. My parents, brothers, sisters in law, nieces and nephews joined JC's parents and the newly arrived Tyler, Allison and Mason. Karen made a beeline for her grandson.  I roped my nephews into helping me unload the car.

"There are so many babies in here. I'm gonna lose my mind," said Heather. I laughed while she gravitated toward Karen, who held a sleepy Mason on her shoulder. He was looking more like a mini Tyler every day, with a fuzzy patch of blonde hair, plump pink cheeks with shallow dimples in each one and soulful brown eyes. His head bobbed and his eyes were droopy but he didn't make a sound.

"He was so good on the plane," Allison beamed. "He slept through almost the entire flight."

"Good?" JC came from around the corner, his shadow CJ in tow. He peered over Karen's shoulder and lightly brushed his fingertips across Mason's forehead. "He's not supposed to be good. He's supposed to be making my brother's life a living hell just like I taught him."

Tyler seemed to take the usual ribbing in stride, sprawled out in a kitchen chair and watching the exchange. "Dad said my son would turn out like me," he said, then counted off his fingers. "He eats, he sleeps, he poops. He likes the boob. He throws a fit when he doesn't get what he wants. He's just like me. That's enough punishment, don't you think?"

The entire house, it seemed laughed when JC agreed by simply saying, "Plenty."

JC made his way around the room to sit next to me while I held Julia, who was just a few days younger than Mason. She looked so much like CJ when he was born-porcelain skin, bright blue eyes, and a ringlet of blonde hair around her face that looked like a halo. She also weighed a full pound heavier than Mason. If Chris kept going, he could have a co-ed football team.

"Everything go okay at the store?"

I nodded, smiling over at him and then back down to Julia. "Babies are such a little miracle, aren't they?"

He leaned over my shoulder, watching her sleep. "Especially when they belong to someone else."

I laughed and she awoke with a start, her body writhing and twisting. Fat little hands balled up into fists and she started to cry. Andrea got up from the chair she'd been dozing in. "She might be hungry, anyway." She scooped up the baby and brought her close. Julia nuzzled her chest and grunted. "Yep. Feeding time."

I watched as Andrea slung a diaper bag over her shoulder and eased away from the crowd in search of privacy.  I turned to JC. "And that, my love, is the best part of being an Aunt. I get to spoil them and then send them back."

JC nodded as if he was taking mental notes. "I was thinking I would go for the eccentric uncle kind of thing. You know, that uncle you have that you can't tell if he's crazy or not? Or maybe that Uncle that just tells crazy stories. I've got a lot of those."

"Well, you certainly have the sweaters for it."

He poked me in the ribs and I laughed. "You'll pay for that, later."

I looked around at the room full of people as if I was noticing them for the first time. My brothers were talking to Tyler; Kim was no doubt giving Allison her best advice while Heather and Karen stood by; my parents, aunt and uncle were out on the back porch taking in the view of the lake and watching the boys run around in the yard. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Snapshot.

When I opened my eyes, JC's blues were staring at me. I sighed one of those happy, content sighs and reached for his hand, winding my fingers between his, relishing the feeling of the calluses on his fingers and thumb while he stroked my hand.  

"Have I ever told you that I love a full house?"

"Nope," JC said, his eyes following my trail around the room. "But I totally understand."

"It just feels happy, to me."

JC nodded. Then, after a few minutes, he tapped my shoulder and said, "So, we have a happy house full of people. What's for dinner?"

"I need to start getting Thanksgiving dinner going, so the kitchen will be occupied. Order some pizzas and sandwiches. I'll talk to my dad, he'll pay for it."

He perked. "I don't have to pay for it? Done." He stood, and then offered a hand to help me up and pull me into his arms. He must have noticed my wardrobe for the first time, because his eyes traveled my body from head to toe and back up and he asked, "Why do you look like you're going grocery shopping in LA?"

I blushed and waved him off. "I forgot where I was. I'm going upstairs to change. Call the pizza place. And hurry up, I'm hungry."

*

All of the women seemed to gravitate toward the kitchen and anyone who wasn't holding a baby was given an assignment. Soon, we had a nice little assembly line going: Kim chopped vegetables for stuffing, Heather peeled potatoes for boiling and mashing, mom removed the silky ears from cobs of corn and I prepared the turkey and the ham for roasting.

