Chapter 21
Natasha
The morning after the ball, I woke up naked and wrapped in Ford's arms. It was the best way to start the day. When Ford woke, we showered together and cooked breakfast.
"What are your plans for Thanksgiving?" Ford asked.
"I haven't thought that far ahead." We used to visit my parents for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They were my favorite holidays, but I couldn't bring myself to even think about that now. I planned to work at the inn and deal with any issues that arose from the guests.
We served a Thanksgiving meal midday to anyone staying at the inn or locals who didn't feel like cooking. I'd comforted myself by saying I was working, so there was nothing I was missing out on.
If I thought too hard about what it was like last year, I wouldn't be able to get up in the morning at all. The grief was crushing around holidays and anniversaries.
He raised a brow. His hands that were pouring coffee stilled. "You haven't thought about it?"
"We serve a meal here, so I'll probably keep an eye on things, then enjoy dinner with Eve." Both of us were just hoping to avoid the entire day so we could pretend it was like any other weekday.
His brow furrowed. "I get that you have to work, but you shouldn't be alone on the holiday."
"We won't be alone. I have guests checked in over the holiday weekend, and I need to ensure that their stay is comfortable. We're serving a meal here too, so I should make sure it runs smoothly. We wouldn't want to run out of turkey or pie," I said as cheerfully as I could.
He finished pouring the coffee and slid the mug across the counter toward me. "Why don't you and your sister join my family for dinner after you're done here serving lunch?"
"Oh, I couldn't intrude."
"I'll help you with lunch, then take you to my parents." When I went to protest, he raised a brow. "My parents will insist that you spend the holiday with us."
I made a face. "We'll be fine."
Ford reached across the counter and took my hand. "Please join my family for dinner. It will make me very happy."
"Oh, well, okay." If he was putting it like that, then I couldn't say no. I just didn't want anyone to feel sorry for us. I'd planned to stay busy and ignore the day, but Ford wasn't going to let us. "Let me see if Eve is available."
I pulled out my phone and texted her.
Natasha: Ford invited us to his family's house for Thanksgiving dinner.
Eve: That's nice of him.
Natasha: Should I tell him you'll go with us?
Eve: It might make things easier to be with his family.
That comment made the fight go out of me. If I stayed home, I'd wallow in my grief. But if I went with Ford, I'd create new memories. It didn't mean that I didn't love the old ones. "Eve said she can go."
Ford nodded. "You two are always welcome at our house."
"I appreciate you including Eve." It might be the best thing for us.
"She's your family. Of course she's welcome."
My heart grew bigger at his kindness. He was giving me something I didn't know I needed, acceptance into another family, making new memories and traditions.
He stood eating his scrambled eggs while I sat at the island. It was a habit that we'd formed since we'd been staying over at each other's houses. We usually made breakfast before we parted ways, but we didn't have a lot of time.
The going back and forth was a bit of a pain. I was always forgetting something or getting to work late. I didn't want to leave Ford. I'd prefer to stay in bed with him all morning and get a slow start to the day. I was looking forward to our offseason. Maybe I'd get some much needed downtime.
"There's no need to bring anything. Mom makes enough food to feed an army."
"I remember all the prep she did for the big day." As much as I adored my family, I was envious of his large one. It was always loud and chaotic.
His house was more exciting, and back then, I was fascinated by the differences.
"We have a short work week. Then we'll spend the holiday with my family."
"That's sounds good actually. Thank you." Thank you for saving me from myself. I had a feeling if I was alone or just with Eve, I would spend the day crying. Not that there was anything wrong with that. But I wanted to look forward to the day, not dread it.
"We'll make new memories together."
That didn't sound like an arrangement or a way to spend the holidays. It sounded real and permanent. But I didn't want to assume anything.
"I'd better get to work." He rinsed his dish in the sink and put it in the dishwasher.
His crew decided to work today so that they could have Thursday and Friday off. I had the parade on Saturday, so I'd be busy prepping for that.
He rounded the counter and stood next to me.
"Thank you for breakfast," I said as he turned my stool so that I was facing him.
A smile played on his lips. "Thank you for a wonderful evening."
It really was magical. I could see why Eve was so adamant that we make the dances weekly.
Then he kissed me softly before grabbing his bag and heading toward the door. With one last smile, he was gone, and I was alone in my apartment.
Even though he was the one who wanted a date for holiday events, it was my life that had gotten fuller with Ford in it. My apartment was decorated for Christmas, I had plans for Thanksgiving, and I spent most nights with him, either at my place or his.
This was so much more than he'd proposed in the beginning, and I wasn't sure if it meant that we were in a relationship or not. But it sure felt like it. And I was enjoying it too much to walk away now.
After the parade, I'd ask him what it meant. Thanksgiving Day might still be tough, even though we were spending it with his family. I'd get through that, and the parade, then we could talk. I'd figure it out.
Until then, I'd keep treading water.
I spent the week preparing for the parade on Saturday, fielding questions, and dealing with logistics, where the participating groups would line up for the parade and how quickly we'd have everyone proceed.
It was our first event, and I could view it as a trial, but I still wanted it to be good. If it wasn't, I'd never get the shop and restaurant owners on board with doing it again. It had to run smoothly, and we needed to ensure there was plenty of parking for everyone.
We'd opened a nearby field for overflow parking and hired high-school students to direct traffic. I'd contacted the police department, and they'd agreed to block off the road and station someone at the barrier.
It was shaping up to be a big event, bigger than what we'd originally anticipated. Reina from Sweet Dreams would open her store and have a booth outside serving goodies. Meg at Coffee Dreams was serving hot cocoa. She'd purchased a truck for events like this.
