Page 91 of Miss Me Not

"Way to go, dip," Trish chastised him. "Good job, Madison," she added, beaming down at me.

I nodded, not trusting myself to try actual speech yet.

"You okay?" Dean asked for the third time after she walked away.

"Just trying to give your family the full freak show," I mumbled, slowly sitting up.

"Here, let me help you," he said, reaching out a hand to pull me to my feet. "What happened?" he finally asked when I was standing in front of him.

"I don't know, Sport-o. Could it be that you knocked the air out of me, and then proceeded to crush my lungs with your weight?" I retorted, going for the defensive as anger swirled up inside me. I had nothing to apologize for. He was the one that was changing the rules midway in. It wasn't my fault.

"Cut the shit," he said, grabbing my shoulders so I couldn't walk away. "What. Happened?" he asked, emphasizing his words.

All fight went out of me as my shoulders drooped underneath his hands. "I don't know," I answered honestly. I didn't understand my panic. I thought I was adjusting to his touch, at least enough where I didn't freak if his skin touched mine.

"What happened to you?" he asked quietly, stepping closer to me.

"It's not what happened to me, it's what I did," I said, pulling away from him.

"Madison, are you okay, dear?" Sarah asked, coming around the house to join us.

"Yeah, I just go the air knocked out of me," I answered, not looking at Dean.

"You poor thing. That's the worst feeling ever," she said, putting an arm around my shoulder. "I'm sure my son is to blame," she said knowingly.

I nodded as she led me around the house.

"Men, they always like to use brute force," she ridiculed, glaring at her son.

"Hey, it was an accident," Dean defended himself.

Chapter seventeen

So far, Thanksgiving with the Jackson clan was different than anything I had ever experienced, and dinner was no exception. It was every bit as loud and chaotic as Dean had predicted, but I couldn't help responding to it like a flower in the sun. All of the laughter, cheer and obviously genuine love had me forgetting my anxiety from earlier.

Dozens of conversations went on at the same time around me as I soaked it all in. The food was mouthwatering, and I was surprised to learn that Dean was responsible for the deep fried turkeys that made up the main course. He was a guy of many talents.

"What do you think?" Dean asked, leaning over so I could hear him over the noise.

"It's crazy," I said, relieved he was willing to forget about my meltdown. "But in a good way," I added. "There's so many conversations going on, I feel like my head is spinning."

"Yep, this is us. For the most part, we all get along and enjoy spending time together, with the exception of a few," he said.

"Pete?" I asked, smiling at him.

"Yeah. Every family's got one. Pete definitely pushes the limits of 'blood is thicker than water.' As my papaw would say, 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.' With Pete, that's dead-on, his mom is a piece of work too. No get-together is complete until she adds a dose of her drama to it. Needless to say, we were all glad when she ran off with her trainer, including my uncle Phil, who had been looking for an out for years. Pete's had a chip on his shoulder since she left, which is why we all cut him a little slack, even though I know my Papaw is itching to take a switch to him like he used to when we were younger."

I couldn't help laughing at the mental picture of the tiny old man at the head of our long table chasing Pete around to give him a beat down. "I think your Papaw would have a tough time with that."

"Oh, don't be fooled by his stature. Papaw is a tough old bird. I heard he brought a man a quarter of his age to the ground when he ran his grocery cart into the back of my Nana's legs, knocking her down. According to my uncle John, who had to pick Papaw up at the police station after the incident, Papaw knocked the guy down by pegging him in the head with a can of green beans. Knocked the guy out flat."

"What?" I gasped, looking down the table at the innocent-looking old man who was regaling everyone at his end of the table with some story. Everyone was listening to him with rapt attention. Watching his animated face while he talked, I couldn't believe he'd hurt a fly, let alone peg someone with a canned good.

"Yep, I guess after the guy knocked Nana down to her knees, he kept walking like it was no big deal, even though my Papaw yelled after him. The guy flipped him the bird and kept walking, so Papaw grabbed a can of beans out of their cart and chucked it right at the back of the guy's head. They say he dropped like a sniper had taken him out," Dean said, chuckling.

"Did the guy press charges?" I asked worriedly.

"Nah, he was too embarrassed that a man three times his age took him out. Plus, there were tons of witnesses who saw him knock my nana down. Uncle John said if Papaw wouldn't have taken him out, several bag boys and the assistant manager were more than willing to step in and do it. My grandparents are quite popular in this area. I guess that's what happens when your family practically started the town. Papaw says even if he would have wound up in jail, it would have still been worth it. He says no one messes with his family, especially his lady," Dean said, looking toward his grandparents affectionately.

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