Page 84 of Merry with Me
EPILOGUE BLAKELY
One YearLater
Blakely
“You’re cheating!” I toss my cards down on the table and glare at my boyfriend, who is currently getting a high-five from my little brother and cousin Caden. “I’m the Kincaid family Uno champion,” I remind them.
“Sorry, baby, you might be losing that title,” Oliver quips.
“I’m done.” I scoot back from the table and go in search of my mom. I find her and my aunts in the kitchen putting the final touches on dinner.
“Why the long face?” Mom asks.
I point over my shoulder. “They’re cheating.” I pout, crossing my arms over my chest. I even consider stomping my foot for good measure but decide against it. I’m twenty-four years old. Not four.
Mom laughs. “I’m sure they’re not cheating.”
“Yeah, well, Ollie better watch himself. He might end up sleeping on the couch.”
“Who’s sleeping on the couch?” Uncle Orrin asks, joining us.
“Oliver,” I grumble.
“Uh-oh, what did he do?” Orrin asks.
“He won at Uno,” his wife, Jade, explains with a chuckle.
“Damn, does he not know that we all let you win?”
“What?” I ask, outraged. “You do not. Take it back.” I glare at him. He doubles over laughing.
“Come and eat!” Aunt Alyssa calls.
That’s all it takes for everyone to abandon their conversations and whatever they were doing and migrate to the kitchen area to make their plates. We do it buffet style. The large kitchen island is covered with dishes, more than we can eat, and there are a lot of us. Once everyone has made their plate, we all take a seat at the table. It’s actually several large tables all pressed together to make one long seating area. Aunt Jordyn built this building, which we all call Kincaid Central, with her inheritance. She claims she wanted a place where our large family could all be together comfortably. It’s massive, but we fill the space well.
“This year, I think we should start a new tradition,” my dad says. “I think we should go around the table and tell everyone what we’re thankful for.” There are a few groans from my male cousins, but the rest of us are on board. We’re a close family, so nothing that anyone says will be a shock.
I lean into Oliver’s shoulder. “You don’t have to,” I tell him. Our large, loud family can be overwhelming, and while he’s been around for a year now, we can be a lot.
He turns to me and grins. “What? You think I don’t have anything to be thankful for?”
“No, I just know we can be too much.”
“Baby, I love you and your big-ass family. They don’t scare me. There’s only one thing in this world that I’m afraid of.”
“What’s that?”
“Losing you.” He leans in and pecks the corner of my mouth.
“Never,” I assure him. My world ends and begins with this man. The moment he agreed to be merry with me, he sealed his fate.
My dad is sitting at the head of the table. Mom is to his right, and I’m to his left. Followed by Oliver and his parents. My mom insisted they come, since it’s just the two of them. They’ve attended many events with us over the last year. They’re used to our crazy by now—at least I hope they are.
Dad starts by saying he’s thankful for the love of his family and nods to Mom. One after another, my family speaks of something they are thankful for. Some are funny, some are sentimental, and some are predictable, but regardless, it’s in their hearts, and just hearing each person speak has my heart full. I’m blessed to have such a large, loving family. I know others are not that fortunate.
Finally, it gets to Oliver, and he stands. I glance up at him, not sure what he’s doing. No one has stood. I give him a questioning look, and he winks at me.
“I’m thankful for so many things,” Oliver says. “The food, the company, my family.” He smiles down at me. “My new family.”