Nettie and Armie both shook their heads at Ophi as she came back into the kitchen. Armie had a glass of wine in his hand, and Nettie was putting the finishing touches on the platter with the turkey. Everyone was sitting at the table, having already had their appetizers and one or two glasses of wine, waiting eagerly for the grand reveal of the main course.

“You disappeared for a little while there, Sis,” Armie said with false sincerity. “What was that about? Is your tummy still upset from earlier in the week?”

“And you know,” Nettie added sarcastically. “I think our dear Principal David might have been gone for a little while as well. What a coincidence, you both mysteriously disappearing at the same time. Do you have any idea what that was about, Armie?”

“No, baby sis, I don’t.”

“I hate you both,” Ophi said without venom. “Now give me the turkey.”

Nettie pushed it over, a smug grin on her face. “Did you fuck him while all these people are here? That is naughty.”

“We did no such thing. That would be terribly inappropriate.”

“She probably blew him,” Armie said matter-of-factly. “Wanted to make up for all the unreturned calls.”

A thought came to Ophi. “Why was David upstairs? I thought I told you and the kids to only let the guests use the downstairs bathrooms. There are two down here.”

“Did you?” Armie feigned innocence. “I must have forgotten.”

Nettie first guided Armie back to his seat, then returned to help Ophi carry the twenty-pound bird out to the main dining area. The large group clapped and cheered, and there were eardrum-piercing whistles. Ophi set it down at the head of the table and looked to Armie.

“Ready to carve, Armie?”

The table looked to the almost blind man nervously, and he stood, holding his soup spoon and a ladle from a nearby gravy tureen. “Absolutely.” He rubbed them together like he was sharpening a knife. The table laughed, clearly getting the joke.

“We planned that,” Richard said, giggling with his sister.

“It was very funny.” David was all smiles since he’d released a bit of energy with Ophi earlier.

“You’re going to carve it, right, Ophi?” Mr. Dearborne said, a man who’d been attending Mrs. Berkin’s Thanksgivings for as long as the Croft family had. “That’s what Mrs. Berkin wanted when I went to visit her in the hospital yesterday. You’re the matriarch of this family now.”

Ophi swallowed hard, accepting the symbolic responsibility as she had after her parents’ deaths. Nettie wrapped an arm around Ophi’s waist, supporting her as she took up the carving knife and large fork.

“Uh, for those who are new to Mrs. Berkin’s Thanksgivings, welcome. We have a tradition where Mrs. Berkin says what she is thankful for while carving the turkey, then everyone would come up and get a slice—”

“Or three,” Mr. Meyer, a sweet man who’d been working the same mail route for thirty years, said from the far side of the table, inciting a mixture of laughs and snorts.

“Or three, and say what you’re thankful for.” Ophi took a deep breath and carved the first slice of turkey. “I am thankful for my family, for my two siblings who have stood by me all these years and took care of me.”

Nettie bumped her hip. “We took care of each other.”

“I’m also, and most importantly, thankful for my beautiful children. You two keep me young, and I love you both up to the stars.”

She wanted to say something about David, but it wasn’t time. He simply listened to her, looking down at her children, who sat a seat away from him, every few seconds. They looked back at him and smiled as well, and Ophi almost saw a connection being forged between them right in front of her. She continued to carve the turkey, but her stomach lurched at the smell. She doubted all this emotional excitement was any good for getting rid of the bug she’d caught earlier in the week.

As the juices from the meat released and the steam covered her vision, she squinted through it to check on the kids one more time. A creeping, unnerving feeling began to crawl over her skin. She looked over at David. He was talking to the kids, pointing at all the food and asking them questions. Dani giggled every now and then, and Richard nodded, agreeing with David and adding his two cents.

She placed the first slice of turkey on a plate, then handed the utensils off to Nettie, who called Armie up, saying she’d help him carve. Ophi forced herself to look happy, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off her kids and David, fighting off the incessant tumbling in her stomach. Her skin broke out into a cold sweat. Seeing them together was making her gut flip.

This is a sign. They’re not meant to be together.

Her stomach lurched.

Or she was going to puke. She excused herself quickly, running into the kitchen, then out the door that led to the side of the house.

She tripped down the stairs, landed on her hands and knees in the cold dirt, then proceeded to throw up everything she’d eaten that day, along with a couple glasses of wine. When there was nothing left to come back up, Ophi sat back on her heels and wiped her mouth. This wasn’t a stomach bug; it had lasted much too long and—

The past month flashed before her eyes. The unprotected sex with David, the emotional turbulence and self-doubt she’d been feeling the last couple weeks, her roiling stomach, the lack of a period.

