"I swear to you, Edward, if this is about you throwing a hissy fit because of Alice's new boyfriend, I will spank you over my knee, whether you're too old for that or might like it too much for my own comfort nonwithstanding."
That gets me moving away from Bella immediately, who answers my rueful smile with one of her own. Trying to look properly chastised I turn to my mother then, who is still gazing at us levelly.
"Why should I? He looks like a decent enough guy."
My mother's elegant brows rise, and her snort isn't exactly ladylike.
"Don't give me that crap. I hope it's not too much to ask of my grown-up son that he behaves like an adult?"
"Of course not," I grumble, then I feel like hitting myself for sounding like a petulant child. "Look, this isn't about Nate or Alice, and in fact we were just about to rejoin the merry band that's ready to descend on the dining room any moment now."
"If you say so," she replies, the turns around, switching effortlessly from stern mother to best hostess there is. "Oh, and as you're already in the kitchen, could you please bring four bottles of beer with you? Emmett and Nate already said they want one, and Jazz really looks like he could use one, too."
"And the forth one?"
"Why, for Bella of course! At least I figure she will drink some as since she broke up with Mike she stopped pretending she doesn't love to chuck down a Heineken as much as you guys? I know you won't touch any, seeing as you're designated driver and due for work in the evening."
With that she leaves us to ourselves, and when I glance at Bella, she grins and stretches up onto her tip-toes to place a quick kiss on my chin.
"That would be really nice of you."
And just like that I'm left alone in the kitchen, with nothing else to do other than to fetch the booze or look even more stupid. I hurry to rejoin the others, not wanting to seem like I'm moping around when I'm really not.
Of course my mother's assessment has been correct – while I'm surprised that I really don't feel any resentment towards Nate, Jazz has a much harder time coping with meeting his successor so soon. He accepts his beer with a grateful smile when I hand him the bottle. Being the last to reach the table I'm forced to take the last remaining place, between Bella and Jazz. I'm pretty sure that my mother had intended for me to sit between her and Bella but sneaky as she is, my beloved has stealthily switched our seats, leaving me smack in the middle of everything. The other long side of the table is divided between Rose and Emmett on the one end closest to Jazz, and Alice and Nate on the other, with my father having the honors of occupying the head of the table.
At first conversation is a little awkward, but Emmett and Jazz soon enough start discussing the latest NHll results while Bella and Nate resume their talk about that book she mentioned earlier. It turns out Nate is a history professor at Columbia, and he seems only too happy to regale our merry group with some anecdotes from his studies when my mother prompts him to – better than the cranberries on the carpet tale anyway.
Slowly everyone is easing up, and once we dig into the food, things are as close to civil as can be expected. Rose keeps eyeing us speculatively but holds her tongue, and thankfully no one else drops any weird comments, either. When the conversation turns to the Revolutionary War, Jazz finally chimes in. I'm surprised how relaxed he seems, and allow myself to let my own guard down a little. Everyone is enjoying the food, and to mixed amounts the company also; in fact the only one glaring at anyone is my father in my general direction from time to time, and I can certainly live with that.
Things progress like that to coffee and pumpkin pie, when Alice suddenly speaks up, looking all ecstatic and ready to bounce in her chair as she grabs Nate's hand on her left, and Rose's on her right.
"We forgot to say what we're all thankful for! Come on, everybody, we need to do this or it's not a proper Thanksgiving!"
I have to bite down on my tongue to keep from groaning, but of course no one protests – keeping Alice from her perceived traditions is like stealing a small child's cotton candy. A bit grudgingly everyone clasps hands around the table then, only Emmett and Rose modifying the gesture where he's holding the baby with one arm, and Rose her little daughter's hand instead of her husband's.
"Let's start with our happy, young parents, I'm sure yours will be easy to guess!"
Rose still looks less than ecstatic, but then again she seems tired and strung out since she got here.
"Okay, how about this. I'm thankful for my husband remembering that he pledged he would be on diaper duty whenever he's home, even at 4am in the morning. And I'm thankful for my wonderful darling daughter letting me sleep for up to three hours in one go before she loudly demands me to demonstrate again why we're mammals. Anything else? Oh, right, I'm thankful for endless reruns of TV shows at night because otherwise I'd never get to catch up on them all in just under a month!"
