Page 13 of A Very Grumpy Thanksgiving

“And you must be Saffron!” My mom says as she turns to take in my girl.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I uh, I made a pie,” Saffron says shyly, holding the pie out to my mom.

“You too, dear! Oh, it’s so nice to meet you,” my mom gushes. “Nolan hasn’t told me much, so I’m so excited to get to know you better. Come and let me introduce you to everyone.”

And just like that, I lose track of Saffron.

My mom drags Saffron around to meet all of my aunts and uncles. I try to keep track of her, but the house is so full that it’s hard to get around.

“Hey, I met your girlfriend,” my sister greets me, and I nod, scanning the room for a certain curvy redhead.

“Yeah? Where is she?”

“Kitchen. Surrounded by all of our aunts,” Shelby tells me. “She’s nice. How did you land her?”

“Luck,” I grunt out, and she laughs.

“I believe it.”

“Believe what?” Aaron, our youngest sibling, asks as he joins us in our corner of the living room.

“That Nolan lucked out with his new girlfriend,” Shelby tells him.

“Oh yeah, she’s great!” Aaron agrees. “My kids are already calling her Aunt Saffron. Or Aunt Saffy in the case of Samantha.”

I laugh as I see Aaron’s youngest clinging to Saffron’s leg as she comes into the living room. Our eyes lock, and she smiles. She seems more at peace with my family than I feel, and a warm feeling starts to spread in my chest. I’m happy to see that everyone seems to love her right away, not that I can blame them. She’s easy to love.

I’m the oldest of the three of us and the only one not married or settled down with kids yet. I’m also the only one who joined the military and left town.

“It’s time to eat!” My Aunt Kathy calls, and everyone starts to head into the dining room and kitchen.

I find Saffron in the crowd and slip my hand into hers.

“Everything okay?” I whisper to her, and she nods.

“Everyone is so nice.”

I squeeze her hand, and she leans into my arm a bit.

“Where are we sitting?” she asks me, and I look around.

“Aunt Saffy! Can you sit with me?” Samantha asks.

“You’re at this table,” Aaron tells his daughter as he leads her over to the kid’s table in the kitchen.

Samantha pouts and Saffron looks upset.

“We’ll sit close to their table,” I whisper to her as I lead the way over to the far side of the adult’s table.

“Hey, Nolan!” Mark, Shelby’s husband, greets me. “How’s it going?”

“Pretty good. How about you?” I ask him as I pull out a chair for Saffron.

We all sit down, and I turn to check in on Saffron. She’s happy, busy talking to the kids at the table next to us.

“Your girl is lovely,” My Aunt Sarah tells me, and I smile.

“How have you been?” I ask her.

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