Lucy


GINGER’S DONE everything to make me feel at home, and I breathe out a sigh of relief knowing that Kale’s going to be the subject of dinner conversation. I was hoping not to get grilled the way Mom did to him, and it looks like I’m in the clear on that one—at least for a little while. The truth is that Kale hasn’t let on too much about his childhood and I’m excited to hear about him as a boy, especially from the mouths of the women who I can already tell love him more than anything.

After Kale rounds up his sisters, we fill our plates buffet style before sitting down around a round table that overlooks the gulf. Ginger does a quick blessing, and my cheeks flush when she mentions being grateful that Kale and I could both be here with them. I have to squeeze my eyes shut to keep them from welling up.

As we begin to dig in, Ginger speaks up. “Okay, son, I know this is your first Thanksgiving home in years, and I normally wouldn’t do this to you, but since Lucy’s here, it’s my duty as your mom to tell all the stories I can about you. Since I only have a couple of days, I’m going to start now, going back to the conversation we were having in the kitchen.”

Kale chokes on a bite of turkey, and I watch in amusement as he takes a sip of his water to clear his throat. He sets down his fork, holds up a hand, and stops her. “Can I say something first?” he requests, and she nods her head, waiting for him to start.

This feels all so reminiscent of the scene from just last night, except instead of my mom grilling him, his is ready to spill all his secrets. I let out a small giggle at the thought, knowing that he’s had it much worse than I have on this trip even though I’m the pregnant one. He looks over at me and gives me a wicked grin, which I return. Knowing I have his mom’s acceptance means the world to me, and I’m ready for him to finally spill the beans to his sisters.

He takes hold of my hand and places our entwined fingers on the table. “Umm, well, before we get into the ‘how far can we go to embarrass Kale session,’ I’d like to make an announcement.”

Before he can say anything, the twins start spouting off guesses. “You’re getting married?” Kaylie asks, eyeing me suspiciously.

“You’re gay!” This comes from Kalli, who’s quickly on the receiving end of a slap to the arm. “Hey! What was that for?”

“You’re an idiot. Of course he’s not gay. He’s here with Lucy, you twat,” Kaylie mutters, her voice laced with incredulous exasperation. She gives me a sympathetic smile and shakes her head at her sister’s antics.

“She could be his beard! Come on. You know I’ve always wanted a gay brother, and well, Kale hasn’t dated since— ouch!” She’s cut off when Ginger leans over and pinches her.

“That’s enough, Kalliope Montgomery. Your brother isn’t gay and Lucy is most certainly not his beard. Now shut up, you two, and let him speak.”

Kale glares at his sister, who’s sitting up defiantly, not fazed by her mother’s scolding. “I can’t believe you think I’m gay, Kall.”

She shrugs her shoulders and grins at him. “You haven’t brought a woman home in years. For your sake, I was hoping it was because you preferred men. Now that I know it’s because you couldn’t get a date, I just feel sorry for you. But that’s okay. You know I love you, big brother. Always have, always will.”

“Jesus Christ! Shut the hell up and let him speak, Kalli, or I swear to Zeus I’m going to duct tape your mouth shut,” Kaylie threatens, and I can’t help the laughter that escapes my lips. She looks at me with bright eyes. “Oh, don’t mind me. I’m an equal opportunist when it comes to deities. I’m kind of obsessed with all things religion and mythology. It’s a gift and a curse.”

“Good fucking God,” Kale mutters before standing up and pulling him with me as he wraps a protective, possessive arm around my waist. “We’re having a baby. I’m not gay, we’re not getting married— at least not yet—and Lucy sure as hell isn’t my beard. What she is is the mother of my unborn child and you’re incessant freaking chatter just made me break the number one rule of not swearing around the baby.”

Complete silence fills the room, and I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole. Their ‘incessant chatter,’ as Kale so eloquently put it, was endearing, and I loved watching the back and forth between the siblings. But this? The silence is unbearable as two sets of eyes look back and forth between Kale and me, then to Ginger, who’s smiling brightly, and then back to us.

It’s almost more than I can bear, and I’m about to excuse myself when I hear Kaylie whisper, “Jupiter’s balls,” and the room erupts.

Kalli scoots back her chair and jumps up. Then she runs around the table, and I’m completely unprepared for her collision as she throws her arms around us, jumping up and down at the same time.

