I would have the kids for thanksgiving with my parents, and Annie would have them for Christmas in New York. She had made sure to invite me, so that we could all be together. "For the kids" she had said. I couldn't read Annie. She hadn't been in contact with me recently unless it was for the kids.

Weird.

Annie had threatened to make things hard for me but she had all but vanished after that conversation where she tried to give me what I had asked for, and I said it was too late. We spoke of divorce and that was also the last I heard of that, nothing had been signed and no contact made from her lawyer to mine. To be honest I was so afraid of what the details of it would be, the things she would take from me or ask of me that I didn't push it either. I was afraid of my lawyer calling me in case he had news. Right now we had the perfect set up. We swapped the kids over, shared holidays and hadn't fought about anything in months, because there was zero contact, unless it was a text about the kids.

I was starting to wonder if Annie had met my successor. Was there a new girl on the scene that had helped take her eye off of me?!Someone she was obsessing over and sleeping with. Annie had a high sex drive, and so I knew she must have met someone else, because she wasn't getting anything from me. This new girl was no doubt someone who liked to be dominated. Annie would be in more of a dominating mood than ever before, now that she couldn't with me, and there were dating apps for that kind of thing. She probably had this next one sign a contract. Yep, the more I thought about it the more it was obvious, some girl was getting whipped into shape to take my place. It was the only answer.

I had no idea she didn't need to ring me to know what I was doing. I was her favourite thing to watch... and she was most pleased that I was still alone.

***
"My grand babies" mom called as she opened the door and ushered the kids in ahead of me, squeezing them all. As usual checking Jamie's height against her own "you are about to eclipse me" she pointed out. Jamie came up to her forehead. There was an inch in it before Jamie was taller than mom.

"Not long gramma" Jamie teases, patting her head before passing by into the house.

"Hey babe Ruth" Mom greets me.

I lean in to kiss her on the cheek "hey mom... happy thanksgiving"

I hand her a tray of desserts the kids and I had made, as she goes inside.

I jump through the air as someone tickles my sides and turn to find Lydia looking at me devilishly "sorry didn't mean to make you jump"

I whack her with my spare hand lightly "Happy thanksgiving" I say begrudgingly.

She tickles my arm "I brought Frederick" she informs me, gesturing over her shoulder to a tall guy with large muscles and long dark hair pulled up into a man bun. "No, you brought a gladiator..." I suggest, eyes widening to the size of his arms "his bicep is larger than my waist" I say a little shocked "dear god Lyd" I comment as he takes their bags out of the trunk and we stand watching him "what's he like in bed" I ask.

She laughs and shrugs "I mean he's okay" she reveals, a little like the air got let out of a balloon.

I look to her sideways "oh Lydia that's not good"

She leans against my arm and looks up to me "I thought looking at him...that he would be hung like a donkey...but... Oh Morg it's, let's just say I think I feel it enough to get off on, but only when he's in certain positions"

"Lydia ... I think you need to either invest in sex toys to help...or cut him loose. I know you and you are not a happy bunny" I observe.

She pouts "but isn't it a little discriminating to cut him loose because of the size of his penis?"

"What are you afraid of? That he's going to file a discrimination case against you. You obviously don't tell him that's why you are ending it... just end it as soon as possible if you are, and save his feelings"

"I will try out a little reverse cowgirl and see how he handles..." she muses.

I let out the loudest unapologetic laugh you've ever heard and turn away from her, walking into the house as she follows behind "Lyd he's not a horse" I say trying to stifle my laughter.

She pushes by to grab a glass of wine from the side as we enter the kitchen "no...he's not" she muses disappointedly.

I shake my head and take a glass of rosé too. I sip a little and close my eyes "mmmhmmm" I moan a little too loudly.

Lydia looks at me slightly horrified as I open my eyes "I don't want to know what that just did to you" she gestures to the wine.

I smile "it tastes like Leah... watermelon and strawberries" I reveal a little dreamily.

She smiles and takes a sip "ooh now I feel like I just kissed Leah too" she teases.

I shake my head and frown "not kind... your clearly far too young for her anyway" i quip.

