Page 9 of Turtle Dove

“Yeah, you better be,” Cora says. “I’ll wash your mouth out with soap.”

Funnily enough, I know she’s not kidding.

Case and Nora are our family, and I love having them here, but more than that… tonight, they are my accomplices.

“All set?” I whisper to him, and he nods in return. “Perfect.”

“Something smells absolutely amazing,” Gray says, as he enters the kitchen too.

“See,” Cora says, pointing toward him with her potato masher, “he knows the rules.”

“What rules?” Gray says, as he wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses the crook of my neck.

“Your mom scolded Case for cursing,” Nora says with a giggle.

“She even threatened to wash my mouth out with soap.” Case reaches around to snag a roasted green bean from the pan I just pulled from the oven.

“Watch it.” I swat him away. “No picking at the food.”

“What is it with the women here tonight? Isn’t Christmas supposed to be fun? You three are vicious,” he says.

“You’d do well to remember that,” Nora says, as she brushes past him to get something from the fridge, and he stops her with a hand around her waist before leaning in to whisper something in her ear that makes her blush red and bite her bottom lip.

Ever since Nora came here to help me after the Jaxon fiasco, I’ve wanted nothing more than for her to move here. She finally came back, and Case swept her off her feet and I got exactly what I wanted. I couldn’t be happier for her. For them.

Nora and her brother, Marco, have had a rough life, losing their parents in a fire when they were kids. It’s haunted Nora for years, but now, with Case, she seems to be glowing twenty-four seven.

I’m so grateful for him.

“I’m here, Mills,” Gray says, as he plants a kiss on the top of my head. “What do you need me to do?”

“Two things. First, take that platter of prime rib and place it on the center of the table.”

“I can do that. What’s the second thing?” he asks.

“Kiss me.”

He cups my face in both of his hands and leans in. “I’ll do that every day for the rest of our lives.”

***

“Cadence, would you like to say grace?” Cora asks, once we are all at the table. She’s at the head, while Grayson and I sit on one side, Case sits across from us with Nora, and Grayson’s father sits at the other end with Cadence beside him.

“Sure.” She closes her eyes and clasps her hands together. “Dear God, please bless the yummy food that Melia and Mamaw slaved over ALL day long, and bless the little kids that don’t have any food tonight. Maybe we can take our leftovers to them later; that’s a good idea anyways. God bless Melia and Daddy, and Mamaw and Papaw, and Uncle Case and Ms. Nora and my teacher, and my friends and all the doggies and kitties at the shelter, and most importantly...bless Robby Rhine...he needs it. He’s a jerk...or a little sh…bleep...as Daddy called him.”

Did she even breathe during that run-on sentence? Giggles spread between us at her words, and yes, they were funny, but I’m sad for her. Sad she even had to worry about Robby Rhine...and Grayson was right, he is a little sh…bleep.

“Grayson Aldrich! Tell me you didn’t say that word in front of her!” Cora scolds, hand over her chest.

“What? It just slipped out, and I’m sorry, but, That’s exactly what he is,” Grayson replies.

“I don’t disagree, Cora,” Grayson’s father chimes in.

“See? Dad has my back,” he says, lifting his beer up in a mock toast.

“Regardless. No cursing in front of her. She’ll speak like a sailor before long,” Cora says, with a shake of her head.

I glance Case and Nora’s way, then Grayson’s, letting them know I’m about to set our plan in motion.

---