And I turned 'round and there you go

 Lily went to Des Moines for Thanksgiving. Her grandmother wasn't coming to Omaha.

She hesitated to go. After all, Izzy said she could come to Thanksgiving if she wanted. But Lily knew she had to do this.

It was good to see her grandmother again, even if she knew Gram would be full of questions about her late actions. However, Gram didn't say a word about them. The dinner went well with the uncles. Their home was lovely and their kids were almost in middle school now. She hadn't seen her father's brother in years. 

Gram brought gifts for everyone. She said she planned on going on a Christmas cruise, which was heartbreaking. Lily didn't want to hear this, but the sweet cardigan and the hundred-dollar Amazon gift card did make things better.

"Why are you doing this?" Lily said later when it was just the two of them getting the Thanksgiving clean-up in order and in the dishwasher.

"Why are you doing the things you are doing?"

Evidently, Gram had talked to her mother. Lily shook her head, no. This was no time to get into this with her.

"You left me," she mustard up to say. "You know, you've always been that parent when my parents weren't around."

"What? I was supposed to wait until you left me?" 

Lily didn't understand. "You were leaving me all the time," her grandmother confessed. "I thought you wanted me to leave." She said she questioned if she'd hindered her instead of helped her all these years. "Oh, they can say everything is fine, even your father still believes this, but he can't make up for lost time. I know, you were moved around a lot when you were little. I thought things were better between you too. But I know it'll never be perfect. It might never be perfect between you and your mother, either."

Gram said she had a life too. She'd been through a lot with a husband who was far from perfect. "He never really loved me like a Hallmark movie. I don't want you to have that. It's up to you to make better choices."

Naturally, Gram didn't have any answers for her. It was best she start the new semester and find that career she was so passionate about. Lily knew it was best to get those basics out of the way and hope she found a path to help her grow.

Red as strawberries in the summertime

 Maddie still felt under the weather, but she was good, even if she didn't have a voice yet. She'd stayed in her room most of the Thanksgiving weekend. It was great when KC and Millie showed up with food. She knew Boone mentioned it but she'd fallen back to sleep and had some wild dreams about sneaking through people's apartments just to use the bathroom.

Yes, she must have really been sick. Back to reality, she found out about KC's proposal while they were in the kitchen when Millie went to the restroom. Boone was there too, but she wasn't sure he heard. After all, KC and Millie stayed most of the evening.

"That's so strange," Maddie could only manage to say above a whisper. "What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know?" KC looked to be in limbo. But he was doing everything Millie asked.

"He better just do it," Boone said later when they were alone and he kept the can of whip cream that KC brought. He made them French toast with  beautiful white swirls and peaks on the toast.

"You know, you shouldn't have gotten so silly, spraying it in your mouth like you did when they were here," Maddie reminded him he was more of a kid than KC would ever be. He'd made a big mess and they didn't want the can back.

"I know," he yawned. "It was just something my sister and I used to do when mom brought out the pumpkin pie, whipped cream." Besides, he wanted to keep the can of whipped cream. He put some whipped cream on top of their coffee. "I'll get him a new can before Christmas."

Of course, they stuffed their faces with the brunch he'd made and didn't speak of KC nor Millie for awhile.

"I think Millie is good for KC," she nodded.

"I bet she's saying the same thing about you," Boone's smile was open as he went to get more coffee while they sat at the coffee table.

Maddie tried to laugh, but her throat hurt just a bit. She was exhausted, and neither had gotten out of their flannels and comfy tees.

"Would you marry me, if I said something like that?" She looked at him blankly.

"Yeah." He nodded as if there would be no troubleshooting. "But you know, you are still young." He squinted as if there was a loophole. "And you are sick at the moment."

Maddie was even lipped then. Yes, Millie and KC were young too. She understood what Boone meant, yet deep down she thought they were meant to be, so why did they have to wait?

on the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me

 

Thanksgiving was a bit disappointing to Axton. Yeah, he missed his baby girl more than the thought he would, but he did his best not to bring Chili down. After all, he worked hard at the coffee shop feeding anyone who needed a free Thanksgiving meal. The bakery next door offered free day-old bread and treats to take home at the coffee shop. Actually, it was rewarding. There was no time for pity.

Then they had dinner that night with Dory and Cedric at their place. It was a quiet meal a lasagna that hit the spot. Seriously, they could have slept on the livingroom floor that night, but somehow they managed to get back to his place. And Chili stayed. He hadn't expected that.

Even so, he had to admit later he wondered if something was conceived that night. He didn't know what it was, but it left him more puzzled, perhaps even a little frightened.

"What if I'm a father again?" He said to Ollie while walking to the basketball court. Chili stayed with Carrie to bake gingerbread cookies. There was a chill in the air, but it made him quicker with the basketball.

"Axe, sometimes, I just don't know about you," Ollie shook his head with a grin.

"I'm not trying to be..you know, The Man, um..it's just..what if I do have another kid?" Axton looked at him as if he should have some knowledge of this. After all, Ollie's daughter was almost four.