"What's going on in here" Blake asks as he towers over us.

"Morgan says the wine tastes just like Leah, so now I know just how she tastes" Lydia says again, pretending to suck face with her wine glass.

Blake leans over and takes a glass and downs it, throwing his head back before dramatically placing the glass back down "Leah... " he whispers teasingly, pretending to touch himself up all over and French the air in-front of his face "she tasted gooood" he mocks, before I punch him in the stomach and the air knocks out of him as he bends over "ooow"

Frederick enters the kitchen, bags in hand, like the donkey he was not, "what is happening" he asks in his eastern European accent. He looks to a bent over Blake.

"He fucked a wine glass and got shards in all of the wrong places" I answer, as I leave the room with mine in hand. "Nice to meet you Frederick... welcome to the house of debauchery" I greet, as I walk down the hall to the sound of my dad and the kids.

"Morg" Dad greets standing from his lazy boy chair "my eldest and most perfect offspring" he says hugging me with a kiss to the forehead.

"Hey, dad" I say squeezing him, the scent of his aftershave a welcome one. I loved that my dad had worn that same aftershave since I was a little kid. It would always be him, and whenever a man passed me with it on...I got an urge to hug him, which I'm glad I didn't because I'm not sure that would be appropriate.

"Happy thanksgiving" I say as he releases me.

He in turn wraps his arm around my shoulders. "I have a confession" he announces.

Kevin my older brother walks in, one of his twins, Tom, balanced on his shoulders "Morg" he calls affectionately as he walks over, all six foot five of him. Kevin was the taller, male version of me. He kisses my forehead "haven't seen you in far too long little sister... just seen Annie in the playroom with Gage... she looks good. Are you back together?" He asks.

I look to my dad accusingly, my eyes narrowing "the confession" I ask him.

He nods and scrunches up his features "Mom invited her... she wasn't with anyone for thanksgiving and you didn't invite her to be with the kids" he explains, clearly feeling sorry for her.

I rub my temple with my left hand, back and forth in soothing motions "no I didn't dad ... and neither of you thought to ask me why... you just invited her" I accuse.

Kevin frowns "sorry Morg I had no idea"

I look up and offer a slight smile, and I tickle Toms ankles "hi nephew how are you... any drama at your house?" I ask.

He smiles "daddy keeps leaving the toilet seat up and mummy says she hates him enough to divorce him when he does that" he reveals.

I raise my eyebrows at Kevin "Toilet seat down Kev or it's single city for you" I sing, and I walk back over to grab my dad who is slowly creeping away from me "dad" I say reaching for his arm and frog marching him back to the kitchen where I can hear mom. Mom turns with a large smile as I walk in arm in arm with him. Lydia and Frederick are still there, mid conversation, as Lydia pours drinks.

"Why is Annie here" I ask her.

Dad looks sheepish. Lydia drops a glass, open mouthed. "Mom... dad... that's fucked up" Lydia curses.

Mom looks flustered and points at dad "he made me do it... he felt bad she was alone" she says throwing him under the bus.

Dad makes a groaning noise and shakes his head "not true Julia don't put that on me... you invited her"

"Well now she's here Mom. I swear I will never forgive you if this goes badly... or she gets the wrong idea. For god sake nobody mention Leah... I do not want her knowing anything about her"

"Whose Leah" Annie asks, entering the kitchen behind us all. Gage at her side.

"Friend of mine" Lydia lies, and she moves across the kitchen and hugs her "been an age Annie" she says trying to change the subject.

What would I do without Lydia.

Annie smiles and hugs her. She looks to me again, a strange look, before filling Gage up a juice and sending him back on his way.

"Morgan" she asks flexing her finger toward the hallway "can we talk"

I feel a little anxious to be so close to her, and to have her reach for me again. Her hand slips over my wrist and I wait for her fingers to tighten against my flesh but they don't. They are gentle and she looks into my eyes "please" she asks.

I nod, following her lead into the hallway, and then down into my dads office where she closes the door. My anxiety is at a ten. I have a nauseas sensation work it's way up my throat from my stomach.

