Chapter 10
Thanksgiving morning Seth and Suzanna were up early.
They had grocery shopped on Monday, and thankfully the shopping trip had gone off without a hitch.
School had been out for the entire week, so Sammy and Suzanna hadn’t had to worry about work or school.
Thankfully she already had her lesson plans in order for the day they returned to school.
It was just a few minutes after seven. The turkey was stuffed and in the oven, and the two of them sat at the table with coffee. “I feel like this is the calm before the storm,” she said.
Seth grinned. As always, his smile filled her with a sweet warmth that was intoxicating. “I can’t believe how excited Sammy is about the holiday this year. I mean, it’s not like he’s getting any presents.”
“The time for Christmas presents will be here before we know it,” she replied. Surely, she’d be home for Christmas. This arrangement couldn’t last forever, even though she’d realized she wanted it to.
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” he replied.
She laughed. “Are you a Christmas grinch?”
He returned her laughter. “I’m not that bad. It’s impossible to be a total grinch when you have a kid in the house who still believes in Santa Claus.”
She laughed again. “I’m all-in at Christmas time. Even though it’s just me, I put up a big tree with all the trimmings. I usually start putting things up on Thanksgiving evening. I guess I’ll be a little late putting things up this year.”
He reached his hand across the table, and his fingers curled with hers. “I’m glad you’re here with us.” His gaze lingered on her for a long moment. Then he pulled his hand back and got up from the table.
She watched as he refilled his coffee cup. He confused her so much. She knew he cared for her, but there were definitely times she believed she saw something deeper in his eyes, felt something different in his most simple touch.
Yet, she was also constantly reminded that he had no intention of marrying again, while her opinions on that matter were slowly changing. Spending this time with Seth and Sammy had reminded her of all the things she loved about family life.
Would Davy really want to deprive her of love and having children for the rest of her life? She knew Davy’s love for her had been deep and abiding, but the one thing it hadn’t been was selfish.
He would have wanted her to love again. Knowing that, she had opened her mind and her heart to love. With each day that passed she fell more and more deeply in love with the man who was protecting her and the little boy who desperately wanted a mommy.
However, she knew there was no real future for her here with them.
Seth wasn’t looking for a future with a wife in it.
She knew she would eventually leave with a broken heart, but hopefully someday another man would come along who could fulfill her hunger for love and family.
Though right now she couldn’t imagine loving another man for her heart was too filled with love for Seth.
It was just after noon when all the food was placed on the table. True to his word, Seth had made a pumpkin pie, although she had helped him rolling out the dough.
Besides the pie there was turkey and stuffing, a cranberry salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, a green-bean casserole, and oven-warmed rolls. It was definitely a feast.
“I have a feeling we’ll be eating turkey for the next week or so,” Seth said as he began to slice the golden-brown bird.
“That’s okay with me,” Sammy replied. “I love turkey.” Sammy had dressed up for the festive meal and looked cute as a bug in black pants and a white shirt with a little red bowtie around his neck.
Suzanna and Seth had also changed from their casual clothes.
Seth wore a pair of black slacks with a black-and-white-striped dress shirt, and she had changed into a pair of brown slacks with a cinnamon-colored long-sleeved blouse.
Sammy had even tried to tie a pink bow on Lady.
It only lasted a minute before the pup shook it out of her fur.
Outside the window it was a dreary day with thick gray clouds overhead and a cold rain falling off and on.
Inside they were all warm and cozy. The meal was filled with excellent food and lots of laughter and the warmth of family.
As always Sammy kept them entertained as Lady danced around the table, looking for tidbits of food that might be dropped.
“Daddy, why can’t you give Mrs. Michaels a baby so I could have a little brother or sister?” he asked.
Seth gasped while Suzanna worked hard not to show her surprise at the question. “It…you…you have to be married to have a baby,” he finally replied. That certainly wasn’t the truth, but right now for a nine-year-old boy, it was good enough.
“What would you like better, a little sister or a little brother?” Suzanna asked him.
Sammy frowned thoughtfully. “I’m not sure. A little brother would be fun ’cause when he got old enough, we could play football and baseball and stuff like that together. But a little sister would be all sweet and cuddly. I guess I’d take either one,” he finally concluded.
