Page 88 of Taming Waves

The girls follow Valerie down the hallway, and Mom turns back to us. “Is there anything I can do to help?” I ask.

She hands the pie and wine to Parker, then wraps her arm around my elbow and leads me forward. The rich scents of baked ham, buttery cornbread, and slow-simmered gravy drift from the kitchen, mingling with the faint sweetness of pecan pie. “Your Aunt Libby has the candied yams browning in the oven, and I was just about to mash the potatoes. If you don’t mind starting the cranberry sauce, that would be great. You did get my text about picking up cinnamon sticks, didn’t you?” I hold up the brown bag in my hand. “Yes, ma’am.” She glances over her shoulder. “Parker, Rand is outside manning the smoker and fryer. Can you check to see if he needs any help, dear?” As we pass the entry to the parlor, I see Uncle Andrew at the wet bar, adding a sugar cube to a crystal flute for Valerie. Meanwhile,Rainey and Presley are warming themselves by the crackling fire in the marble hearth, along with a couple of my cousins.

I stand at the stove, grating orange zest into a pot filled with berries and sugar, while Mom flutters around the kitchen, as happy as can be. She lives for days like today when her big house is filled to the brim with voices and laughter. It’s Sunday dinner on a grand scale.

Once everything is in place and the dining room table is set with crisp linens, my grandmother’s heirloom silverware, and my mom’s wedding china, I help carry the last desserts to the sideboard. Then, I go in search of Dad and Parker. I find them seated on the veranda, each holding a beer.

“What are you two doing? We’re all in there waiting for the turkeys,” I say as I take a seat beside my father. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me closer, placing a kiss on the top of my head. “The turkeys are resting, and Parker and I are just enjoying a few more moments of peace,” he says, tilting his chin toward the television mounted above the outdoor fireplace, where a snowy football game is playing. “Well, time’s up. Mom sent me to find you.”

He reaches for the remote, clicks the screen off, and then stands up. “Good. I’m hungry.” We all rise and walk over to where two beautiful birds are waiting. He picks one up and hands it to Parker. “Take this one and help Mamie transfer it to a platter. You can carve it, and I’ll carve the other one.”

Parker takes the roasting pan from his hand and carefully walks it inside. Once he is out of sight, I turn to my father. “Thank you, Dad.”

“For what?” he asks.

“For making Parker feel comfortable. I know I sprung this on you, and it can’t be easy given how you feel about him, but I really appreciate your effort,” I say.

He raises a brow. “How I feel about him?”

“Yes, I know you hate him. I did, too, for a long time, or maybe I never really did. I think I just needed someone to blame, but…”

He interrupts me before I can finish. “But you love him.”

I bring my eyes to his. “I do—we do, Parker and I—love each other. I’m pretty sure we always have. We just got lost.”

He nods. “I never hated Parker, sweetheart. I was just angry and a little lost myself because I knew you were and I’m your daddy. I’m supposed to protect you but didn’t know how to find you and lead you back home.” He reaches over and swipes a tear that has escaped and is running down my cheek. “If he could do that for you, and you could forgive him, then I can do the same.”

“I think we all deserve a fresh start,” I whisper.

He smiles. “I believe we do.”

Dad gathers the other pan, and we walk inside. He and Parker stand side by side at the kitchen island and carve the turkeys for our first holiday as a family. A complete family. A beautiful, broken, yet healing family.

Parker

“That went well,” Audrey says as she climbs into my truck.

We had a great meal, and her family made Mom and the girls feel right at home. After we consumed more food than we should have, we spent the rest of the afternoon in the living room. The women played games while the men gathered around the television. Now, we are headed to Wade and Eden’s house for a second celebration. Friendsgiving has sort of become a tradition of its own. We usually celebrate it the weekend before the holiday, but since Audrey and I were working behind the bar at Whiskey Joe’s this year, they moved it to tonight.

“You thought it wouldn’t?” I ask as I take her left hand and entwine my fingers with hers.

“I was a bit concerned. I asked Mom to speak to Dad, but I wasn’t sure if he would be okay with us together or not,” she admits.

“He and I resolved our issues a couple of weeks ago,” I say.

She raises an eyebrow. “Really?”

I nod. “Yes, Sebby and I were talking the day after I ran into your dad at the diner. I was complaining that Rand hated me,and Sebby helped me see things from his perspective. He told me I owed Rand an explanation and an apology. I knew he was right, and I had to do it; I was just putting it off. Then, when I saw you and Jake together at the bar, I realized I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed to tell you how I felt, but I first had to talk to your father. So, I skipped poker night and went to see him.”

“Huh,” she grunts, and I raise an eyebrow. “I assumed you were with that Chelcie girl from the house next door or another woman that night,” she says.

I laugh and then raise our hands to kiss her wrist. “No, ma’am, I haven’t laid a finger on another woman.”

“Thank you,” she whispers, all playfulness stripped from her voice. “For going to talk to him, I mean.”

We park across the street from Wade and Eden’s house, and I grab the two pies that Mamie had sent home with us from the backseat. From the curb, we hear a commotion, so I take her hand and lead her up the stairs to the deck.

Amiya greets us at the door and quickly ushers us inside. “What’s going on?” I ask as Wade comes running down the stairs from the second floor carrying a suitcase. He drops it at his feet and looks at me. “If you’re blocking the garage, you need to move now,” he says before turning and sprinting back up the stairs.

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