Everyone except Alice and my father seems to find her answer hilarious, the same as with Emmett's when he keeps it short with a loud, "I'm thankful for not having to smell gherkins on Rose's breath 24/7 anymore!" Then they kiss, probably with a little too much tongue than most people would find appropriate, but I don't think either of them really cares.
Once Rose and Emmett are behaving like proper parents again silence falls for a moment as Jazz seems more than a little reluctant to pick up, but after a moment he opens his mouth nevertheless.
"I'm thankful for everyone I know being healthy, and that despite the abysmal economic situation right now having found somewhat of a semi-secure freelance job for the next months."
Bella gives a whoop at his words that Rose echoes with loud clapping, once again making me wonder why I'm always the last to hear of such things. Jazz nods his thanks to Rose, then grins at Bella, and with his eyes flickering to me for a second he adds, "And I'm thankful for my friends, above all else."
Before anyone can read too much into that, I pick right up from him.
"I'm thankful for Bella loving me and bearing with me even when I behave like a stubborn idiot, and she has to guide me with her oh so gentle words to see reason again."
The lovely woman in question snorts at that, then gives me a light kiss before she murmurs a low, "Smartass!" into my ear. I snort, then go on.
"And because it's so true, I'm also happy for having the best friends in the world."
Bella echoes my words, although she adds that she's ecstatic about the first book she did a collaboration on hitting the shelves soon, before she, too, adds the friends remark. When my mother doesn't offer her own thanksgiving comment right away Bella leans close to me and chuckles softly, then adds, for my ears only,
"And every time I wriggle my ass around on this abysmally uncomfortable chair I get reminded of how much fun it was to have your cock in my ass while Jazz was fucking my pussy this morning, and oh boy, I'm so very thankful for that, too."
I try hard to disguise my laugh with a snort but still catch a look from my mother that tells me plainly that while she has no way of knowing what exactly Bella just said that drew that reaction from me, she can take an accurate guess at the nature of our whispering. Yet there's only amused happiness on her face when she does it, before she turns to the table at large and offers her own thankfulness – that includes for a cask of 1996
Château lléoville Barton Saint-Julien Bordeaux that she brought with her from last summer's visit to France.
Carlisle offers a rather dry line about things going well in the hospital, and Nate, trying to be gallant but without appearing as if he is insincerely polite offers thanks to the cooks of the dinner, and of course Esme's invitation.
Then it's Alice's turn at last. At first she clears her throat, then proceeds by making gooey eyes at Nate that make me pray inwardly that Bella will never turn to such saccharine moves, but from the way she keeps frowning I feel assured that unless she wants to tease me in the future I'm on the safe side.
"I'm thankful for so many things, like my newest clothing line being the hit in France and Italy, and of course everyone around me being healthy, but most of all I'm thankful, no, scratch that, amazingly grateful for having met Nate, because he's everything I've ever looked for in a man, and more than I could have asked for!"
Way to sucker-punch someone without even talking to them, and the somewhat awkward silence that follows her words shows that I'm not the only one feeling like that. Trying to rescue the situation, my mom then asks a seemingly harmless question.
"So, Nate, how did you and Alice meet?"
It's funny how everyone suddenly perks up, while trying to seem inconspicuous about it. The fact that Alice tenses a little is not lost on me, but considering the way she usually acquires her conquests, I expect that to be because the tale probably involves alcohol, which, considering their painful breakup, wouldn't be a surprise to me.
Only that what Nate relates, with an easy smile and not a care in the world of what his words cause, exceeds my expectations by far.
"Actually, we met in Paris. Cheesy, right?" he offers, then smiles at Alice as he takes her hand in his. "I was there for a guest lecture at the Sorbonne, and Alice for a fashion show, I think. Then we ran into each other again in New York, had dinner together, and when it happened a third time here in Seattle, it started feeling a little too much like it was meant to be. And, well, the rest is history!"
The silence meeting his words is palpable, and when Bella finally asks the question we're probably all burning to know the answer to, her voice is oddly hollow.
"How long ago was that? That you met in Seattle, I mean. I guess New York was in September?"
The week of her birthday party, if I remember correctly.