“You know a sister could play football and baseball with you,” Suzanna said.
Sammy shrugged his shoulders. “I guess it really don’t matter, I’m not going to get one anyway.”
Thankfully, the meal continued with no more talk about babies. Instead, Sammy regaled them with stories of his invisible pet dragon. “His name is George, and he and Lady get along great,” Sammy said. “Me and Lady can see him, but nobody else can.”
“Where is George now?” Suzanna asked.
“He’s asleep in a shoebox in my closet.”
“Do you have any pictures of him?” Suzanna continued to ask questions about the pet dragon that nobody could see except Sammy and Lady.
This was part of what she loved about children this age. Their imaginations knew no bounds, and she tried to encourage all her students to use their imaginations as often as possible.
“George is pretty shy, and so I haven’t drawn any pictures of him yet, but maybe later I could talk him into letting me draw pictures of him for you,” Sammy replied.
“I would love to see some pictures of him,” Suzanna said. “It’s rare to have a pet dragon.”
“I’ll see if I can get him to come out of the shoebox and let me draw some pictures of him after we finish eating.”
“That would be great,” Suzanna said.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing some pictures of this little invisible fellow who is living in my house.” Seth grinned at his son.
Sammy nodded. “As soon as we finish eating, I’ll go talk to George.”
She couldn’t help but wonder if Sammy had dreamed up his pet dragon to take the place of a brother or sister. He wouldn’t be the first child to have an imaginary friend.
“I am miserably full,” she said once the meal was finished.
“Yeah, me, too,” Seth replied and patted his very fit belly.
Sammy and Lady had already left the kitchen, and so it was just the two of them lingering at the table. “I don’t think I’ll want to eat again for a week,” she said.
“Oh, you have to at least have a piece of the pumpkin pie,” he replied. There was a teasing twinkle in his eyes. “Only you know how much blood, sweat and tears I put into making that pie.”
She laughed. “Okay, maybe in an hour or so I’ll be ready to try your masterpiece.”
Seth got up. “It would be nice if Sammy’s invisible pet dragon would swoop in here to help take care of the mess, but since I don’t see that happening, I’d better get busy.”
“We’d better get busy,” she replied and also got up from the table. With the two of them working together it didn’t take too long to get the leftovers in the refrigerator and the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.
With the kitchen cleaned once again, they moved out to the living room. “You know another tradition on Thanksgiving is watching a football game and napping in your chair,” he said as he sank down in his recliner.
She laughed. “Knock yourself out. I enjoy watching football, and if you want to nap, that’s okay with me.”
“Thanks.” He picked up the remote and within seconds had a game on. Minutes after that he was asleep. She knew he had gotten up ridiculously early to prepare and get the turkey in the oven, so it was no surprise that he was napping.
She took the opportunity to drink her fill of him. Even in sleep he looked incredibly handsome. She knew his slightly shaggy black hair was soft and silky to the touch. His nose was straight and his jawline was strong. Love for him buoyed up inside her.
How had it happened that she’d fallen so deeply in love with a man who didn’t want a wife?
Yet, how could she not love the man who was protecting her from evil?
Aside from that, he was a kind and caring man with a wonderful sense of humor.
The sexual tension between them was undeniable, and all those things combined had made her fall deeply in love with him.
Could she be friends with benefits with him? No, she didn’t think so. She was far too emotionally involved now to be satisfied with that kind of an arrangement. Besides, she valued herself more than that.
She sighed and turned her attention to the television, where the Kansas City Chiefs were trouncing the Las Vegas Raiders. She was definitely a Chiefs fan, and she knew from past conversations that Seth was a fan, too.
About a half an hour passed and then Sammy and Lady came back into the living room. He clutched several pieces of paper in his hand. He got up next to her on the sofa.
“I drewed some pictures of George,” he said. “He came out of the shoebox and let me draw him.”
“You drew, not drewed.” She automatically corrected him.
“Yeah that,” he replied with an impish grin. “Anyway, wanna see them?”
“I’d love to see them.”
He sidled even closer to her and handed her the first picture. As usual, Sammy’s talent was evident in his depiction of a dragon with large wings and a big tail and a smiling face.
“These are amazing,” she said. “Did George mind you drawing him?”