"Wow, girls."
Tara bent down to appropriately admire the centerpiece that Robyn, Lily, and Emily were assembling for the dinner table.
"This looks great."
They'd made a felt turkey with multiple paper fans to depict its tail. Each fan was in a different color, making a rainbow.
"Because we're an ell-emm-enn-pee family!" Lily explained brightly.
"It's LGBT dumba—" Robyn started to retort, but backpedaled quickly when she saw Tara's face, "Doof…"
She pursed her lips and wracked her brain.
"Silly billy?"
Tara's eyes glanced away for a moment.
"When Lily was little she called herself a Lily Billy when she was playing up," she recalled fondly and Robyn knew by the power of nostalgia that she was forgiven, or at least forgotten.
"I'm glad I'm not Lily Billy, I like Lily Lisa," Lily said, bouncing on her knees as they all sat around the coffee table surrounding their turkey with flowers and other decorations, "Is Nana Rose coming for Thanksgiving?"
Tara straightened up gracefully.
"We're having dinner alone but all of your grandparents are coming over later on in the day."
"M-Mommy, can I have a snack?" Emily looked up through her thick, square glasses.
"Of course you can," Tara answered with a smile, "I'll bring you girls in something to eat while you work."
"We're working girls!" Lily beamed proudly.
Robyn snickered.
Tara frowned disapprovingly and went through to the kitchen so she could make them a snack. The first thing she did was turn on the oven to bake some apple chips in the background so there would be a quick snack on hand if needed later. She used her trusty mandoline to get thin slices quickly and spread them out on the baking tray which she put back into the oven to cook.
She then took out ingredients to make various animal faces from bread or crackers. On the plate she had a school of goldfish crackers swim toward a collection of blueberries.
"Whose coming to visit?" Willow asked as she walked in and went to the cabinet to get a glass so she could pour water from the fridge.
"Nobody," Tara answered as she cut a grape in half to make owl eyes.
Willow's glass made a clunking sound as the ice bashed off each other.
"What's with the spread?"
"The girls are hungry," Tara replied with a smile down at her creations.
Willow's eyes cast back and forth.
"So throw a Lunchable out on a fancy plate if you want it to look pretty. They won't know any different."
"Funnily enough I'm actually happy to make our children healthy snacks," Tara replied wryly, "And you know I don't buy those things."
Willow's eyes fell to Tara's hands, which were chopping cucumber into thin slices. Tara's fingers curled beneath the top of the blade and her wrist rhythmically rose and fell without ever releasing the handle.
"This may be a little out of left field but your knife work is really turning me on."
Tara arched one eyebrow and smiled crookedly in Willow's direction. Willow's head bobbed in slow, equal time to Tara's wrist.
"I think it's the gentle bounce against the board," she said in a hypnotized tone, "Up and down and up and down and up and down and—"
Tara suddenly dropped the knife and Willow didn't know why until her hand was tugged and they ran into the laundry room and locked the door behind them.
The door didn't open again, though it did rattle a little, until suddenly the smoke alarm started blaring loudly.
Willow and Tara ran back out of the laundry room with red faces, tucking their skewed clothing back in. Smoke was coming from the oven and when Tar opened the door it billowed out with her apple chips burnt to a crisp inside. She swore under her breath and grabbed a dishcloth to take the baking tray out to toss in the sink, then began waving the cloth at the smoke alarm.
Robyn walked in and sighed like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.
"Did you burn our snack?"
"It wasn't even m—" Willow started to defend, then decided to take the fall for her wife's sake and did a speedy run to the back of the fridge where she grabbed a Lunchable and shoved it at Robyn, "My secret stash. Hide the evidence!"
Robyn just shrugged and walked back out as Tara finally got the alarm silenced.
As she was puffing out a breath of relief, Kayden appeared in the doorway, concerned.
"Is everything okay?"
"It's fine, Kayden," Tara reassured softly.
"Feel like some burnt apple?" Willow grinned, "It's the latest craze. You'll see in your lattes and your cupcakes before winter is out!"
Kayden awkwardly shuffled from one foot to the next.
