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He gestured to the artfully displayed food. “I’ve seen dinners like this in movies and commercials, but never in real life.”
“What are you talking about?”
He finally took his eyes off the spread and looked at her. “I’ve never had Thanksgiving. This is exactly how I imagined it would be.”
Her chest locked.
“Min.”
Everyone had taken their seats. Lyle was sitting at the head of the table, with Bailey occupying the opposite end. Jasmine took her usual spot beside her niece, which made Roth take the seat next to Rami. As Lyle said a brief prayer filled with heartfelt gratitude for his daughter and the fact they could gather for the occasion, she peeked at Roth. She was stunned to see his eyes were closed and his head was bent. When he squeezed her hand, she jumped. How did he...?
“Aunty, your eyes should be closed,” Bailey whispered loudly.
Everyone laughed as Lyle finished his prayer. Her sisters gave her mock scoldings, which made the kids cackle. When everyone migrated to the food table to make their plates, she turned to Roth with narrowed eyes.
“How did you know?”
“I always know when you’re looking at me.”
“Wine, ma’am?”
She accepted a glass of Pinot Noir from a hovering server as Roth made his way over to the food. He’d never attended Thanksgiving, ever? To be fair, if it weren’t for Thea, she wouldn’t have celebrated many holidays. But there were always friends, neighbors, or classmates who extended invitations. Churches, community centers, and other organizations tended to hold gatherings or hand out meals for the holiday. So why hadn’t his family participated? She felt a flash of unreasonable anger toward Kaia. Why had they isolated themselves, denying Roth the chance to bond with the rest of the community?
Her thoughts were interrupted by Roth, who set his plate on the table with a definite thud. Although every inch of his plate was covered in tiny mounds of food, they were contained in piles that didn’t touch each other.
“You got a little bit of everything?” she asked.
He nodded, face grave, but his eyes were eager. “Do you want me to...?” He gestured behind him to the food table.
His offer to make her a plate had her rising swiftly. “No, thank you. I got it.” She had a feeling he had no idea what normal food portions were.
This family dinner was a complete turnaround from the last one she’d attended. The mood was lighthearted and carefree. She found herself thinking this was the type of family get-together she’d dreamed of as a child, and now she was finally getting to experience it as an adult. It was surreal listening to Roth chat amicably with her family. It was as if the incident at Tuxedo Park the day after their wedding had never happened.
The conversation, while it touched on business, didn’t revolve around that singular topic. That was mostly due to Lyle, who seemed to be going out of his way to keep the topics varied and entertaining. Roth didn’t talk unless he was specifically addressed, which her brothers-in-law seemed to be doing to make him feel included.
At some point, she caught the long, intimate looks passing between Colette and Lyle. Her sister reached out to touch her husband’s arm—not because she needed something, but because she wanted contact. Jasmine caught Ariana’s eye and widened her own before jerking her head at Colette, who was positively radiant. Ariana smiled, clearly happy for the couple, who’d undergone a drastic transformation since their daughter was born. The ice queen had vanished. Lyle had been an ass in Lisbon, but now he looked more like himself. No—actually, the fierce scowl he sported far too often and that chip on his shoulder were missing. He looked well-rested, a man truly content with his lot in life. It seemed Roth’s attendance had reassured him there was more to their marriage than he suspected, so he was letting his guard down and enjoying the moment. As their eyes met, Jasmine grinned at Lyle and got a wink in return. He was letting her know everything was going to be all right. She wanted to believe him, but... what was he hiding?
She looked down at her plate and made a concentrated effort to banish the thought before her fertile mind could supply her with vile ideas. She glanced at Roth to see if he’d caught her and Lyle’s silent communication. The fact he’d considered there might be something romantic between them still mortified her, but... Roth’s appalled expression made her follow his gaze to Kye, who’d dumped mashed potatoes and gravy down his bib. Ariana didn’t seem perturbed by the mess her son was making. Roth was transfixed and clearly concerned as Kye gaily stuffed his face with turkey. Jasmine bit back a laugh and turned to Bailey, who wanted to tell her about her new best friends, Fallon and Coleman.
When Roth went back to the food table for thirds, he received some good-natured ribbing from the guys, while her sisters grinned. By the time dessert rolled around, Kye was nearly comatose. Roth gave Ariana a warning that gave her sister time to catch the toddler before he fell off his chair.
Roth’s eyes were never idle. They moved constantly from her family to the discreet staff refilling the food table and their glasses. She wondered what he was thinking. The contrast between the Carusos’ opulent home and the humble A-frame he grew up in couldn’t be more different, but Roth was showing no sign of discomfort or uncertainty. His confidence had been unshakable right from the start. Did he still see her family as his enemies? Allies? Pawns? Was he examining her family so closely because he was beginning to see them as individuals, or would his opinion be forever tainted by their past mistakes?
When Bailey began to speak French, Roth’s head whipped around. Apparently, the fact her niece and nephew could speak different languages hadn’t been included in his report. Bailey saw him watching and basked in the attention, since he’d patently ignored her until that point. To show her niece off a little and to test her fluency and vocabulary, they talked for a few minutes before Jasmine switched to German. Bailey followed without missing a beat, but two minutes later, her niece took the initiative and switched to Hindi. Jasmine stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Ariana with bug eyes, which made her sister laugh.
“She’s going to have one up on us.”
“More than one,” Ariana said ruefully. “I’ve been trying to learn. I don’t know if it’s because I’m too old or it’s so different from the other languages I know, but I’ve been struggling so much with it. Even Kye has a better grasp of the language than I do.” Ariana gave her daughter a stern look. “That’s the language they use around me when they’re trying to get something past me.”
Bailey batted her eyelashes at her mother before switching back to French to tell Jasmine about a tutor who used to live on a sailboat. Jasmine listened as she ate pumpkin cannoli and truffles and sipped delicious hot coffee. Like he did with dinner, Roth had selected one of each dessert. Jasmine thought he’d take a bite of each, but he ended up eating every single one and even got a second slice of pumpkin pie. Lyle and Rami didn’t tease him this time—they were simply impressed by how much he’d consumed and asked him about his workout routine.
Unlike her brother, Bailey was wide-awake. The moment the plates were cleared away, she declared it was time to open presents. This revived Kye, who had to be cleaned up before he could join his sister by the tree.
As everyone settled around the fireplace, Jasmine had the kids hand out presents to the adults before they could open their gifts. The kids giggled hysterically over the gnomes with long beards and hats pulled so low the brim rested on their protruding noses. Ariana and Colette immediately dipped into the fudge and examined the cherry liquor and dessert wine Jasmine had picked up for them. Rami and Lyle tried on the leather shoes and gloves Johnny had helped her pick out in downtown Lisbon. Everyone admired the prints she’d bought from Johnny of his beloved Portugal. She was pleased when her sisters began to argue over which prints they wanted.
Colette got emotional as she began to sort through Polara’s gifts—the outfits Jasmine had picked up in London, the Yule heart ornament with the year hand-painted on it, the knit blanket, and other knickknacks she suspected her sister wouldn’t have appreciated before having her baby. Colette gave her a watery smile as Bailey squealed over the snow globe of Frederiksborg Castle and Kye began flipping through the illustrated books she’d got him.
When there was a muted cry, Colette leaped up and hurried down the hallway to tend to Polara. Bailey showed the snow globe to her mother and vigorously shook it to activate the glitter and snow.
