Thanksgiving Weekend (COMPLETED)

Chapter 3

"So how are you holding up?" Canley asks Jenny as they walk in the city park.

"It's not as bad as I thought. I mean I am sad and stuff, but she's not suffering anymore and that makes me happy. I guess were the weight comes in is Ashley and Levi," Jenny speaks her heart. "You got the hard part." She motions to the stroller Canley pushes.

Canley shrugs, "Thinking about Rachel and Levi it makes it all level out. So what are you doing for Thanksgiving?"

"I'm going to my parents, why?"

She sighs, "I need an excuse not to go to my parents, well it's not my parents, but anyway."

"Oh. You don't what to go?"

"I do it's just they don't know about Ashley," Canley mutters hanging her head.

"That's alright. It wasn't like you planned to become a parent." Her friend assures her.

Canley forces a smile and nods. Sure I didn't plan it, but are they going to listen to me before accusing me? Especially since it has been since last Christmas that I saw them last.

After talking for a little over an hour the two friends go their separate ways.

Canley pulls back up to her house and sighs. If I am going to the Dallas' I need to leave in the next couple of hours. I have to day it is a fact that I would like to see Cullen and catch up for the past two years, but no one was even sure that he was going to be there. Then again what about Ashley? She didn't have family so it isn't like I am going be taking her away from that.

"Ace, I have no idea what to do," She tells her blue heeler. Ashley begins to wail causing her to sling the diaper bag over her should and take the child to her bed and change her diaper, "What the heck Ash, we will go and if it turns out horrible we can always come home to the pups."

She calls her go to man, Hank, and asks him if he would mind feeding for her. He agrees and encourages her to visit her family.

Canley goes over what she has in her back seat nodding in satisfactory, "If we don't have it we don't need." She buckles Ashley's car seat in and calls Ace to load up before getting in herself.
***

Cullen throws his bag in the back seat of his pickup and shuts the door with a smile. Home town bound! The roads are quiet and not more then five cars pass him before he stops for a pit stop.

As the scenery turns to the rolling hills he grew up in a smile graces his face. This is a place that never changes. The small town is decked out in fall decorations as is every year, and the streets are still the same old faded red brick. He waves to Mr. Hodgins, the general store owner, as he turns off onto the road leading out of town and to his parents small acreage.

The archway reading 'Dallas' meets his view and a smile appears on his face. Home still looks the same as it always has, fresh, welcoming and full of life. He pulls up beside his dad's Ranger and cuts the engine. He grabs his bag from the back seat before stepping to the faded white porch. He opens the door letting it bang shut behind, announcing his arrival.

"Hey Dad."

"He Son, good to see you," His dad tells him smiling and giving him a firm hug.

"You too, Mom in the kitchen?"

His dad nods smiling at the mischievous glimmer in Cullen's eye. Cullen sneaks into the kitchen where his mom stands over the stove and slips his hands over her eyes, "Guess who."

"The one and only son that hides from his mother, Cullen Ray." She turns around and wraps him in a tight hug. "So glad you made it! Now can you go help your dad find the extra table?"

"Extra table? We expecting extra people?" He questions.

She winces as if she feels she should have told him, "Yeah the Spencers are coming."

"Oh, Canley too?" He asks a glimmer of hope to see his long time friend.

She smiles, "Mrs. Spencer isn't sure, but she was invited."

He nods and moves back to the living room. He follows his dad out to the back shed and pulls out the old table with scratches from the wear and tear that life brings with three kids. He smiles as his hand brushes the engraving of his name and his older brother's.

"Remember this, Dad?" He asks pointing to the words.

His dad smiles, "Sure do, your mother was ready to skin both of you, me too. All because I laughed."

Cullen nods and grabs one end while his dad grabs the other and they start towards the front door. They set it in the dining room, flush with the newer table that stays in the house all the time now.

Before long a knock at the door has everyone flocking to greet the new comers. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer join the three in the living room as everyone chats.

"So is Canley going to be able to make it?" Mrs. Dallas asks the question he had been holding back.

Mrs. Spencer smiles, "She said she thought she could, I haven't heard from her since though."

***
Canley pulls into the Walmart parking lot and cracks the window a little before cutting the dually engine. She grabs the diaper bag, plunks her felt hat back on her head, and checks her front right pocket to make she has her wallet. Lastly she gets Ashley's car seat out and locks the doors. Time to brave the world and pick up somethings in the store she dreads the most. She skims her list as she makes her way inside stuffing it back in her pocket before beginning to cross the parking lot intersection. Just as she starts a car comes speeding car swerves in every possible direction. The drunk driver overcorrects the car flipping and catching Canley's shoulder.