"Um…"
"She's joking sweetheart," Tara relieved him and pushed the plate she'd been making across the island, "You can have an owl cracker if you'd like."
Kayden took one and smiled.
"It's cute. Thanks."
Tara patted his hand and Willow took a look around.
"Where's JJ?"
"Upstairs," Kayden replied as he nibbled on his cracker.
Willow nodded.
"I've never heard him be this quiet in his life."
"He was on his computer with his earbuds in," Kayden replied with a shrug.
"Ah," Tara shared a knowing look with Willow.
"Oh," she added, looking down.
Tara pushed the plate at Willow.
"Will you take the rest of these into the girls?"
"They already—" Willow started but promptly shut herself up, "Yep. Yes, I will."
Willow left with the various animal treats that made her crave real animal crackers while Tara started to properly dispose of the mess she'd made of the apples.
"Are you looking forward to Thanksgiving, Kayden?"
When there was no response, Tara glanced over her shoulder and saw Kayden was figuring out how to answer the question. She could guess why.
"Have you ever celebrated it before?"
Kayden slowly shook his head and Tara just smiled back easily.
"Well, we usually watch the parade on TV and then we meet up with our friends in the park. The kids and some of the adults play football, but it's not very serious. Then we come home to eat and later all of the grandparents come over for pie," she explained in a simple tone, "Nothing for you to worry about. I'll be the only one stressed out, trying to pull the meal together."
"I'll help," Kayden offered immediately.
Tara smiled at him again.
"Oh, you're so sweet."
A minute or so of silence passed, then Kayden popped up curiously.
"Are you making that thing where you put marshmallows on the sweet potatoes?"
"Oh yes," Tara nodded back, "It's one of our favorites."
Kayden gave a little smile.
"I've seen it on TV."
"Anything else you've seen that you'd like to try?" Tara asked as nonchalantly as she could.
Kayden thought for another minute.
"Do you really stuff things up the bird's butt and then eat it?"
"We do," Tara laughed, then winked, "And it's delicious. Just wait and see."
Kayden blushed lightly.
"I trust you."
Tara went over and kissed Kayden on the forehead.
He felt no hesitation in leaning in.
"There's Snoopy!"
Woofy barked at the television screen.
"W-Woofy loves Snoopy," Emily said cheerily as she petted Woofy from where she was sitting on the floor.
"That's 'cause Woofs is part beagle," JJ said from the beanbag behind her.
"He's been in the parade since before I was even born!" Willow said knowledgeably, sitting on the couch with her arm around Tara's shoulders.
"We know Momma," Robyn intoned from where she was sitting in an armchair with her legs hanging over the arm.
"You tell us every year," Lily sighed deeply, sitting at an almost perfectly parallel angle to Emily.
Willow pouted in her seat.
"You were almost called Linus, you know," she said in a tone that was both petulant and informational, "If you were a boy."
"You would not have been called Linus," Tara added in assuredly.
Lily swung her head around, concerned at this development.
"What would I have been called if I was a boy?"
Willow and Tara looked at each other.
"Well…" Tara started, "We liked that your names end in 'ILY' because it means—"
"I love you," Lily, Emily, Robyn, and JJ all said together in a slightly bored tone.
"Yes," Tara replied, keeping her chin high, "So perhaps we would have named you two…Bailey and Riley…with a little variation on the spelling."
Lily's nose scrunched distastefully and Emily didn't exactly look impressed either, though she hid it better.
"Then again, we named Lily after a particular flower, so maybe we would have gone with Oakley or Hawthorne," Willow smiled at Tara.
"And Emily came from my mother reading me Emily Dickinson as a child," Tara smiled back, "So maybe Richard. And Emmet was thrown around with Linus…"
"Do me!" Robyn remarked, suddenly very interested in the conversation, "Did you have boy names for me?"
"We didn't start talking about it until we knew you were a girl," Willow replied, thinking back, "It took a while for us to find a name for you. It wasn't until that little robin landed on my belly that we knew. So honestly, you'd probably be Robin."
Robyn considered that then shrugged, satisfied.
"My name is cool anyway."
"Well we already know you half-assed my name," JJ scoffed teasingly.