For several hours in a hot kitchen, we traded stories and cooking secrets, talked about random things like our favorite places to shop online and who did what for a living, and laughed at Karen and Heather's childhood stories about JC and Tyler.

"Have I told this story," she said, already laughing, "About the time an older kid got some beer and all the neighborhood kids, including my two boys got busted? It was a cheap brand, but that's the stuff that will get you drunk fast if you're young."  The group had become so rowdy that someone came to investigate the noise.

"Josh was toasted. He must have had a few, definitely more than one beer, because his eyes wouldn't open all the way. Tyler couldn't have had much more than a few sips, I'm sure. He was so young, but he was there. If we punished Josh, we had to punish Tyler.

"We yelled and finger pointed and grounded them both. Poor Josh, he felt so bad. Then, we..." Karen had to pause to control her laughter. Her face was puffy and red from the glass of wine she'd had and the concentration in her face was apparent. "When we sent Josh to his room, he couldn't walk a straight line. He was trying, but he... he had to hold onto the wall..." She collapsed in a heap of giggles, shook her head and tried to finish. "We were watching him... and I don't even think he got the door closed before I looked at Roy and he looked at me - and Roy started it. He started laughing, and that made me laugh. We had to go outside to the back porch!"

 "And nothing's changed," I said. "He still can't walk a straight line after a couple of beers." 

"What's so funny in here?" JC marched into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and pulled out a few bottles of beer. He let the door close behind him and stared at all of us, trying to hold in our giggles and snorts.

The smile slid from his face. "Aw. Mom... no... are you...did you tell that story about me getting drunk?" His cheeks and forehead were turning pink. He rolled his eyes and huffed.  "She loves telling that to people."

Karen burst out laughing, which started another round of giggling. "It's a cute story."

"I was thirteen," JC announced to the room. "I was a child. I hold my liquor better, now. Thank you very much."  He pointed the neck of a bottle at me and backed out of the room. "Hey. You're supposed to keep my secrets, woman."

I shrugged, but couldn't stop laughing. He shook his head, playfully cut his eyes at his mother, and rounded the corner, mumbling to himself.

"Room full of women," said Heather. "He'd never win anyway."

I wished I could switch the kitchens at the lake house and the LA house, because the lake house had a double oven. I put the turkey in one and the ham in the other, and everything else was on the verge of completion. We'd knocked out an entire meal in one evening and managed to gossip and drink a bottle of wine while doing it.  Best of all, my boyfriend's mother seemed to take me under her wing, shared some secrets and funny stories, and if I wasn't mistaken, had a good time in my presence.

Later that night, I slipped away from the family for some quiet time. I stood in a hot shower, thinking over the day, smiling to myself at how well everything went.  I dipped my head under the spray and inwardly sighed. I had a good time, too.  

I turned off the faucet and stepped out of the shower, wrapped myself in a towel and went to work on my hair before it tangled up. I sprayed it with detangler and worked through it with a large toothed comb. A sound caught my ear, and I stopped. It sounded like... the news? I hadn't left the TV on in the bedroom.

Confused, I opened the door a crack and stuck my head out. A ribbon of cold air snaked in through the opening and sent a chill down my spine. The bedroom was cool in comparison to the steamy heat of the bathroom.

"JC?" I called out.

"You need some help in there?"

I opened the door and stepped out of the warm room. Goosebumps popped up on my arms, across my shoulders. "What are you doing up here?"

He laid on the bed, fully clothed except for his shoes, TV remote balanced on his belly and one finger pressing the button to change the channel. The other arm was tucked under his head.

"You always ask me that. I live here."

"Smartass. I meant since your whole family is downstairs. You hardly ever see them."

"I saw them enough," he said, flipping through more channels. "Your family left. My mom and dad left, Heather left. We lost the coin toss on Tyler and Allison. I gave them the bedroom at the other end of the hall."

"Oh." I stepped back into the bathroom to pick up a bottle of lotion from the counter and pull my hair into a pony-tail. I left the bathroom again and handed him the bottle.  "Since you're up here, do you want to do the honors?"

He grinned, sitting up, and then getting up and crossing the room. The door closed with a soft click and he came back to the bed. I loosened the towel from around me and spread it out on the bed, then laid on my stomach, arms spread out on either side.

I felt a dip in the bed as JC climbed back on, then felt the soft denim of his jeans as he straddled my legs. He pumped a few drops of lotion, spread it in his hands and started in the middle of my back. I groaned, sinking somewhere past enjoyment into sheer bliss.

