Seth and I draw the attention of several of my family members when we arrive back inside the house, but only my mother's eyes follow us to our sleeping bags. We settle back down, Seth resting back on one elbow while I snuggle into my pillows. Turning to him, I reach for his arm to get his attention.

I know he must be feeling more than he's letting on. Watching his damaged mother beg for him was painful even for me to watch. I can't imagine how wretched it made him feel. He seems so calm. How is he so calm?

"You okay?" I ask, trying to read his expression.

"Yeah," he assures me. "This isn't the first time this has happened."

I scoot my head to the very edge of my pillow and peer up at him. His attention drops away from the movie and lands on me. I'm still touching his arm, and when he notices my expression, he reaches over and squeezes my hand.

"I'm fine, I swear." He turns onto his side to face me, propping his head in his palm. "Maybe I've become a little desensitized over the years, but I feel nothing for her anymore. She doesn't deserve my pity."

Never has Seth spoken with such bitterness. I've never heard him utter a single negative thing about anyone. I, on the other hand, am negative about everyone. And when it came to Seth's mom, just the stories were enough to make me bitter. And yet, here he is... calm, unbothered.

"I think I know why you weren't thrilled about meeting Emma," I suddenly say, watching as Seth's eyebrows dip in confusion. He barely even remembers who Emma is, so his confusion is understandable.

"Why?"

"Because she smelled like your mom." He presses his lips together in thought but doesn't say anything. "They must have the same perfume, but after tonight I'm probably gonna toss Emma's bottle in the trash."

Seth laughs. "Don't do that."

"I'm not sure I can stomach the smell again."

"Yeah," he nods. "I'm sure a squirt or two would be fine, but I swear my mom bathes in that stuff or drinks it. She's crazy enough, she might do both."

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to laugh at Seth making fun of his mom, but I do anyway. When he chuckles along with me, I feel myself relaxing.

"Does she live around here?" I wonder aloud, not sure why she would've shown up here otherwise. "And how'd she know where I lived?"

"She doesn't live anywhere," Seth informs me. "She was evicted years ago and now jumps from town to town sleeping in her car. As for how she found me?" He shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "That was my stupidity. I told her I was spending the holiday with you. She managed to pull a few details out of me. Once she knew the town, I think she must have just driven up and down streets until she saw my truck."

"That doesn't sound obsessive at all," I laugh, though the reality of it is anything but funny.

"You have no idea."

We're facing each other, my hands nestled beneath my head as I let my thoughts wander. We've fallen into a comfortable silence until suddenly a large body squishes in between us and lays down. I sit up just enough to get a glimpse of my dad's face and then I drop back down onto my pillow.

"Mom sent you, didn't she?"

"Mmm-hmm."

Leave it to my mother to be paranoid by the possibilities of inappropriate physical contact. She's like a hawk, eyes constantly searching. I guess Seth and I were too 'whispery' and secretive over here.

A massive bowl of popcorn is propped on my dad's stomach and I watch him reach in for a handful before shoving it in his mouth. He must sense me watching because he tilts the bowl in my direction.

"Want some?" he asks sweetly as if he hasn't just squeezed himself into our bubble.

"Yes," I say with a sigh, figuring I might as well enjoy the rest of the movie.

"Seth?" My dad asks, holding the bowl out to him.

I watch Seth's hand take a fistful as he mutters a polite "Thank you, sir."

The women in my family are suckers for a boy with manners, but my dad also happens to appreciate a gentleman... especially when considering who he wants as a son-in-law. At this moment, I can almost hear the victory chorus ringing in my dad's head. And based on the mischievous grin he flicks my way, I know I'm not wrong.

———

Day two of our Thanksgiving celebration is game day. Not the kind of game day where you sit comfortably on your couch, eating leftovers and watching full-grown men give each other concussions. No, our game days are a little unorthodox and a whole lot of buffoonery.

After a solid breakfast of cinnamon rolls and bacon, we get started. The first game on the menu is Truth or Dare. As cheers go up around the living room, Seth lifts an unimpressed brow at me and I feel an evil grin spread across my face.

