Howdy lovelies, I've been having internet issues but I've managed to get this chapter to y'all anyway. Next chapter officially kicks off the Thanksgiving arc and I'm so excited to write it. The next few chapters are finished and just in desperate need of editing but I'll get them up when I can. Hope you enjoy! ~Shaymie

Angela

She'd offered an invitation to the city a few days ago but, irritatingly enough, Chase still hasn't given her an answer yet.

Angela's leg bounced as she applied her makeup. It felt like nothing's been going right for her lately. Chase hasn't said a thing about the vacation, Molly was barely speaking to her, and now she had dinner with Luke's grandparents. He told her there was nothing to worry about but she didn't think it was possible for him to ever worry about anything. Sometimes she felt like he was too easygoing.

She could hear Molly shuffling around in her bedroom. Probably packing for their trip or something. She's not like Angela or Kasey, who'd always leave stuff like that for the last possible second. Molly liked to double or even triple-check everything she packed.

God, if Angela didn't do something about this soon then their trip was going to be really awkward. At first, she didn't understand what was wrong with Molly. She had to corner her sister after her nightly haircare routine to get an answer. Molly apologized for always bothering her with her problems and said she'd try to handle them herself from now on. Angela could have just curled up and died right there. This was the opposite of what she'd been hoping for.

She wanted Molly to open up more, not shut down again. What worried her the most was that Molly didn't seem to care about what Mark had done. She was more worried about Angela's reaction.

Scared, more like...

"Angie?" She flinched, nearly stabbing herself in the eye with the mascara wand. She set it down and turned to face her sister. Molly still wasn't looking her in the eye. "I'm going to be spending the night over at Maya's for her birthday. S-So you don't have to wait up for me or anything."

"M—"

"That's all I needed to say..." Just like earlier, Molly scurried off before Angela could say anything else. She sighed. Surely this couldn't go on forever, right? They live together. They're about to go on vacation. Molly could only avoid her for so long. She turned back to the mirror to finish her makeup.

Nothing I can do about it now...

Luke said his grandparents were nice and probably wouldn't care what she looked like, but she still decided to tone her look down a little bit. No dark colors or heavy eyeshadow. She even took her piercings out. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to put on the only piece of nice jewelry she owned. She and Kasey had no interest in getting class rings when they graduated high school, but Dad and Aunt Dee wanted to get them something to celebrate.

Kasey got a watch (that he abandoned in favor of wearing one of Dad's), and she got a ring. Aunt Dee picked it out. It was a pretty gold ring, so delicate that she was scared to ever really wear it. The blue gems that decorated it were apparently Angela and Kasey's birthstone. Tanzanite, Aunt Dee said. Kasey's watch also had some.

Angela closed her eyes and sighed. Hopefully this ring brought her luck.

She knew Dale wasn't the world's greatest cook or anything, but she didn't expect the man to somehow set fire to his kitchen. Luke, either blissfully ignorant to Angela's nerves or expertly ignoring them, suggested they all go to the farmhouse to relax while Dale and Bo checked out the damage to the kitchen.

A sudden burst of wind left Angela shivering. Since she was expecting to spend the rest of the night inside, she didn't dress particularly warm. In fact, her outfit was a last-minute purchase for this dinner. She wanted something simple that didn't look like she was trying too hard so she'd stopped by the tailor's earlier to pick up a dress. The strapless black dress certainly looked nice (and didn't cost too much), but it wasn't exactly suited for defense against the cold fall air.

Luke took his jacket off and draped it over Angela's shoulders. She smiled up at him.

"My my, I didn't know you were such a gentleman!" Luke's grandmother (Hazel, Angela reminded herself) gasped, warm brown eyes sparkling. Angela had a hard time believing this woman was a day over 50. Her brown skin was effortlessly smooth. The only thing that even hinted towards her age was the wisdom shining in her bright brown eyes. Luke laughed.

"Come on Gran, you're actin' like I don't have any manners or something! I have to treat my girl right!" A warm feeling flooded Angela's body as Luke pressed a gentle kiss to her head. She'd never get tired of hearing that. It's different than when she was Mikhail's woman. Despite being the one to ask her out in the first place, he was always hesitant to... she didn't want to say "lay any sort of claim to her" because that just sounded barbaric and outdated. But he was never in any sort of rush to say they were together.

She should've realized sooner that she was just his arm candy for events, but hindsight's always 20/20.

Luke was proud to be with her. There was nothing but love in his eyes whenever he looked at her. She regretted doubting him even for a moment. If it hadn't all been in her head, she'd apologize for it. Instead, she grabbed his hand and leaned into him. He smelled the same as he always did, pine needles and dirt and some cheap no-name cologne with an indistinguishable, yet nice scent.

Hazel spent the rest of the walk home teasing him about how immature he used to be. She promised to show Angela tons of pictures from his childhood. He blushed, saying that they really didn't have to look at those, but it was only fair after he made Angela show him all those old Parker family albums. She could guarantee nothing his grandmother had to show could possibly be worse than those pictures of her with highlighter hair because somebody (Reina) didn't read the instructions on the box of hair dye.