"I get it," Ollie sighed a little sleepy-eyed. "You just keep going and enjoy every minute of it."

He pushed the ball to Axton and he made a layup.

"So how was Thanksgiving?" Axton looked back at Ollie with his hands on hips as if he was too tired to play another round so Axton dribbled.

"Oh, it felt awful long, actually." Ollie told him about the mess at Thanksgiving. It seemed his adopted mother's real daughters got into it and he'd never seen his adopted mom act that way. He shook his head, "And then..there was Gabby." He sighed as if it all made him nauseous. 

"What's going on with you two?" Axton squinted back thinking Ollie might be ill.

"I can't seem to say NO to  her," he sighed as if he was so mad at himself.

"Did you sleep with her?" Axton couldn't help but ask.

"NO." 

"Well, then what's the problem," Axton's lips curled up at the end. "You're holding you're ground."

"Oh, she wants to be with us all the time," Ollie looked sad about it. "I know this thing with..with her ex and her family has to be hard, but it's hard for me and Carrie, too. I just want to be a dad, you know. And I don't have time for her, right now."

He looked so sad. "Sure, in the beginning, it was great seeing her, and all, but..but...I don't know. I feel like I need to sneak away in the night ..and not tell her I moved, you know."

"Wow," Axton had never been in a predicament like that before. He loved being with Chili. He hoped Ollie found that again one day. "Maybe, maybe you need to introduce her to someone new."

"Like who?" Ollie was so serious then.

"I don't know, you're worst enemy," Axton cracked up.

Well, my mama told me there'll be days like this

 "Holy shit," Brick didn't expect to see his Aunt Brit back with her kids and no Carson. Weren't they a package deal? Carson and Brit. 

He wished he'd stayed at the dorm instead of coming home for Thanksgiving. He only wanted a snoozefest but even then he shot hoops with Kevin in the cold just to get away from all the fuss.

Oliver showed up with a redhead. Brick thought he knew her, but he didn't really want to know. Just what was Oliver up to?

On the upside he got to see his nephew Theo, who was older now and he wanted to play basketball with them. But as luck would have it, the snow came and the two along with Kevin ended up at Urgent Care with Strep Throat.

His mother was no help. And asked about Harley. Which Brick had no answers. If he'd been with Harley, this would not have happened.

"Well, I don't want to see you, if you're sick," Harley said once he did finally called her by Friday. Truly, the blackest of Friday's for him. She'd gone to Lincoln anyway to spend her Thanksgiving with Izzy and Cowan. 

"Did Rainy go with you?" He got the courage to ask.

"Why wouldn't he?" She was being questionable and he didn't like it, but then she said she hoped he felt better soon. She'd hate for him to be under the weather. Wasn't he in a tournament soon?

He winced. How did she know?

"Oh God, I'm sorry," Brick said as he winced tears. His throat ached. He wanted to sleep, but he was feeling awful. He didn't like this break he was having with Harley.

Darry knew it was the worst idea ever, Junie helping with Thanksgiving at The Mission, but he took it in stride. A good part of the morning he carried her on his back while he was trying to help with the massive food prep. Finally, he'd had enough by the eleven o'clock hour. He got her ready to serve the sweet potatoes as the folks came pouring in for the  Thanksgiving dinner. 

Naturally, she looked at him like a lost puppy. "You know, all you have to do is smile and the rest will be history?"

He left it to her and got back to baking the rolls in the back. It only made him laugh quaintly thinking how she had a lot of growing up to do. He would just  have to wait for her and hope she learned something in kindness on Thanksgiving, but then again it was Junie and she was one of a kind.

Maddie got what everyone else got at work, the upper respiratory virus that was going around. She sounded horrible when KC phoned her. Boone got it too. So he decided to make Thanksgiving dinner even if he'd never baked a turkey before.

Millie said she didn't know how either, but it came natural to her and she knew all the sides, even the green bean casserole.

"We don't have to have to have turkey for Thanksgiving," she shrugged. Sure, she liked the way the turkey looked when it came out of the oven but told him she'd rather have duck.

"Now you tell me," he laughed. Although, he suspected having duck would be quite expensive. After all, there was a turkey in the freezer at his parents and his step-mom had left Junie a cryptic message for good luck. But Junie was being miserable with her toe. He knew Darry was a keeper. Any other boy would have dropped Junie like a hot potato. 

He looked to Millie, thinking she would be long gone now. He wasn't exactly boyfriend material. Sometimes, he took over a situation when he guessed he shouldn't, but she was still here.

"Do you ever think there is a chance-" KC started to ask about their so-called partnership which was basically music and songwriting.

"A chance for what?" She looked at him as if she was certain to give him mixed signals.

"You know, I like you."

"And I like you."

"It's just I want us-"

"To get married?" She looked at him blankly and then pulled a damp container out of the dishwasher to dry before prepping the food they were taking to Maddie and Boone's.

"Married?" That was such a foreign word to him.

"That's the only way I'm going to be with you," she informed him she wasn't like other girls.