“Are you okay?” Bree asks me, her head on my shoulder as we watch the movie.
“I’m better than okay, angel. I’ve got all I need right here,” I say as I press a kiss to her forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Chapterforty-four
Thanksgiving
— BACK HOME BY ANDY GRAMMER
“Fuck, I’m so nervous,”I say as I adjust the rings on my fingers.
“Why? It’s just Thanksgiving with the West family.”
“I know, but this time feels different,” I tell him as we get out of the car. The West house looks like it always does around this time of year—decorated as fuck. Tristan always helps his mom put decorations up, and he did the same with our new house this year, no matter how much I protested. He insisted, so I bought a bunch of decorations, and he and Vince spent all day decorating our house.
We moved in the second week of November, and unpacking has been insane—especially with how many books I have. Still, it’s been fun decorating our house together. Vince doesn't have the best eye for decor, but he tries his best. We’ve chosen every piece together, and it’s been the best time, creating our own little corner of the world for just us.
I’m excited to celebrate Thanksgiving at the West house. We put all holidays on hold because of Ralph and everything going on. We celebrated my birthday in February before all this happened, but we missed Liv, Tristan, Vince, and Teags' birthdays. And basically every other major holiday besides Halloween.
Vince knocks on the door while I hold the chocolate-covered strawberries we brought—
the only thing I know how to make.
Liv and Tristan are already here, but I’m not sure if Teags is, though. Her flight was supposed to get in around now, and she told us she was taking an Uber—even though I told her Vince and I could pick her up. Gregory isn't coming with her, so it should be a fairly nice night.
Teags moved to Arizona with her boyfriend a week after everything. It was sudden, and Tristan is still pissed at her, but Liv has declared tonight argument free, so they better behave.
Tabitha—Tristan’s mom—opens the door and immediately pulls me in for a hug.
“Bree! You beautiful girl. I’m so glad you’re here,” she says in my ear, and I have to stop the rush of emotions creeping into my body.
“Me too,” I say as I pull back. “This is Vince, my boyfriend.”
Vince holds out his hand to her, but she pulls him in for a hug too. “I know who he is. I watched your videos, Bree. You got yourself a handsome one.”
Vince blushes, and I stifle a laugh. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Oh please, none of that,” she laughs. “Call me Tabitha. We’re practically family.”
“Sounds good, Tabitha,” Vince says as he grabs my jacket from my shoulders and places it on a hanger.
She walks back into the kitchen, the house smelling like cranberries as Vince and I walk through it. Theo and Tristan are trying to get a fire going, and when Tristan spots Vince, he pulls him in for a hug.
It still weirds me out to see them interact, but over the past few months, they’ve gotten close. It probably has something to do with Liv and me. We practically forced them to be friends since they’re dating two sisters who are all but attached at the hip.
Regardless of how it happened, I’m glad the two most important men in my life like each other. While they’re talking, I head to where Liv is working in the kitchen.
She wraps me in a hug, the brown bow in my hair snagging on her wedding ring. “Shit, sorry!”
“It’s okay, sis. How are you? How’s the next book coming?”
She sighs as she turns around to mix the mac and cheese. “It’s okay. My next release is with my editor.”
“I’d believe you if your tone wasn't so strained. What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing. Starting is always the worst part. Sometimes it’s hard, and I can’t get the characters in my head to translate to the page. I feel like I know them really well, but when I type the words out onto the page, they become real people. It’s hard to explain, but I’ll get through it. The first thirty percent is always difficult.”