Annie looks well, in a cream cashmere sweater and smart denim jeans. Her hair was longer than it had been when I last saw her a few months ago. She offers a smile, an affectionate one, and she's thrown me off instantly because this didn't seem her usual game play. There was nothing intimidating about her in this moment. She almost looked like the Annie I fell in love with, her gaze soft and her body language relaxed.

"You look good Morg" she observes, gesturing over toward me "really good" she adds and she steps backward, not forward like usual. She leans on my dads desk and crosses her ankles casually.

"So do you" I say honestly "I'm not sure what's changed but you look well. You look different" I compliment.

She smiles "thanks"

I point back to the door "I'm sorry I didn't invite you. I thought you were with your parents in New York" I add, feeling a little bad.

She waves her hand lazily "don't even worry about it. Your Mom invited me last minute and I was on the west coast visiting a friend... and I miss the kids" she confesses.

"They miss you too" I return.

She cocks her head slightly, observing me "do you" she asks.

I hesitate a little "I mean, I do, in the sense you've been around for a decade and suddenly you're not..."

"Yeah, I'm still working through that one too" she says as a flicker of sadness washes over her features, before it is gone again "so you don't mind that im here" she asks.

I shake my head "no it's fine... they will love seeing you. It won't be long and you take them back to New York, and I shall have to miss them too"

"Well you know you are always welcome, and we have Christmas planned together. They will love that" she licks her lips a little as she takes me in again.

"So who were you visiting west coast?" I ask "a new girlfriend?" I add curiously.

She lets out a little laugh "No she's not a girlfriend... I think she would like to be" she reveals.

I feel myself frown a little at that news. Even though I wanted Annie to move on, it would never be easy to actually see her with another. It felt like the last rung of this ladder of grief and I knew I had to keep climbing on through it, but I was human and it hurt. My wife of ten years, with someone else. I wouldn't ever tell her that of course, or make her feel bad for it, not like she had been with me, forbidding it and threatening me about anyone else touching me. No, I wanted her happiness more. I just hoped she wanted mine too when she finally learnt about Leah.

"Does that bother you" she asks, sensing my unease.

I take a deep breath and look back "no... I want you to be happy" I say, only half lying.

"You look like that bothered you" she accuses,  eyebrow cocked.

I shake my head. There she was, poking me. I reach for the door. She crosses the space and gently lays her hand on my wrist again as my hand rested on the door handle. I close my eyes, her overwhelming presence made me feel a million things, a little apprehension that she would grab me again, hard, and a little flicker of a past longing, still working Annie out of my system like a drug. It wasn't that I wanted her, my body just recognised her. Her scent and her presence were a little overwhelming to a body that once knew her like a second skin.

"Sorry" she says releasing my arm. I open my eyes "I didn't mean to scare you" she says taking a step back.

I turn to her and shake my head "you didn't...Im just... anxious. Let's go back to the others" I suggest.

She nods, but slowly reaches out and traces her finger down my jaw, moving my hair aside as she did "I miss you" she confesses.

I swallow down the way I want to reply. My skin pricking a little to her touch.

"Can I ask why I've not heard from your lawyer" I ask in return "I mean, when I last saw you, you threatened to take my children, and I've not heard a word..." I add, feeling myself snap back to reality, remembering our last conversation and how nasty she had been.

She rolls her eyes slightly, and drops her hand to her side "Always back to the divorce Morg... I'm just taking my time to actually process this separation. I'm nine months behind you and it's taking me time. You can have your divorce... just give me a moment to process this. You are a lot to give up" she says honestly, and I see the pain in her eyes.

"And the children... you plan to try and take them" I ask.

She shakes her head "No, that wasn't what I meant... I just meant I didn't want to be apart from them. You will have to move to New York Morgan... they need to be based in one location. We can share them from there" she says as if it's the concrete plan. A plan I wasn't even aware of.

"You want me to return somewhere I can't afford to live?! Knowing I can't do that... knowing I can't get my job there. It sounds like taking my children is exactly what you are doing... knowing I can't support myself in the city"

"Morgan you are paranoid. I would obviously support you" she says as if I'm awful to suggest she wouldn't.

