'Til Sun Beams Find You [COMPLETE]

Forty-four (Part 1)

It was thanksgiving evening and Carter sat at the dining room table in his aunt Lisa's home. He showed up a while ago and was genuinely surprised by how much family showed up because he didn't remember having that many cousins and aunts and uncles. It made the holiday warmer.

He'd been over to Lisa's a few times since that one disastrous night, and every time it'd been love. She and Mark were great, and he was learning to let go of the past in a way he never had before.

He had therapy to thank for that.

It wasn't until he laid out all his problems to a complete stranger that Carter realized the fucked up ways in which he maneuvered through life. He'd gone fifteen years holding a grudge against his mother's family for something that had nothing to do with him personally.

But just like he'd been learning to forgive others, he was extended that grace to himself.

His approach to life was real laidback these days, as he just went with the flow.

He was seated between his little cousin Payton and his father, and across the table was his uncle Ken. They hadn't spoken much, if at all, in the last two months, and it bothered the both of them. But Ken flew in late that morning and they didn't have time to see or speak to one another without other people around.

"So Carter, what's going on with you?" Lisa prompted him as everybody else shared the latest on their life.

It was their yearly catch-up as an entire family, and it was Carter's first time joining since his mother died.

He distantly recalled having big thanksgiving dinners like this as a child, but those memories were far off at that point. Then it was just him, his dad and his grandmother together at her house for the years after that.

Lisa, of course, knew a lot about the latest in his life, because he showed up every week for the dinner she had, but she wanted everybody else to get to know him.

"Not much.. business is good. Lots of people were waiting on me to open back up again so.. been real booked up.."

Mark, Lisa's husband, lifted the sleeve of his sweater.

"I was thinking of getting a whole sleeve done and then putting Jazzy and Peanut's faces in there.. what do ya think Carter?"

"Dad," Jasmine groaned at her embarrassing father while Carter just chuckled.

"I got you," he grinned.

"You absolutely do not got him," Lisa interjected. "Please don't feed into his mid-life crisis.."

Everybody at the table laughed, especially Mark.

"How's Nico?" Kenny asked from across the table.

Carter looked directly into his eyes. "We aren't together anymore."

The look on Kenny's face was surprised and apologetic.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, and by his second plate, Carter had to lean back in his chair to give his stomach space.

And he had yet to eat any of the sweet potato pie.

As people began to disperse and everybody headed for the living room to catch the football game, Carter stepped outside to get some fresh air as it was beginning to get stuffy inside.

Right as the door swung closed behind him, it opened again and he saw his father exiting with his coat and shoes on and keys in hand.

"You leaving already?"

It was only 8:30.

Dale nodded as he was headed to the office. "Big case coming up.."

"Where grandma at when you need her?" He joked. "Would be smacking you across the head for leaving thanksgiving early.. especially for work.."