A Very Grumpy Thanksgiving (Wolf Valley: A Very Grumpy Holiday #3)

Chapter 6

SIX

Nolan

“I’m nervous. Are you nervous?” Saffron asks me as we pull up outside of my parent’s place.

“I mean, now that you just told me that, yeah.”

“You’re not supposed to say that!” she scolds me. “You’re supposed to tell me that I’m being silly and that everything is going to be fine, and they’re going to love me and not to worry.”

“Everything is going to be fine, and they’re,” I start to parrot back to her, and she scoffs and smacks my arm lightly.

Saffron has really started to warm up to me over the last few days. She’s still quiet, but I can tell that she feels more comfortable in my presence, and that makes me unbelievably happy.

I laugh as I unbuckle and turn to her.

“Okay, for real, they’re going to love you, and it’s going to be fine. We’ll eat and then head home. It will be a piece of cake.”

She takes a deep breath and nods, her fingers tightening around the pie that she brought for tonight. She still looks nervous, but it really is going to be fine. My mom is already half in love with her just based on the little information that I’ve already told her about Saffron.

“Let’s do this.”

We climb out of my truck and I frown up at the darkening sky. It’s starting to snow, but it’s light. As long as it stays that way, the roads should be good enough to drive back to Wolf Valley later.

My childhood home looks exactly as I remember it. I haven’t been back in a while, not since I left for the Air Force. The house is a two-story ranch style, the outside decorated for fall with orange lights and pumpkins everywhere.

We head up to the front door, and I try to discreetly take a deep breath before I turn the knob and usher Saffron in ahead of me.

“Uncle Nolan!” Five little kids shriek as soon as I walk in the door.

“Hey, guys!” I greet my nieces and nephews.

They all start talking to me at once, and I smile as I crouch down and pull them into a tight hug one by one.

“Guys, this is my friend, Saffron. Saffron, these are my nieces and nephews. There’s April, Andy, Ben, Samantha, and Troy.”

They all stare up at her with big, curious eyes, and she smiles down at them.

“It’s nice to meet you. Happy Thanksgiving,” Saffron says sweetly.

“Nolan!” My mom yells as she barrels into the front room.

“Hey, ma. Happy Thanksgiving.”

She beams at me as she wraps me up in a tight hug.

“My boy finally came home,” she whispers, and I wince, feeling guilty that I’ve stayed away for so long.

I just didn’t want to have to field all of my family's questions about why I was still single and how I was doing after leaving the military. I didn’t want to talk about the accident or the aftermath. I couldn’t answer their questions about what’s next because I don’t know what’s next.

“And you must be Saffron!” My mom says as she turns to take in my girl.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I uh, I made a pie,” Saffron says shyly, holding the pie out to my mom.

“You too, dear! Oh, it’s so nice to meet you,” my mom gushes. “Nolan hasn’t told me much, so I’m so excited to get to know you better. Come and let me introduce you to everyone.”

And just like that, I lose track of Saffron.

My mom drags Saffron around to meet all of my aunts and uncles. I try to keep track of her, but the house is so full that it’s hard to get around.

“Hey, I met your girlfriend,” my sister greets me, and I nod, scanning the room for a certain curvy redhead.

“Yeah? Where is she?”

“Kitchen. Surrounded by all of our aunts,” Shelby tells me. “She’s nice. How did you land her?”

“Luck,” I grunt out, and she laughs.

“I believe it.”

“Believe what?” Aaron, our youngest sibling, asks as he joins us in our corner of the living room.

“That Nolan lucked out with his new girlfriend,” Shelby tells him.

“Oh yeah, she’s great!” Aaron agrees. “My kids are already calling her Aunt Saffron. Or Aunt Saffy in the case of Samantha.”

I laugh as I see Aaron’s youngest clinging to Saffron’s leg as she comes into the living room. Our eyes lock, and she smiles. She seems more at peace with my family than I feel, and a warm feeling starts to spread in my chest. I’m happy to see that everyone seems to love her right away, not that I can blame them. She’s easy to love.

I’m the oldest of the three of us and the only one not married or settled down with kids yet. I’m also the only one who joined the military and left town.

“It’s time to eat!” My Aunt Kathy calls, and everyone starts to head into the dining room and kitchen.

I find Saffron in the crowd and slip my hand into hers.

“Everything okay?” I whisper to her, and she nods.

“Everyone is so nice.”

I squeeze her hand, and she leans into my arm a bit.

“Where are we sitting?” she asks me, and I look around.

“Aunt Saffy! Can you sit with me?” Samantha asks.

“You’re at this table,” Aaron tells his daughter as he leads her over to the kid’s table in the kitchen.

Samantha pouts and Saffron looks upset.

“We’ll sit close to their table,” I whisper to her as I lead the way over to the far side of the adult’s table.

“Hey, Nolan!” Mark, Shelby’s husband, greets me. “How’s it going?”

“Pretty good. How about you?” I ask him as I pull out a chair for Saffron.

We all sit down, and I turn to check in on Saffron. She’s happy, busy talking to the kids at the table next to us.

“Your girl is lovely,” My Aunt Sarah tells me, and I smile.

“How have you been?” I ask her.

We start to pass the food around the table, and I hold the bowl of mashed potatoes so that Saffron can grab some before I pass it to my sister-in-law.

“So, tell us how you two met!” My Aunt Kathy says, and I turn to Saffron.

“We’re neighbors,” she says with a small smile. “We met when I moved in next door to him.”

“Are you from Wolf Valley?” My dad asks, and Saffron shakes her head.

“No, me and my sisters moved there about a year ago.”

“Saffron opened up a bookstore in town,” I tell my family.

“Oh, how exciting!” Aunt Kathy gushes.

The conversation focuses on Saffron, her bookstore, her family, her new house, and finally, our relationship.

“So, how long have you two been dating?” Shelby asks.

“A few weeks now,” I tell them as I dig into the food.

We all dig in, and finally, the conversation changes to what everyone else has been up to. Everything seems to be going great. My mom and dad are thrilled that I’m with someone. Everyone seems to love Saffron, and it’s great to see my family again.

Still, I can’t help but be on guard. There’s this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that keeps telling me that this is the end. Our deal is over after tonight, at least on her end. I’ll just have to be around her all of the time as I fix her house, but I won’t be able to hold her hand or pretend that we’re together.

I try to focus on the meal, but every time that Saffron laughs or looks at me with those soft eyes, I wonder if maybe it’s possible to make this thing between us real.

Could it be possible that this isn’t fake to her either?