Chapter 42
Theo
I didn’t know about Pen, but I was already full, and Haven Thanksgiving hadn’t even begun.
We’d spent the early afternoon with Colleen at the assisted living center, and the food was fantastic. And when we arrived at my parents’ place for holiday meal number two, there was a counter full of appetizers. I felt like I’d been eating all day.
The house smelled amazing, though, so I intentionally moved away from the snacks. Had to leave room for turkey.
Everyone was there, including all the nieces and nephews. The house was filled with commotion, conversation, and laughter as babies were passed around, kids played, and adults chatted about everything from sports to parenting to wedding plans.
Once again, I watched, knowing I had a big announcement to make. They didn’t know I was staying, or that Penelope and I were more than friends.
A lot more.
Cracking a smile, I watched as she sat in the living room, huddled with Melanie and Marigold over wedding magazines and a big binder.
I knew how much it meant to her to have made new friends.
Having a work bestie was one thing, but she needed more.
And seeing her bond with the women in my family was like the whipped cream on top of a slice of homemade pumpkin pie—kinda made things perfect.
I’d already contacted Kevin at Carolina to let him know I had to rescind my acceptance of their offer. He was disappointed, but understood and thanked me for letting him know well in advance. They had plenty of time to find another candidate.
After that conversation, I’d been left with a profound sense of peace. I had no doubt I’d done the right thing.
I caught sight of Owen out of the corner of my eye. He held his baby sister, Isla, and laughed as she tried to grab the crackers he was eating. Picking my way across the room, I stepped over my nephew Will and made my way to Owen.
Isla grabbed his nose. With a chuckle, he took her hand and pretended to nibble on her fingers, making her squeal with laughter.
“Hi, Uncle Theo.” He gently stopped Isla from batting him in the face.
“Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure. About the game? Don’t worry, I’ll get a good night’s sleep even though we don’t have school tomorrow.”
“No, I’m not worried about the game.” I hesitated, glancing around. I wanted the chance to tell Owen privately first, so I gestured for him to come with me.
He followed me down the hallway. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, fine. There’s just something I need to tell everyone, and I wanted you to hear it first.” I stopped, and Isla leaned toward me, so I scooped her into my arms. “Hi, sweetheart.”
She smacked me on the nose and giggled.
“Sorry, I accidentally taught her to do that,” Owen said.
“She’s fine.” I kissed her little fingers. “Anyway, I’m not taking the college job. I decided to stay.”
His eyes lit up and he cracked a smile. It made him look so much like his dad. “Really? That’s awesome.”
“Yeah, so you’re stuck with me as your coach for two more years. Hope that isn’t bad news.”
“It’s great news. I was kinda hoping you’d stay. Not just for football. It would be weird without you.”
“Yeah, I’m meant to be here.” Isla tried to grab my nose, and Owen reached over to take her.
“Thanks, Uncle Theo. Glad you’re staying.”
“Me too.”
We went back to the living room, and Owen handed Isla to their dad. Pen was still engrossed in conversation with Melanie and Marigold, and there seemed to be a lull in the frenzy of cooking. Mom sipped a glass of wine while she chatted with Audrey and Josiah, and Dad had my twin nieces in his lap.
Looked like as good a time as any.
“Hey, everybody,” I said, raising my voice above the din of conversation. “Can I say something real quick?”
The noise quieted and all eyes moved to me. Even the babies looked in my direction.
Penelope adjusted her glasses and watched me with a little smile on her face.
“I think everyone knows her already, but I’d like to introduce my girlfriend,” I said, emphasizing the word, “Penelope.”
There was a chorus of awwws, a few people gasped, and Melanie wrapped her in a big hug.
Pen’s cheeks flushed, and she lifted her hand in a shy wave.
“I also wanted to let you all know that I’ve come to a big decision. I declined the job at Carolina. I’m staying.”
Zachary raised his arms in the air. “Yes! I knew it.”