I shake my head and let out an exasperated and maddened laugh "Annie what you are suggesting is exactly what I walked away from. My god you are something. You just offered me the same thing in a different way... to come back to you, to be there, for you to have it all and for me to be back in my box with nothing"

"Morgan that's not what I'm offering at all. Separate apartments, you would work and do whatever the hell it is you wanted... and we would share the children"

"And you would own my apartment and me" I ask.

She shakes her head "not at all... just the apartment" she says casually.

"So I could happily bring girls back there and fuck them and you wouldn't mind that ...I could be single in the city and mingle and have nothing do to with you apart from the children and you would be just fine with that" I ask.

I watch her nostrils flare a little at the thought, her hands balling into fists as she tried to hold in the way it made her want to pin me against this door. She shakes it off and gathers herself "No I wouldn't be okay with anyone fucking you, but me, and I never will be either, but I don't own you as you keep reminding me and so I cannot stop you. This is about the kids not you"

Finally, this is about the kids.

"Good, we are finally on the same page..." I say relieved.

She nods "yes we are..."

"Then let's go and be united for them" I return "we can talk about this again on a more appropriate day" I add, turning the handle and exiting back into the busy house. Annie following close behind me, a little too close.

***
I sit between Jamie and Lydia, Asher and Gage were opposite us with Annie between them. My brother Kevin and his wife Cora were beside Lydia and Frederick to my left with their twins Tom and Mia. Blake was sat beside Asher on the opposite side, and mom and dad took the heads of the table either end like we were all sandwiched between them.

"This is cosy" Blake observes, looking to me a little teasingly. I wish I was sat opposite him so I could at-least reach his shin.

"Should I" Lydia asks me looking at him and then me.

I shake my head "No, but if I tap your leg like this" I say tapping her thigh with my hand "then kick him right where it hurts"

She nods and signals her approval with a salute to the forehead "got it" she says, taking a bread roll from the basket and pulling it apart to eat.

"No thanksgiving date Blake" I ask.

He forks a mouthful of mac and cheese into his mouth and talks around it like an absolute animal "No, but I had a pick of girls"

Annie and I look to each other as we always had, almost automatically, and roll our eyes. We always joked about the fact Blake could pull anything with a pulse, even though he had the worst manners in the world. It was beyond us. I am caught off guard as we both look to each other, surprised with how natural that felt, and I smile and look away.

"Mom how did you bring up this creature" I ask, looking to her at the end of the table all prim and proper cutting her turkey delicately with her knife and fork.

She looks up oblivious "which one" she asks.

Jamie laughs "Gramma is funnier than anyone gives her credit for" she announces.

Mom tilts her head affectionately "aw thankyou granddaughter..." she says, and she points at me "see Morgan, some people appreciate me in this family"

"I appreciate you mom" Kevin says, looking to her lovingly. He was the biggest suck up in the family. Kevin was the oldest and the most eager to please, the perfect son, but my god he was a suck up. There were no sibling secrets with Kevin. You couldn't tell him a damn thing or it got back to mom.

Lydia looks to me and pushes her finger into her mouth pretending to be sick. I smile and turn back to the feast at hand "Annie put some green on Gages plate" I ask, handing her the vegetables platter.

She takes it and places some green beans down beside his turkey and mac and cheese. "Eeew" he says screwing up his face. He looks to me with his big blue eyes and wrinkles up his nose "No mom" he begs "please don't make me"

I look back to him unfazed "Gage what do I always say ... one green thing on your plate and I'm happy"

He shakes his head annoyed, and looks to Annie to save him "mommy don't make me eat it" he begs.

She looks to me and then back to him "come on Gage... look at mom... how can you say no to her... we love to serve that face" she says with a little flicker of her eyebrow raising.

Lydia knocks my thigh with hers, and I look down to see her phone open and a message freshly typed "she's eye fucking you" it says.

I roll my eyes and push her hand away. She smiles mischievously and goes back to her meal.