"Any place you want me to concentrate on? You feel tense anywhere?" He rubbed the cream into my skin in firm, even, rhythmic strokes, kneading and massaging as he went.

"Hmm-mmm," I hummed. "I just like it when you do it."

"Well, that's convenient. I like doing it."

His breathing changed with his effort to stretch up to my shoulders, and then down the length of my arms. His hands were the perfect mix of rough and gentle, gliding over every inch of skin, over and over and over again. I sighed.

JC moved off of my legs so he could do them next. "Everything okay?"

"Mmhmmm," I answered, my eyes opening for the first time in awhile. "Why? Do I seem... not okay?"

"Making sure," I heard behind me. I couldn't see him, but could feel his palms working my calves. "I know it's a lot to deal with. Everyone here, and dinner and all that. Do you need me to handle anything?"

I giggled. "Are you feeling useless, honey?"

"No," he answered quickly. "I haven't really done anything to help. I'm just being thoughtful. Whatever."

Since he was done with my arms, I brought them up and crossed them under my head. I yawned-a side effect of the massage. "You've helped plenty. You amused my nephews; you let CJ follow you around, like all day; you talked to my dad for an entire hour, tonight."

An image popped into my mind of watching them outside on the patio, sitting at the table in the glow of the evening sun. My dad sat forward, his hands clasped before him. JC was slightly more relaxed, sitting back, one leg crossed over another. They seemed to be having an in-depth conversation. I was more than curious about that.

"What were you talking about, anyway? He wasn't trying to talk you into managing your money, was he?"

"Nah. Turn over."

I obeyed, rolling over on the towel to my back, folding my arms under my head, again. I liked to watch him looking at me. I loved the expression on his face, the way his eyes drank me in, from toe to head.

He started at my feet, spreading the heavy cream up my leg, over my knees, and around each thigh, moving higher and higher until he paused.  

"You're not going to tell me what you talked about with my dad? Is it a secret?"

JC lowered his head to my body. He dropped kisses on my belly and slowly made his way down to a warm, soft, intimate spot. Lightly, gently, he kissed me there, and then flicked his eyes up toward me. The look in them raised my temperature several degrees. His breath was hot on my skin.

"You want me to talk about your dad, or do you want me to keep going, right here?"

My body screamed an answer in raised nipples and goosebumps and spreading warmth. I opened my mouth to tell him to keep going, but he read my mind. Or my body.

With his hands, he applied pressure and pulled my thighs further apart. Feather soft, wet, and warm, I felt his tongue make a long, slow journey up and then down and around and back again. I heaved a sigh, my hips arching up toward him. He lifted his head just out of reach.

I moaned, clutching his head in my hands and pressing his face into me. His moan matched mine, sending a vibrating shock up through my inner core. His hands gripped my legs tightly as his lips, his tongue, his mouth went to work. Licking and sucking, teasingly soft and then relentlessly hard, while my hips matched every movement. I bit my lip so hard, I was afraid I might break the skin.

"Yeah!" I whispered, writing and thrashing, trying not to squeal. For all I knew, Tyler and Allison were in their bedroom just down the hall, cuddling with their son.

"Mmm?" I felt him hum, and looked down to find his eyes on me, eyebrows raised in question. I nodded, finding it hard to breathe. Or form words. My hips were doing all of my talking.

"Mmmm!" I finally grunted, falling back on the bed.

It happened before I realized it was happening. One moment he was laying in front of me, giving me the most delicious assault he'd given in a long time. In the next moment, his t-shirt was lying next to me, I heard a zipper and a crumple of denim that must have been his jeans falling to the ground and he was naked, hot and sweaty and heaving barely controlled breaths. I felt the weight of him on me and then a hand between us and then-"

"Oh, shit!"

"Shhh..."

I threw my arms around him and brought him close to me so I could bury my mouth in his shoulder. I wasn't convinced that it would muffle much, but I didn't think I could stay quiet. Especially since he was whispering in my ear.

"Is it good? Do I feel good to you?"

"Ohhhmygooood," I moaned. "So good. You feel so good, baby. Don't stop, please, please don't stop."

"I'm not going to. I'm gonna keep going until you come. Are you gonna come for me?"

I whimpered, feeling a coil of heat tunnel through me. My body shook with effort to maintain control. I wanted to cry, it was so intense-the being on the edge of something powerful and explosive, but I couldn't manage to grab it. It was just out of reach.