"Jacob," Tara quietly chided his swearing in front of the girls.
"We did not half-ass it," Willow returned indignantly and Tara rolled her eyes, "We had to think of it quickly but we chose names that we thought suited you."
JJ arched an eyebrow.
"Technically just the same name twice."
"Oh no, we gave you a talking point for a name, we're the worst parents in the world," Willow said in a mocking tone, "You were JJ first so maybe you would have been…Josie Joy!"
JJ grimaced.
"A direct road to stripper-dom."
"Jacob!" Tara chastised louder.
"We all know what strippers are, Mom," Robyn replied, deadpan and looked over to Tara with one of her piercingly bright-blue stares, "And sex workers do not deserve your derision."
Tara found herself blushing and held a hand up.
"I wasn't…"
Willow grabbed Tara's hand and held it tight.
"And if Kayden had been a girl…" she quickly moved them on, "Hmm…I'm going to go with…Brina!"
Kayden seemed surprised to be addressed, as he had just been sitting in a beanbag in the opposite corner, quietly.
"It's a Yiddish word for 'brown'," Willow explained when she misinterpreted the look on his face, "I think that's all we'd be able to think about when we saw those big brown eyes of yours."
Tara looked over to him and smiled too.
"I was on the same page as you, I was thinking Hazel."
"Yours is better," Willow agreed with a quick nod, "I definitely would have deferred to you on that one."
Kayden reached across and held his opposite shoulder; a tactic he often did just to seem smaller.
"W-What if you had me just as…me?"
Both Willow and Tara caught the longing in his tone and it both broke their hearts and put it back together.
Willow looked over to Tara to take the question seriously.
"We would have had to go Hebrew, for my dad," she said and stared at Tara for a long moment before it came to her. She smiled back at Kayden, "Caleb. It means 'wholehearted'."
"But keep the K," Tara added with a cheerful smile, "I think it's funky."
All of the kids except Kayden groaned.
"Don't say funky, Mom," JJ shook his head with a grimace.
"I like Kaleb with a K," Willow said to Tara with a haughty smile and they came together for a kiss.
There were more groans and JJ turned the television up so they could all just watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and not have to acknowledge the fact that their parents were making out.
In the corner, Kayden hugged his knees and smiled.
"I like it too," he whispered, not loud enough to be heard by anyone or anything but his own heart.
"I need to check on the turkey," Tara said and quietly got up to go into the kitchen. On the way she put her hand on Kayden's shoulder and bent down to whisper to him "Stay and watch the parade. You can help me later when we're ready to serve. That's when it gets really busy."
Kayden smiled gratefully.
He actually had seen some of the parades in previous years, while his uncle was waiting for the football to start, but it wasn't like this. And he was lucky to get a turkey TV dinner shoved in his lap while obscenities were yelled at the television. It was also a prime example of when Kayden was overtly reminded that it was only okay to get that close to another man when there was an oblong-shaped ball involved.
Being in a two-mom family was starting to dispel some of those notions but he still had a 'block' in his head that it was the same for two men. He also still felt slightly uncomfortable when he saw Willow and Tara kiss, but judging from all of the other kids' reactions, this was entirely normal.
When the parade ended, everyone naturally got up to don their shoes and coats and so Kayden did the same. He remembered what Tara had told him about how their holiday usually went, so he gathered they were off to the park.
Tara finished up in the kitchen a short while later and got her own coat on while JJ got Woofy's leash on his harness.
They all walked to the park together, passing lots of other walking families on the way. Tara loved this annual walk; she looked forward to it all year as both the familial and autumnal vibes were still strong and promised a wind-swept outing with happiness in the air. She loved to see her family's love-swept cheeks as they met with all of their friends.
"Hey, Wills!" Xander called out, the first to see them approach, "Did you see Snoopy?"
Willow smiled smugly at her children.
"I sure did, Xan!"
The girls, including Pixie, all ran off to chase each other around the trees, and JJ, Alex, and Kayden were about to break off to go into the basketball court when they spotted Jesse and Ella approaching, curiously with Alice right beside them.
Of course, barreling out in front of them was Aurelius.