He turned to Luke. “Pay up, brother. I was right.”
Luke shook his head as he got out his wallet and handed Zachary a twenty. “You called it.”
“You guys bet on whether Theo would stay?” Josiah asked.
“Of course we did.” Zachary moved over to the couch and held his hand out. “Come on, Dad. You too. Pay up.”
Dad scowled and the girls had to scramble off his lap so he could dig a bill out of his pocket.
“Paul,” Mom said, her tone gently scolding.
Dad just grunted and handed the twenty to Zachary while Marigold shook her head at her husband.
“What?” Zachary asked. “I was betting on you, Theo. Unlike these sorry excuses for Havens, I believed in you.”
“I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not, but whatever,” I said. “Enjoy your winnings.”
Grinning, he held up the money. “Oh, I will.”
“If there aren’t any other big announcements,” Mom said, “it’s time to start getting dinner on the table.”
We all looked around at each other, but no one spoke up, and several people joined Mom in the kitchen.
The truth was, I would have another announcement soon. It wasn’t quite time for that yet, but I had a plan.
The scent of food wafted through the house as the last of the dinner preparations were made. I wandered toward the chaos in the kitchen to see if they needed help. Penelope joined me, but it looked like staying out of the way was the better option.
Taking Pen’s hand, I showed her the family photos in the hallway. She especially loved the one of the six of us boys with baby Annika in the middle. There were more of us as kids, and Mom had rearranged things so she could add wedding photos and pictures of all her grandchildren.
The front door flew open, and Aunt Louise came in, followed by Uncle George. Her tracksuit was brown and orange and she carried a pie covered with foil. George shut the door behind her and gave me a nod.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” Aunt Louise said with a smile. “Theo, I’m so glad you’re here. I have the best news. Let me give this to your mom. Don’t move.”
I glanced at Pen and shrugged. “My aunt. She’s a whirlwind.”
Aunt Louise and Uncle George went back to the kitchen, and a moment later, Louise returned.
“We’re not staying,” she said. “We ate already. I brought over a cherry pie, and I was hoping to see you, my handsome nephew.”
I opened my mouth to introduce her to Pen, but she didn’t give me the chance.
“I was talking to my friend Linda, and would you guess where her daughter lives now?”
I had no idea who she was talking about. “I don’t know. Who’s Linda’s daughter?”
“Willow Johnson,” she said, as if I should have known. “You remember.”
I didn’t, but she didn’t give me a chance to say that, either.
“Are you ready for this?” She clasped her hands to her chest. “South Carolina. Isn’t that serendipitous? And that’s not all. She’s in town for the holiday, and I already set up a date for you on Saturday.”
I opened my mouth to reply, then glanced at Penelope. The poor thing looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole.
Putting my arm around her, I drew her against me. “Aunt Louise, I haven’t had the chance to introduce you to my girlfriend, Penelope Fallbrook.”
Louise gasped and she put her fingers over her mouth. “Oh dear. Oh my. This is…?”
With a big grin, I nodded.
“Goodness, Theo, you should have told me. Here I am making a fool of myself in front of your lovely new friend. My dear, I am so sorry. I didn’t realize. But you can’t blame an aunt for trying. I have their best interests at heart, I assure you. And here I thought for sure I’d found the one.”
“It’s okay, Aunt Louise,” I said. “You didn’t know.”
She let out a heavy sigh. “I suppose I’ll have to tell Linda to cancel. Maybe it’s for the best. I’m not actually sure if Willow agreed to the date, but of course I assumed she would.”
“I’m sure Willow will be fine,” I said.
“She will, although she won’t do better than one of my nephews.” Louise gasped again. “I’m fresh out of nephews. Except for…you know. But there isn’t much I can do about him.”
“I guess you’ll have to find a new hobby.”
“Nonsense. There are plenty of eligible bachelors in this town. My gift won’t go to waste.” She smiled at Penelope. “So lovely to meet you, dear.”
“Nice to meet you, too.”
