When Nick and Sara made their way back downstairs a good portion of the
Stokes clan had arrived. Sara clung to Nick's hand and put a smile on her
face as she was introduced. The faces began to blur together and Nick's
mom shot him a glance that spoke volumes. Nick grinned at Sara and leaned
over to whisper in her ear. "Let's go outside for a few minutes."
Through her pasted on smile she replied softly. "Thank you." She glanced
over at Audrey Stokes and smiled, a real genuine smile.
"Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were drowning in there." Nick looked apologetic as he wrapped his arms around Sara and pulled her into a hug.
"It's just a little overwhelming, Nick." She rested her head against his chest and let out a deep breath.
"I guess I'm used to it. Want to go for a little walk?" Nick suggested.
"Yeah." She smiled at him and took his hand as they walked out past the stables toward a pond that they had ridden past earlier that day.
They took a seat on the small dock and lay back holding hands, just looking at the stars.
Nick glanced over at Sara in the moonlight. "I love you, Sar."
A wide grin spread across Sara's face. "If someone had told me a year ago that I'd be here with you right now like this, I wouldn't have believed them."
"I'm glad you are." His voice was soft and Sara could tell that he was smiling.
"I am too." She replied. They lay there for a while longer, with their fingers intertwined.
A voice interrupted the silence. "Hey, Nicky, you better get your ass up here before dinner gets cold."
Nick started to laugh. "Dan!" He sat up and glanced back at his older brother who stood there at the shoreline end of the dock with an amused grin on his face. Nick stood up and held Sara's hand as she got up.
"I assume this is the Sara who we've heard so much about, because if it isn't, I'm gonna have to help her kick your ass." Dan had a smirk on his face.
Nick and Sara walked toward Dan. "Sara, this is my older brother Dan. Don't mind him, he's always this obnoxious." Nick chuckled.
Dan grinned as he shook Sara's hand. "So you're the one that's got my little brother so dumbstruck."
Sara hoped that the darkness hid the color that rushed into her cheeks. "It's nice to meet you, Dan."
"So when did you and Christy get here?" Nick queried his brother as all three of them made their way back to the house.
"Just a little bit ago. Mom said you and Sara went for a walk." Dan waggled his eyebrows at Nick.
Nick slugged his older brother in the arm.
Sara just shook her head and chuckled softly as she squeezed Nick's hand.
Dan stopped them just outside the back of the house. "Guess what?" His grin was just like Nick's.
Nick raised a curious eyebrow. "What?"
"Christy's pregnant." Dan was beaming.
Nick pulled his brother into a bear hug and clapped him on the back. "Congratulations, bro. You're gonna be a daddy."
"Don't say anything, we haven't told anyone yet." Dan whispered conspiratorially.
Nick chuckled. "You got it man."
As they walked into the house Dan glanced over at Sara. "So what do you see in this lunk head anyway?"
She looked at Nick and started to laugh.
After Dinner:
For the Stokes family, the days before Thanksgiving were almost as busy as Thanksgiving itself. Hours were spent baking pies and preparing other dishes, and they drew names to see who they had to buy a Christmas present for.
Sara got roped into baking pies by Maddie and two of Nick's other sisters, Amanda and Ashley. "You do realize that I've never made a pie in my entire life." Sara was at a loss to know where to start.
"Sara, hon, don't worry, we Stokes women can bake a pie with our eyes closed." Amanda commented with a smile. She had Nick's coloring and shared his grin.
As they instructed Sara how to make a pie crust she raised a curious eyebrow. "If you're going to mix the flour and butter together, why not just start with soft butter in the first place?"
Ashley glanced over at Amanda and started to laugh.
Maddie put her hand on Sara's arm and smiled at her. "It makes the crust flakier if you start with cold butter."
Maddie shot Ashley and Amanda a glare. "Put a cork in it you two. I recall when Mom was teaching you to bake. You both had more than a few disasters."
Sara felt a bit self conscious, but followed Maddie's directions and finally rolled out a pie crust. In the process, she managed to get flour all over herself.
Nick walked in the kitchen and snuck up behind Sara, placing his hands on her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder as he looked at what she was doing. "Having fun?"
Sara tried to restrain a grin and turned around to face him. "Define fun."
He chuckled and leaned over to whisper in her ear.
