“Sure, Mom.” Randi pushed off the wall she was leaning against, then walked toward her mother on the way to the yard. “Any idea what was going on behind the closed door with Brooke and Sam’s aunt?” The lawyer paused, waiting for an answer.

“No idea at all,” Mable wiped her hands on her apron. “Now, talk turkey to me and I could tell you a wealth of information.” The older woman winked, then motioned for Randi to move along. “You’d better get going before Brooke and all the kids are feasting on the bird and your father won’t have even given the toast yet. You know how that man gets if things are done out of order.”

“I’m going.” Randi took a step or two down the hallway then stopped, turning back toward her mother. “You know, Mom… you can only run interference for so long. There’s a secret brewing here. I can feel it.” With that said, Randi took her leave.

The matriarch watched as her eldest daughter disappeared into the doorway leading to the next room before she let out her held breath. “Brooke, I hope you know what you’re doing,” she muttered, then turned to address the small group gathered in the living room. “Sandy, Peter,” Mable smiled seeing the young woman’s head come into view from around the musician’s frame, “Crystal. You might want to make your way into the dinning room now. We’re about to get ready for the start of dinner.”

“Gosh, Mrs. G.,” Peter spoke up, “We’d be happy to.” He looked over to Crystal, offering his right arm to the young woman, then to her mother, he offered his left arm, “Ladies?” When both women were in place on either side of him, he led them into the dining room with a proud smile on his face.

Smiling at Peter’s expense, Mable turned to go back out into the hallway when the sound of running feet and yelling voices made her stop abruptly from taking another step. Within seconds, Randi’s sons, David and Kevin came flying down the hall, yelling out their greeting as they passed her.

“Hi, Grammie,” the youngest waved as he passed, followed closely by his brother.

Seeing his Grandmother standing in the doorway, the older child slowed down, for a step or two as he turned to keep her in view while he passed by. “Hey, Gram. Don’t worry, I’ll stop Kevin.”

“You know better, David. Don’t go setting a bad example for your brother,” Mable scolded the lad with a shaking finger, then chuckled to herself, remembering her own children doing the exact same thing.

“Sorry, Gram,” David muttered as he slowed down to an exaggerated crawl.

The matriarch looked down the hall before stepping out of the doorway, knowing all to well that there was still another child to come by.

Brooke rounded the bottom of the stairs and saw the trepidation in her mother’s step. “Don’t worry, Mom. It’s safe, I’ve got the little rugrat.” The musician held up the giggling child in her arms as she walked down the hall toward her mother.

“Hey, Mom,” Sam’s blonde head stuck out of the doorway and looked down the length of the hall. “Do you want the pies left in to warm or would you like me to turn off the oven?”

“Ah…no…I…” Mable thought for a moment, “I’ll take care of it, Sam. Why don’t you just go have a seat at the table with Brooke.” The matriarch winked at her daughter who was now standing next to her. “You know, we do treat you like a guest the first holiday season. After that, well…” Mable shrugged her shoulders as she stole a quick glance at Brooke, “who knows, maybe we’ll consider you family.”

Blonde brows furrowed, trying to decipher the code. “Okay, Mom… anything you say.” Sam took in a breath as the older woman moved around her, heading for the kitchen. Looking up to the small child in her lover’s arms, the young woman smiled, focusing her conversation on the child. “And what’s your name, lil’ one? I don’t think I’ve met you yet.”

“Ju-lie…” the girl answered, her dimples showing with her shy smile.

“Yeah,” Brooke leaned down to kiss the tot’s brown hair. “Julie here has been taking her nap like a good girl. She’s three.” The tall woman wrapped her arm around Sam’s shoulder and started to move them toward the dinning room.

“That’s a pretty name.” Sam turned slightly, then held out her hand to the child. “Hi, I’m Samantha, but everyone calls me Sam.” The blonde smiled as they came to the doorway of the dining room. “And I’m a lot older than you are,” Sam glanced at Brooke and chuckled.

The tot lifted her tiny hand and waved. “Hi Sam,” then pointed across the room at the table as she bounced with excitement in Brooke’s arms. “That’s my Daddy.”

Sam looked over to Brian and saw the man in his late thirties nodding to his daughter as he held the chair out for Randi to be seated. “I see that,” Sam turned back to the child. “Your mommy has you dressed really nice, Julie.”

“Tank you… Aunt Brooke bought me dis,” Julie pulled at her shirt and smiled up at her aunt.

