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“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. But can we do it later?”
His low voice made her realize she’d been speaking at top volume. A sleepy voice confirmed that. “Mommy? Why are you yelling?”
“I’m not yelling, sweetie, but if I were yelling, I’d have a very good reason. I’m sorry I woke you up. Do you want to sleep some more?”
“Are we at Danny’s house?”
To the boys, the older generation was mostly icing on the cake. The real star was their cousin Danny.
“We are. Should we go in and have some pie?”
“Do they have turkey?” he asked hopefully.
She sighed. It was a good thing she wasn’t trying to raise her family vegetarian. “They do. Stuffing too.”
“And mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, yams, buttered rolls, and about twenty pies.” Billy opened the passenger door with his free hand. “Come on out, bud. Let’s get some food into you.”
From outside her SUV, he caught her eye and mouthed something, either an apology or a promise to talk more in a bit.
Japan. Japan.
The word ping-ponged through her brain all the way into Thomas and Carly’s house. Beautiful country, she had no doubt. Sushi bars, sake, anime, all that got a big thumbs up from her. She also knew about Shohei Ohtani and his spectacular play. She even knew a few words of Japanese taught to her by the wife of one of the Japanese players Billy was friends with.
But Jesus. Was Billy really considering moving there? What about the boys? They got plenty of chances to see him during the summer, when either she or Annika took them to Minneapolis, or when he had a couple of days off. None of that would be possible if he was in Japan.
And if he thought for one second that she was going to uproot the boys from their entire support system—her sister, their uncles, their friends, even her eccentric and impossible father—he could forget about it. They’d decided early on to raise the boys in Lake Bittersweet instead of whatever city he played in. That applied to cities on other continents too.
With her stomach in knots, she greeted the Cooper family, exchanging hugs with those she knew well—all the men, basically—and friendly words with Carly and Brenda, as well as Danny’s friend from school. Her mood lightened as she took in the sheer joy on Galen’s face as he held hands with Brenda.
Galen deserved every bit of happiness. He’d been there for her without question during the divorce and afterwards. He’d babysat more times than she could count, he’d taught both boys how to fish and paddle a canoe—basically anything that happened in the summertime. Billy handled the winter fun.
Brenda looked just as happy, which was great considering she’d been the subject of a flash-in-the-pan scandal just a few days ago. Hopefully all that drama was over with.
Thomas sent Danny to find chairs for the three newcomers, and a few moments later they were all crowded around the table and her boys were stuffing their faces for the second time that day.
She accepted a plate as well, along with a glass of wine.
Which was when she noticed that Billy was drinking sparkling apple cider. That was interesting. His drinking had always been something that got him into trouble, and she knew it went way back. His mother had been trying to turn him into her ten-year-old drinking buddy when Thomas had convinced her to let all the brothers move to Lake Bittersweet.
She remembered what he’d said about staying out of trouble and not going to a single club this season. When he’d quit drinking, she’d hoped and prayed he could stick to it, but she hadn’t known if he would. The bright lights of baseball fame could be so seductive. The fact that he was still sober…well, she was impressed.
Carly tapped her fork against her glass. “We have reached the best part of the evening.”
“Pie?” Zack said hopefully, making everyone laugh.
“Absolutely. And along with the pie, we’re going to go around the table and each say one thing we’re grateful for this year. I’ll give you a few moments to gather your thoughts.” She passed Teddy over to his big brother Danny, who grinned down at the black-haired bundle of energy. Galen and Brenda jumped up to help her clear the table. When Jenna tried to join them, Carly insisted she finish her plate of food. “You just got here. Relax for a minute. Enjoy that wine. It comes from Gault’s private collection.”
Hmm, a rock star’s private wine stock. Hard to say no to that. Jenna had partied at the Blue Drake a few times back in the old pre-kid days. She’d known Gault by sight, as had everyone in Lake Bittersweet. Purple stovepipe hats weren’t normal rural Minnesota garb. She’d cried when Gault had died last year. End of an era, she’d thought, expecting some outsider to take over the Blue Drake and turn it into condos or something. Instead, Carly had revived it back to its glory days, except even better.
Maybe there was a lesson in there.
Once the pie plates had been distributed and seven mouthwatering pies arranged down the middle of the table, Billy said, “Okay, Carly, since you’re the hostess, you’re up first.”
“Trust Billy to find a baseball reference for everything,” Jenna teased as the rest of the table laughed. Billy flashed her two fingers, meaning that he’d earned two points for that baseball reference. Inside joke; they’d been keeping a running tally for the entire length of their relationship.
“Personally, I think Carly should kick things off,” she declared.
“Football? That’s just cruel.”
