Chapter 40
Thanksgiving
I finish reading the text from Ryder. “Ryder just got to Fallon’s.”
“I wish Hailey would have come with us,” Daniel says from the driver’s seat of the car.
We’re winding our way up the long private drive to the Montgomery mansion. Every time I see Fallon’s house, I’m amazed by it. It’s so palatial. Like a fairytale castle.
“Just be happy that she’s doing Thanksgiving at all. Being with Brea and Ryder’s family will be good for her. How are her sessions with Dr. Clairemont going?” I ask him because he hasn’t said a word to me about them yet.
“As far as I’m allowed to know—because of doctor-patient confidentiality—things seem to be going well. However, there’s something that happened the other day that I want to talk with you about.”
“About Hailey?” I ask.
We reach the circular driveway that runs along the front of the Montgomery property next to the house. He slows the car down and parks beside the large fountain. Turning to face me, he says, “I caught her cutting herself in the hall guest bathroom the other morning.”
It feels like my throat closes up, making it hard to breathe. “No, she wouldn’t do that to herself.”
“She had a shaving razor. I saw the marks along her upper arm. I spoke with Dr. Clairemont about it. She says that when teens cut themselves, it acts as an outlet for their emotions or because they need something to feel in control of their life. We both know Hailey has been through trauma of some kind. We just have to give her a supportive environment and patiently wait until she’s ready to open up to us about what happened. ”
I don’t know if I can do that.
“A wait-and-see approach? Is there nothing else we can do to help her?” I saw the bruises and burn marks on her body from the secret boyfriend who I still know nothing about. Now that she’s away from him, I cannot comprehend how Hailey can further hurt herself.
“Therapy should help. She’ll do one-on-one sessions with Dr. Clairemont every week and group therapy every Friday afternoon after school.
At home, you and I can stay positive for her and keep the lines of communication open.
She needs to know that she can come to us and talk to us about anything without feeling like we are judging her.
Anyway, I wanted you to know what was going on. ”
“Thank you, Daniel.” I look out the window, but I see nothing.
“You must regret taking us in. I won’t blame you if you decide to ask me to leave as soon as I turn eighteen.
I can get a full-time job and take care of Hailey if I have to.
I don’t want you to feel burdened with that responsibility.
The Jamesons or the Cuttons would more than likely allow us to stay with them. ”
I face Daniel to find him looking at me in unabashed horror.
“Lizzie, what on earth would give you the impression that I don’t want or love both of you girls?
I may not have gotten married or have children of my own, but I love you and Hailey with all my heart.
” He reaches over and cups my face. “I am not going anywhere. And you girls are not a burden in any way, shape, or form. I love both of you. You’re stuck with me. I’m not going anywhere.”
I try hard to hold back the tears, but it’s useless. They fall anyway.
“With all my rebelliousness and medical stuff, and now Hailey coming back with all her issues—I know it’s a lot to handle.
His green eyes, eyes like mine and my father’s, bore into me.
“I love you, sweet girl. End of story. You have made me happier in the six months I have been your guardian than every year I have lived my life. I think about your future and my heart swells to almost bursting. I think about how I’ll get to watch you and Hailey graduate from high school, and hopefully college too.
I’ll get to walk you girls down the aisle.
And when you both have your own children, I look forward to spoiling them rotten.
Most importantly, I’ll get to watch you both grow up and become strong, independent, beautiful women. I’m the lucky one in this scenario.”
I grasp his hand where it’s cradling my face, and I curl my fingers around his wrist. “I love you, Uncle Daniel. Thank you for everything. You have gone above and beyond what anyone could have expected of you. I will always be so grateful for you, and I promise that I will make you proud.”
“You already have, Lizzie. Now, let’s go inside and enjoy some really expensive turkey and drink some really expensive wine.” He holds up one finger. “If Fallon’s parents don’t object, you can have one glass.
I sniff and wipe my cheeks with the back of my hands. Thankfully, I didn’t put on any mascara today, so I won’t have to worry about raccoon eyes.
