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Morgan could’ve found her a job in two seconds, but I doubted he had offered to do that and even if he had, at this point in time Billie never would’ve accepted his help. I think she would’ve rather cut off her own arm first.
“Where is she?” I asked.
“In the kitchen,” Georgia replied. “She’s working on some Christmas cookies. The boys are out back with the smoker.” She shook her head ruefully. “They decided they wanted to smoke a turkey for dinner tonight. I can’t complain, since it saves me a lot of trouble. Thanksgiving exhausted me.” She smiled. “I’ll leave you to it!”
Judging by the knowing look in Georgia’s eye, she suspected something was going on between Billie and me. I wouldn’t be surprised. Georgia had that way about her that mothers got, where she just got an instinct about these things.
I thanked her and went to find Billie in the kitchen. She was pulling some Christmas cookies out of the oven and I grinned, sliding up next to her and kissing her cheek. “Hey, babe, how’s it been?”
“Tough, with Morgan,” Billie admitted, moving away to set the cookies down on the cooling tray and take off her apron. Then she stepped happily into my arms and I buried my face in her hair, breathing her in. She smelled like warm cookies and nutmeg. I loved it.
“You’re a trooper,” I reminded her. “Are you sure about this?”
Billie nodded. “Yes.” For another moment we stood there, holding each other, and then she said quietly, “I read the letter.”
I couldn’t help myself from freezing a little. “And, uh, I know it’s not poetry but… what did you think?”
Billie kissed my jaw. “I didn’t know that you wanted to see me again. I thought that you just walked away without a word.”
She pulled back a bit so that we could look into each other’s eyes. God, she was beautiful. I wanted to just stare at her like a dork for hours. “This whole time I was so angry with you, I thought that you’d just abandoned me, that you didn’t care about me one way or another and I was just another conquest. That’s why I was so back and forth about you, so hot and cold, and… it was unfair to you. I was really immature and a brat, and I’m surprised that you put up with me but I’m so glad that you did.”
“I was wondering why you were acting that way. Why you kept saying certain things, holding my leaving against me. I put in the letter that—that if you weren’t interested in anything, to not reply, and so when you were acting like I’d been the one to leave you when I thought this whole time you’d been the one to end things…” I shook my head. “No wonder we were so fucking confused and stumbling around.”
Billie nodded. “I’m glad that we worked it out, though. And I’m sorry that I judged you so harshly.”
“Hey, no, given the circumstances I can’t blame you.” I took her chin between my thumb and forefinger and kissed her softly. “I’m sorry that it panned out this way, but we got there in the end. That’s what matters. That’s what we need to hold onto.”
Billie smiled softly at me. “Hey, Pike, before we see the others, I actually need to—”
—and then the back door opened and Morgan stepped in.
I pulled away from Billie. I wasn’t going to hide our relationship from Morgan or pretend that we weren’t together just to accommodate his ego, but there was no reason to start a fight right now. I wanted to announce our relationship to her parents first, and I definitely didn’t want it coming out as an argument between me and their son.
Dave, Billie and Morgan’s father, entered next. “Nice to see you again, Pike!” he said, grinning and holding up the finished turkey. It did look delicious. “You’re just in time!”
Morgan was oddly quiet as we started dinner. Everything was delicious, and I made sure to tell Georgia and Dave as much. Morgan wasn’t saying anything, not even when Billie started talking about her plans to get a job and for the future.
That was odd. I would’ve thought that Morgan would be eager to spill the beans, to get his two cents in before Billie or I could.
I glanced over at Billie, who nodded. I gripped her hand under the table, reminding her that I was there. We were in this together.
Then I took a deep breath.
“Before we get any further into the dinner, there’s something that I wanted you talk to you about.” I looked at Georgia and Dave. “Especially you, sir, since I think Georgia already knows what I’m about to say.”
Georgia looked like she was fighting an amused smile.
Dave nodded. “All right.”