She playfully swatted at him and her cheeks turned a little pink. "That's not what I meant and you know it, Stokes."
Ashley and Amanda had a little shock written on their faces. Maddie started to laugh. "Nicky, if you embarrass Sara too much, I do have a few stories I can tell."
"You can tell Sara anything you want." Nick wrapped his arms around Sara and leaned down to kiss her.
Sara's eyes fluttered closed and she smiled against his lips as her hands splayed out over his chest.
As they broke the kiss, Nick grinned at her. "Come with me, I want to show you something."
Maddie raised an amused eyebrow. "Go ahead, Sara, we can finish this when you get back."
Nick took Sara's hand and as they walked out of the kitchen they could hear Amanda and Ashley making comments.
"Well, I don't know what I think of her, I think he could do better."
"She doesn't even know how to bake."
"As skinny as she is, she'd never be able to have kids."
Maddie's voice interjected. "Shut up you two. Nicky's in love with her, and I think she's adorable."
Nick watched Sara's face and squeezed her hand as they walked out of the house. "Don't mind them, babe, it wouldn't matter who you are, they're just a little over protective."
She glanced over at him and smiled. "Thanks for getting me out of there, baking pies isn't really my thing. What are you going to show me anyway?"
Nick had a mischievous glint in his eye. "You'll just have to wait and see." He led her toward the stable and they walked down to the end of the row of stalls where Nick's dad Bill was standing.
Sara glanced at Nick with a curious expression, but he just gestured toward the stall.
"Ever seen anything as beautiful as that?" Bill asked as Sara looked into the stall. A newborn foal lay curled up next to her mother.
The sight took Sara's breath away. She glanced up at Nick with a look of wonderment.
Nick squeezed Sara's hand. "Do you want to pet her?"
"You can do that?" Sara looked incredulous.
Bill chuckled. "Go on." Nick looked so much like his dad, and Sara could see that Nick would look like him when he was older.
Nick opened the stall and led Sara inside. He pet the mare and soothed her as Sara bent down and stroked the foal.
"She's so soft." Sara looked amazed.
Nick couldn't help but smile. "Better than making pie?"
Sara laughed softly. "Definitely."
Bill smiled and interjected. "Don't let Ashley and Amanda scare you off, Sara. They haven't realized yet that Nicky here has grown up."
Sara glanced up at Bill and smiled appreciatively. "Thanks." She glanced over at Nick and grinned. "I won't."
"Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were drowning in there." Nick looked apologetic as he wrapped his arms around Sara and pulled her into a hug.
"It's just a little overwhelming, Nick." She rested her head against his chest and let out a deep breath.
"I guess I'm used to it. Want to go for a little walk?" Nick suggested.
"Yeah." She smiled at him and took his hand as they walked out past the stables toward a pond that they had ridden past earlier that day.
They took a seat on the small dock and lay back holding hands, just looking at the stars.
Nick glanced over at Sara in the moonlight. "I love you, Sar."
A wide grin spread across Sara's face. "If someone had told me a year ago that I'd be here with you right now like this, I wouldn't have believed them."
"I'm glad you are." His voice was soft and Sara could tell that he was smiling.
"I am too." She replied. They lay there for a while longer, with their fingers intertwined.
A voice interrupted the silence. "Hey, Nicky, you better get your ass up here before dinner gets cold."
Nick started to laugh. "Dan!" He sat up and glanced back at his older brother who stood there at the shoreline end of the dock with an amused grin on his face. Nick stood up and held Sara's hand as she got up.
"I assume this is the Sara who we've heard so much about, because if it isn't, I'm gonna have to help her kick your ass." Dan had a smirk on his face.
Nick and Sara walked toward Dan. "Sara, this is my older brother Dan. Don't mind him, he's always this obnoxious." Nick chuckled.
Dan grinned as he shook Sara's hand. "So you're the one that's got my little brother so dumbstruck."
Sara hoped that the darkness hid the color that rushed into her cheeks. "It's nice to meet you, Dan."
"So when did you and Christy get here?" Nick queried his brother as all three of them made their way back to the house.
"Just a little bit ago. Mom said you and Sara went for a walk." Dan waggled his eyebrows at Nick.
Nick slugged his older brother in the arm.
Sara just shook her head and chuckled softly as she squeezed Nick's hand.