Jesse's black and tan German Shepherd Aurelius — or Aurey most of the time unless she was getting into the kitchen cabinets — was just over a year old and though she had at least 60 pounds on Woofy, they were the best of pals. Woofy had the advantage of being able to weave in and out of Aurey's legs and was much lower to the ground when it came to catching a ball, which produced a reaction in Aurey something between amusement and frustration. When Aurey saw Woofy, she pulled so hard on her leash that she broke it clear out of Jesse's hand, who wasn't exactly a weakling.
"Aurey, heel!" Jesse called, to know use, though Aurey did stop once she was able to come and sniff hello to Woofy.
Xander picked up the leash helpfully until Jesse could jog over.
"Thanks, man," he said, shaking his head, "She'll get it one of these days. Ella keeps giving her treats!"
"I do not," Ella came up behind her father indignantly, "You do!"
"He did used to give Ella five Flintstones gummies a day when she was little," Alice added in wryly from Jesse's side.
"Yeah, well, big eyes break my heart," Jesse joked, though his eyes cast a momentary glance at Alice, who's big eyes looked down.
"Uncle Jesse, you wanna play pick-up?" JJ asked, nodding in Jesse's direction.
"I note they never asked me," Xander said good-naturedly as he smiled boyishly.
"You need to be able to bounce the ball more than six inches off the ground," Jesse teased as he patted his friend's back while following the boys to the court.
"He has a misunderstanding of what constitutes six inches," Anya piped up and Xander's cheeks flushed.
She looked at Alice and nodded once.
"Haven't seen you in a while. Where's your boyfriend? He was boring but had lots of money, so I understand why you're banging him even though Xander says he doesn't get it."
"Ahn," Xander cursed under his breath, "That's not…"
"We're not together anymore," Alice supplied while clearing her throat.
"Are you back with Jesse?" Anya asked and didn't give Alice a chance to answer, "That's surprising. I was always impressed with how much you were able to emasculate him."
"Al, you want to set up the hot chocolate?" Tara interjected quickly.
"Please," Alice nodded and was quick on Tara's heels to follow her.
Tara retrieved the backpack that JJ had carried from the house and brought it over to a nearby bench. She unzipped the bag and took out the gallon-sized insulated flask and the stack of reusable party cups inside.
"Are you back with Jesse?" Tara asked with an arched eyebrow as she handed Alice the cups.
"We just arrived together. Coincidence," Alice held up her hands, then added on with a small smile, "We are having Thanksgiving dinner together though. For Ella."
"For Ella," Tara repeated knowingly.
Slowly the other adults made their way over to the bench and everyone started to congregate there. Becky and Brian arrived first with pumpkin Pez's for the kids and a few minutes later Buffy arrived with Liam dressed up in a turkey jumpsuit.
"Sorry I'm late, guys," Buffy said as she set Liam down to toddle over to everyone, "Wrangling the kiddo on my own."
"No Angel?" Willow asked.
Buffy shook her head.
"He's waiting on an old friend of his he invited for dinner. The friend got tied up."
Liam got to them all and launched himself at Tara's leg.
"Aunty Ta-Ta!"
"Hello cutie," Tara picked him up and tickled his chin; his face being the only exposed part of him.
Willow threw her thumb in Tara's direction.
"He calls her that and he's a cutie, I call her that and I have to sleep on the couch."
Everyone laughed and Liam basked in it.
He was quite happy to stay with Tara as everyone broke off to play their annual football game, which was less of a structured game and more of a free-for-all for whatever sport or whimsy anyone had the inclination to do with a broad focus on getting the ball to one end or another.
Tara sat on the bench and clapped Liam's hands any time Willow or Buffy scored.
"Yay Mommy," Tara clapped his little hands together, "Yay Aunty Willow."
"Ay, ay!" Liam agreed, bouncing on Tara's knee, "Mah-mee! Wih-whoa!"
"Weren't you a cheerleader in high school?" Willow grinned at Buffy, "Your son is taking after you."
"There's worse traits he could pick up," Buffy returned with a grin as she caught the ball and almost crushed it with her grip.