“George, honey!” she called as she made her way back to the kitchen. “Time to go!”
Leaning down, I placed a soft kiss on Pen’s lips. “I am so sorry about that.”
“It’s all right. I wasn’t worried or anything. I just didn’t know what to say.”
“Most of us don’t know what to say when Aunt Louise puts on her matchmaking hat. But that was a new level of awkward, even for her.”
Aunt Louise and Uncle George left, and the hustle and bustle in the kitchen continued.
I caught part of Dad and Josiah’s conversation about the size of our growing family and whether they might be able to extend the dining room.
It was a log home, so that wouldn’t be an easy feat.
Josiah suggested an addition—a big gathering space off the kitchen, extending into the back.
Dad seemed excited about the idea, and I had a feeling I knew what I’d be doing next summer.
Mom emerged from the kitchen and seemed as if she was about announce that dinner was served—or at least ask for more help—when her phone rang, the chiming ringtone carrying over the noise of clattering dishes and multiple conversations.
She picked up her phone from a side table and a look of alarm crossed her features.
Something about her reaction caught everyone’s attention. The room went quiet, and we all stared at her, as if an unspoken signal had clued us all in to who it was.
Reese.
“Hello?” she answered, then paused. “It is you. Happy Thanksgiving.”
My brothers and I cast glances at each other. What were we going to do? He’d never called when we were there before.
“Actually, we’re all here,” Mom said, and looked around at every-one watching her. “Yes, I think they do.”
Penelope squeezed my hand. Anger pulsed through me, followed by something else. Sadness, maybe. I was mad at my brother, sure. But I also missed him.
“No, I know you can’t,” Mom said. “That’s okay, I’m just so glad to hear from you. How are you? Is everything all right?”
We waited in silence while she listened.
“Good. I’m happy to hear that.” She paused again, listening. “They’re all wonderful. Growing up so fast.”
Zachary moved like he was going to try to take the phone from Mom, but Luke stopped him. Josiah shook his head. Dad watched his wife, his expression impossible to read.
“All right, thank you for calling.” She briefly closed her eyes. “I love you, too, Reese.”
Mom lowered her phone, and the babies started to babble, breaking the tense silence. She took a deep breath as if to steady herself. “Before you ask, I don’t know where he is. He never tells me. But he’s doing fine.”
After another moment, conversations rose again. Dad moved toward Mom and led her down the hallway. That was what she needed—her husband comforting her, not her other kids hounding her with questions she couldn’t answer.
“I guess every family has a bit of drama,” I said to Pen. “My brother Reese left Tilikum and hasn’t been back. None of us really knows why.”
“That’s so sad.”
“It is. I was mad at him for a long time, but at this point, I don’t think I’d punch him in the face if I saw him.”
She smiled. “That’s good at least.”
“Zachary would, though.” I glanced at Z having an animated discussion with Luke and Josiah—undoubtedly about Reese. “Unless his wife stopped him.”
“Marigold seems like she’s good at keeping the peace.”
“Yeah, she’s probably the only woman in the world who can handle him.”
As if to prove me right, Marigold deftly stepped in front of Zachary and distracted him with their daughter, Emily. It worked like a charm. Moments later, he was making her laugh.
It didn’t take long for Mom and Dad to reappear. Mom didn’t try to hide her emotions, but she made it clear she wanted to enjoy a nice holiday dinner.
So that was what we did.
The dining room was packed, and the food was delicious.
There was more talk about building an addition to accommodate our numbers.
I alternated between holding Pen’s hand and resting my hand on her thigh as we ate, enjoying the satisfaction of knowing she was one of the reasons our family was growing—and would hopefully be the reason it grew even more.
And when the conversation turned to the upcoming football game, it was all I could do not to smile like an idiot. Not because I was confident my team was going to win, although I was. But because it wasn’t going to be just any football game. And my entire family was going to be there to see it.
Even more importantly, Penelope wasn’t going to see it coming.