This was from my Thanksgiving post on tumblr!
“Stop looking at Jeff like that,” Millie teased.
“Like what?” Charlotte’s smile turned to a scowl. “I’m looking at him because he was about to say something.”
“Uh-hu, sure.” Declan joined in on the teasing.
“He was,” Adeline clarified. “You could see it in the way he positioned his body. He was about to open his mouth.”
Jeff looked embarassed for a moment. This was a scene that he’d have to get used to. “Oh, I was just going to thank you all for having me here. You didn’t have to.”
“Nonsense,” Alistair answered. “You’re staying with my parents, and they’re coming here later anyway. No one should be alone on Thanksgiving, and my daughters consider you a friend. I consider you as part of this family, Jeffrey.”
Jeff smiled. Family. It was what he had yearned for so long, and while he had that in a previous life. This was somehow different. If he needed advice, he had several male figures he could go to, unlike how he had to fight for his uncle Gene’s attention (not that he wasn’t extremely thankful for Gene, but with his siblings and Gene’s own kids turning to him for help, he sometimes felt like he had to draw a number). “Thank you, that means a lot to me. You have no idea.”
“Adeline probably does, since she like reads people and stuff,” Millie said with her mouth full.
“We’re supposed to say what we’re thankful for, first, Mills.” Charlotte rolled her eyes.
Alistair stood up. “To family. The ones who have always been here, and the ones who’ve been dropped into our lives.” He smiled at Jeff who returned it graciously. “I’m thankful for everyone at this table, so thank you all.”
“We love you dad!” Charlotte cheered, and everyone joined in.
“Time to eat, I didn’t spend the entire morning cooking this turkey for nothing,” Declan said.
A Graying World 