Love Stories by Samantha Young

Author:Samantha Young [Young, Samantha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Samantha Young

Chapter Five

MICAH

AGE 22

* * *

The table, as always, was covered in delicious goodness. Turkey, ham, chicken. Stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, corn bread. Not to mention the three kinds of pie for dessert: pecan, pumpkin, and chocolate.

The Fairchilds always went all out on Thanksgiving.

But that wasn’t the reason I always came back.

I was a graduate student and had my own place in Boston with a few of the guys I’d met in college. All of them but Wells went home for Thanksgiving. I could’ve stayed with him.

However, I had hope.

That she would be there.

She never was.

Caroline had inadvertently pushed Valentine away as much as I had.

Not that she didn’t stay in contact. We emailed. We texted. It wasn’t the same. But it was something.

She talked with Jim too.

And for some reason, I really thought she’d be here this year. She was turning twenty-one in January … time was slipping away.

Mom was the only one who noticed my disappointment when I realized Valentine wasn’t coming. She didn’t say anything. The one good thing that had come out of the last few years, other than me getting closer to becoming a qualified architect, was my mom. We were closer. We were building trust again.

“Didn’t Valentine say she’d call?” her grandmother asked for the ninetieth time. “A child who feels loved and wanted would have called by now.”

If Caroline came down hard on Val, her mother came down hard on her. She’d been making these little digs at Caroline for the past three Thanksgivings.

“My daughter knows I love her.” Caroline glared at her mom.

Caroline’s dad tsked. “Your mother means nothing by it. Lose the tone, Caro.”

Shit.

“I don’t have a tone.” She sniffed and stuffed more food into her mouth.

Jim stared forlornly at his dinner plate.

They missed their kid.

I missed her too.

Mom and I shifted uncomfortably.

“I’m not saying you weren’t right to guide her on her future, but you have to know when to let go and just let your child make her own mistakes.”

“I know that, Mother.”

“And Valentine seems perfectly happy. That’s all anyone can ask for.”

“Really? Because when I was growing up, you made it clear that my happiness depended upon how successful I was in life and thus how proud I made you.”

“Jesus,” Mom murmured under her breath.

Things were about to go south.

A sharp ringing from the TV on the wall behind Jim jolted us.

“Oh, thank God,” Jim muttered. “That’ll be Val.” He tapped his phone as he turned toward the TV, and suddenly Valentine’s beautiful, beaming face filled the screen.

“Happy Thanksgiving!” she cried, waving at us.

“Happy Thanksgiving!” we called back.

I was so busy staring at her face, it took me a minute to register the background.

“Where are you?” Jim asked.

Although it was dark out, palm trees blew in the breeze behind her.

And she was wearing a white dress.

Valentine giggled. “I have a surprise. I’m in Cancun.”

“Mexico?” Caroline asked, leaning toward the screen. Her face paled. “Valentine … what is that on your left hand?”

Her dimples popped as dread filled me.

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