Page 19 of The Perfect Spiral
Giving ourselves one last look in the mirror, we fluffed our hair and made our way to the kitchen to help with dinner. It was atradition for all the ladies in the house to help with holiday meal preparations. We always had a blast, gossiping, bitching, and dancing to whatever song came on the speakers. Tonight was no different.
As we entered the kitchen, we heard a whistle from the boys, who were chugging beers and discussing sports at the table.
“Well, ladies, glad you could bring your sexy selves downstairs,” Brett flirted, earning a heated glare from Kyle.
Their eyes were practically glued to us, as if they’d never seen a girl before. I glanced at Knox, who was clearly looking at me over the bottle he was sipping from.
He was reclining in the chair, a smirk etched on his face. Damn, he looked good all cleaned up.
“Alex! Could you mash the potatoes and Andy, would you mind making the cranberry sauce?”
Delilah requested, and we both nodded, heading off to complete our assigned tasks. I hauled the pot over to the counter and began mashing the potatoes. This was going to take a while, or they’d have to settle for lumpy mash! Lena put on Shania Twain’s “Man I Feel Like a Woman,” and we all sang along.
This song was always our go-to when we were cooking. It was my mom’s karaoke anthem, and she belted it out like no one was watching.
Chapter 9
The best thing about being a woman… Andy and I climbed up on the chairs and sang along, making complete fools of ourselves.
So what? It was fun! Don’t judge!
Everyone was laughing at us, spoons serving as our makeshift microphones. We sang at the top of our lungs, and even Sam got up to join us. Tyson couldn’t take his eyes off his fiancé. It was adorable.
We serenaded the boys, who were completely captivated by our performance. Eric and Ace joined in, dancing with their wives and having a blast.
The song ended, and we received a round of applause from the guys, accompanied by plenty of laughter. Kyle, Knox, and Tyson helped us down from the chairs—after all, we were all in heels, and it could’ve gotten messy!
“Alright ladies, get the food on the tables and boys, take your seats!” my mom directed. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Kyle rushed to answer it. It was probably my grandma.
She sauntered into the kitchen, arm in arm with Kyle, and spotted me first. Her arms spread wide open, beckoning me to her.
“Alex!” She beamed back at me, wrapping her arms tightly around me. I had missed this. I had missed her scent, her love, her.
I felt her trembling, a sure sign that she was starting to cry on my shoulder. I didn’t want to let her go, ever.
“Lovey, don’t cry, please! You’ll get us all going,” I pleaded, not pulling away from her embrace.
“I just missed you so much, Alex! I miss seeing you, honey!” she sobbed. I prayed she wasn’t crying because I wouldn’t be able to look at her without crying myself.
I pulled back, still in her arms, to see her eyes were a little red and a small tear was escaping from the corner of her eye.
“Please don’t cry, I’m here now, aren’t I?” I reassured her.
“Yes, took you long enough, child!” she playfully poked my chest, and we both burst into laughter.
“Alright everyone, take a seat!” my mom commanded. We all did as we were told, each of us having assigned places except for Andy, who sat between me and Kyle.
Lovey sat across from me in her usual spot, with Knox next to her. The chair at the head of the table was empty, and I stared at it, hoping he would take his seat.
It was where my Pop used to sit. I remembered how he used to sit next to me and hold my hand at the start of every meal.
“He’s here in spirit, darlin’,” my grandma said, breaking my gaze from the empty chair. I nodded and looked back at the chair.
The emotions were building up inside me. I tried to push them back down and regain control of myself. He’s not here, Alex, move on. It was an internal battle.
Suddenly, I stood up, and everyone turned to look at me. “I need a minute,” I announced, walking away from the table and down the hallway. My legs seemed to have a mind of their own.
I opened the front door and stepped outside, letting the cold air kiss my cheeks and hands. I pressed my hands against the stone-cold brick wall of the house and began to breathe heavily.