“Oh my God! That is so much better than you being gay! I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’d totally love you either way, but I’m going to be an aunt?! That’s the best news ever! You know how much I love kids!” She pulls back and my heart warms at the sight of the excitement on her face. “This seriously is the best news ever. Sorry I called you a beard, Lucy.”

“It’s no big deal. I promise.” I laugh.

A moment later, Kaylie pushes her sister aside and gives us both a hug as well. She’s less rambunctious than her twin, a fact for which I’m grateful because two of them would be way too overwhelming.

When she lets go, I can see that she has tears in her eyes and she’s focused solely on her brother. I step out of the embrace, letting them have their moment. Kalli’s chattering in my ear, but I don’t take my eyes off them. Kale must see her tears, and I watch as he places his hand on the back of her head and draws her into his chest. I can see her shoulders shaking as he caresses her hair reassuringly. I strain to hear what they’re saying, but it’s too low for me to make anything out. I’m confused at Kaylie’s reaction, and for a moment, I feel like I’m missing out on something important, but I have no idea what. Looking over at Ginger, I see that she’s watching them with tears in her own eyes, but as if she can feel my eyes on her, she turns to me. Wiping her eyes, she laughs it off.

“The Montgomery women are an emotional bunch.”

Upon hearing this, Kaylie moves away from Kale, giving her mom a glare. “I’m not emotional. I’m just exceptionally overwhelmed at the prospect of another Montgomery in the world. That’s all.” She turns to look at me, giving me a tight smile, which causes a tightness in my heart. “I’m very happy for you both. Now that the excitement’s out of the way, let’s get back to eating. We don’t want it getting cold.”

We all settle back in at the table and Ginger takes over the conversation. “Okay, where was I? Oh yes! How Kale got his name,” she remembers cheerfully, causing both girls to groan.

“We’ve heard this story a thousand times,” Kalli complains.

“Well, Lucy hasn’t, so you’re going to have to suffer hearing it once more. Anyways, as I was telling you, I had the worst morning sickness when I pregnant with him. I couldn’t keep anything down, and even when I could, I felt too nauseated to eat. It got to the point where I was exhausted all the time and I had no energy. I was a horticulture major at the University of Alabama at the time, and one of my professors brought in a juice recipe for me to try out. She said it’s what saved her in her first trimester. It was a blend of kale and ginger, the latter being the important ingredient in helping curb the nausea.

“To be honest, I almost disregarded the notion, but finally I was so desperate that I’d try anything. I sent his dad out for all the ingredients and then realized I had no idea how to make it. Now back in those days, juicers were expensive beyond belief, but I think he was as miserable as I was and he surprised me with one.” She smiles at the memory before continuing the story.

“That was their dad. Sweet and thoughtful, just not meant to stay in one place. He had a restless heart. Anyways, the first day when he set the thick green liquid in front of me, I almost gagged. The ginger smell was so overwhelming, and I couldn’t even stomach drinking it. Eventually he realized he was only supposed to use a bit of the ginger and not the whole root. So he tried again the next morning, and surprisingly, I liked it. It was fresh and delicious, and most important of all, it worked. I don’t know if it was the ginger or the kale, but I didn’t have another bout of morning sickness for the rest of my pregnancy. When it came to naming the baby, it was a no-brainer. The irony didn’t cross my mind either. Ginger and Kale. That was me and my little boy, and he couldn’t have been more perfect.”

My eyes are brimming with tears as she smiles at her son, who smiles right back. I can feel the love between them, and I’m wondering when the hell these emotional waterworks are going to cease.

“That’s a beautiful story, Ginger. And I agree. It’s a perfect name for a perfect guy.”

Kale leans over and places a kiss on my cheek before his lips come up to my earlobe. “Told you, babe. Kale does a body good.”

I’m about to answer when Kalli interrupts the moment. “All right, now that the name story’s over with, it’s my turn. Oh, I have a good one. Lucy, has Kale ever told you about the time he let us dress him up as a Cabbage Patch doll?” Her eyes are gleaming with excitement as I tell her no. “Perfect! Oh, wait! I think we even have pictures. I’ll be right back.

We all watch as she leaves the room to search for the evidence of Kale’s dress-up days, and he groans next to me. Ginger gives me a knowing smile as her daughter exits the room.