Having Orlando drop me off at Nori and Maxwell’s wasn’t my first choice, but I knew it was the smart one once he reminded me that he’d kept me away from my family for long enough and promised he would be back right after he went home to shower and get dressed. Still, waiting for him to show up had me on edge, anxious to be in his presence again as I kept myself busy organizing and reorganizing the silverware on the dinner table and stirring shit that didn’t really even need to be stirred on the stove.

Nori was the first to notice my antics once she joined me in the kitchen after changing out of her cooking clothes into something fancier, pulling the spoon from my hand as she sighed, “Whew. You got thugged down in the worst way, didn’t you?”

“What?” I asked, snapping out of my daydream of exactly what she was talking about.

She knew it too, clarifying with a simple, “Orlando. He did that, didn’t it?”

With a sigh of my own, I replied, “He definitely, definitely did.”

It gave me goosebumps just to think about the night - and morning - we had shared, learning about each other, and loving up on each other, and just… being strangers with hearts that already felt so, so familiar.

But of course, while that sounded all sweet and adorable in my head, Nori was only concerned about one thing when she asked, “So… what happened? Spill the tea. I’ve been waiting for this recap all day and you better not leave out any of the super sexy details.”

Instead of indulging her, I simply replied, “Jackie Robinson Park.”

“Oh, wow,” Tiana gushed once she returned from checking on baby Titan who had been down for a nap since I’d shown up, catching just enough of the conversation to know the context as Nori repeated, “Jackie Robinson… girl. Y’all grown asses fucked in the park like some little heathens?”

She was already laughing by the time I whined, “I know, I know. But we were talking, and he shared some things, and I shared some things, and we kinda got caught up in the moment, so… we had to do what we had to do. And honestly, it was perfect.”

“Yeah, perfectly-amateurish. I mean, what’s the point of having a five-star hotel suite if you’re just gonna fuck in the backseat of a Cadillac?”

Nori’s question was fair. But instead of feeling any shame about it, I gave her the facts. “Actually, we were in the front seat. And I mean, we fucked a bunch at the hotel too, so…”

“You used a condom, right? Niggas like that will have your ass pregnant if you’re not careful,” Nori warned, Tiana shaking her head with a giggle as I averted eyes because...

“We did. Mostly,” I admitted, Tiana inhaling a sharp gasp as I continued, “I mean, we did the first time in the car. And the second time in the hotel. The third time, he pulled out. And the fourth time, he came in my mouth. Or was that the fifth time?”

“Oh, so y’all were fuckin’ fuckin’? I’m so proud,” Nori complimented, getting ready to give me a high-five until Tiana loudly cleared her throat. In fact, Nori’s hand was still lingering in the air as she asked, “What now, Supermom?”

Crossing her arms, Tiana scolded, “Don’t high-five her over this! I mean, don’t get me wrong, Orlando is a great guy. But she just met him! She should’ve been using protection every time.”

Slowly dropping her hand, Nori groaned, “Girl, how many times do I have to tell you to mind your own pussy? This is the most romantic story I’ve heard in years.”

With a roll of her eyes, Tiana clapped back, “Says the girl who was anti-love until it bit her on the ass; literally.”

“Which is coming from the girl who almost missed out on love with her youngin’ being a scaredy cat. You ain’t low, Tiana,” Nori replied, earning a quick side eye as someone behind us came in singing, “The macaroni and cheese has arrived.”

I turned around and found Nori’s parents walking in, the ever-so-fashionable Nina Davis carrying a foil pan in her hands and wearing a sinister grin on her face that made total sense once her daughter whined, “Mama, I know for a fact that I told you Marie was making the macaroni and cheese.”

“But Nori, I make macaroni and cheese every Thanksgiving. I was supposed to stop my personal tradition to satisfy her?”

The undertones in regard to my aunt spoke volumes, especially once Nori scolded, “Don’t start, mama.”

With a huff, Nina moved to set the pan on the kitchen island with the rest of the food, wiping her hands off before she stuck them out to me for a hug. “Oh, Aspen. It’s so good to see you again. If I would’ve known you were coming, I would’ve hand-delivered your quarterly re-up instead of shipping it.”

Returning her hug, I told her, “It’s okay. I’ll get it when I get back. But it’s good to see you again too, Mrs. Davis. Mr. Davis.”

Once Nina let me go, he pulled me into a quick hug as he said, “From the big screen to my son-in-law’s condo. Welcome back, superstar.”

“Thank you so much,” I replied with a smile that only grew wider once Tiana returned from the back room with a very-alert Titan in her arms. I couldn’t help but abandon the Davis’s to coo, “Oh my goodness, look at those chubby cheeks! Baby fever overload.”

When she handed him to me, that feeling only grew stronger, even when Nori teased, “Girl, don’t say that too loud. You aren’t in the clear yet, Little. Miss Mostly.”

“Shut up, Nori,” I snapped, bouncing little Titan in my arms as I sang, “Him just so handsome.”

Titan was already reaching for my hoop earring when his father joined us from the couch, pinching his son’s cheek on his way to the kitchen where he asked, “I thought Ma was bringing the macaroni and cheese?”

“She is…” Nori muttered just loud enough for Kelvin to react.

“Aww, damn. That means World War III is about to pop off when she gets here and sees this. Let me snag a bowl to-go first, though.”

Peeling the foil back, he caught a pop to the hand from an already-irritated Nori. “Aht! We’re not eating until everybody gets here. Now call your mother and get her ETA before I have to gut you with the electric knife.”

