Miranda

Chapter Eleven

"Nothing is better than going home to family and eating good food and relaxing." –Irina Shayk

~Nate~

It is Thanksgiving and we are all together as a family.

I am of course flying solo this year, but Ryan has brought Emily. A bold move since they have been together for a couple of years now and our mother is chomping at the bit for them to get married. She wants grandchildren so bad, she has gone from the subtle hint to flat out asking when they are going to start family planning.

Only I don't think that is in either of their plans, they both really enjoy the freedom of no children.

I will, thankfully, be exempt from those conversations this year since my separation from Jessica. Mom wasn't a huge fan of her anyway. Jessica like the money and wasn't shy about it. I didn't mind, it was my money to do with as I pleased. But it bothered mom, she was of the mind that those with money should be humble about it and not flaunt it.

A juxtaposition to our father who liked to lavish our mom with expensive jewelry, houses, and trips to exotic lands.

We were in one such house in Colorado. It is a beautiful 3 story on the side of a mountain outside Boulder Colorado. Nestled off a side street a little more than halfway up Sunshine Canyon.

Mom and Emily were in the kitchen, presumably checking on the food preparations. With over one hundred people in attendance, Mom has hired staff and caterers to handle the meal. Dad and Ryan were in the main living room making small talk with the guests my parents had invited. Mostly other lawyers who dad knew from the firm and their wives, almost all of which were beyond the child rearing stage, but the sounds coming from upstairs suggested that at least a few still had young children in tow or had brought along grandchildren. I grab the Dr. Pepper I ordered from the bartender and walked over to them, nodding hello to people I recognize.

"What's your poison son?" My father's deep baritone hums through the air.

I hold up my glass, "Dr. Pepper."

"Lame bro" my twin holds up his bottle of beer to show me his non-lame choice in beverage. I give him an unimpressed look and turn back to dad.

"How are things?" I ask.

"Your mother has me on a diet again" he says with great suffering. "I am going to starve to death at this rate!" He pats his belly.

"Oh stop it you!" I hear my mother's voice from behind me. I turn to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I give Emily a kiss as well as she sidles up next to Ryan.

"This girl, I tell you Ryan, you had better scoop her up before some other eligible bachelor comes sniffing around!" Mom links her arm with Emily's showing their unified front on this position.

I try to hide my smile but not really.

A hand flies out of nowhere and hits me in the stomach.

"Ooof! What the hell mom?"

"You need to take a page from your brother's book and bring a new girl around. And choose better than the last time would ya?"

"Yeah bro!" Ryan chimes in, attempting to shift the focus of the conversation away from him and Emily.

I cut my eyes to him. "I'll do my best." So much for being exempt.

"You need a good girl to soften you up some, you are too much like your father was at that age. All work focused and stuffy."

"Hey now! No need to bring me into this!" my father holds up an indignant hand.

"I am not stuffy! I am picky, know the difference." I try to act indignant.