Again, the unprotected sex with David.

“Oh fuck.”

Ophi picked herself up off the ground and sat on the wooden steps, clutching her knees and ignoring the cold. When was she ever going to learn? What, did she think that after having two kids she would be impervious to pregnancy? She was like a dumbass kid who stuck her hand in a socket over and over and expected different results. She must be the most fertile person in the world.

She couldn’t deal with this now. She had people to feed and host duties to fulfill. She would get through the night. She would eat and drink a small amount so she wouldn’t draw attention to herself, and then she would kick everybody out and have a mental breakdown. Three kids. She was going to have a third kid, and all her children had different fathers.

Wow, she was a great role model.

She walked back into the kitchen and wiped her mouth with a paper towel. She rinsed a few times with tap water and then grabbed a tray of potatoes to bring out, using that as an excuse for why she’d run away so quickly.

Richard was cutting his slice of turkey and saying what he was thankful for with Dani.

“I’m thankful for my books and for this food and for my video games and for my computer and for my sister, but she annoys me sometimes. And for my mom and for my aunt and uncle and for my dad, even though he couldn’t make it again this year.”

Christ, Ophi forgot he did that. Richard always mentioned his dad at the holidays as a way to get more information about his absentee father and Ophi never had an answer for him. She had no idea where his father was, and it broke her heart to see Richard pining for the deadbeat.

She glanced over at David, knowing he’d probably heard about her ex-fiancé Lyle from the town gossips. Anyone who had lived in the town longer than Richard was alive had known Lyle. They would gossip about how he and Ophi were high school sweethearts, and how he went away to college while Ophelia stayed home to work and support her family, praying every day for social services to leave them alone.

The big scene Ophi made when she discovered Lyle had cheated on her was a favorite town tale, and how despite the heartbreak, Ophi had been desperate enough to eventually take him back. No one could forget how Ophi had disappeared for a few days after learning she was pregnant. She’d told Lyle, and he promptly dumped her because he wasn’t ready to be a father. He said he’d pay for an abortion, or he would walk away. Ophi knew what she wanted to do the moment she learned she was pregnant. A baby was light and joy and sleepless nights and wonder. A primal instinct had overcome her fear, and she’d embraced motherhood like she’d been destined to be one. Lyle had not been destined for fatherhood, so he ran.

A few years ago he’d shown up on her doorstep unannounced, claiming he all of a sudden wanted to be Richard’s father. She got a lawyer and worked out a strict custody agreement that basically stated Ophi had custody and Lyle had to beg on hands and knees if he wanted to see Richard. She never actually made him do that, not wanting to deprive Richard of the chance to get to know his dad, but Lyle never turned up for their set play dates, and now he only called every month or two for a quick five-minute hello. Ophi would get a court order to cut him off completely if it wouldn’t hurt Richard. The day would come where she’d need to sit Richard down and explain to him his dad would never be here full-time, and might never be.

David seemed relaxed. He sat with his hands folded, looking fondly at Richard as he gave his thanks and carved his slice of turkey. He would make a good dad. She rested her hand over her lower abdomen and thought the words again.

She was pregnant. She was going to have another baby.

Poor Dani. She wouldn’t like being the middle child, but Armie would help teach her how to be both younger and older.

David glanced at her then and grinned wide, winking before clapping for Richard as he came back to his seat. Dani was next. Nettie lifted her, and Josh stood to help the little girl carve her piece of turkey. She basically held on to his arms as he cut the slice. Before Nettie could set her back down, she asked Dani what she was thankful for.

Dani was shy in front of crowds without her brother standing at her side, and it surprised Ophi when she said in a loud voice, “I’m thankful for my mommy and my brother and my auntie and Uncle Armie.” Following her brother’s example, she then gave thanks for her dad. “And thanks to Daddy, who Mommy says is up in heaven and having fun playing with all the doggies who go there too.”

Ophi felt tears prick her eyes. She looked over to Armie, the only person in her family who had actually met Jose, Dani’s dad. It had been fleeting, but Jose had had a major impact on Armie. He’d been coming to pick Ophi up for a date and Armie had been sitting on the porch crying. He’d just started losing his sight due to a form of juvenile macular degeneration. He wouldn’t completely lose his peripheral vision, but he’d see nothing but darkness in front of him for the rest of his life.