“Electric knife? Better put that shit away before she gets here, or she’ll be using it as a weapon in the fight with your mom over that rival macaroni and cheese,” he joked, Nori’s scowl only egging him on when he added, “Matter of fact, lemme go ahead and get my kids outta here before the first bomb drops. Princess, it’s time for us to jet.”

The smack Nori gave him on the arm had Tiana and me both giggling just as another guest arrived.

My guest.

Once again, he was dressed in all black with a simple gold watch and matching chain. But somehow he looked even better than he had the night before, maybe because of all the good sleep he had gotten thanks to me.

While I was stuck admiring his fine ass, Tiana was the first to say, “Hey, Orlando,” followed by Kelvin’s “What’s up, O”. And after addressing them, he directed his attention to the host who was grinning like a fool when he told her, “Appreciate you for lettin’ me crash, Nori.”

“Crash Thanksgiving, or crash Aspen’s… I mean! We’re more than happy to have you joining us, Orlando,” she told him, peeking over at me just as I rolled my eyes while she gave him a hug.

Finally, it was my turn. And while I fully expected him to downplay things in front of our nosy audience, I was pleasantly surprised when he leaned in to press a gentle kiss against the corner of my lips, serving me a knowing smile before he asked, “They got you holding the baby too, huh?”

“They sure do,” I sang more to Titan than Orlando, his little baby gurgles in response doing a number on my heart as Orlando smiled down at the both of us. But of course, the fact that we weren’t alone meant Orlando’s eyes weren’t the only ones on me, the rest of the group watching the three of us intently until I looked up from Titan and asked, “What?”

My question was never answered since my aunt Marie and uncle Roger were walking in, Marie looking like she’d stopped at the mall for a makeover as she strutted further into the condo with her head held high and Roger followed behind her carrying what I now knew would be the second pan of macaroni and cheese.

It was a whisper to his wife, but somehow still loud enough for me to hear Kelvin say, “This shit is about to get ugly.” And right on cue, Nina showed back up in the room with a look in her eyes that told me her shade gun was fully loaded which meant somebody needed to intervene.

That somebody ended up being me as I approached them with an obnoxious, “Auntie Marie! Uncle Roger! I missed you guys!”

Pulling me into a hug as best as she could with Titan still in my arms, she replied, “And we missed you too! Look at you holding this baby boy like he’s not almost bigger than you.”

With that baby being her grandson, I wasn’t at all surprised when she stole him from me, even when his father - her son - said, “Aye! Leave my boy out of this, Ma.”

She only chuckled in response, uncle Roger stopping by to give me a quick kiss on the cheek on his way to the kitchen. And I thought all would be well until he asked, “Where should I put this?”

“Nori, I thought you said you were saving a space for it?” Marie asked, a question we all knew the real answer too.

But thankfully, Nori was the only one tasked with giving a response, struggling as she explained, “I was… and now it’s filled. But we can keep it in the oven until the first pan runs out.”

Of course, that only confused aunt Marie even more. “The first pan?”

“My pan,” Nina answered with a smirk, giving my aunt a snooty onceover before she said, “Interesting choice of ensemble, Marie.”

“Okay, what is this all about?” I wondered, Orlando giving me a look that pretty much asked the same question as Nori cleared the air with a strong, “Nope! We’re not doing this. I’m not letting y’all do this. Not today. Not in my place. If y’all wanna hash out this old ass beef, take it to somebody else’s house, or take it outside, or take it to the church. I don’t care. But in here, we are going to eat, and be thankful, and enjoy each other’s company as a family. Understood?”

Everybody went quiet, even the damn baby as Maxwell showed up carrying a laughing Elliana on his back, one look at his distressed wife being enough for him to ask, “Damn. What did I miss?”

Instead of answering his question, Nori sighed, “Get in here and cut this turkey before I have to cancel Thanksgiving altogether.” Then she moved towards the kitchen as the tension in the room kept the rest of us cemented in place, glancing between each other before Kelvin finally broke the silence.

“So… anybody want a drink?”

There was a collective exhale that pretty much equated to, “Hell yes”, the little bit of laughter that followed being enough to neutralize the air. And once the turkey was cut and a group prayer was said, it felt like a real family Thanksgiving again with pots and pans clinking in the background and plates being overloaded with the foods that truly didn’t get enough love year-round.

They were getting all the love today, though.

Well, except for the honey ham that Orlando and I shared a silent joke about as I skipped it to put turkey and dressing on my plate, then did the same for the plate he was holding before asking him, “Is that enough for you?”

“Coming from your lips, that’s a trick question,” he teased with a wink that made my stomach flutter - or maybe I was just hungry.

I decided it must’ve been a combination of both since, once we made it to the table, I couldn’t stop grinning and I couldn’t stop eating. In fact, I started to unbutton my pants to give my food baby more room to grow while I finished off the last of the macaroni and cheese that I’d taken from aunt Marie’s pan to show solidarity. It was the least I could do for the woman who might’ve been married into the family but was the closest thing to a motherly figure for me after I’d lost my own.

She was as good as blood in my book.

Slumping back into my chair with a satisfied groan, I placed a hand on my rounded stomach that was hard as a rock now that I had stuffed myself. But I had no regrets, even when Orlando joked, “First you all on Titan. Now you holding your stomach? You got somethin’ you need to tell me, Aspen?”

While my first instinct was to shoot him a playful side eye, I couldn’t help doing a little teasing of my own as I rubbed my belly and told him, “Congratulations, baby daddy. We’re having a TV dinner.”

He started cracking up laughing at that, making me laugh too as Nori sang, “Awww! Y’all are so cute,” from across the table. And though it might’ve embarrassed me a little to be put on the spot, the adoring look Orlando gave me in response to her claim made it easy to agree with her; and made me feel more than happy to be home.