"Okay family, it's time for my speech" my dad says rising to his feet, whisky glass in hand raised for a toast. We all groan a little "go on granda" Asher calls out, my dads biggest hype man, our Asher.

"Yes granda make it a good one" Jamie adds.

"Keep it short yeah dad... I have somewhere to be at midnight" Blake calls out.

My Mom throws a serviette at him "rude" she calls back.

"He means he has someone to be... in...at midnight" Lydia Guffaws.

We all turn back to her a little stunned "Lydia there are children present" i remind her.

She screws up her face "oops"

"As I said earlier... I have many creatures" my mom says, serving Lydia a look.

"Dad please carry on" I ask.

Annie laughs at the commotion around us "yes Harry do go on" she says.

My dad shakes his head "I was going to say... that I am thankful for my family even if they are a little inappropriate and not fit for my company dinners. I may hide you all like an awful family secret but truly i wouldn't have you any other way... Julia... we made em good looking and looking lively, but we made em all the same and we are proud of each of you... even you Annie and Cora, and we most certainly didn't make you" he says.

I roll my eyes as Lydia laughs with hiccups from her wine "I should hope not dad, or there's been a bit of incest here" she says pointing at us.

"Thanks ...love you too Harry" Cora calls from the opposite end of the table. She and Kevin were holding hands between their plates . They made me smile.

"What's incest" Asher asks, my focus snapped back to him opposite.

Annie pats his hand "something we don't need to discuss right now" she says.

Jamie leans across the table "when two family members related by blood are romantically together" she says taking her fingers and insinuating something inappropriate at him.

Annie reaches over and bats down her hand "no Jameson... no" she warns.

I agree and place my hand on Jamie's "not okay" I warn.

She looks to me like I'm being dramatic. "He's eight mom he's not stupid" she says spectacularly teen girl, with an eye roll.

Annie glares at her a little "Jamie don't talk to mom like that or that new phone you want for Christmas is hitching a ride back with the elves"

"Mommy" she whines, annoyed at the thought.

"Jamie" she says in the same vain pretending to stick out her bottom lip.

"Fine... I'm sorry" she apologised, and she goes back to her plate of food.

"Mommy will the elves take my gifts back too" Gage asks, looking a little concerned.

Annie wipes his blonde hair from above his eyes and across his forehead lovingly "no honey you've been a good boy"

And all the while, throughout this chaotic display of a family a little unhinged, dear Frederick just sat there, not a word passed his lips. I'm pretty sure Lydia wouldn't have to dump him over his penis, because he looked ready to escape us all as soon as the meal was done.

We never did see him again.

***
"Leah" my momma calls from downstairs "we are putting family movies on"

I groan a little, laying on the bed I had as a teen. My hand was on my bare belly, a belly full of far too much food.

"Hurry up we are all waiting" she calls back a little shriller.

"Coming momma" I return, in the same shrill way. I roll onto my side and contemplate sitting up but I'm so full I feel sick. I've seen these family home movies every thanksgiving since the ark, and I could recite them... did I have it in me to watch my younger sister win her wrestling trophy again as a six year old?! I wasn't sure.

My phone lights up beside me. I run my hand over it and pick it up

Lydia Keaton has a new post

I hurry the phone into my hands and roll onto my back, opening up the notification and following it through to Lydia's Thanksgiving post. I smile instantly to see Lydia and Morgan together with their pumpkin pie. Gage was squeezed between them with a fork. The next few pictures are random snaps from the table. I squint at the person opposite Morgan "Annie" I observe, shaking my head. I feel my entire body deflate further into the comforter and then I click to the next one and it's a family picture of them all by the fire pit. Annie is stood right behind Morgan. Morgan is sat underneath her on the seating and honestly it looked as if she had her hands on her shoulders, affectionately...Like she was still hers.

I feel an instant growl roll up my throat and I throw the phone down onto the bed.

"Leah" my sister George shouts "hurry the hell up"

I sit up and hold my head in my hands, rubbing at my temple "coming" I call back.

