Inside the house, warmth greeted him first, followed by an uprising of voices as everyone was already there ahead of them. He smiled and shook hands, and when Lucas tugged on his belt loop, Trey bent down and picked the little boy right up. “Hi-ya, tiny cowboy.” He touched the brim of Lucas’s hat. “When did you get this?”
“For my birfday,” he said. “I’m five now.”
“I heard,” Trey said, smiling at him. “You look like a real cowboy now.”
“Yeah, like you,” Lucas said, and Trey chuckled. He glanced around, realizing he was the only man there wearing a cowboy hat. Even Beth’s father didn’t have his on today. Her brother worked as a private consultant, and Sally’s husband sold software all over the country. He traveled a ton, and Trey didn’t think he took a cowboy hat with him.
Hugh joined him and Lucas, asking, “How’s married life, Trey?”
Trey’s pulse immediately moved to the back of his throat. He looked at Hugh, trying to decide what he was really asking. “Good,” he said evasively.
“My sister can snore up a storm,” he said, grinning across the room at Beth, who’d taken the pie into the kitchen and gotten stuck there talking to her sister and her sister-in-law. “Both of ‘em can.”
“He’s not wrong,” Mick said as he joined their little huddle. He looked at Sally, his wife, and back to Trey. “Are you and Beth going to have more children?”
Trey’s eyes widened in less time than it took to breathe.
“Leave the man be,” Hugh said with a laugh. “They’ve been married for a month.”
“Sally was asking,” Mick said, lifting his can of cola to his mouth. “She said Danny and Beth were trying for another child when he passed.”
“Dude, you suck at conversations,” Hugh said, his smile gone now. “How do you sell software like this?” He glanced at Trey. “Sorry, Trey. Come in. Get something to drink.” He took his son from Trey and gestured for him to move further into the house.
My sister snores, Trey thought.Are you going to have children?
Something wasn’t adding up right in his head. Why would they think he and Beth were even sleeping in the same room? They’d both told their families the marriage wasn’t real. No one in his family had asked him anything about the marriage, the sleeping arrangements, or embarrassing things like when they’d have kids. Not even his mother, and that was saying something.
“Thank you all for coming,” Clyde said, raising a glass of something amber and bubbly. Trey wouldn’t be drinking any of that; his brain already felt too soft as it was.
Her father grinned around at everyone, and Hugh leaned toward Trey. “Ten bucks says he cries.”
“Twenty,” Mick whispered, but Trey kept silent.
“It’s been a while since we’ve all been here together, and I’m grateful to host my children at Thanksgiving.” His voice pitched up, and the older gentleman swiped quickly at his eyes.
“Winner, winner, chicken dinner,” Hugh whispered with a light laugh made mostly of air.
“It’s wonderful to see you all married so happily, with the cutest grandkids ever.” He reached out and tapped baby Tawny’s nose. She blinked and laughed, and even Trey could chuckle fondly at that.
This family had a lot of love for each other, that was for sure. Trey could feel it beating through the very walls surrounding him.
“We welcome Trey and wish him luck with Beth.”
“Hey,” Beth said, though everyone else laughed.
“At first, I thought you guys were moving too fast, but looking at the two of you, I can see now that you’re perfect for each other.”
“Daddy,” Beth said, her eyes nervous for some reason.
“What? It’s my speech.”
“Say something about Thanksgiving then,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear and deliberately not looking toward Trey.
“I always say what I’m grateful for on Thanksgiving,” Clyde said. “It’s you guys. My family. My posterity. I know Sally said she’s not having any more kids, so I guess it’s up to Hugh and Beth to get to work.”
“Uh, Dad?” Hugh said. “We’re done too.” He met his wife’s eyes, and Kait nodded.
“Let’s just go around and say what we’re thankful for,” Beth said, a panicked note to her voice.