The game didn't really have an ending, more of a mutual agreement of calling a truce fueled by a desire for hot chocolate. Tara handed out the cups and people served themselves so she could go off and collect leaves with Liam. When they returned, Liam dutifully gave everyone their own leaf while saying 'luf, Leem' each and every time.
Buffy gave Tara a long, grateful hug as she took him back and had Liam give her a big kiss.
Everyone naturally dissipated with the need to go back to their own homes to organize dinner.
Willow and Tara brought their brood home but Tara hung back to walk with Kayden.
"You were good at the game. I was watching."
Kayden blushed.
"I don't play sports."
"I don't think it counts as 'sport' the way our family does it," Tara grinned.
Kayden grinned back.
In fact, that game of football-whatever was the most confident he'd ever felt with a ball in his hand.
"I had fun."
"Glad to hear it," Tara returned, bumping Kayden's shoulder, "Now comes the real event. Please do not judge my other children or my wife on the amount of food you're going to see them eat. Better yet – join in. But remember, there's always dessert."
Kayden smiled softly.
"I'll remember."
Tara liked how much she'd been seeing that smile lately.
When they got home it was time to pull the meal together. Willow and Tara had it down to a fine art in how to coordinate the last difficult few minutes but Tara sensed Kayden really wanted to help, so she got him to wash some pots so the sauces didn't set on them. It wasn't an inconvenience; she knew how important it was to feel useful.
Once everyone was around the table and hungry eyes were flitting from golden turkey to buttery potatoes to the bronzed marshmallows atop the sweet potato casserole, Tara held her hands out either side and everyone naturally joined hands until they were in a loop.
Tara smiled around at everyone.
"I would like to announce that as of yesterday, we have officially been approved as Kayden's foster parents," she leaned in conspiringly toward Kayden, "Brandon was going to tell you yesterday but I asked if I could have the honor."
Kayden's eyes shone with something that hadn't often been present there; hope.
"W-What does that mean?" Emily asked from the other side of the table.
"Well, it means Kayden officially lives with us," Tara explained a soft smile and a wink for Willow, who smiled back the same way.
"Kayden's lived with us for months," Lily replied in confusion.
"Yeah, what's the diff?" Robyn shrugged.
"Well…nothing really," Willow answered, but still smiled, "But it's official."
"Sounds like boring adult paperwork BS," Robyn dismissed.
"Robyn," Tara warned gently.
"What? Some piece of paper doesn't make him any more part of the family," Robyn retorted and Kayden's gaze dropped.
"Robyn!" Willow scolded loudly.
"WHAT!?" Robyn replied in the same tone, "I'm just saying we don't need some signature on a piece of paper to know he belongs here!"
Kayden inhaled audibly and looked back up with that little bit of hope creeping in.
"It gives us more security," Tara answered in a firm tone.
"Oh," Robyn replied quietly.
"You don't know everything just because you think you do," Willow said tersely, then looked pained in Tara's direction as she lowered her voice, "God help me, I just sounded like my mother."
"Let's eat everyone," Tara cut in before they had a typical holiday family fight before even carving the turkey, "First, Emily, would you like to start our thanks?"
Emily nudged her glasses up on her nose but when they started to fall again, Kayden reached over from his spot beside her and helped her get them secure behind her ear. Emily beamed up at him as she retook his hand.
"I'm thankful for, um…for Kayden," she admitted bashfully, "B-Because he helps me fix my glasses and he draws with me and always says my drawings are really good. And that he's fosters with us now, 'ficially."
Kayden looked like he might cry.
"I'm thankful for Kayden too," Willow chimed in, "Because he shows me how to be strong every day."
"I'm thankful for Kayden!" Lily added, never one to be left out, "Because, because! Because he listens all the time even when I talk for a long, long time when I forget to push my stop button!"
"I'm thankful for Kayden," Robyn looked up in a rare show of humbleness, "Because he's teaching me how to shred on guitar."
"I'm thankful for Kayden," JJ smiled easily across the table, "For giving me some company up in that big old attic."
"I'm thankful for Kayden," Tara finished softly, "Because he's brought more love into our home."