"Hold up!" I holler, silencing everyone. "Seems we have a skeptic among us?" I turn to Seth, analyzing his expression as I walk a slow circle around him, arms behind my back like a sergeant. I hear one of my aunts gasp dramatically and a few snickers echo around the room.

"Your lack of faith in my family's creative weirdness has elected you as the first contestant."

Seth takes a bite of the cinnamon roll in his hand, silently accepting my challenge. "Bring it on, sweetheart."

There's something about certain pet names that makes me gag. But, I don't know, when they're being used sarcastically, and coming from the lips of a man that I feel deep affection for... well, I sort of like it. A flutter in my stomach throws me off for a second and I have to clear my throat to reign in my control.

"Alright, family," I yell, hyping everyone up. "Are you all ready?"

Cheers erupt around the room and the games have now begun.

"Seth Vans," I say slowly, turning to face him. "Pick your team. Ten people per team, but your doubt in us means you only get nine members. And go."

Seth watches me for a moment and then nods, shoving the remainder of his cinnamon roll into his mouth. His cheek bulges as he chews, his eyes scanning the room for the most skilled members."

He ends up choosing all my cousins and their spouses—apparently thinking strength and agility would give him the winning team. Then he picks my mom—good choice, really. And lastly... me. I frown at being added to his team, though inside I'm jittery with delight.

"Okay," I say once all the teams have been divided up. Turning, I grab a beanie off the dining room table and a stack of papers that have been laid beside it. "There are thirty numbers inside this hat," I being to explain. "Each person will draw three. In my hand," I say, waving the sheets of paper, "are today's dares. The numbers you draw will coordinate with the dares listed on the paper."

I can see the confusion on Seth's face, so I explain further.

"So, tasks must be done in order. So," I say, holding up the paper again, "One person I will read off the first dare. Whoever drew number 1 from the hat will have to do that dare. Once numbers are drawn, you can not change them. This will get you disqualified. And believe me, we punish cheaters harshly in this family."

"It's true," Uncle Vick mutters from across the room, reminiscing his punishment from years ago.

"To avoid exchanging numbers, once you've drawn your three, you'll be given a permanent marker. Write your numbers on your forearm so you don't forget them. One member on each team will be in charge of videoing each dare. Failure to gather proof means you lose."

"Lastly," I continue, "if you choose not to perform your dare, then your team will give you a Truth. A list of Truth questions has already been created, so just pick one from the back of this sheet." I lift the stack of papers into the air again, waving them around. "Everyone good? Do we have any questions?"

I glance at Seth but he shrugs, rubbing his hands together.

"Seth," I say, turning toward him, "because of your doubt, you now only have nine members. This means you will have to be that tenth member."

"Meaning?" His question hangs in the air as he waits for my response.

"Meaning, rather than just three numbers, you'll be drawing six."

"Oh jeez," he laughs, running his hands down his face. Then he shakes out his hands, bouncing on the tips of his toes. "Okay," he nods, rubbing his palms together. "I'm ready."

I hold the beanie out to him and watch as he pulls out six wads of paper. Someone hands him a marker and he copies each number onto his arm. Once his whole team has their numbers, all the wads of paper are returned to the hat and the next team draws.

"Everybody ready?" I ask, still in sergeant mode, my voice strong and commanding.

A chorus of "readies" vibrates around the room and everyone snatches up their coats, scarves, and hats.

"What's happening?" Seth mutters next to my ear. I lean away from the warmth of his breath, turning to find his face mere inches from mine.

"You didn't think we'd keep the game indoors, did you?" I tease. "This is a town-wide mission. We will win." I pull my gloves on and then add. "Oh, I forgot to mention that the first team to get back home is the winner. The grandparents will reward the winners with hot chocolate and chips and salsa."

A determination settles between Seth's brows and he acts out cracking his knuckles—though none actually pop.

"Let's do this," he growls, his voice low and threatening, and incredibly sexy.

"Is everybody ready?" I hear my mom holler from the middle of the street. All five teams have gathered around her, and the game is ready to begin. "On your mark, get set.... Go!"

"Ok," I say, paper in hand, ready to read off the first dare. "Who has number one?"

Brittany, one of my older cousin's wives, raises her hand.