I try and push thoughts of Morgan and Annie away, of course they would still see each other on holidays, they had kids, but it still made me feel some type of way. Morgan had been honest, she had a past, she had an ex, she had kids, and I accepted all of it because I wanted her. If she came with all of that then so be it, Morgan could have six more kids and another two ex wives and I would still want her, because she did something nobody had ever done before, she got inside of me without any trouble at all. I felt her, as if her essence had transferred and was within the cells of me... like she left a part of herself with me the night she left.

I didn't think I could wait another month to see Morgan... it was getting painful.

Two nights and a walk in the dark

It kept coming back to that, two nights, one walk, was it the way she felt, the things she asked? The way she asked it as if I was the most interesting person in the world and she was desperate to know all of me as quick as possible. Was it the beauty of her mixed with the fact she didn't clearly use it... Morgan was heavenly... and yet she was so detached from that part of herself... the least heavenly thing about Morgan was her looks when you actual saw her. She was sincere, intelligent, warm, spontaneous and fun. I think she could pretty much find something to amuse herself in an empty room. I got all of this from two nights and one walk in the dark... what on earth would I get from days, weeks, dates, walks, talks, and discovering her a little deeper than I already did. I wasn't sure I would ever discover enough about her, but I currently felt as if I would happily spend the foreseeable doing just that.

I walk down the stairs into the family room. My mom and dad are like bookends on the couch. My momma is dirty blonde with large blue eyes and a sweet smile. She has always been a ball of energy, and she's the kind of person you want to squeeze the cheeks of. My momma was born chubby she always says, and she just never lost it, that was her way of saying she was larger, but she wasn't large to me... she was perfectly momma. If my momma, Sadie, ever lost weight she would just not be my momma, she suited her larger frame. She was cute, and warm, and generous. She was Momma to any kid that ever came through here when we were kids. She was the best elementary teacher in town, and had been at that school since we were kids, everyone loved Mrs's Mitchell.

If you didn't see my dad, Peter, you would think my momma had stolen me. I was not short like momma. I was tall like my dad, well, tall for this family anyway, five foot nine. I had a mix of my momma and dads hair colour, and fell between them. My dad was dark and my momma was light, and I was caramel brown. I had light brown hair with golden strands that ran through it. I had my dads face shape, not round like momma, a little more angular. I had my mommas button nose and blue eyes unlike my dads deep brown eyes, but I had his ears and freckles. I was slim with my height just like dad. I was quite frankly the merge of their genetics, unlike George who looked just like momma, big bosoms and big boned as she liked to say. Our younger sister was Laney and she was just like dad, dark hair, long and lean and taller than me at five foot ten. Both George and Laney were laying on the floor on a sea of blankets. They had the TV on pause, the fuzz of white over the dodgy picture was a clear indication we were heading back to the nineties with my baby video for the millionth time in my life.

"You know I could have missed like a second of this. I know it by heart" I say slumping down between my momma and dad on the couch. Momma pulls me over her lap "come here my Lee Lee" she says, and she runs her hands through my long hair, stroking it as George presses play and the voices of our parents ring out from the TV.

"Look whose just been born" My dad says into the camera as he pans to a newly pink and angry me in a blanket on my mommas chest. My mommas hair is blonde and permed higher than should be legal, and she looks so young and beautiful with her large pink cheeks all flushed.

"Leah Lee Mitchell" my momma announces proudly "Lee after uncle Lee of course" she says into the camera.

My dads deep and gentle voice cuts back in "of course Honey... our little Lee" he says lovingly and they both shed a little tear. My mommas older brother had passed away only a month before I was born. They never really figured out what happened exactly, he just went to bed and he never woke back up. He was twenty seven years old, which means more this year, because that's how old I am.

