Page 193 of That Rush

Josie and Poppy race through the yard with plastic cups of lemonade while Axel argues with Dad about whether the burgers are done. Sadie keeps Silas’s determined hands away from her plate, and Adrienne confiscates the serving platter before Dad can feed another visitor.

Paige watches the noise with a smile. “Your mother lied.”

“About what?”

“Just your branch.”

“This is just our branch.”

“That explains why she sounded pleased when she said it.”

I turn my head and kiss her temple. “You’re handling it well.”

“I prepared by spending an hour alone first.”

“I noticed.”

“You stared at the closed bedroom door like you were waiting for a verdict.”

“I respected the door.”

“You glared respectfully.”

“I didn’t knock.”

Her smile softens. “No, you didn’t.”

Mom settles across from us with a fresh glass of iced tea and her phone in one hand. “Since everyone is trapped by food, I need Thanksgiving answers.”

A groan rises from Axel.

“It is August,” Paige says.

“Exactly,” Mom replies. “If I wait until October, Adrienne will have three conflicting invitations, Sadie will agree to work at the café, and Hudson will volunteer this house to strangers.”

“They won’t be strangers by Thanksgiving,” Dad calls from the grill.

Mom ignores him. “One o’clock here. I’m keeping it to our branch, and that statement is legally binding. Aiden?”

“We’ll be here.”

Paige’s thigh tenses beneath my hand.

I look down at her. The easy expression from a minute ago has tightened around her mouth.

Her voice is very low when she speaks. “I didn’t know I was attending Thanksgiving.”

The reminder lands hard, and I remember the promise I made on her porch. Ask before answering. I should have done it now. Still, Thanksgiving at my parents’ house feels different from an October bonfire or another cookout. We love each other. She has a key to my home. Three months from now, we will still be together.

“I thought this one was obvious.”

“Because it’s obvious to you?”

“It’s Thanksgiving.”

“Yes. I’ve heard of it.”

Axel’s mouth twitches across the table. I ignore him and rub my thumb along Paige’s knee.