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Mary and Wilson arrived at the Camden household a little after nine o'clock in the morning. Before reaching their final destination, they stopped at Wilson's parents' house to drop off Billy and Wilson's luggage. Now they were both at the big white house that they had spent much of their time together at; it had been the setting for some of their finer and not-so-finer moments, all of them now looked upon fondly.
They entered through the back door, since they both knew it would be unlocked. Wilson was carrying all of Mary's baggage, which consisted of a larger suitcase and then a smaller weekender bag. Mary opened the door for him and he plopped the bags down inside of the kitchen. Mrs. Camden heard the bags drop and looked up from the turkey and over in their direction.
"Mary! Wilson! Hi!" she shrieked as she stepped toward them. She hugged Mary first, then Wilson.
Before Mary got a chance to speak, a groggy Lucy and Ruthie came down the stairs and into the room, there to lend a hand with the preparations of the meal. They saw their sister and her boyfriend and smiled. Just as Annie did early, they both took turns giving "hello" hugs.
"So…" Wilson said. They were all staring at one another. "Can I put your bags somewhere Mare?"
"Yup, come on."
Wilson lifted her bags up and followed Mary up the stairs and into the attic bedroom. He placed the bags on the floor near the bed the Camdens had set up for her stay and turned to face her. He smiled at her and she smiled back, nonverbally thanking him for being her personal bellhop. He couldn't help but laugh at he cuteness; she always looked adorable when she was trying to seem appreciative.
"So?" he asked.
"So what?"
"Not what- when."
She rolled her eyes and took his hand. "Later."
"I'll be waiting for your cue," he told her. He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her out the door and back down into the kitchen. The quicker they ate, the quicker they would be able to spread their big news.
***
The meal that Thanksgiving Thursday could definitely be considered a feast. The entire table was covered with food that Annie and the rest of the family had prepared. There was yams, mashed potatoes, rolls, stuffing, green beans, peas, corn, cranberry sauce, and of course, the twenty-seven pound turkey. Add that to the desserts that were still in the kitchen, and that is one giant meal.
The seating was as usual, except for the two additional places. Mary sat next to Lucy, toward the head of the table, and Wilson was on her side. Everyone gathered around, anxious to eat the food they had been preparing since the night before. Once everyone was settled in, Eric said grace like he always did. After that, they still were not allowed to dig in.
"Let's say what we all are thankful for this year," said the reverend. "I'll start." He cleared his throat- mostly for drama rather than productive speech purposes. "I'm thankful for me wonderful family, and that I am blessed enough to be able to do what I love to do in a community that admires and respects me." Everyone smiled. "Wilson?" Eric said, passing the "thankful" baton to his right.
"Well," Wilson reached under the table and found Mary's hand. "I'm thankful for my loving parents, my son," he turned to Mary, "and for Mary. She means more to me than I ever thought she could and I value greatly every second I get to spend with her."
After everyone finished "oohing" and "ahhing," it was Mary's turn to speak. "I'm thankful that Wilson spent his hard-earned money to fly me out here, and that he flew here with me. I'm thankful for my family, whom I love very much," she squeezed Wilson's hand, "and that I've found someone who genuinely cares for me, and someone I feel the same way about." Mary smiled. It felt good to mean everything that she said, especially since tonight would be the night that she was announcing her engagement.
***
Everyone took a slice of their favorite pie- pumpkin, blueberry, apple, or cherry. Annie had really outdone herself that year. Just before everyone was about to dig in, Mary turned to Wilson and nodded.
"Now?" he whispered.
She smiled at him and stood, pulling him by his hand. "Everyone…before you eat dessert, we have an announcement to make." Mary looked over to Wilson as tears formed in her eyes. She was really doing this, and it felt great. The family looked over at them, all anxious except for a scared Eric and Annie. "We're engaged!"
The shock that was apparent on the clan's faces quickly gave way to happiness and smiles. Everyone stood, forgetting about the goodies placed in front of them, and made their way over to Wilson and Mary on the side of the table. Eric was first with the hugs since he was the closest to the couple. He squeezed Mary tight, saddened by the prospect of losing his little girl. Then he moved onto Wilson, warning him not to hurt her as they hugged. Lucy followed; she wrapped her arms snuggly around her older sisters shoulders. Then she proceeded over to Wilson to congratulate him. She knew this was something he had always wanted as well. Ruthie was third, followed by Simon. Matt took his turn after his younger brother, happily hugging Mary and patting Wilson on the back. Annie was the last of the brood to get their turn with the couple. With tears streaming down her face, she embraced her eldest daughter, then her fiancée.
Mary was all smiles as the group sat back down and began to devour their plates. Wilson was happy, too- happy that Mary hadn't backed out and happy at the warm welcome he had received into the Camden family. He always thought they liked him, but now he had the confirmation he had always been looking for.
"So," Lucy asked, "when's the big day?"
Wilson winced; he knew this would be a touchy subject. "Um, we don't know yet…I don't know yet," Mary responded to her sister. "I don't want to rush into anything and I don't think I'm quite ready yet." She saw their scornful glances. "I love him," she said, feeling the need to defend her decision. "But I just…I don't-" Wilson rubbed Mary's back and she stopped talking to smile nervously.
"That's OK Mary. We wouldn't want you to rush into anything; take all the time you need," Eric said.
Mary rolled here eyes at her father- she was well aware of his fatherly intentions by that comment. She looked over at Wilson to see if he was OK with her comments, but he didn't let on whether they were good or bad. He gestured to the piece of untouched blueberry pie sitting in front of her. "Yeah, pie," she mumbled and reached for her fork. She took a small chunk of and it put it into her mouth- she had lost her appetite.
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A/N: Well, if I do what I think I am going to have happen in the next chapter, don't expect Mary to get any happier in the next few chapters than she is in the last sentence. Don't worry, though. Her mood will improve…eventually.
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Pie for everyone! Review.
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