My car door suddenly opens, and I jump when Fallon reaches in and unlocks my seatbelt.
“You were taking too long.” He takes my hand and helps me out.
“Hi, Mr. Fairchild. Bye, Mr. Fairchild,” Fallon cheekily says as he pulls me up the stairs to where Ryder is standing, looking all handsome and breathtaking in a dark blue dress shirt and beige dress pants.
Fallon lets go of my hand and I run to jump into Ryder’s awaiting arms.
“Hi.” Kiss. Ryder starts shaking with laughter. “I missed you today.” Another kiss. More laughter. “You look very, very sexy.” This time our kiss is slow and perfect. Ryder isn’t laughing anymore.
Daniel clears his throat behind me.
“I keep telling them to pipe down with the PDA,” Fallon tells Daniel, then pulls me off Ryder and carries me inside the house in a football hold. “I would say get a room, but we’re at my house, so that’s a no.”
My heeled feet are dangling inches off the floor, and I try not to squirm too much since I’m wearing a dress.
“You are such a killjoy. Hey, didn’t you say there was a library in this place?” I reply.
“Oh, no you don’t, kitten. No running off to play Seven Minutes in Heaven in the library.”
As soon as Fallon says that, a man and a woman, whom I assume are his mother and father, appear.
The man is an older version of Fallon, with dark blond hair.
The only obvious distinction between them is that his dad’s eyes are a darker blue.
His mother is elegantly dressed in a gorgeous rose-colored skirt-suit with a navy-blue silk blouse.
Her hair is the same shade of blond as Fallon’s, and she has his bright blue eyes.
My face goes red-hot, and I am mortified that they may have heard Fallon’s comment. I actually start sweating the closer they approach.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Fallon tells them, still holding me like a ragdoll. He snickers at his own pun
“Fallon, put the poor girl down,” his mother dictates to him. Her eyes hold sympathy and kindness when she notices how mortified I am.
Fallon gently puts me back on my feet, and I immediately step over to Ryder and wrap my arm around his waist. Tatiana already thinks that Fallon and I are friends with benefits. I’m not going to give his mother the same impression.
Mrs. Montgomery takes my hand between her softer ones. I’ll have to ask her what lotion she uses.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Mrs. Montgomery. I apologize for my very undignified entrance. Thank you for inviting us,” I tell her, just as Daniel walks over and shakes hands with Mr. Montgomery.
Mr. Montgomery turns to me, and I feel like prey being sized up by a predator.
“Elizabeth,” he says as he shakes my hand in a gentlemanly manner. Unlike his wife’s greeting, his grip is firm, solid, and authoritative. “Fallon said that the trip went well.”
“To say the experience was life-changing would be too weak a description. I will never be able to repay you or Fallon for what you both did for me, but I promise to try my hardest. It may take me until I’m seventy.”
Mr. Montgomery’s lips quirk up at my rambling.
Fallon scowls at me. “I already told you not to worry about it.”
His father cocks his head slightly, and it looks so much like the way Fallon does it, that I’m momentarily transfixed. “Perhaps we should talk about a summer internship at Montgomery Pharma and your plans for after you graduate.”
“What?” Fallon and I both say at the same time. Did he just offer me a job? Well, technically internships are jobs with no pay, but still. Holy shit.
Mr. Montgomery gives me a polite smile and turns to Daniel. “It will be an hour before supper. We have time to talk a little business. First, let me offer you a drink. Patricia, dear, could you please attend to our guests while Mr. Fairchild and I go to the office?”
What kind of business are Daniel and Mr. Montgomery going to discuss?
Daniel runs a technology and research firm and is super geeky when it comes to computers and coding.
He’s been teaching me some Python in the evenings after dinner and is helping me with my AP Computer Sci class at school.
Ironically, that was the one class that was difficult to do virtually while in Europe.
The teacher decided to let me complete my major coding project after we return from break.