Dan stopped them just outside the back of the house. "Guess what?" His grin was just like Nick's.
Nick raised a curious eyebrow. "What?"
"Christy's pregnant." Dan was beaming.
Nick pulled his brother into a bear hug and clapped him on the back. "Congratulations, bro. You're gonna be a daddy."
"Don't say anything, we haven't told anyone yet." Dan whispered conspiratorially.
Nick chuckled. "You got it man."
As they walked into the house Dan glanced over at Sara. "So what do you see in this lunk head anyway?"
She looked at Nick and started to laugh.
After Dinner:
For the Stokes family, the days before Thanksgiving were almost as busy as Thanksgiving itself. Hours were spent baking pies and preparing other dishes, and they drew names to see who they had to buy a Christmas present for.
Sara got roped into baking pies by Maddie and two of Nick's other sisters, Amanda and Ashley. "You do realize that I've never made a pie in my entire life." Sara was at a loss to know where to start.
"Sara, hon, don't worry, we Stokes women can bake a pie with our eyes closed." Amanda commented with a smile. She had Nick's coloring and shared his grin.
As they instructed Sara how to make a pie crust she raised a curious eyebrow. "If you're going to mix the flour and butter together, why not just start with soft butter in the first place?"
Ashley glanced over at Amanda and started to laugh.
Maddie put her hand on Sara's arm and smiled at her. "It makes the crust flakier if you start with cold butter."
Maddie shot Ashley and Amanda a glare. "Put a cork in it you two. I recall when Mom was teaching you to bake. You both had more than a few disasters."
Sara felt a bit self conscious, but followed Maddie's directions and finally rolled out a pie crust. In the process, she managed to get flour all over herself.
Nick walked in the kitchen and snuck up behind Sara, placing his hands on her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder as he looked at what she was doing. "Having fun?"
Sara tried to restrain a grin and turned around to face him. "Define fun."
He chuckled and leaned over to whisper in her ear.
She playfully swatted at him and her cheeks turned a little pink. "That's not what I meant and you know it, Stokes."
Ashley and Amanda had a little shock written on their faces. Maddie started to laugh. "Nicky, if you embarrass Sara too much, I do have a few stories I can tell."
"You can tell Sara anything you want." Nick wrapped his arms around Sara and leaned down to kiss her.
Sara's eyes fluttered closed and she smiled against his lips as her hands splayed out over his chest.
As they broke the kiss, Nick grinned at her. "Come with me, I want to show you something."
Maddie raised an amused eyebrow. "Go ahead, Sara, we can finish this when you get back."
Nick took Sara's hand and as they walked out of the kitchen they could hear Amanda and Ashley making comments.
"Well, I don't know what I think of her, I think he could do better."
"She doesn't even know how to bake."
"As skinny as she is, she'd never be able to have kids."
Maddie's voice interjected. "Shut up you two. Nicky's in love with her, and I think she's adorable."
Nick watched Sara's face and squeezed her hand as they walked out of the house. "Don't mind them, babe, it wouldn't matter who you are, they're just a little over protective."
She glanced over at him and smiled. "Thanks for getting me out of there, baking pies isn't really my thing. What are you going to show me anyway?"
Nick had a mischievous glint in his eye. "You'll just have to wait and see." He led her toward the stable and they walked down to the end of the row of stalls where Nick's dad Bill was standing.
Sara glanced at Nick with a curious expression, but he just gestured toward the stall.
"Ever seen anything as beautiful as that?" Bill asked as Sara looked into the stall. A newborn foal lay curled up next to her mother.
The sight took Sara's breath away. She glanced up at Nick with a look of wonderment.
Nick squeezed Sara's hand. "Do you want to pet her?"
"You can do that?" Sara looked incredulous.
Bill chuckled. "Go on." Nick looked so much like his dad, and Sara could see that Nick would look like him when he was older.
Nick opened the stall and led Sara inside. He pet the mare and soothed her as Sara bent down and stroked the foal.
"She's so soft." Sara looked amazed.
Nick couldn't help but smile. "Better than making pie?"
Sara laughed softly. "Definitely."
Bill smiled and interjected. "Don't let Ashley and Amanda scare you off, Sara. They haven't realized yet that Nicky here has grown up."
Sara glanced up at Bill and smiled appreciatively. "Thanks." She glanced over at Nick and grinned. "I won't."