"Our little Lee" my dad repeats beside me, lovingly leaning over and stroking my arm, the thick dark hairs on his tickling my skin. I look up at him from Mommas lap and he smiles a large and broad smile. My dad was a big softy, he was also a proud cop with over twenty years service. He did what he did well, and he was a well loved face in our small town in Texas. Officer Mitchell was the guy to call if you wanted a genuine face and a kind heart who wanted the best for the community and the safety of all, whatever side of the track, whatever your background or race, man or woman, whomever you are, my dad had your back and he had time for you . "All people is good people Lee" he always says "ain't mean a thing if your black or white or brown or purple... if you are good to me I am good to you and until I know otherwise I'm gonna be a friend" so it's also kind of obvious to say, he took me being rainbow pretty darn well. In fact he just said he kinda knew and hugged me, and left it at that. My momma was the same... not a flicker of anything but love as I told her. She had just said "I must of baked you with rainbow sprinkles my Lee Lee...and momma don't ever make mistakes in baking you know that honey"

My momma and my dad met in town when they were at high School. They are home grown  Honey Springs natives. The town likes to be known as "sweet like honey" and honestly my momma took that and ran with it. Both she and dad were quite that, right down to the honey pot mat at the front door and the bee pillows on the porch swing. 

I am the eldest of their three girls, and the only one who has currently left the town and the state. My momma and dad are so proud of my career in basketball they host game nights for our team games in the yard with a giant screen and twenty lawn chairs pulled up. It's become quite the neighbourhood event apparently during the season, and if you go down to the basement you will find the Leah Mitchell museum. Every trophy, every jersey, everything, every little thing. I'm not exaggerating... they are my biggest fans. My momma wears my number on her t shirts she got made up for me. She wears that damn t shirt all the time, well not just the one, but the twenty of the same she has in her closet. My momma is a walking talking billboard of me and my sports prowess, and she doesn't give two hoots what anyone should have to say about it.

"Leah was by far the ugliest of us babies" Laney says turning back and mocking me with her grin.

I take one of Mommas popcorn from the bowl beside me on her lap and throw it at Laney "now now don't be wasting good food on a lie... my Lee was actually the cutest dang thing Laney. I don't know what that says about you my girl" Momma adds.

I let out a laugh and Laney huffs and looks back to the screen, feet up in the air behind her. I sigh as I take them all in from the comfort of my mommas lap. It was so good to be home. I missed them. They drive me insane sometimes but they were home.

"Momma I thought I was the cutest... being the only one who came out with rolls an all" George asks.

Momma nods as she pops a piece of popcorn into her mouth "Oh Georgette you were a sight my little butterball... an absolute sight... I could have eaten you...what a ham wasn't she Peter" she says.

Dad smiles at the thought and taps her with his toe in front of him "you were and are a delight my darling George"

"This kind of sounds like I am the only one who wasn't cute at birth" Laney accuses, turning around a little offended "welll" Momma says slow.

Laney's head snaps up "momma don't you dare say it"

Momma laughs. I sit up between my parents and enjoy the back and forth, completely forgetting about Morgan and Annie for a moment... well perhaps not Morgan... she was always there a second later.

***
M- home from thanksgiving, survived, just, and she was there. I wasn't aware until I got there, incase you see the pictures... x anyway the whole thing made me miss you so much more x I can't wait to touch you again, to remind myself you are real and not a figment of my imagination 💞

L- I saw 👀 and I'm glad you mentioned it... it made me feel a little sad... that I didn't get to be with you today... but I know our day is coming and I can't wait for that walk. 🤍

M- I've set aside a whole weekend, two nights and two days ... if you would like me for that long?! 🫣

L- you have?! 😁☺️🥰 Morgan!!! Of course I want you that long, to be honest I would like you a lot longer but a weekend is a good start. ❣️😍 daydreaming about you now...

M- 🫵🏻🫦 can't stop... won't stop... dreaming of you 😍

***
A month later, as the seasons changed so did the nature of our texts.

M- I need to tell you something...

L- What? Are you okay?!

M- no

L- What is it?! I'm worried.

M- I think I'm falling in love with this girl ... and I've only met her three times 🫢

L- 🤭 So weird... I have the same problem.

M- do you think we will get over it?

L- no

M- me neither

L- you better tell her

M- I will

M- Leah Mitchell... I think I'm falling in love with you 💞

L- Morgan Keaton ... I think I'm there already!  ❣️

***

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