With Mr. Montgomery and Daniel gone, Mrs. Montgomery ushers me, Ryder, and Fallon into what I assume is their living room.
It’s ginormous. I think this is where Ryder and I danced at the last party Fallon threw.
That night, all the furniture was pushed back against the walls to open up the floor space.
“I need to go help Gladys in the kitchen. Don’t disappear,” she tells her son. “Gladys said the turkey will be done in an hour.”
Just like Tatiana did in Spain, Mrs. Montgomery gives me a quick kiss on each cheek, and then does the same with Ryder and Fallon before leaving.
“Your Mom and Dad are nice.”
“They have their moments.”
I spot a grand piano—another Steinway similar to the one in Tatiana’s Barcelona home—and walk over to it.
“Babe, why don’t you play us something?
“Only if you join me.”
I move the piano bench so that it is positioned perpendicular to the piano.
I sit down on the very edge, smoothing my dress over my legs.
Ryder straddles the bench and sits behind me, his hands moving under my arms to rest on the keys.
He and I have done this before. It reminds me of that scene from the movie Ghost where Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze sit together at the clay wheel.
Fallon catches my eye and gives me a knowing look that tells me he’s recalling our similar duet in Barcelona. Ryder scoots up closer to my back, and Fallon excuses himself to go grab us something to drink.
“Alone at last,” I say to Ryder, as I cover his hands with mine and we begin to play a simple ballad. I feel Ryder’s lips press against the bare skin exposed on my neck and a slew of goose bumps erupt in cascading tingles.
“How was Hailey acting at supper?” I ask him. Like I told Daniel, I’m so happy that she went to the Cutton’s house for Thanksgiving.
“She seemed good. She and Brea were giggling and acting the way they used to together. After we ate, they disappeared upstairs to watch their Hallmark Thanksgiving movie marathon.”
Good, I think. After what Daniel told me in the car, I’m glad she was able to relax and smile with Brea today.
“Which means they watched Christmas movies,” I add which earns me a smile.
I shift our hands, and he turns his so that his fingers thread with mine, our piano duet forgotten. He brings our joined hands to just above my stomach and gives me a hug.
“I think I finally kicked whatever bug I had. I feel much better today,” he remarks.
I rest my head back on his shoulder and literally purr when he starts giving me tiny, little love nibbles up my neck and behind my ear.
“Have I told you today how beautiful you are and how much I love you?” he says against my ear.
“About five times, but who’s counting?” I twist around as much as I can to capture his mouth with mine. I’m dying to kiss him, and he doesn’t disappoint me.
“I’m wearing a dress today,” I whisper mischievously.
I hear his sharp inhale of breath. “You’re killing me here,” he groans as he attacks my lips again, kissing the breath right out of me.
I pull back slightly. “I love you so much, Ryder.”
Ryder takes out his phone. His thumb moves over the screen and our song, Sia’s “Helium,” begins to play. He props his phone on the piano and holds out a hand to me. “Dance with me, Elizabeth?”
My heart thrums a triple beat and love, so consuming for this man, bursts outward like rays from the rising sun.
I swear, in this moment, with his copper eyes focused on mine and filled with adoration and so much love—if I had a ring, I would drop down on one knee and ask him to marry me.
I don’t care that I’m six weeks shy of turning eighteen.
I don’t care that we’re still in high school.
There is no future I see that doesn’t have Ryder in it, with me, by my side.
My fingers slide up his palm, and he pulls me to stand.
Needing to feel his hard muscles beneath my fingertips, I glide one hand up the crisp dress shirt molded to his chest. My palm flattens over his beating heart.
I curl the fingers of my other hand around his and step into his body.
His free hand trails a path to my lower back, pulling me in tighter until there is not one inch separating us. And we slow dance.
This is the memory I will cherish about this Thanksgiving. Me in Ryder’s arms as we dance around Fallon’s living room. I hope to dance with him every Thanksgiving for the rest of our lives.