Chapter 4
Thanksgiving arrived with a flurry of activity,
and it was their first major holiday together as a real family.
They decided to host dinner at Adrian's apartment,
because it had a dining table large enough to seat everyone,
and a kitchen that Naomi could command like a general.
Eleanor flew in from New York,
and Ruth drove in from the suburbs,
which created a dynamic that was both terrifying and amusing.
Eleanor was a woman of high society,
and she was accustomed to catered affairs,
while Ruth was a pragmatist who believed in doing things herself.
Adrian watched them interact with a sense of mild panic,
but the two grandmothers quickly found common ground,
mostly by bonding over their shared adoration of Lily.
Lily was delighted to have an expanded audience,
and she performed a highly inaccurate historical play about turkeys,
which required Adrian to wear a paper hat.
The kitchen was filled with the smell of roasting garlic,
and the windows were fogged up from the heat of the oven,
and the apartment felt alive in a way it never had before.
Naomi moved around the stove with expert precision,
and she assigned Adrian the task of peeling potatoes,
which he did with an intense,
serious focus.
He had negotiated million-dollar contracts,
but he found himself incredibly stressed about cutting the potatoes perfectly,
because he wanted everything to be exactly right for her.
When they finally sat down at the large table,
the spread of food was magnificent,
and the candles cast a flickering light over their faces.
Eleanor raised her glass of wine,
and she offered a toast to second chances,
her voice remarkably soft and entirely sincere.
Ruth clinked her glass against Eleanor's,
and she added a toast to patience,
which made Naomi smile and reach for Adrian's hand under the table.
They went around the table stating what they were thankful for,
and when it was Lily's turn,
she stood up on her chair for emphasis.
She declared that she was thankful for Cloud,
and for the new playground at school,
and for the fact that her dad was finally real.
The room went incredibly silent,
and Adrian felt a sudden,
sharp lump in his throat,
because the innocent honesty of a child was a heavy thing.
He looked at Lily,
and he blinked back the moisture in his eyes,
and he told her that he was the most thankful for her.
Naomi wiped a tear from her own cheek,
and the grandmothers pretended they suddenly had dust in their eyes,
and the moment was perfect in its messy emotion.
They ate until they could not eat anymore,
and they argued playfully about the best type of pie,
and they sat around the living room sharing old stories.
Adrian realized that this was what he had been missing,
the loud,
imperfect,
beautiful chaos of a family that actually loved each other.
He had spent his whole life pursuing quiet perfection,
but the quiet was just another word for lonely,
and the perfection was always a lie.
When the guests finally left,
and Lily was put to bed,
he helped Naomi wash the dishes in the sink.
He stood behind her,
and he wrapped his arms around her waist,
and he rested his chin on her shoulder.
The house smelled of cinnamon and woodsmoke,
May you like
and the peace that settled over them was heavy and real,
and he knew he would protect this life with his last breath.