Our Thanksgiving meal was our biggest service of the year. There weren't many places that were open that day, so we were anticipating a lot of guests.
On Thursday, I woke up in Ford's arms, and we enjoyed our usual breakfast. He said he'd be by later to help with the meal.
I went to the inn early to set the tables and handle any last-minute reservation changes.
We were only open for three hours so that everyone could spend the rest of the day with their families.
By the time the first guests arrived, I was frazzled.
I wasn't sure I could keep up this pace, especially through the holidays.
I thought staying busy was the key to handling the first holiday without my parents, but I was worried it was too much.
That I'd fall apart at an inopportune moment and screw everything up.
By the time Ford arrived, I was grateful for the extra hands. He helped serve food and seat customers. He was a natural with them, making small talk and getting whatever they needed. I wasn't sure we could have done it without him.
By the time the final person left the dining room, I was ready to sleep for a year, but we still needed to clean up. "I've never worked in a restaurant before. It's tough.”
"Tell me about it," Eve said. "I thought planning events was stressful, but that's nothing compared to dealing with hungry people and a run on apple pie."
I chuckled, then said to Eve, "Next year, order more apple pies."
"Who knew they are in such high demand? We ended up with more pumpkin pies than we needed."
"Maybe we can take a couple to Ford's family." I hadn't had time to even think of bringing something.
"I'm planning on taking whatever's leftover to a local shelter that's serving dinner," Eve said.
"Will you be able to stop by Ford's parents' still?" I asked her.
"I'll be there." Eve hugged me as one of the kitchen workers, James, brought out the trays of pies to take to the shelter.
My body ached, but I was looking forward to eating Thanksgiving dinner. It had always been my favorite meal of the year. Thanksgiving meant family. There was no pressure to buy gifts or for the day to be perfect.
The only thing was that I'd be missing mine and wouldn't be able to enjoy Ford's.
"Are you ready to head to my parents?" Ford asked.
"Let me change quick, and then we can go."
He followed me upstairs where I changed into a nicer outfit, brushed my hair, and touched up my makeup. When I went into the living room, he was staring at the tree and stood when I approached.
"Thanks for helping out at the restaurant." I grabbed a coat and my purse.
He opened the door, and we proceeded into the hallway. "It was fun but busy."
We walked down the stairs, and outside to the parking lot.
"We need to hire more people or cut back on what we're doing. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up and have any kind of social life."
"That's a talk for another day, because you're taking off from work for the rest of the day," he said, opening the passenger side door of his truck.
"That's sounds lovely, actually." I climbed into the cab, ready to decompress and enjoy time with Ford's family.
We drove to their house with holiday music playing, and Ford helped me carry the pies into the house.
"You didn't have to bring anything," Maria said when we walked inside.
"We had too much pie."
"Pie doesn't last around here, so it's much appreciated," Matt said.
Dinner was ready to be served, so we carried the platters of food to the dining room table and sat down.
"I'm so thankful that everyone is here today to enjoy family time and this amazing meal," Matt said.
"Here, here," everyone said before food was passed around. It was chaotic and loud, but it was exactly the distraction I needed.
The doorbell rang when Ford handed me the rolls.
"That's probably Eve. I'll get it," Ford said.
A few seconds later, Eve walked in ahead of Ford. "Sorry I'm late. I dropped the rest of the pies at the shelter."
Maria waved a hand. "No worries. Have a seat."
"How did it go?" I asked her when she sat next to me.
"The firefighters were helping to serve the meal. It was nice to see them working the kitchen."
"Was Maddox there?" I handed her the green beans.
She scooped the beans onto her plate. "He was."
"Is that his daughter that he was with the other night?" I buttered my roll.
Eve nodded. "Yeah."
"What's the story there?"
"I don't know, and we weren't close enough for me to ask. I went on the date to satisfy my part of the deal. Maddox wasn't happy about it. He was cranky unless he was talking to Sofia."
I assumed Sofia was his daughter. I wanted to know if anything was going on between Eve and Maddox, but I couldn't ask during dinner. It wasn't the right time or place.
Then she smiled. "But it was worth it because now we have firetrucks in the parade."
"How's the parade going?" Maria asked us.
"We have a ton of groups participating. I'm a little worried it's too many for our small town. But we have everything planned, and we're hoping for the best."
"We plan to be there to support you," Maria said, and everyone nodded.
"I want those candy canes the firefighters throw from the trucks," Cooper said.
Aspen shook her head. "You're such a child."
"No fighting," Maria said, and Aspen stuck her tongue out at Cooper when she wasn't looking.
"His family is kind of crazy," Eve whispered.
I smiled at her. "Only in the best way."
Eve shook her head and said quietly, "They're so different from ours."
I covered her hand with mine. "Maybe that's a good thing."
We'd suffered a loss, and there was still grief, but it was okay for us to do different things than we had in the past. We were forging new memories, and a future that was right for us.
Eve looked around the table. "You might be right."
I wasn't a part of Ford's family, but I felt included. Especially since they were nice enough to invite Eve too.
Under the table, Ford squeezed my thigh.
I smiled at him, feeling good to be here with this family, enjoying the love and togetherness.
When the meal was gone and pie was being served, I leaned over to Ford and said, "Thanks for insisting that we come. This was better than what we had planned."
"I'm glad you're here."
In all the years we dated, I had never been here for a holiday meal, and it was a lot like their other meals, just amplified. It was exactly what I needed.