A Rose and A Kiss in the Rain

Luke

I wipe my clammy hands on my jeans. Today is Thanksgiving and I decided to buy one of those pretty baskets with all those gifts inside for the Dawson family. Mostly in hope that Mr. Dawson won't send daggers at me every time he sees me.

I tried going to my boss' house to give him a Thanksgiving basket, but he insisted I shouldn't go because he was somewhere else. I assumed he probably was with family out of town.

It seems like there's more people in here. I take a breath and knock on the door. I wait for a while and I start to walk away until the door finally opens. I turn around to see Michelle playfully smile at me.

"Hey you," she says. "Happy thanksgiving."

"Hello, doctor," I softly say. She looks at the basket in my hands and her eyes sparkle.

"I don't know if I should let you in, kid. I don't want you getting beat up."

"It's okay. Just tell them Happy Thanksgiving for me. Tell Lili—"

"Oh wait." Michelle turns her head and yells, "Guys! The baby daddy is here!"

My eyes grow wide at this and I panic whether the Dawsons come out with fists ready to fight. But I see Mrs. Dawson come by with an apron and gives me the very first genuine smile.

"Hey, Luke! Come on in! It's cold outside!"

"Happy thanksgiving, Mrs. Dawson. It's alright. I just came by to drop a little gift for all of you.." I gesture at the basket in my hands and her eyes soften with her warm smile.

"That's very sweet of you, Luke. Thank you." She takes the basket and says, "But at least come in to try some of my signature turkey!"

Michelle takes a step back and quietly gestures at me to not reject. So I nod and shyly follow Mrs. Dawson inside. The many smells of Thanksgiving envelops me and my stomach immediately starts to growl at these smells.

I haven't entered a house on Thanksgiving in the past three years....

So many memories of my childhood threatens to bring tears to my eyes, but I use Lilibeth's beautiful smile as a way to distract me from these sad memories.

"Hey!" Lilibeth says with bright blue eyes filled with joy at my arrival. I return her tight hug and give her a quick kiss. "You look good!"

"You look gorgeous, my love," I softly say to her. I gently put a hand on her small belly that slightly pops out from her warm dress.

She does a warm smile at my hand and playfully says, "This little one is ready for dinner."

"Hungry?" I playfully say.

I rub my thumb on her bump as she says, "Yes. And this is why we're going to steal some bites from the kitchen."

She gives me another quick kiss before walking into the kitchen. She passes by the basket and raises her eyebrows at me. I give her a wink and she gives me a proud thumbs up.

"Yeah! Turkey time!" Micheal runs down the stairs but stops when he sees me. His excitement slowly disappears as his eyes turn dark. "You..."

"Easy there, kid," Michelle quickly steps in the middle of us. "He brought some beef jerky." She points at the basket I brought and Micheal's eyes widen.

He looks back at me and clenches his jaw. He comes closer with a straight back ready to attack until he sniffles and says, "Thank for the jerky...." With this, he slowly walks towards the basket without looking away from me.

"Honey! That smell is amazing—" Mr. Dawson also stops in his tracks as he looks up from his tie and sees me. He doesn't hesitate at giving me bull eyes. "Who invited you?"