She smiled at each and every person around the table again.
"Just like I love and am thankful for every single one of you around the table. We wouldn't be a family without each other."
Just before she was going to announce they eat, Kayden piped up quietly.
"I'm thankful that you all found me."
Because they all had, in different ways.
JJ had found him physically and brought him here.
Tara had found him emotionally, tapping into something in him straight away that allowed him to open up in a way he never had been able to before.
Willow didn't know it, but when she'd given Kayden a new guitar after just knowing him a couple of days, she'd found his trust in humanity again.
Robyn had helped him find his belief in himself again by teaching her guitar and Lily had helped him find joy for life that he hadn't known existed. Emily had helped him find his love of art again and to tap into his eye for architecture, for the first time giving him an idea of a future.
Even Woofy had helped him find a capacity for unconditional love.
Willow smiled and glanced at Tara on her way to looking at Kayden.
"We always find each other," she said resolutely, "Now pass the mashed potatoes before you savages take it all."
JJ suddenly jumped up from his seat.
"WAIT!" he said, loud enough to startle, "Can I be thankful for one more thing?"
"You can be thankful for as many things as you like," Tara offered sincerely.
"Unless it's going to take so long that everything goes cold," Willow added.
Tara nudged Willow, who just smiled back.
"Kidding…kinda. Potatoes cool quick."
"I'll just be a minute!" JJ proclaimed as he ran out the door.
He was so giddy and excited and had been for a couple of days now. Willow had thought it was excitement about Thanksgiving. That boy loved to eat and Tara made the best eats going.
Kayden was smiling now too, as wide as Willow had ever seen it. Something was definitely going on.
When JJ came back in, everyone screamed.
Willow was lost.
He didn't look any different except that he was wearing a sports jacket.
"You're thankful for… Dick's Sporting Goods?"
"Willow," Tara clicked her tongue and jumped up to hug JJ.
"What?" Willow asked, frowning that she seemed to be the only one out of the loop.
"He got his letter jacket, Momma!" Robyn exclaimed and only withheld the 'duh' because she knew she was still on thin ice.
"Oh!" Willow replied with a keen surprise.
Tara took JJ's face in her hands and kissed both cheeks.
"I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks, Mom," JJ said with uncharacteristic bashfulness.
Tara pulled on each side of the jacket and patted the letters sitting on the pocket.
"When's your first game with your jacket?"
"We don't actually wear them on the court, Mom," JJ replied with a modest shrug, "Next Friday."
"We'll be there," Tara promised, pulling the lapels on his jacket gently, "We'll all be there."
"Of course we will," Willow added and stood up to walk over to him, "I'm sorry I find it so hard to keep up with all of your sports stuff. The day you were born you made me a Momma and every day since you've made me a proud one."
"Momma…" JJ intoned, embarrassed but was smiling, pleased all the same.
"Son," Willow replied as she reached onto the table to get the electric carving knife, "You've earned this."
JJ's eyes lit up. He flicked the switch and started to wave the thing about like a chainsaw.
Willow awkwardly waved her hands about until he stopped it and she took it back.
"Okay," she said, handing him the nearest gravy instead, "You've earned refilling the gravy boat."
JJ looked down at it sadly.
"It's not even empty."
"What can I tell you, it's an evolving role," Willow replied with a shrug, then pressed a kiss onto JJ's cheek, "But you are the apple of our eyes. Well done. You deserve it."
JJ smiled softly and it turned sheepish.
"I still can't cut the turkey, can I?"
"Wait until you have seven mouths to feed and see how eager you are for the turkey to be wasted," Willow retorted playfully.
"I'll eat wonky turkey!" Lily offered, jumping on her seat with her hand held high.
"Me too!" Robyn nodded eagerly.
"M-me three!" Emily said with a gentle, adoring smile for her big brother.
Kayden just smiled; any turkey was an improvement on previous Thanksgivings.
Willow threw her hands up.
"Wonky turkey for everybody!" she announced as she sat back in beside Tara and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "At least they didn't call it cock-eyed. That would put me right off my food."
Tara pressed her nose into Willow and grinned.
"This will sweeten you up."
