Aiden and Liam whoop and holler while I carve the turkey into slithers.
“Well, dig in,” Tessa says, glancing over at me.
It’s crazy to think we are so cohesive. Our lives mesh perfectly together, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Since I met her, my life hasn’t been the same, and every day I’m thankful to have worked that day. To have been the one to save them, or this never would have happened. I would still be stuck on the couch, alone, in a morbidly quiet house. Most likely feeling sorry for myself. But not now.
“I knew that Damon would find someone... and I’m glad it was someone as kind as you,” Liam said between bites. “He really needed someone to swoop in and show him how to be happy again.”
I take Tessa’s hand in mine because she means so much to me. She literally pushes me out of depression and makes me realize what it’s like to be happy.
“I’m the lucky one, that he opened up his heart to us,” she replies.
Emily is chatting on the side with Aiden, and they are laughing up a storm. At least he is getting along with her. I don’t think he would be rude to Tessa, but I hope he changed his mind about her. Most people at mine and Tessa’s age have baggage. I mean look at me, late wife. That shouldn’t be something that stops someone from being with another. Or else how would anyone in their thirties or older be in a relationship? They wouldn’t. Baggage sometimes sucks, but it’s pretty common. The real test is whether the other person can handle it and thinks it’s worth it to deal with it. With Tessa, it doesn’t bother me a bit. The only thing that concerns me is their safety.
Many conversations are going in and it’s hard to keep up with what everyone is talking about among themselves. This is a good sign, and everyone is getting along. There is plenty of food on the table so I go in for seconds, which prompts my brothers to as well.
“Who made the green bean casserole? That’s like the best I’ve ever had besides my mom’s,” Aiden says.
“That would be us,” Tessa replies, pointing to herself and Emily.
“Dang, Damon. You lucked out again, landing a woman that can cook. I’ll never be that lucky.”
Leslie begins talking to my brothers, asking them where they work and other basic things when you first meet someone. I want to continue listening to make sure they don’t drop anything bad, but I don't want to seem rude or give her the wrong impression. It’s important that her mom likes us because I don’t plan on going anywhere.
Aiden doesn’t get out of line. In fact, he ends up having a conversation with Tessa. I stand outside the room, but eavesdrop just in case I need to drop-kick him for saying something. He’s respectful, and it makes me think he might have gotten over his reservations from the past. That makes me happy. Tessa isn’t going anywhere, and I really want us all to get along. She needs family in her life, and one day it will be official.
Aiden and Liam even take care of cleaning up and doing the dishes which surprised both of us because usually we did that together. But we aren’t going to complain. We snuggle up on the couch and watch an episode of Love It or List It while her mom takes a shower. We have grown to love the show and look forward to seeing the transformations they did on the houses. It really makes me think about buying a house, one where it will be ours. Where we could make all new memories as a family one day. I haven’t spoken to Tessa about it yet because we did agree to take things slow, and I don’t want to scare her away. But truly, I don't think she will have a problem with it. She could have gone back to the duplex by now, but she decided not to.
“Dishes are done and the dining room is all clean. I never realized how many dishes could come out of a Thanksgiving dinner. Mom really must have hated having to do cleanup after cooking all day,” Liam says.
I get my love of cooking from her, and if I was younger, you would find me in the kitchen with her preparing the sacred meal. My mom would have loved Tessa, and I really wish she could be here to meet her and Emily. She always used to tell me that I better give her grandkids, and it was sad to think she passed before she could experience it. Even if Emily wasn’t biologically mine.
After my brothers leave, Emily crawls up into our laps and falls asleep. It’s a perfect ending to a perfect day surrounded by those I love.