Jose had comforted Armie, despite not knowing who he was. That’s just who Jose had been, a kind man who saw Armie crying alone and sat with him to provide consolation. Needless to say, when Ophi discovered them out on the porch, she and Jose postponed the date until the following night. Two weeks later Jose died in a freak accident. Ophi discovered she was pregnant a week after that. Dani was a gift, a bit of Jose left in the world. He was a good man, and while Ophi would never know whether it might have worked between them, she thought of him with fondness and care.

Everyone started to clap, bringing Ophi out of her memories. David was looking at her, his head tilted and his smile a little sad now. She smiled back, nodding at him to reassure him she was fine. She didn’t want her pregnancy to affect the development of their relationship, and she would make sure he understood that she was fully capable of handling the baby by herself if that was what he wanted. David stood and took Dani’s plate, placing in on the table. She reached up her arms, and he grasped her by her waist to sit her in the chair. She thanked him, then grabbed the turkey and chowed down, making David and Richard laugh.

The thanks portion of the evening continued, and once everyone had their one to three slices of turkey, they all dug into the delicious food. Ophi finished loading up her plate of sides at the buffet table when the doorbell rang. She looked over at Nettie quizzically. They weren’t expecting anyone else.

“I’ll get it,” Armie said, using his white cane to find his way around all the new chairs. “I need some air anyway.”

David stood, guiding him toward the foyer, then let him go with a gentle directional nudge. Armie thanked him, then moved off into the entryway. Ophi brought her plate over to the kids and sat next to David.

“Saved you a seat,” he said sweetly.

“Thanks.”

All right, she was a little smitten.

Ophi reached for the gravy tureen when a large crash sounded at the front door.

“What did you run into, Armie?” she called, shaking her head and smiling at the guests as she and Nettie went to help their brother.

“You can’t come in. You’re not supposed to be here without permission from Ophelia.” Armie’s voice was hard, angry. She’d only heard him speak to one person that way.

“Oh shit.” She and Nettie ran for the door, and sure enough, there was Lyle, the gem himself. Muscular and tall, red hair and green eyes, dressed in a suit, bracing the doorframe in a familiar gesture of intimidation. He used to do it to her when he wasn’t getting his way, reminding her that he was a big man and she a little woman who had no way to defend herself against him. He’d never hurt her, but she thought if pushed in the right direction, he might succumb to an urge for violence.

“You okay, Armie?” Nettie asked, wrapping her arm around his waist.

“I won’t be okay until this asshole gets off of Ophelia’s property.”

Armie had taken it as a personal insult when Lyle deserted Ophi. He and Lyle had been very close friends, and Lyle had left Armie’s sister in the dirt. The sister who had raised him and taken care of him for years, who’d sacrificed a college education to support him. He’d never forgiven Lyle and he most likely never would. Ophi hated the acidic regret that festered inside Armie on her behalf. She never wanted her little brother to feel responsible for her.

“Nettie, take Armie back inside, please.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with him.” Armie ripped his arm out of Nettie’s hold and poked Lyle with his cane. “Get the fuck out of here, Lyle. You’re not welcome.”

“That’s Ophi’s decision, buddy, not yours.” His voice was as cool and smooth as ever, like a burst of minty fresh gum with a hint of arsenic.

“You can’t stay, Lyle. We have an agreement, and the courts state you can’t be here unless I say it’s okay. You were invited, and you said you weren’t coming, and anyway, you missed your call last week with Richard. Again. Why should I let you stay?”

“Once Richard sees me he won’t want me to leave. You wouldn’t make me leave and hurt him in the process.”

Ophi took a step forward, pissed.

“He’s not gonna see you because you’re leaving right this second.”

“I’m his father, and it’s my right to spend time with my son.”

Lyle tried to advance but Armie used his cane to ward him off.

“You can’t come in” Lyle shoved Armie into the doorframe, his head smacking the wood, making him lose his footing.

Nettie knelt to help Armie and a base instinct within Ophi prompted her to grab on to Lyle’s sleeve and tug him back toward the door. He looked back at her and the man she used to know, the sweet and funny kid from high school had been replaced by a man burning with rage. What was wrong with him?

“Lyle, what’s the matter? You’re never like this. Talk to me.”

He chose to force her away, making her trip and fall back. She caught herself before her ass hit the floor. It was still a hard fall though, and her hand immediately went to her womb, covering it instinctively. She looked over at Nettie to make sure Armie was okay, but Nettie was staring at where her hand landed.

“Oh my shit, are you preg”

“Daddy!” She heard Richard scream from the dining room. “My daddy is here!”