Worst part of it was Dad making her keep the ugly green hair to give her a lesson about going behind his back to do things. She lived in beanies for a good while.

It wasn't until they reached the house that she realized Luke's grandfather hadn't said a single word since they were at Dale's. He'd looked at her tattoo (which wasn't as red anymore, but still clearly fresh) and raised a brow. Was he wondering what it meant or judging her for it? Luke told her that he was a veteran, and sometimes it was hard even for him to tell what his grandfather was thinking. The silence was unnerving.

Pretzel shot to his feet the moment the door opened, green eyes narrowed at the elderly couple. Angela shooed him away before he tried to bite their ankles or something. He's never actually attacked anyone. Yet. The closest he's gotten is smacking Chase's leg when he stepped a bit too close to his food bowl. He hissed, fur puffing up and tail raising in the air. Angela apologized and, in a moment of bravery, picked the hissing tabby up so she could put him in Molly's room. She's never held him before since she was certain he'd chew her face off.

To her surprise, Molly was still home.

"A-Angie? I thought you had dinner plans with—"

"Yeah, shit happened and we had to come here instead. Can you get this little rat before he mauls Luke's grandmother?" She stepped forward and dropped the cat into her sister's arms. The little demon immediately turned into a perfect angel as he nestled into Molly's arms. He even let out some purrs for good measure. Angela rolled her eyes. Two-faced little bastard. Molly bit her lip.

"Have you guys eaten yet? I could warm up some leftovers if you need me to."

"Nah, don't let us ruin your night. Tell Maya I said happy birthday."

"It's not actually Maya's birthday." Molly scratched Pretzel behind the ears. "But we're going to be out of town for her birthday so she asked if we could celebrate early. I'm even making her a cake!"

Molly and her damn birthday cakes. She was always willing to go all-out for her friends' birthdays but never liked doing anything for hers. It was a struggle to even get her to accept the small party at the bar. Angela smiled and brushed back Molly's bangs. Maybe she should start investing in hair clips like Chase.

"Alright, tell her happy early birthday then. I'll make sure to let Pretzel out of your room once they leave."

"You've got this, Angie," Molly grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. Angela took a deep breath. She hoped so.

Hazel lit up when she saw her walk out and quickly waved her over. Angela looked around for Luke and spotted him in the kitchen with his grandfather, getting drinks for everyone. He was talking about the farm, how hard she and Molly have worked to get it to its current state. They're still nowhere near as good as Marimba, but Angela was proud of the progress they've made so far. It's pretty good considering they're two people to Marimba's four.

"Don't worry dear, I won't bite," the woman laughed as Angela gingerly sat next to her on the couch. She opened her comically large purse and pulled out a sage green scrapbook. Right. The baby pictures she'd mentioned on the walk here. The front intrigued her. There was a strip of tape at the very top of the book with Luke's name written on it in black marker.

Angela found herself tracing a hand over the tape. What was Luke like when he was younger? Has he always been so carefree? So sweet? Did he ever have a rebellious phase like her?

I bet he's never cursed Dale out...

"Listen Gramps, you gotta try their spinach! I swear it's the best I've ever had!" Luke was still singing the praises of the farm to his stoic grandfather. She's never met a man so obsessed with a single vegetable before she met him. Most guys preferred to scarf down meat. On the days when Molly packed lunch for Luke and Owen to thank them for helping out, she made Luke sandwiches with plenty of spinach.

Angela wanted to learn how to actually cook. She wanted to be able to make Luke nice lunches. It'd be the least she could do for him after everything he's done for her. She wanted to treat him to something for being so good to her. Something that wasn't just sex. He'd probably say that she didn't have to, that just being with him was enough, but still... Still, she wanted to do it.

She knew Kasey also wanted to work on his cooking. Maybe they could get together sometime and have a cooking boot camp or something. The simplest option would be to ask Molly for help. She's been cooking since she was basically a toddler, after all. But it'd feel wrong to do that after berating her for putting so much on her plate. Angela would feel like a selfish, hypocritical bitch.

I don't want you to overwork yourself unless it directly benefits me. That's the message she'd be sending.

She bit the inside of her cheek and opened the photo album before she could start thinking too much. That's Kasey's thing. Instead she turned her attention to the book. The first page was a cover page of sorts, dedicated to one Juniper Paige Dawson. Luke rarely spoke about his mother since he hardly remembered her. Dale had pictures of her around the house but Angela had never really looked at them before.

Luke's mother was beautiful. While Luke absolutely took after Dale, there were some things he clearly got from his mother. He inherited her sense of style, for one. He said he got his shark tooth necklace from his mother before she got sick. He had her smile. Her dimples. Her eyes. How could he ever say that he doesn't look like her?

The next page was a collage of baby pictures featuring his parents. If she didn't know that it was Dale in these pictures, she might not have recognized him without his facial hair. He looked so different without it. And on top of that, he used to be way skinnier. He must have bulked up over the years. She kept flipping through the book.

