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“You guys think too fast,” I grumbled.
The game continued just like that. All anyone really had to say was a handful of words before someone was guessing it. There were only a few times when no one could guess the word.
“All right,” Laura said from the doorway. “Come eat.”
“I win!” Micah cheered as he fanned out all the cards he had claimed. Justin came in second, with Graham a close third. Then Bryan and my dad. I came in last place. I poked at the one card I was able to guess: pumpkin pie. I probably only got it fast enough because it had already been on my mind from the baking yesterday.
Bayley truly had gone all out. I gaped at the dining room table big enough to seat ten with its simple decorations—the middle of the table covered in food ready to be passed around. This felt all too traditional. The kind of meals I’d only ever seen in movies.
Bayley sat at the head of the table. I almost expected Graham to take the other end, but instead he sat next to his wife, giving her a warm smile, eyes twinkling. Micah sat on her other side.
I sat next to Micah, Dad taking the seat next to me. Justin and Bryan sat on the other side by Graham, with Laura sitting next to Justin.
Bayley was grinning massively as she looked at us, so much love and happiness in her expression. My chest felt warm and heavy as I stared at her.
“I don’t want to drag this out too much. I can hear growling stomachs from here.”
The guys all chuckled.
“I just wanted to say that I’m thankful for everyone coming to have Thanksgiving with me. These past couple of years have been the hardest.”
Graham reached over and squeezed her hand. She swallowed hard, blinking furiously.
“I truly didn’t think I’d get another Thanksgiving, but it’s different now. Not only did I get another Thanksgiving, I was told I get to have many more in the future.” She glanced at her son. “I get to watch my son graduate. I didn’t think that was going to happen. This year is especially special and I’m so damn happy.”
By the time she was done, there were a lot of shiny eyes at the table. It was weird to feel thankful about being able to go to high school graduation. I felt the same, frankly.
“All right, let’s eat before the food gets too cold.”
She grabbed the plate of already cut up turkey and put a small piece on her plate before passing it to Micah. Slowly our plates filled with food. It was a weird experience, a bit out of the world, frankly. But it was sweet too. Every time Graham grabbed a platter, he made sure to put food on his wife’s plate before giving himself some.
As soon as everyone had a plate piled high with too much food, we dug in. I almost expected Bayley to want to say prayers or something, but instead she picked up a piece of ham and took a huge bite, letting us know we could do the same.
It wasn’t long until Bayley, Graham, and Laura were talking with my dad, asking him a lot about his life in Vegas.
“So Cadence?” Graham asked just as I began taking a bite of bread.
I coughed, trying to clear my airway so I could respond.
He chuckled. “Sorry, I should have waited until you didn’t have a mouthful.”
Bayley playfully glared at her husband. “Admit it, you did that on purpose.”
“I would never.” He feigned being offended.
“It’s okay.” I took a drink of water. “Yeah?”
Graham chuckled. “Now that your dad is around, are you going to move in with him?”
My eyes bugged out. “What?”
“Honey.” The table shook briefly as Bayley glared at her husband.
“What?”
My dad had completely stiffened, doing his best not to look at me. I swallowed hard, trying to process an answer that wouldn’t make this any weirder. Even Bryan and Justin were staring at me with big eyes, as if waiting for my answer.
“That isn’t any of your business,” Micah finally spoke up.