"Ok, your dare is to pick a house on this street and you have to knock on the door and ask for a cup of sugar."

She does it without hesitation and returns holding the neighbor's measuring cup filled with the white crystals. I'm actually impressed that she managed to get them to agree.

"Two!" I say, and wait for Alex to raise his hand. "Start a Facebook live and start naming off everything you see and how it's impacted your life."

Other teams are racing around us as we try to contain our laughter. Alex goes into so much detail about the neighbor's mailbox that even I start to feel an emotional connection to it. He's given one minute to complete his task and then we move on to the next number.

Seth raises his hand when three is called.

"Yes!" I laugh menacingly. "Okay, who drew number seventeen?" Brock raises his hand and I snort into my gloved fist, so grateful for Seth's misfortune. "Okay, Seth, you have to suck on Brock's big toe for thirty seconds."

"They did well this year, didn't they," my mom whispers into my ear.

"Absolutely!" I agree.

It's the members who don't participate in the games who are responsible for coming up with all the dares. Last year we all complained that they were too easy. They obviously aren't planning on getting accused of that again this year.

I'm unprepared for Seth's level of fearlessness. He takes on every single challenge, all the way from sucking toes to singing the national anthem to Grumpy Roger across the street, and even shaving his armpit on live video. And then one of my numbers is finally called.

"Write the name of your crush on the ground... with your tongue," my mom reads, snorting with laughter.

Well, crap. Wouldn't be so bad if my crush wasn't standing right next to me. And since I refuse to settle for Truth, I figure I'll just have to get creative. Kneeling on the cold concrete, I start drawing Seth's name with my tongue, pebbles sticking to it as I go. But, I do it in exaggerated cursive, hoping to throw people off. Thankfully, not a single person realizes what I'm doing... except my mom. I feel her pat my shoulder as I stand and wipe the dirt from my mouth. When I glance her way, she winks.

Some of the dares are simple, like having to call a motel and ask if they're open. Or making up a rap and rapping it through the streets. But others are far more challenging. Like sniffing a stranger's armpit or shaving your eyebrows. I had to eat an entire clove of garlic, peel still on.

Some of our dares take us across town. My mom has to go into a gas station and open her mouth as wide as possible the entire time she's in there—which has to be a full two minutes. Watching her peruse the aisle with her jaw hanging painfully wide is amazing. She even nods a 'hello' at a couple of people before leaving.

The only dare that almost gets my cousin-in-law in trouble is when she has to stand like a statue in front of the police station doors for two minutes. Once we explained the game to the officers, they let us off the hook. Unfortunately for the other teams, we all have the same dares and we made sure not to warn the officers that other teams would be showing up.

It's past lunch before we complete the game and arrive back at my parent's house exhausted. Setting into the living room and shaking off the cold, we're disappointed to find the team made up primarily of teens sitting around the table sipping hot chocolate. They all smirk at us when we enter, and a round of 'boos' rings around the room.

"Don't worry," Alex mutters to Seth, slapping him on the back. "You'll do better next year."

Seth laughs, dropping into a vacated seat and blowing warmth into his cupped hands. An hour later, another team shows up, and shortly after the last two teams arrive. In the end, we all get hot chocolate, and munch on leftovers and dessert while we watch the best parts of everyone's Truth or Dare adventures.

Some of the guys branch off to go watch some football after that while everyone else settles into groups to play a variety of "normal" games. In the evening, we have an epic dance party but have to tone it down when Grumpy Roger comes by to complain about the noise. Overall, another successful Thanksgiving.

The next morning, sleeping bags are rolled up and furniture is returned to its rightful place as family slowly trickles out the door. We wave our goodbyes and then drop down onto the couch with a unanimous sigh.

"Phew!" my mom laughs. "That was fun!"

My dad mumbles an agreement, followed by, "I'm going to sleep until next Thanksgiving though."

Now it's just the five of us and it seems the only person who still has energy is Hope. The moment the last person left she skipped to the kitchen to make another drink. We've still got an entire afternoon to fill with some kind of activity, but I'm not sure any of us are up for it. But, since Seth will be leaving early in the morning, we figure we need to make the most of the time we have left.

And that's how we end up playing Hide and Seek with Hope and my parents.