At least I had her mind off of humping Dean. I put my bag down on the counter and turned to look at her. “Rush needs to go and so I’m going with him. Besides, if I don’t go, I don’t think he will. His dad asked him to help deal with Nan.”

     Bethy pouted and sank down on the bar stool across from me. “This sucks. I don’t want you to leave.”

     The more I thought about it the more I didn’t want to leave either. But I wasn’t letting Rush go to LA without me. I would miss him like crazy. This would also be a chance for me to get to know his dad. We were about to have our own family and I wanted his dad to be a part of that. I hadn’t heard from my dad but once since he came by to tell me that he wasn’t Nan’s father. He had called me a week after he left to tell me he was heading to the Florida Keys to find a boat and live on it. He wanted to be alone. He also told me he loved me.

     I tried not to think of my dad much. It only made me sad. I should have told him I wanted him in my life but I hadn’t. I’d let him go. Now, looking at the holidays without him I felt sad.  I had found my home but he had lost his.

     “Have you heard anything I just said?” Bethy asked breaking into my thoughts.

     I glanced over at her. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about my dad,” I admitted. Then I grabbed the can of green beans and started putting it away.

     “Oh. You thinking of inviting him?”

      It was too late now. I wasn’t sure Rush would be okay with it if I did. We hadn’t discussed my dad that much. I shook my head and turned to get the box of powdered sugar. “No. Just thinking about him in general. Wondering what he’s doing,” I replied.

RUSH

 

     My dad was singing in the kitchen while preparing the turkey. I stood back and watched as Blaire mixed something in a bowl and smiled happily. My dad kept trying to get her to sing with him and she would just laugh as she shook her head no. Today was going to be hard on her and I liked seeing her smile.

     All week I had debated on telling her I’d invited Abe. He would be here in an hour. I’d gotten a text from him when his plane landed.  I couldn’t decide if surprising her was such a good idea. I wanted to make this special for her. It was our first Thanksgiving together. I knew that the fact it was her first Thanksgiving without her mother was going to overshadow it and I understood that. But if I could make this a good memory, one she would cherish, I would move heaven and earth to make that happen.

     “You hiding back there ‘cause you’re afraid to get your hands dirty, boy?” my dad asked, glancing back over his shoulder and winking at me.

     Blaire turned around with a spoon in one hand and a smile on her face. The apron she was wearing had frilly things around the seams and pink polka dots all over it. She was adorable.

      I walked over to her and pulled her close so I could kiss those pretty lips of hers.

     “We’re cooking in here. No time for that stuff,” Dean said with a chuckle.

     Blaire broke the kiss and pressed her lips together. The twinkle in her eyes let me know she was trying hard not to laugh. I loved seeing her like this. Especially on a day like today. Once again, Blaire was tougher than most men I knew. She continued to blow me away with her strength over and over again.

     “Can I help?” I asked, leaning down to press one more kiss to the corner of her mouth.

     “Yeah, you can help me get this big ass turkey in the oven without dropping it or burning my damn hand,” Dean barked.

     Blaire stepped back from me. “Help your dad,” she replied, still amused. Good. If Dean could amuse her then he was good for something.

     There was a brief knock on the door and then Bethy’s voice filled the house. “I’m here!”

     “It’s about time,” Blaire called back.

     Bethy walked into the kitchen with Jace following her. His hands were full of grocery bags. How we could possibly need more food I wasn’t sure.

     “Where do I put this?” he asked, out of breath.

     “Just right there on the counter.” Blaire pointed to the only available space in the kitchen.

     Jace put the bag down and let out a sigh of relief then looked at me. “I need a beer and I wanna watch some football.”

     I opened the fridge, took out two beers, and handed one to him. “Come on. Let’s get out of the way.”

      Jace glanced back at Bethy who was standing frozen in her spot staring at my dad.  He shook his head and looked back at me. “Yeah, let’s get out of here before Bethy goes completely fangirl on your old man.”

     “Good to see you again too, Jace,” Dean called out as we left the kitchen.

     “You too, Dean. Please overlook my girl. She’s a bit star struck,” he replied.

     I walked past the living room and the one hundred and three inch flat screen as Jace looked back at it longingly. I knew he wanted to watch a game but I needed to talk to someone about Grant.

     We stepped out onto the porch and I sat down on one of the lounge chairs. “Sit. We’ll watch a game but I wanted to ask you about something first.”

    Jace sat down beside me and took a drink of his beer. “You look serious.”

    “Did you know about Grant and Nan?” I asked, watching him closely. Jace couldn’t lie for shit. The widening of his eyes told me he had known. I didn’t even wait for his confirmation. “You didn’t think telling me was important?” I asked.

     Jace put his beer down and let out a frustrated groan. “Shit. I knew you’d be pissed when you found out. I didn’t want to be the one to tell you. Besides, you were dealing with losing Blaire and then getting her back. Then her pregnancy. Grant didn’t even know I knew. He thought he was keeping it a secret from everyone. We were just more observant than you were at the time. All you could see was Blaire. The rest of us noticed things...”

     He was right. I had been fighting for my future. I had been focused on getting Blaire back and then protecting her and our baby. I hadn’t had time to notice anything or anyone else. Maybe it was best I hadn’t known. I hadn’t needed any distractions.

     “You’re right. It’s best I didn’t know. I’d needed to be focused on Blaire. Not anything else then.”

     Jace shook his head. “Didn’t go down well, though. Nan just leaves destruction in her wake. Grant got real tore up about it but he’s dealing with things better now.  I think he’s gonna move back to Rosemary permanently for awhile. He wants distance from her.”

     My little sister sure knew how to cause problems. I was getting tired of always bailing her out. I couldn’t make it better for Grant though. He should’ve known not to go into a relationship with her. She didn’t do commitments.

     The phone in my pocket vibrated and I pulled it out to see a text from Abe. He was here. I prayed that bringing him here was the right thing to do. I wanted today special for Blaire. She’d had enough heartache.

BLAIRE

 

      Rush came walking back into the house with a nervous look in his eyes. He didn’t look my way as he headed through the kitchen. I stopped kneading the dough for the biscuits and wiped my hands on the apron before following him. Something was wrong.

    I hurried down the hallway and then into the foyer. Rush was opening the front door. Was he leaving? No one had knocked.  As the door swung completely open I saw past Rush to see my father standing there with a small suitcase in one hand and a paper bag in the other. He was thinner and he had a beard. The polished looking man that he had been was gone. He looked like a sea captain now. I couldn’t take a deep breath as his eyes met mine over Rush’s shoulder. He was here. My daddy was here.