Josiah let out a loud groan of contentment and slight discomfort as he sank down onto the living room couch, his stomach almost too full of amazing food. He’d gotten up before dawn to get their massive twenty-pound turkey into the oven so it would be cooked in time for a midday Thanksgiving meal. Elmer had been instrumental in a lot of the prep work, like chopping vegetables for the dressing and various sides.
And Michael?
He’d amused the hell out of them both by parading around the kitchen in holiday pajamas and a Santa hat, basting the turkey whenever Josiah asked and mostly sneaking food from platters or bowls. Josiah loved the festive atmosphere in the house, and they’d even discussed bringing the fake tree down from the attic today and maybe decorating tomorrow. The chilly weather was here to stay, and Josiah looked forward to truly celebrating the season for the first time in a long, long time.
Dinner had been amazing, the turkey perfectly roasted. Michael had insisted on making brussels sprouts with bacon, and while Josiah had been dubious at first, he admitted to liking the final dish. They ended up with enough to feed at least ten people, so they’d be eating leftovers for a quite a while.
Jackson popped over for about thirty minutes to chat with Michael and go home with a plate of food for him and Dog. Dog got along great with Rosco, who was a happy new addition to their little family.
Kenny hadn’t left Weston until Tuesday morning, because of the handful of legal things he and Michael needed to deal with first, but Michael had been beside himself with joy at the results of their long conversation. In exchange for giving Michael full, permanent ownership of Rosco, he and Kenny had come up with an equitable solution to the Austin house. Kenny could live there until it sold, maintain the property in lieu of rent, and then he’d get a portion of the final sale to start over with. The rest of the money Michael hoped to invest in repairing the Weston farmhouse, as well as preparing for possible future freelance IT work. Josiah had been initially leery of giving Kenny any money, but Michael assured him this was the best solution to keep Kenny out of their lives in the long term.
Plus, Michael glowed with love every time he petted Rosco, and Josiah was getting used to the dog warming their feet at the foot of the bed every night. Josiah had officially moved into the house, leaving the trailer without a tenant, but also leaving him and Michael incredibly happy with the new arrangement.
Josiah was also no longer Elmer’s official caregiver. Elmer still couldn’t manage the stairs and might always need a walker, but he was slowly gaining some independence from the wheelchair. Josiah had plans to submit a few applications next week to some local services who matched patients with caregivers. Time to start the next leg of his journey.
Michael flopped onto the couch next to him, the motion making Josiah’s overly full stomach slosh unhappily. Rosco waited for the signal, then hopped up beside him on the free cushion to pout. Despite all the amazing food smells, Michael had limited him to only a few bites of turkey breast and mashed potatoes so they didn’t upset his sensitive tummy.
No one in the house was much for football, so they found a good lineup of Christmas movies to stream and started with those, Josiah and Michael snuggled up on the couch, and Dad on the love seat, all of them sipping sparkling cider.
Best. Thanksgiving. Ever.
None of the drama that had happened this week could take the shine off Josiah’s good mood today. Kenny was gone and, once the house sold, out of their lives for good. Dale Burns had been detained at the Texas-Oklahoma border and was sitting pretty in jail because he couldn’t afford bail. Josiah had given his statements to the state police detectives investigating the case, both about his interactions with Seamus on Sunday, and Josiah’s own attack in the barn.
Seamus had resigned as county sheriff, and while he hadn’t moved out of town, he seemed to be keeping a very low profile. Josiah didn’t exactly wish him all the best in the future, but he did hope the man found something that made him happy.
“Is it weird,” Michael started to ask, “that no matter how many times I’ve seen this movie, I still want to yell out ‘don’t lick the frozen flagpole, Flick!’?”
Josiah laughed. “Not weird. It’s probably an annual tradition we should keep alive. A Christmas Story followed by the shout of ‘Don’t lick the flagpole!’ Maybe we should get T-shirts made for next year.”
“Definitely.” Michael wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive way, and Josiah caught the double-entendre in the flagpole remark. “Maybe Santa will put them in our stockings this year.”
“You are such a dork.”
“Yes, I know. I also really love Christmas, so expect a lot of exterior lights to brighten up Dad’s crazy sculpture hoard, plus all kinds of midcentury modern ornaments and decor. I swear, that attic is full of every decoration Mom ever bought.”
“Never could manage to get rid of that stuff,” Elmer said. “For a long while, I couldn’t part with anything of hers. The idea hurt too much. Now I look at all those metallic ornaments and crazy-faced plastic Santas and I smile at them.” He looked right at Michael. “I think of your momma and I smile.”
“I smile, too,” Michael replied. “I’m really glad we both smile again.”
“Me too, son.”
Josiah rested his head on Michael’s shoulder, overjoyed that the pair had bridged the huge emotional gap that had been between them when Michael first came back to Weston. Michael still wasn’t entirely sure about his future, but was going to continue working at Woods Ranch while he figured things out. Between the three of them, they could pay the bills and put food on the table, and they didn’t need much more than that—because they loved each other.
And love, Josiah decided as he placed his hand over Michael’s steadily beating heart, was the best reason in the world to smile.