Page 13 of Promise Yule Be Mine
I rolled my eyes and guided Cookie and Milk to their beds before washing up. Not because my mom told me to, but because it was the natural thing to do before dinner. Not that it stopped Nikita, or even Jenna, the traitor, for that matter, from giggling.
“Now who’s being a child?” I told them both and plonked myself next to my fiancée who gave me her signature apology slow blink.
“Jenna, honey, would you like to say grace?” Mom asked when we all sat down.
Jenna shuffled in her seat and glanced at me but before I could come to her aid, she grabbed Mom’s and my hand and closed her eyes. She mumbled her thanks, taking deep breaths at the parts she wasn’t too familiar with and ended with a resoundingamen.
If it registered with Mom that she’d just faked a prayer, she didn’t let it show, which was the stark opposite of what would have happened if Jenna’s mom had been here. Thankfully, she was running late at the clinic. It wouldn’t have mattered if Jenna had told her countless times she wasn’t religious anymore, her mom had selective hearing—and memory—when it came to that fact.
We all repeated the amen and tucked into the feast before us. Turkey with all the trimmings, roasted vegetables, yams and mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, there wasn’t an inch of the table that wasn’t covered with goodies. Dad wasted no time carving the big bird and the dogs whined while watching the juicy turkey get distributed. I felt sorry for their little salivating faces, although not too sorry because they’d get so many leftovers they’d be set until next Thanksgiving.
Of course, once the dogs were all settled, Pumpkin and Latte decided to come out on a prowl and attempted to steal food from our plates, but Mom shooed the cats away. Not that it would deter them from further attempts but they knew their place. And they knew I’d throw stuff under the table for them anyway.
“Niki, why are you putting the turkey back?” Mom asked.
“Because,” he said and pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose. “I decided not to eat meat anymore.”
Mom gasped. Dad’s eyes went wide and his jaw dropped.
“What happened? Are you feeling okay? Who have you been hanging out with?” Mom asked.
“Huh?” Both Nikita and I turned to Mom.
“Who put those ideas into your head?” Dad asked.
“No one?” Nikita answered.
“You don’t seem very sure,” Jenna chimed in, biting her lip to stop herself from laughing.
“What’s the big deal? Let him do what he wants. It’s his body, his life.” I patted my brother’s back and he sat a little taller.
“His life? He’s just a baby. A baby doesn’t decide to just change his life like that,” Mom said and I had to slap my face.
“I’m not a baby, Mom. I’m twenty-four years old. Jesus.”
“That’s practically a baby,” Jenna hummed.
“You’re not helping,” I whispered to her.
“I wasn’t trying to help,” she whispered back with a smirk.
“Why do you want to quit meat?” Dad asked. “What did meat ever do to you?”
Nikita huffed and stuffed his mouth with vegetables, frustration clear on his face.
“Well?” Mom asked.
“Come on, guys, drop it. Niki is a fullygrownman.” I glared at Jenna, daring her to say something. “He can do what he wants. Eat your dinner before it gets cold.”
Mom stared at me, then her other son, then nodded with a pout.
“Fine.” She cut a piece of turkey and brought it to her mouth but before eating it she looked at Jenna. “How’s the wedding prep going?”
“What?” Jenna choked on her wine.
Mom and Dad turned to her, watching her punch her chest while coughing and trying to compose herself.
“The wedding prep, dear. We’ve hardly heard you talk about it. Is everything all right? Do you need help?”