“Do you know where your mommy is?” Brooke tried to shift the attention to someone else.

Turning in Brooke’s arms until she could see her mother, Julie reached in Randi’s direction. “Mommy’s ova dere.”

Sam saw the child’s mother sneak in a little wave to the child, then let her gaze fall to Sam as the trio came closer to where they were to be seated. The blonde returned with a nod. “She’s so cute, Randi. She’s adorable.” Sam slid into the seat that Brooke pointed to, while the tall woman moved the higher chair in closer for her niece.

“Why, thank you,” Randi accepted the compliment graciously. “And don’t think that she doesn’t know it, too.” The woman eyed her small daughter and smiled.

“I bet she really keeps you stepping though.” Sam looked back to the child, now that Brooke was finally finished adjusting her seat.

“Yes, she does. You have no idea.” Randi looked to her husband, then both of them began to laugh softly.

“Oh, I think I do,” Sam looked back over her shoulder to Brooke, then turned back to look at Mable for confirmation. “I bet Brooke was the same way when she was that age.” Sam’s attention was on the matriarch, who only smiled and nodded at the memory as she handed the gravy boat to Terri, then went back to the kitchen for more serving bowls.

Brooke took her seat, then leaned over, whispering into Sam’s ear, “So you think I can keep you stepping, huh?” The dark-haired woman brushed her lips against Sam’s cheek causing the red tinge of a blush to start up Sam’s neck, as an embarrassed smile tugged at the woman’s mouth.

“Hmm…” Randi started. “Let’s see…I was six when Brooke was three so I didn’t really have to keep up with her.”

“But I bet she tried to tagalong with you everywhere you went,” Sam nudged her lover under the table with her leg.

“Yeah,” Randi nodded in agreement. “She tried for a while…just couldn’t get rid of her no matter how hard I tried.”

Brooke turned her attention from her older sister to that of her niece, only to have Julie look up to her and grab at her nose. “Hey,” Brooke lifted the tot out of her seat, holding the surprised child up in the air before nestling her in the musician’s strong arms. “What is this, a family conspiracy?” Brooke put her face right up to Julie’s, letting her eyes shift to Randi, then back again.

“Oh, Honey, be careful…” Sam cautioned her tall lover with a hand on her arm, “don’t do that. You’ll scare her.” Sam took the offered cranberry sauce for Brooke and put some on the musician’s plate before taking care of her own.

The sound of a child’s laughter filled the air as Julie began to squeal, “Again! Again!”

Brooke pulled back from the high pitched sound, then looked directly into Sam’s eyes, “She’s okay, Sweetheart…see?” Brooke brought her face smack up against the tot’s one more time to the sound of excited laughter. “No harm’s done.” The woman grinned back at Sam.

“She’s going to have nightmares, and it will be all Auntie Brooke’s fault.”

“Nah, she’ll be fine.” Brooke smiled, turning back toward the child. “Besides if she has nightmares, Randi will just call and wake me up to talk her through them.” Brooke looked over to her sister, then winked before turning her attention to Sam. “Here, you want to hold her?” The tot was shifted toward a startled Sam.

“You sound like you’ve done that before, have you?” The blonde asked as she pushed back her chair.

“Yes, I have with the older two, right guys?” Brooke looked down the length of the table to where David and Kevin were seated.

“Yeah, and she’s the best,” Kevin smiled widely with his missing tooth for all to see.

“Brooke sure got us through some sleepless nights,” Brian chimed in.

Sam leaned in, whispering into Brooke’s ear, “Practicing for me even then, were you?” The blonde giggled softly then held her arms out, inviting Julie into them.

Brooke’s eyes grew wider as she looked over at Sam, then slowly took in a breath to calm her body’s reaction, “Oh, Darlin’. She blinked a time or two to bring her mind back to the present, then looked over to Randi, waiting to see the nod of permission before handing her niece over to Sam.

“HI!” Julie said, climbing into the blonde’s lap and making herself comfortable.

The young woman couldn’t help but smile. “Hey, Honey… you’re so pretty today. You’ve got your barrettes and everything.” Sam looked at the lopsided, half hanging out hair accessories and smiled.

Big brown eyes looked up to Sam as the girl half pouted, “Dank you, but I not like barrettes.” The child looked over to Brian. “Daddy made me wear dem.”

“I can tell. They’re halfway out.” Sam took one hand from around the small child and undid the first barrette, “Here, let me hold them for you.” She took the other one from Julie’s hair. “There, all better.”