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Twenty-Four
Hayden
We all gathered around the table in Preston’s club room. Dad and Preston argued over who should carve the turkey, before Dad caved and did the honors, to applause from everyone. It was strange, this space belonged to no one, and would be turned over to another user within the day, but it had been a long time since I felt so at home. A lot of that had to do with the woman sitting next to me.
Charlotte laughed at a story Spencer was telling her, picking up her wineglass and taking a sip. Spencer seemed to have let go of his final three questions, perhaps sensing the call with her parents hadn’t gone particularly well. Charlotte was doing a great job of putting on a brave face and following the conversations taking place around the table, smiling and laughing in the right places, but not actively participating the way I knew she normally would.
Margaret clinked her wineglass to get our attention as everyone’s eating wound down. “All right, boys, and Charlotte, please humor me for another year and go around the table saying what you’re all thankful for. Preston, as our host, would you like to start?”
I snuck a glance at Charlotte, realizing I had forgotten to warn her about Margaret’s tradition. Her attention was rapt on Margaret, not put off by the moment.
Preston picked up his drink. “I’m grateful that in a little over a month, it will officially be an election year, and we’ll be out of the planning stages and into the action.”
We all raised our glasses in a toast and took a sip, a Brandt twist on Margaret’s tradition we had started once everyone was twenty-one.
Margaret, seated to Preston’s right, went next. “I’m grateful for another year with my Brandt boys, and for expanding our circle to include new faces as well.” Margaret’s answer was the same every year, which was ironic considering it was her game, but it made my dad tear up every time.
“I’m grateful Hayden is back in the same city as one, sometimes two, of his brothers,” Dad said, taking his turn. “We were worried about you in Boston by yourself. It’s good to be around family.”
I felt my cheeks burn slightly. Charlotte squeezed my knee in acknowledgment of my emotional overload as we all took another sip.
“I’m grateful for only having another year and a half left of this post doc,” Spencer answered. “I’m ready to move forward with what’s next.”
It was my turn next. Maybe it was Dad’s show of emotion that gave me strength, but I decided to go for it.
“I’m grateful for my family, mostly Duncan, for hiring horrible assistants, so when my life flipped upside down, my crash landing was softened by the beautiful woman sitting next to me. And I guess I’m grateful Charlotte’s pranks didn’t carry an overly vindictive streak, and that she gave me another chance.”
Charlotte’s eyes met mine, hers glistening with unshed tears. She cleared her throat, realizing it was her turn to go.
“Well, first, if it’s okay, I’d like to say the book I’m most grateful for that I read this year. That’s a little Reid family Thanksgiving tradition my parents and I always liked to share. The book I’m most grateful for is Don’t Look, Just Leap. I don’t always read memoirs, but this one really gave me the courage to shake things up in my life and brought me to DC, where I got to share this day with all of you. So, I guess what I’m most grateful for is new beginnings.”
I lifted Charlotte’s hand off my leg and placed a kiss on the back of her hand.
Hunter shifted in his seat on the other side of Charlotte.
“Well damn, I have to follow these two?”
Everyone laughed quietly.
“Charlotte, everyone here will tell you my usual answers are the least emotional of anyone’s. I think I was grateful for my motorcycle for at least three years in a row. But I’m going to switch it up this year and say I’m grateful you’ve entered our orbit. I’ve never seen adult Hayden as scared as he was when he thought he fucked things up with that llama prank, or as happy as he is today.”
I looked over Charlotte’s head to meet Hunter’s eyes. I saw discontent flash across his face so fast anyone who didn’t share a twin thing with him would have missed it. I nodded my head, letting him know I had him, whatever he needed, and he nodded back.
“Well,” Margaret said, wiping her eyes. “We’ve come a long way from our first Thanksgiving together a decade and a half ago. I think Spencer was thirteen and thankful he had just gotten his braces off and could try my caramel squares. Who’s ready for pie?”
We all murmured our general agreement, and Margaret, Dad, and Preston went off to get dessert prepped and ready.
“Hey,” I said to Charlotte in a low voice, causing her to turn and look at me.
“Hi,” she said back.
“Good Thanksgiving?” I asked, recognizing it was a loaded question.
“It’s ending on a high note,” she said with a small smile, titling her face up so I could lay a peck on her lips.
“Okay, gross,” Spencer said from my other side. “Question seventeen. Charlotte, if you could have any superpower, what would it be?”
“Mine would be the ability to crush annoying little brothers,” I said casually, pulling away from Charlotte, but leaving my arm slung across the back of her chair.
