Page 53 of The Rescue

Nellie rolls her eyes at David.

“Come on you, Rabbie wants to go,” he shoves his coat at him and pushes him out the door. I silently mouth thank you to her, as she returns a cheeky smile.

I lock up the cafe and make my way to Thistle Down Farm. The sun is setting making the trees look like they are on fire by the way the leaves glow in the last of the autumn sun. Most of the stress of the last few days melts away as I pull into the farmyard. All the family I’ve ever loved and needed are in that house waiting for me.

I take a second outside the door to gather my thoughts. I can hear the hustle and bustle inside. The faint sound of laughter coming from inside makes me smile to myself. This is all I ever wanted when I was a wee lad, was a house full of people,my people.It makes me feel blessed that I’ve got such an amazing support system. Crystal was right, it’s the family you create, not the one you come from.

I take a step into the chaos, and though it might be loud in here with everyone chatting and rushing around to help, the noise inside my head quietens. This is where I belong.

“Uncle Rabbit! You’re here, we’ve been waiting for you,” Ruby comes running over to me and hugs my legs.

“Hello, mo chroí, sorry I’m late. What did I miss?” I squeeze her tight.

“Oh lots of stuff, Aunty Dylan and Crystal put marshmallows on sweet potatoes. I love marshmallows but not vegeta-bulls.” Ruby talks a million miles an hour.

She’s the cutest little girl in the world, and I laugh at the same comment that David made.

“R-ruby, let Uncle R-rabbit walk in the door,” Hamish stammers.

“Hello mate,” I clap him on the back as Ruby grabs my shirt and drags me into the large open living room. The large farmhouse table has been set with autumnal decor. Tiny pumpkins and gourds litter the table with a large garland of red, orange and golden leaves running down the middle. Tall candle sticks, and beautiful plates line the length of the table for our large group of ten. Dylan and Crystal have out done themselves, it looks amazing and very festive.

Everyone but Dylan and Crystal are gathered around the fire, I can hear the faint sounds of pots and pans clattering in the kitchen.

“There’s my braw laddie,” my nan beams.

She’s sitting in an armchair in front of the fire. I bend down to kiss her on the cheek. She’s been calling me every morning and every night since I told her that my mum is back in town. She’s worried for me, but I keep reassuring her that I’ll be fine. I can see she’s also worried because it is her daughter after all, and obviously their relationship is strained too.

“Happy Thanksgiving everyone,” I greet the rest of the group.

Cam pours me a dram of whisky and clinks his glass with mine as we take a sip.

“How are the girls getting on?” I ask, eager to see Crystal.

Cam shifts and looks to the kitchen door and gestures to me to be quiet.

“There’s been a little bit of bickering coming from the kitchen, I’ve been kicked out a few times when I’ve been in to see how they’re getting on. I don’t dare go back in, Dylan threatened to take my serving of turkey away if I went in again.” Cam looks slightly scared as he looks at the kitchen door.

A small smirk forms on my lips, because Cam is such a big burly man who has a permanent frown on his face. For him to be scared of his sweet, delicate girlfriend is comical.

“I’ll go pop my head in.”

“At your own risk. I’m bloody starving. Dylan hasn’t let me eat anything all day, so I’ll be snagging your portion of turkey,” Cam warns me.

I can’t help but smile at his warning because this is what families do, they bicker and argue over pointless things on the holidays. I never had this growing up.

I pop my head in the kitchen to find Dylan zooming around the kitchen, whilst Crystal is sitting at the kitchen table flicking through a cookbook. Her eyes meet mine and a huge warm smile spreads across her face. She jumps up from the table and rushes over to me. Dylan barely notices I’m there, as she’s stirring pots on the stove.

“Hey, happy Thanksgiving,” I smile at her.

“Hi,” She looks down at her feet, her smile now a distant memory.

“How was your day? Are you a pro at peeling veggies?”

Crystal holds her hands up to my face, and her dainty fingers are covered in band aids.

“What do you think?”

I want to grab her hands and kiss every single band aid on her small hands. She looks so cute when she looks up at me from underneath her long black lashes. A small smile forms on my lips.

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