There was one picture Angela found herself focusing on. Luke couldn't be any older than six, since his mom was still alive. The entire family was at the beach. Luke was in Dale's arms and had the biggest grin on his face. Juniper looked... well, on the brink of death, if Angela was being honest. Even bundled up the way she was, it was easy to see that she wasn't doing great.

"Junie passed shortly after that day," Hazel murmured, lightly running a hand over her daughter's smiling face. "She stayed strong until the end. Kept saying she wanted to die with dignity and all that."

"She was beautiful." It's easy to see where Luke got his spirit from.

"You remind me of her." Hazel looked at Angela with an expression that could only be described as motherly. Nobody's looked at her like that since Mom died. She wouldn't let them look at her like that. She pushed away Jack's mother when she tried to comfort her. Muffy's mother never really liked her, and Reina's mother knew to keep her distance.

She pushed away any older woman that entered her life. They always... always wanted to help. People felt bad for kids with no moms. Molly ate up the attention they'd give her. Angela refused to let them get close enough to give her any attention. She could take care of herself, thank you very much. She didn't need to be coddled or looked down on or... or...

Hugged?

Oh. Hazel's hugging her.

Something about Hazel was different. This didn't feel pitying at all. It felt warm. Loving, even. Angela was stunned by the wetness that started to gather in her eyes. She's crying. Again.

"Gran gives the best hugs, doesn't she?" Luke asked from the kitchen. She had to agree. Hazel patted her back, her strong floral perfume nearly overwhelming Angela's senses. It's nice that she seemed to have the approval of one grandparent, at least.

She stayed in the hug until they brought the coffee over. Luke's stayed over so much, he knew just how she liked it: a ton of cream and just a bit of sugar. She wasn't like Jack who could down black coffee like it was nothing. Molly walked out of her bedroom as they all settled down with their drinks. Angela almost didn't want to let go of Hazel. It's ridiculous. She felt like a needy child and not an almost-26 year old woman.

Molly didn't seem phased by their hug. She gave Luke's grandparents a polite smile and offered them the banana bread sitting on the counter. For the first time all night, Angela saw his grandfather smile. She felt a hint of jealousy. How did Molly already have his approval? She pushed the feeling down. Everyone liked Molly. That's just a fact of life.

Once Molly left, the attention was back on Angela.

She felt almost painfully awkward. Compared to Molly, she wasn't really that impressive. Her only real skill was math. She couldn't cook. Could barely keep the house clean. Sometimes she worried that she didn't have a single motherly bone in her body. She could be nice to kids, but she was never drawn to them the way Molly seemed to be.

I'd never be good enough to marry Luke, Angela thought glumly. Then she paused. Who said anything about marriage? It was far too soon to even be thinking about that. But she wanted it. Wanted it so bad it nearly burned. She wanted to be Luke's wife. She wanted another ring on her finger, not just one she'd gotten for graduating high school.

Luke's grandfather was speaking now, in a gravelly voice that Angela's positive would've been her future if she kept smoking the way she did.

"So... what do you see in my grandson?"

"E-Excuse me?" Angela asked, because she wasn't quite sure she heard right. She'd been expecting some judgment about herself. Her appearance, why she didn't look or act anything like her sister, who they just saw was the perfect example of beauty and grace. Not... a question about Luke. The man leaned forward in his seat, coffee and banana bread completely ignored.

"I'm asking what you like about my grandson. Surely it can't be his brains. Heaven knows the boy's an idiot." Luke let out a sound of offense at that. Or at least what Angela assumed to be one considering he had a mouth full of banana bread. His grandfather ignored it. "You're an attractive young woman. You could have anyone you wanted. Why Luke?"

Angela frowned. He was making it sound like he thought Luke didn't deserve her or something, which was absolutely ridiculous. She's the one who didn't deserve him. She took a moment to think about her response. As much as she'd love to blow up at the old man, she had to remember that he is Luke's grandfather and he probably wouldn't appreciate her disrespecting his family.

"Luke is... probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. Yeah, he's not exactly smart," another sound of offense from Luke, louder this time, "but I've had enough of smartass guys for a lifetime. Luke loves me. And I love him. I love his smile. I love how he makes me laugh. I love that he cares for Molly like she's family. I don't think I could ask for a better partner."

Her face felt almost aggressively warm. There was more she could have said. They'd be here all night if she listed every single thing she loved about Luke. She nibbled at her lip, deciding to add one more thing.

"I don't care about money or smarts or any bullshit like that. All I want is someone that loves me and I get that with Luke. I can't imagine life without him."

"Ange..." If she didn't know any better, she'd think Luke was about to cry. She took a sip of coffee to stop herself from running over to him.

"...Luke," his grandfather grunted, training his golden eyes on his grandson. Luke's gaze was still entirely on Angela. The old man cleared his throat and called his name again. Luke snapped out of the spell and looked up at him.

"Yessir?"

"You treat her right, y'hear?"