She pressed her lips to Willow's softly and lingered.
"It's not fair that you guys are grossing us out when we're gonna eat," Lily piped up with a disgusted look on her face and Robyn mouthed 'thank you'.
Tara waved a hand in front of her flushing cheeks.
"We'll stop."
JJ fired up the carving knife again but a quick glance from Tara put heed to his acting out any Leatherface fantasies.
His carving was a bit wonky, but truly, weren't most things in life?
"I for one think the sound of metal on bones is a delightful soundtrack for Thanksgiving," Robyn said with a definitive nod of her head, "It reminds me of the screams of the indigenous people when—"
"Now who sounds like my mother?" Willow muttered.
Tara took Willow's hand under the table and looked at Robyn.
"Sweetheart, you know we all agree with you and that's why we don't thank the pilgrims, the founding fathers, or any other colonizers. Why we donate to the American Indian College Fund and buy as many ingredients for dinner as possible from native-owned businesses. Would you like to read to us from one of your books by indigenous persons?"
Robyn looked a bit stricken.
"I kinda want to eat my mac'n'cheese."
"You're allowed to enjoy it, kiddo," Willow said gently, "Everyone is allowed to enjoy it. Mom worked her as—butt off, so maybe we have some thanks for Mom?"
There was a chorus of 'thanks you's and 'thanks, mom' and Tara smiled.
"Everyone is very welcome. Eat up."
Willow popped a kiss under Tara's ear.
"Don't worry, your butt just looks even better after all that working out."
"We can hear you," JJ said loudly.
"Let the children enjoy the meal without violating their minds," Tara said quietly and shot Willow a crooked grin, "There'll be enough violating later."
JJ's fork hit his plate and he groaned.
"I don't even know what you're saying," Lily supplied helpfully as she took a big spoonful of creamed corn.
"I do," Robyn replied glumly.
"I forgot the cornbread," Tara announced and suddenly everyone was perky again at the thoughts of it coming fresh from the oven.
After a thoroughly enjoyed dinner, where the moms just about managed to not completely embarrass their children, Tara almost had to physically pull Kayden into the living room to relax; telling him the dishes could wait.
JJ had the football on but the girls were jumping about playing in front of the TV so he was only casting furtive glances at it. His belly was too full to even think about sports, honestly.
Rose was the first of the grandparents to arrive and after giving her a big hug and wishing her a happy Thanksgiving, Tara made sure to make the introduction to Kayden before the rest of the kids, the girls especially, jumped on her.
"Kayden, this is Rose. She was my mother's wife."
She saw Kayden's eyes widened but he recovered quickly.
She was going to make a joke about all of the gayness in the family but she wasn't sure if Kayden was up for that kind of thing yet.
"It's nice to meet you," Kayden shook Rose's hand a bit nervously but warmly.
"It's lovely to meet you, Kayden," Rose returned, closing her other hand around Kayden's too, "Tara's grandmother's name was Kaydence. I'm sure she's told you that."
Tara shook her head.
"I hadn't, actually. I'd forgotten."
"You never did get to meet them," Rose said sadly.
Before anybody could say anything else, Tara's prediction came through and Lily and Emily came swinging out of Rose from either side.
"Nana Rose, come look at our centerpiece!" Lily started to pull her away,
"We used crys-amma-mums!" Emily said as she swung Rose's hand and skipped along to follow.
"I put in echinacea," Robyn added as she hurried up to show off her portion, "It's a traditional healing herb by many Indigenous tribes."
About twenty minutes later, Ira and Michelle arrived and Willow welcomed them with a hug and a kiss.
"Everyone is in the living room. Pie is a-comin'!"
The girls swarmed Ira and Michelle as they came in and JJ was able to sneak over to Rose. She put her arm around him and gave him a squeeze.
"How's my boy?"
JJ happily rested his head on Rose's shoulder. He had no memory of a time when she wasn't in their life. He turned to look toward her.
"When did you meet Grandma Lisa?"
Rose smiled fondly.
"We were young, like your parents."
JJ's brow furrowed.
"Wasn't it hard, like, being together and having a baby in those days?" he asked with a concerned look in his eyes, "And how come Mom doesn't call you Mom?"
