"Beer for me, please." Mark waved.
"Please be careful. I like you both a lot." Jamie shook her head and leaned against her dad. "I'm worried about Christine."
"No need to worry. Your sister’s strong-willed. Nobody walks over her unless she lets them. She'll figure it out. She's got too much of your momma in her not to." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.
"Are you and Mom doing okay? Still going good?"
"Better than ever, Pumpkin. She's a good woman, and I'm grateful for another chance at spending my life with the woman I married. She’s still rough around the edges, but, then again, so am I." He grinned as he stepped back. "I'll take a whisky, too, if you're pouring drinks."
"That I am." She turned and walked back to the house, beginning to feel grateful for the way things were turning out. Her mother was working on being nice, and at least she was getting along with her father. Her sister's situation would get resolved, but it wouldn't be that easy. Stephen was an ass and a half, and yet without him, Jamie never would have met Alex.
She finished pouring the drinks as the boys joined them in the dining room. Alex made a beeline for Jamie and pulled her into a hug, leaning down to kiss her a few times.
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"What was that for?" she asked.
"Just grateful I didn't die up there. Remind me next time I try to play the hero that I hate heights." He winked and took a long drink from his glass.
Jamie's mom appeared in the open doorway of the dining room and lifted a bottle of red wine. "I think we're almost ready. Anyone want red or white with dinner?"
A resounding ‘both!’ went around the room as the doorbell rang.
"That's probably Murray. I'll get it." Alex walked toward the door as Jamie sank down into the chair nearest the Christmas tree. She reached out and touched several of the ornaments from her childhood, reliving part of it with each one of them.
Alex returned, carrying a huge turkey that looked to still be smoking. "Make way for the main attraction." His voice was strained, and muscles flexed.
Hot. So damn hot. Jamie nearly laughed out loud when her sister mumbled the same thing. She glanced out the window to see Stephen marching to his car, his face angry. He pulled onto the road and sped away. She wondered if she should tell Christine, and decided maybe leaving it for now was better.
"Let's help get everything on the table." Jamie stood up and motioned for Mark and Christine to join them. Alex's brother seemed to have taken an instant liking to Jamie's sister, but Mark was a friendly guy regardless of who was involved. However, now was not the time to put the moves on her sister. She doubted Mark would, but Christine, on the other hand... you never knew what she was after till she sank her teeth into something, or someone.
After getting everything on the table, Jamie took the chair between Alex and his brother, feeling good, warm, and safe between them. Her father prayed and then everyone started to pass around the various dishes.
"Alright. While we eat, we have a family tradition," Jamie's mother started. "Everyone has to tell one thing that they were blessed by this last year."
"Oh, that's easy." Jamie's father reached over and took his wife's hand. "I'm blessed that we worked things out. I love you more now than I did the day we were married."
Her mother fanned her face as tears filled her eyes. "Dammit. You're making me get all emotional, but I guess that has to be mine too. Between fixing things with you, my baby’s wedding, and Jamie getting a boyfriend, my life feels better. Right."
That was as sweet as her mother was going to be. She was far from perfect, but that was as close to saying I love you that Jamie was going to get. Jamie reached and pressed her napkin to her eyes. "Darn you both! You stole my thunder."
Alex laughed and slid his hand down Jamie's leg. "I'm grateful for meeting Jamie, falling in love with her, and for the reconciliation she brought to me and Mark. I have her to thank for every bit of it."
Jamie popped him in the chest as a soft sob left her.
"My turn!" Mark piped up. "I'm grateful for all of that, but even more so that my older brother, who I've looked up to my whole life, just offered me the apartment on his property and a job at his firm. I'll be moving here in a month or so. Grateful for him saving my ass."
Jamie turned and let out a soft yelp of excitement as tears continued to roll down her cheeks. "Are you shitting me?"
"Jamie!" Her mother chided as she lifted her glass of wine to her lips.
"I'm not sh—teasing you." Mark glanced Jamie’s mom and then winked at her as they all started laughing.
Christine's voice was soft, but caught Jamie's attention. "I don't feel like I have a lot to be grateful for, but funnily enough, I'm grateful for the realization that I haven’t always been the nicest person, especially to Jamie. Mom’s thankful I got married, but it was a lot of work – the wedding and after. Maybe by feeling the effects of someone hurting me, it woke me up to who I had become. I'm grateful for reconciliation and for people being good to me, even when I didn't deserve it." She raised her glass. “Thanks for second chances.”
“Hell, yeah!” Mark whistled and raised his glass beside Christine’s.
"Dammit, you guys!" Jamie started crying harder, but managed to lift her glass toward the center of the table. "I’m far from perfect, but I'm grateful for this life, which includes each and every one of you. "