Thanksgiving was different for the McCawley's that year.

A family secret had finally been divulged. And while the relationship between Rafe and Danny McCawley was stronger than ever, the relationship between Danny and Evelyn McCawley was tentative at best. He'd found it very difficult to understand what his mother had done and even though his father had encouraged him to talk to her, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Rafe knew that Evelyn was hurt, but she insisted that he not force Danny to talk to her when he was obviously not ready.

They talked about it as they took their evening walk around the farm. "He sees me so much differently now. All he understands is that he's here not because of you and I but because of someone else."

"But you're still his mama." Rafe frowned.

Evelyn stopped him with a touch on his arm. "But you're not his father the way he thought you were and that's my doing. Please don't be too hard on him about this Rafe, he needs time to sort it all out."

"Hell Evelyn, the boy's had a month to sort it all out. He knows that I don't feel any differently about him than I do about our younger ones."

She sighed. "But this isn't about your relationship with him, this is about what he sees as his mother's infidelity. We have to face facts that things between Danny and I may never be the same."

"I won't accept that Evelyn. Danny is sixteen and old enough to understand that his parents are human. He needs to understand that what happened between you and Danny wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been shot down."

She smiled at him. "Do you know how much I love you?"

He flashed a cocky grin and put his arms around her. "Yea. As I recall you showed me last night."

In spite of sixteen years of marriage and three children, Evelyn McCawley's cheeks flamed a bright red. "That's not what I meant."

"I know, I just like seein' you blush." And he kissed her.

"And you're not letting me finish." She said with a smile before she kissed him back.

He kept his arms around her as she continued.

"I love you because you've made this so much easier for me. You've told me since the day we were married that I make things so easy for you and I've never told you how you do that for me. If you weren't the man that you are, I might very well have ended up back in Philadelphia with my parents. I was so afraid at the time that's where I was going to end up and I had no idea what I was going to do."

"Would you have given him up?" Rafe had never asked her before because he wouldn't have let her leave Hawaii.

Evelyn nodded. "I wouldn't have had any choice, you know that. I would have been an unmarried woman with a baby on the way and no father in sight."

"As hurt and as angry as I was at first, I never would have let you go through that by yourself." He confessed. "I made a promise to Danny to be a father to his son and I loved you too much to let you go."

"And I loved you too much to expect you to marry me for something that wasn't your responsibility." She said with a smile.

He flushed. "We fit Evelyn and we always have which is why we've been able to handle so much, together. I love you."

"I love you too Rafe." She said and he kissed her.

When he let her go, her cheeks were the color of rose petals. Rafe smiled at that and Evelyn smiled back. "Rafe, are you really going to take Danny with you when you hunt for the turkey tomorrow?"

"We sure are. It's been a McCawley tradition since I was a boy and I promised Danny when he turned sixteen that he could come with Daddy and me."

She sighed. "It's a tradition I've never been happy with because your mother and I get to clean that bird after you've brought it home."

He grinned. "At least Daddy and I kill it for you."

"Thank goodness for that." She smiled and tucked her hand back through his arm. "Come on, we have a lot to do before tomorrow."

"Don't I know it." He said as they strolled back to the house, Evelyn's arm through Rafe's. When they reached the front porch Danny was on the swing.

"As long as I can remember, you've always gone for a walk together after supper. I always wondered where you went and what you talked about." Danny commented.

"We talk about you kids, about your grandparents and how things are goin' around here." Rafe answered. "What are you doin' out here son?"

"I was waitin' for you and Mama to come back." Was all he told them.

Evelyn kissed Rafe's cheek. "I'll leave you two to talk." And she stepped up on the porch and headed toward the front door.

"I was hopin' we could talk Mama." Danny stood up and looked at Evelyn. "Daddy's been tellin' me that I need to hear your side of things and if it's okay with you, I'd like to hear it."

She looked back at Rafe, puzzled.

He smiled back at her and nodded. This is what he'd hoped would happen and he also hoped his wife and his son would be able to mend their fences. If he'd been able to forgive Evelyn and love her even more, he knew Danny could too. He stepped up on the porch and put a hand on Danny's shoulder and smiled. "Don't be too long son, we have to be up early tomorrow."

"All right Daddy." And Rafe opened the front door and walked into the parlor.

When the door closed behind him, Danny looked at Evelyn. "I haven't been real nice to you lately and I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize to me Danny because I do understand. You grew up with a father who loved you and never had any doubts that he was your father."

He sat down on the swing and pulled his jacket closer around him.

Evelyn sat down next to him and pulled her coat closer around her. It was cold and would get colder as the evening wore on. "What would you like to know Danny?"

"If Daddy hadn't gone overseas, would he have gone to Hawaii?"

She nodded. "He would have and we would have been inseparable. Danny, I love your father very much and other than you and your brother and sister, he's the most important person in my life."

"You missed him a lot didn't you?"

"I did, but as long as we wrote letters he wasn't so far away. The letters he sent were full of what he was doing and the weather and the missions he flew. He also told me he wished he could be with me and I wanted that so much. Then when Danny came and told me he'd been shot down and hadn't been found, I died."

"But why him, Mama?" Danny asked her quietly.

"Danny, sometimes we do things without thinking them through and after it's happened, wish we could take it back. What happened between Danny and I was something that should have happened between your dad and I before he shipped out, but he wanted to wait until he got home." She sighed. "Danny was sweet and caring and helped me through an awful time when I thought your dad was dead. I did love him, but it wasn't the love that I have for your dad and I could never have loved him the way he deserved to be loved."

"Would you have married him if he'd come back?"

"Yes." She answered simply.

"Would you have been happy?"

Evelyn sighed again. "I think we could have been, but it would have been different from what we have now."

It was Danny's turn to sigh. "Then I guess we're pretty lucky to have Daddy aren't we?"

"We're very lucky Danny."

"I love you Mama."

"I know you do Danny and I love you too."

The front door opened and Rafe stepped out. "Ain't you two freezin'? It's colder than a witches elbow out here." He said with a grin.

Evelyn stood up. "We're coming Rafe." And she stepped around him and walked into the house.

Rafe stood on the porch with his son and smiled. "You have a good talk son?"

He nodded. "We did."

"You're just like your Mama, you don't waste words." He smiled before he and Danny walked into the house.

They all had so much to be thankful for.