"Oh," Rose replied, completely taken by surprise, "Um, have you spoken to your mother about this honey?"
On the other couch, the twins were fighting to be the one to sit on Ira's lap while Robyn had her legs swung over Michelle and was cuddled into her side so Michelle could play with Robyn's hair.
"You three are coming to us tomorrow so your parents can go out for their wedding anniversary, are you excited?"
Kayden turned to Tara shyly.
"H-How long have you been married?"
"Seventeen years," Tara replied with a wink in Willow's direction, "We got married about six months before we had JJ."
"Is 'had' the right term?" Robyn called out, narrowing her eyes, "Isn't it more like…'got'? You had me, or Momma did. But you got him."
"Clearly pedantry is passed on in the womb," Tara said under her breath.
"I heard that," Willow and Robyn said at the same time.
"Where would you girls like to go?" Ira interjected quickly, "What about the zoo?"
Robyn frowned deeply.
"Ganpy it's unethical to keep wild animals locked up away from their natural habitats for people to stare at for their own amusement."
Ira seemed a bit shocked.
"You loved the zoo when you were little."
Robyn sighed like the weight of her world was on her shoulders.
"I hadn't developed a social conscience then."
"Oh, I see," Ira said, floundering a bit, "Well. What do you suggest we do?"
Robyn's eyes lit up.
"We could write to our local representatives to encourage them to help end period poverty."
"Oh. Well," Ira was well and truly flapping now, "What about mini golf?"
"Can we go to the museum of science, Zayde?" Lily interjected and never had Willow seen color fill her father's face faster.
"Excellent," he declared with a righteous nod.
"Can Kayden come?" Emily piped up, eyes smiling behind her glasses which made Kayden smile too.
"If he'd like to," Ira smiled easily at the boy, "Jacob can come too."
JJ shook his head.
"Can't. Basketball."
"Kayden?" Ira asked encouragingly.
Kayden blushed with all eyes on him.
"It sounds cool."
"Fantastic," Ira grinned, on the right foot again.
Tara caught Willow's eye for them to go organize pie.
"JJ?" she called in a suggesting tone, "Do you have something to show your grandparents?"
JJ's eyes lit up and he ran back out to the coat hook where he'd left his letterman jacket.
Willow and Tara heard all of the grandparents cooing and congratulating JJ as they headed off to the kitchen to cut the pie into pieces.
As they stood beside each other, Willow bumped Tara's hip.
"Looking forward to tomorrow?"
Tara bumped it right back.
"Always when it starts waking up with you."
Tara rolled off of Willow and let her head sink back into the pillows.
She panted and threw her hand over her forehead.
"I need a break. I'm an old lady now."
Willow turned herself on her side and ran a hand down Tara's body; reveling in every bump and lump and nook and cranny that she could feel beneath her fingertips.
"You don't look like an old lady."
Tara watched Willow's gaze fall downward and felt herself shiver under the ardent glint in her wife's eye.
"I love that you love my body."
Willow dragged her gaze back to Tara.
"It's very easy to love."
They shared an affectionate look, then Willow leaned down to peck Tara's lips.
"I was disappointed when the restaurant canceled our reservation but I have to say, I'm a much bigger fan of this kind of eating out."
Tara smirked crookedly.
"I've known that for more than twenty years."
Willow chuckled and threw her arm around Tara's waist.
"Our marriage will be old enough to vote next year," she said, then her eyes widened, "That means our son is almost old enough to vote. No. Make it stop. This is it; this is perfection. Let's stay in this time forever."
Tara cupped Willow's cheek.
"We can't stay still. But we know wherever we move forward it will be together."
Willow nuzzled Tara's hand.
"Happy seventeen years since I did the smartest thing I've ever done and married you."
They kissed softly again but after a minute, Willow started to move over Tara again.
"Willow…" Tara playfully warned.
"Oh come on," Willow grinned, wiggling downward, "You wouldn't even have to do anything…"
She smirked as she disappeared.
"I only had an appetizer and an entrée in the Restaurant of Tara…now it's time for dessert."