"What do you want?" He said, lifting his head, finding my eyes and boring into them. Couldn't he already see through them, all the way through me? Couldn't he tell? "What do you want, Serena? What do you want me to do? Tell me."

"I wanna come!" My voice sounded hoarse and strangled as I practically screamed, "Make me come!"

As if he was just waiting on a directive from me, he changed from a sensuous, circular twist to a hard and demanding thrust. The bed was sturdy but it still thumped a dull beat against the wall, faster and louder and faster and louder until I grabbed a pillow to scream into while my toes curled and my body arched and JC shuddered and grunted before collapsing on top of me.

"Fuck. Yeah." He mumbled into my neck, blowing hot breath over my skin. I tossed the pillow over the side of the bed and wrapped my arms around him again. I stroked his skin, slippery with sweat and warm to the touch. I grabbed his face, cupped his stubbled chin in my hand and kissed his dry, chapped lips. When we had caught our breath and cooled down and heaved our sated, satisfied sighs into the air, JC rolled over onto his back.

"You suck," I said, out of the blue.

"Yep," he agreed, then, "Oh. That's not what you meant, huh? What do I suck for?"

"I just took a shower. Now I'm gross again."

"You are never gross. And you could have said no."

I rolled my head in his direction and glared. "Do you know me? I hardly ever say no."

"I know," he said, wiggling his brows-and his tongue at me.

"You also suck because you only halfway finished the lotion job." I pouted. "Now I have dry skin under all the sweat."

"You are a whiny one. Where'd I get you from?"

"The airport."

"Oh yeah. Guess I'm stuck with you." He sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood. "Tell you what. Come shower with me and I'll start all over again. Deal?"

"You are sneaky. That's what you wanted all along. But...deal." I sat up. "So you aren't going to tell me what you talked about with my dad?"

He stalked toward the bathroom with an impish grin. "I asked which one you'd rather have. You made your choice."

"And a good one it was..."

###

My cell phone alarm disturbed the early morning quiet. I shot an arm out from under the covers and aimed for the bedside table, tapping around until I found it and silenced the incessant beeping. I worked my eyes open, groaning at the early hour.

"Time's it?" I heard behind me.

"Early." I kicked my legs, working them toward the edge of the bed.  I scooted my body in the same direction.

"Too early." An arm snaked across my waist and pulled me back, up against his chest. JC leaned over me and dug his face into the space between my neck and shoulder. His overnight beard growth scratched my cheek. "Where are you going, so early?"

"I need to work on a few things for dinner, still. And dessert. And I thought we might, you know, eat breakfast and lunch, today."

"Do I have to get up?"

I chuckled and tapped his arm, still tight around me, and gave him the answer he was looking for. "No, baby. You just lay up here in bed and do nothing all day. I'll take care of everything."

"Thanks. I knew you'd understand." He kissed my cheek with a loud smack, released me and rolled over onto his back. I took that opportunity to sit up and slide out of the bed. I pulled the covers up so they covered him again.

"I wasn't totally serious, though." He groaned, dramatically tossing an arm over his face. "You don't have to get up right now, but I need you and Tyler to get the extra table and chairs out of the garage and set them up."

"When?"

"Well, sometime before dinner would be convenient."

"Smartass."

"Are you kidding? I'm dating the King of the Smartasses. Can't help but pick it up." Before he could respond, I ducked into the bathroom. JC was asleep again when I emerged, dressed and ready to start my day. I tiptoed around to his side of the bed and bent over him, dropping a kiss on his forehead.

"Mmmm," he hummed and smiled but didn't open his eyes.

"I know, my kisses are sweet. Take your time, but don't sleep all morning, okay? Everyone will be here at 4:00." He nodded, grunting. "Thank you. I love you."

"Mmmhmmm," he said.

"No, sir. You love me, too. Come on. Say it."

He smiled and chuckled. "I love you, too. Now go away. I'm trying to sleep past 7am."

I left the bedroom, pulling the door closed behind me and headed down the steps. The house was cool and quiet, just the way I liked it.  The past few days had been so full of people and so busy that all I really longed for was a few minutes of peace, all to myself. Just me and the sunrise over the lake and a cup of coffee before the holiday crazy started up again.

Halfway down the stairs, I realized I wasn't the only one awake.