Page 86 of Cross My Heart
“Tate, I told you not to hound her. Lanie has a family too, you know, she hasn’t seen Julia, Mimi or Pawpaw in a very long time. This has to be her decision, right?” Dex warns him.
“Okay, Dad,” he tells Dex, lowering his voice so only I can hear him, “but Dad and I are really hoping you stay,” he gives me a quick kiss and runs off to the playroom.
“Hey, sweetheart. Sorry about that. I told him we had to let you make your own decisions, we can’t hold you prisoner…although I would really like to see you in handcuffs,” Dex whispers right before he leans in for a kiss.
“Handcuffs, huh? Who knew Mr. Cross was so kinky,” I smirk. Walking to the island, I grab a bottle of water, “I already made my decision anyway.”
He chokes on his drink. Pounding on his chest, he tries to sound casual, “You did? What did you decide?”
“Well, Tate seems like he would be pretty heartbroken if I didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving with him, so I thought I’d stay.”
Dexter’s grin takes over his entire face. “That seems like a very thoughtful decision, Ms. Cross.” I look up at him right after he says it. I don’t think he even realizes the slip.
He stares at me, puzzled. “What? Do I have something on my face?”
“No, no, nothing like that. I was just thinking I should go tell Tate, he is probably a nervous wreck.”
Dexter watches me retreat, wondering what the hell just happened.
* * *
“Thanksgiving is in two days,Thanksgiving is in two days,” Tate is singing all throughout the house.
“You seem very excited,” I exaggerate my words, but he doesn’t seem to notice.
“Oh, I am, Lanie. All my favorite people are going to be here. You, Dad, Sara, Harper, Nanna Sylvie, Preston, and all his boys.” I laugh because I wouldn’t want to have to name the long list of people coming either.
“Have you never had Thanksgiving at your house before?” I ask him.
“No, not that I remember anyway, we usually go to Nanna Sylvie’s. I can’t believe we are finally going to fill our big table.” The energy this boy has is shocking.
“That’s awesome, Tate. I’m so happy for you.” I tell him.
“For us, Lanie, remember, you’re part of me too now.” He says so innocently.
“That’s right, buddy,” I reply, a little choked up. “Come on, I’ll get the girls to the table, dinner is ready, can you go tell your dad?”
“Sure, Lanie, I’ll even wash my hands.”
“Thank goodness for that,” I reply with a smile.
A few minutes later, we are all sitting around the table. Harper to my right, Tate to my left, with Dex and Sara across from us. Tate is chattering away about his teacher and his friends, he has had a fantastic start to the year. Now that Jake no longer attends Waverley-Cay Elementary, Tate has really blossomed. Dex and I alternate bites for ourselves and nibbles for the girls. For the most part, they feed themselves now, but they wear more than they eat, requiring a little guidance occasionally.
I’m bringing a spoon to Harper’s mouth when she swats me away, raising both arms in the air, saying, “up, up.” We all laugh, they don’t have much of a vocabulary yet, but they can both say up.
I lean in to kiss her messy face when she grabs my cheeks with her filthy hands and says, “Momma, Momma up.”
I’m so shocked, I pull away instantly, scaring the poor thing. Now she is crying, “Momma,” and I look to Dex for help, but he seems as shocked as I am. Then to top things off, Sara starts crying, “Momma, up,” lifting her arms in the air, waiting for me to pick her up too.
Tate is sitting next to me, laughing.
“Ah, I’ll take them up for a bath, you two finish eating,” I tell Dex and Tate. Dex nods his head but stares at me with concern. He lifts Sara out of her highchair and puts her in my left arm.
“Hey,” he starts, pulling me away from Tate’s little ears, “Are you okay?”
“Me? Yeah, totally, I’m totally fine, why do you ask?” I sound hysterical, even to myself.
“I'll finish dinner with Tate quickly, then come up to help with the girls. You sure you’re alright?”
