Page 37 of Instinct & New Identity

“I’ll take your word for it,”Vincesaid, still watchingHarryas though he would attack at any moment.

Then he turned to me, and his expression gentled.

“You nervous about today?” he asked softly.

Gah.Whywas he always so attuned to my inner thoughts? “ShouldIbe afraid of your family?”

He chuckled a little.

“I can’t guarantee my family won’t be a bit much at times, butImeant it more because this is the firstThanksgivingyou andValhave had since...," there was an awkward pause, "you know.”

He meant since our parents had died.Iunderstood where he was coming from, butIdidn’t want him to feel like he had to tiptoe around us all day.

“Technically, the first couple years, we hadMarshalswith us for the holidays, so we weren’t really alone, per se.”Ishrugged then held up one hand to stop him from interrupting. “ButIget it.Youwant to know if it will be weird being around your family whileValandIdon’t have one anymore.Theanswer is no.Ilike your friends and family,Vince, at least the onesI’vemet, so she andIare both looking forward to it.”

He seemed to be okay with that answer, or if he wasn’t, he didn’t say anything.

Val came into the room with her bathrobe on, hair all wrapped up inVelcrocurlers, and demanded coffee. “Whendo we need to leave?”

“Around 11:30, if that’s okay,”Vinceanswered, which gave us a little less than two hours to get ready.

He let us know that his mom would try to keep everyone as late as possible, so whenever we were ready to leave, just let him know.Theplan was to stay through dinner, then head over to the pub, where we would be havingFriendsgivingdrinks withWade,Ellie,Archer,Jack,Ruthie,Axel, andTammybecauseTammydidn’t have any family in town and consideredWadeandEllieher family.

I had a quick bite to eat, not wanting to fill up before whatIwas sure would be a day full of food, then went to get ready.Ispent way too much time over-analyzing what to wear to the meal.Vince’smom had told us not to get dressed up, but since we were caught off guard when we met her the first time,Iwanted to make sureIleft a better impression on her today.

I also wanted to make a good first impression onVince’sdad and sister.Itried not to put too much thought into the reasons whyIwas putting forth so much effort because thenIwould have to admit to myself thatVincemeant more to me than just a good friend.Iwasn’t sureIwas ready to do that yet.

I settled on my best pair of dark jeans.Theyhugged me in all the right places but they also had the perfect amount of stretch in them to allow for a lot of food later today.Ialso had on a burnt orange sweater that was tight through the arms and chest area but a little more flowy around the stomach, which, again, was perfect for the extra poundsIwas sure to gain later today.

I was just putting on some cute, heeled booties whenValknocked on my door, wanting to know if she could borrow one of my headbands.Shewas dressed in black yoga pants and an oversized red and black-checkered flannel shirt.Definitelymore casual thanIwas dressed.

She said nothing for a moment, but the knowing smile on her face told me everythingIneeded to know. “Isee you’re going for fancy and trying to impress the family.”

I started to interrupt her and pretend that was absolutely not whatIwas doing, but she cut me off.

“I’m not making fun of you,Cat.Youlook really nice.You’regoing to make a great first impression on all of them, andVincewill likely be staring at your ass all night in those jeans, so good job.”

Well, crap.MaybeIshould change into something more comfortable and casual.

“I know what you’re thinking—don’t change.Youlook great.”Valgrabbed the headband she wanted and made her way back out of my room, leaving me to stew with those comments she just gave me.

Finally, we were on our way toVince’sparents’ house withHarryin tow, and despite my reassurances earlier, my heart rate was at an all-time high.

15

VINCE

On the drive to my parent’s house,Itried filling the ladies in on the various relatives and friends that would likely be coming over to the feast.Aswell as any pertinent information they may need to know.

For example, my mom’s brotherEricwas an alcoholic and would likely over-drink today and go on to complain about how theEarthwas really flat and the government was lying to us all.HiswifeBetsywould spend the whole holiday complaining about how the justice system was rigged against her son, which was the only reason he was in jail at the moment, not because he actually sold drugs to highschoolers or pistol-whipped the cop who arrested him.Nope,EricJr. was an angel, but the judge was just out to get him.

My cousinTracywould spend the whole night flirting withArcher, and even though he had rejected her about forty times.Shehad convinced herself he was just playing hard to get, and she just needed to try harder.

“But wait, if they’re both your cousins,”Catstarted to ask, andIknew where she was going with this.

“Archer is my cousin on my dad’s side.Tracyis my cousin on my mom’s side.”

That answer seemed to clarify enough for them, but still, they both chuckled in response.

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