Page 29 of Cookie

Twenty-Six

Ryan

We arrived at Charlie’s parents’ house, and it was immediately clear he was not exaggerating about how big his family was. The street was lined with cars that couldn’t fit in the driveway, while people I didn’t know streamed up to the door. “Whoa, you really were not kidding,” I said, making Charlie laugh.

“Don’t worry, Cookie, they don’t bite,” he said, using the nickname he’d given me before he knew my name. Both of us took out the dishes we’d made, a tater tot casserole for me, and a fruit salad for Charlie.

“Are you sure we brought enough?” I asked. My holidays were usually small, quiet and done as soon as the meal was eaten. From the looks of things here, the meal was just the beginning.

“Don’t worry, there will be more than enough,” Charlie said as he put my casserole on top of his fruit salad and balanced them both while reaching for my hand.

“This is a lot of people,” I said and once again looked around at all the activity.

“Charlie, oh I’m so glad you’re here. Welcome, Ryan,” Claire, Charlie’s mom, said, and hurried us inside and right to the kitchen. “I got the turkey in, but I really need help to put all the food out on the table. We might need another table from the garage. I asked your father to get one, but I think he got sidetracked.” She darted her eyes to the backyard where Carl stood with a group of people, each of them holding a can of beer while kids rolled around in the snow and dogs chased them.

“Did Cas bring all the dogs along with the kids?” Charlie asked while staring out the window.

“Oh yes, and some of the other relatives brought theirs too. It’s going to be even crazier than usual. Ryan, I made homemade cranberry relish. Charlie told me it was one of your favorites.”

“It is, thank you,” I said and tried to control the blush that threatened. They were all so nice and even though it was a swirl of chaos around us, she took the time to make me feel welcome and not out of place. She put us both to work and somehow everything came together at the right time. The food was out, and everyone got in line to load up their plates. The noise was shocking given it was inside a house and not a restaurant, but everyone was friendly and took the time to introduce themselves and chat.

After we ate, they put a football game on the flatscreen and most of the adults watched while the kids were all in one of the other rooms playing video games and whatever else kept them busy. Dogs wandered in and out and from person to person. And even though it was chaos, it was fun.

“Are you ready to leave?” Charlie asked just as the sun was setting. “If we’re going to stay at my house, we should probably go before it gets too dark.”

“Sure,” I said. “Claire, did you need help with anything before we go?”

“No, I’m making everyone who didn’t help with setting it up take care of cleaning. Don’t forget to take your leftovers,” she said and shoved two paper grocery bags at us.

“What’s all this?” Charlie asked.

“There are a lot of leftovers. You shouldn’t need to cook for a couple of days at least,” she said, and Charlie hugged her.

“Thanks, Mom, we’re going to stay at my house tonight, so we’ll definitely eat it. Oh, and don’t worry, I’ll be at work tomorrow,” he said, making her laugh.

“You two drive safely and I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for joining us, Ryan,” she said and hugged me. Charlie tugged me to the door as more and more relatives came over to say goodbye, but finally we were in his truck and ready to go.

“That was fun,” I said, as we both watched everyone inside through the large front window. Charlie slowly turned to look at me.

“It wasn’t too crazy for you?”

“I’m not gonna lie. It was loud, crowded, and overwhelming. But I cannot remember ever having so much fun. Thank you, Charlie, for inviting me.” He leaned across the seat and kissed me before starting his truck.

“Okay, babe, let’s go check out the homestead,” he said with a western drawl.

The next morning, we woke up cocooned in the warmth of Charlie’s bed and a house now heated by the wonderful fire he’d made as soon as we arrived there. The house was freezing since he hadn’t stayed there for a few days, and I wondered how he could survive that every winter. But Charie wasn’t someone who complained about a cold house. He built a fire and got on with whatever needed to be done.

After eating leftovers for breakfast, we loaded some wood into the back of the truck and made the slow drive back to town. “Are we staying here again tonight?” I asked.

“Well, I’m not eating all those leftovers by myself,” Charlie said.

“As long as I don’t have to cook, I’m happy to help eat leftovers,” I said. We made small talk the rest of the way into Grace, and I was so relieved it wasn’t snowing. “Hey, are we supposed to get snow?”

“Not until next week,” Charlie said.

“Can we stay at your house again when it does? I really loved staying there while it snowed.”

“We can stay there anytime you want.” We entered the city limits, and he parked in front of the bookstore. “I’m going to get some coffee, and I’ll unload the wood later,” he said, and the two of us got out and walked to the door together.

---