“Hey, little guy. Sorry I’m late. Traffic was a beast.”

“That’s okay, Daddy. Sit here. Mommy won’t mind.”

“She damn well fucking minds,” Ophi grumbled to herself.

Nettie ignored her comment, crawling over to Ophi. “This is why your stomach has been weird, and you’ve been all pissy. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”

David chose that opportune moment to round the corner. He took in the scene, all three of them on the floor, Nettie on her knees cradling Ophi who sat with her legs splayed in an awkward position, and Armie, rubbing the back of his head gingerly.

“What the fuck just happened here?” He came and knelt in front of Ophi, cradling her head and looking her over. “Are you hurt? What did he do to you?”

“I’m fine. I tripped. I tried to stop him and he muscled me off and my heel caught on a floor board.” She looked over at Armie. “But he shoved Armie into the doorframe.”

“I’m calling the police.”

“No, please. Richard would be heartbroken.”

David’s voice was steel. “The man is a danger to those kids, and he hurt your brother. I will not let him spend another minute with Richard.”

He was right, but the edict still chafed.

“They are my kids. It’s my decision.”

“When a man is emotionally and physically hurting people I care about, then it damn well is my decision, and it will be the decision of all the people around that table who are more than obviously upset that Lyle is here.”

Mr. Dearborne came around the corner right then as well, with a man Ophi hadn’t yet been properly introduced to. He was young and strong looking and seemed to be a little pissed off.

“Ophi, what’s going on—” Mr. Dearborne saw them all on the floor and his face turned beet red. “Oh hell no.” Mr. Dearborne strode back into the dining room.

“Mr. Dearborne, please, not in front of the kids.”

“Don’t worry, Ms. Croft.” The good-looking man in the suit said. “We’ll make sure to kick his ass outside. We wouldn’t want to break any of the stemware.” The stranger followed Dearborne back into the dining room.

“Who was that?” Armie asked, trying to get up from his spot on the floor. “His voice was sexy.”

“Stay down, you horny bastard,” Nettie said.

“Help me up,” Ophi said, reaching for David. They walked back to the dining room, and Mr. Dearborne and the handsome stranger were standing behind Lyle, telling him he had a business call and needed to take it outside.

Richard was understanding. “It’s okay, Dad. Go take your call. I know work is hard. You said it the last time you called a few months ago.”

“Wow, kid, good memory.” Lyle ruffled Richard’s hair, then grudgingly stood. “I’ll be right back.”

They walked him into the kitchen and out the side door. Ophi followed, shutting the door behind her and David.

“This is what’s going to happen,” the young main said, his hands in his pockets and his voice smooth as silk. “You’re going to walk back in there and tell that kid you have to leave on a work emergency. You’ll tell him you’re sorry, but you’ll call. Ms. Croft is then going to phone her lawyer and make sure to get a restraining order.”

Lyle puffed up his chest like some wild animal staking a claim on his territory. “Who the fuck do you think you are? You don’t know anything about this family.”

“Family?” Ophi laughed incredulously. “What family? You’re not a part of this family. You never wanted to be a part of my family.”

“I might have if you hadn’t gotten pregnant by some other guy like the slut I always knew you were”

David took two steps forward and sucker-punched Lyle. The asshole hit the cold ground hard, his lip split and bleeding.

All of a sudden the night was looking up.

“I think you knocked a tooth out, dick.”

David shrugged. “I work out. The plan has changed. You’re walking around the house, getting in the car and driving away, and we’ll tell Richard you had to leave.”

Lyle stumbled to a stand, his hands on his knees and breathing heavily before straightening. “I’m gonna get my own lawyer, Ophi. And I’m gonna win.”

“Hi,” the man in the suit said with an even wider smile than before. “I’m a lawyer. Well, I was a while ago, and I’m telling you that there is no judge on this earth that will grant you any form of custody. Especially with all the witnesses of what happened tonight. Get out.”

Lyle’s death stare had eyes for Ophi and Ophi alone. She stood tall with her arms crossed, unforgiving. This was the last straw.

“It’s over, Lyle,” she said. “Go home.”

“This should have been my home.”

“You missed that chance a long time ago. The only thing you can do now is make up for the mistakes you’ve made, not make more mistakes.”

His shoulders slumped, and he nodded. Without another word, he turned and trudged down the walkway toward the front door.

David wrapped her in his arms, cradling her to his chest. She stuck her face in his neck and breathed him in. This man was good. He was reliable, and he wouldn’t be like Lyle when she told him there was a baby in their future.

Right?