"So, are you two planning on joining everyone at the winter festival on Friday, or were you just going to have an early night?" Her mom asked from the front seat as her father drove through the snow.
Madeline had been watching in fascination as Elijah's hand had been inching its way toward hers on the seat during the short drive, not seeming to know if he could with her parents around, or if he was just being playful. "We'll be going," Madeline told her when Elijah remained quiet. "Claire's in town, so I want to meet up with her for a bit, and Elijah's hoping for a run-in with Marty."
A barely audible laugh came out of Elijah as his hand finally reached its destination. Instead of linking their fingers together, or laying his hand over hers, his fingers began playing almost a game of footsy with her. "God, I can't wait to meet that douche."
Her mom half turned to look at Elijah, not seeming to notice what his hand was up to. "Be nice. Marty may have been odd, but he was a sweet boy."
Elijah looked over at her, his eyes squinting in curiosity. So Madeline just shook her head to confirm her parents didn't know the details of graduation night, only that they'd broken up.
"Well, here we are," her dad announced, pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant.
Elijah's hand returned to his side to unclasp his seatbelt, then opened his door as soon as her father parked. She watched as he trotted over to her side from behind the vehicle, first opening her mother's door, and then hers.
"Ever the gentleman," she heard her mother say.
Madeline wanted so badly to pull him into that backseat and have her way with him, but she took his arm and allowed Elijah to lead her through the ice and snow covered parking lot toward the restaurant. "I know you aren't looking forward to this, so thank you for being so great about it."
"I'm not," he admitted freely. "But they're your family, and it's not like they're complete strangers. I've met them on Thanksgiving and Christmases plenty of times way back when. But I can deal, because they're your family, and so am I."
Madeline looked up at him, more tempted than ever for them to find their way to that backseat. "Yes, you are."
The restaurant was so much busier than she was used to seeing. Normally in the off-season, there would only be a sprinkling of taken tables. But she supposed with the holiday came the crowds, and everyone appeared in high spirits.
She could hear her grandmother's cackle coming from the far end of the restaurant; an area reserved for large parties. Madeline tried to do the math in her head. The four of them, four grandparents made eight, two aunts made ten, a cousin made eleven, and her cousin's two children made thirteen.
She knew one set of grandparents opted for a hotel for the trip, also not being a big fan of crowds or rowdy people. That made nine people who were staying in her parents' house, and Madeline couldn't be more grateful her parents had opted to get a hotel room for the two of them as well.
"There they are!" Her grandfather howled out, already clearly a little tipsy.
Her two grandparents on her mother's side were the only ones Elijah had much interaction with growing up, as they lived an hour and a half away and visited more frequently than the occasional holiday. So they were the only ones who stood to shake Elijah's hand from across the table while the others remained seated, Madeline guessed at her parents' request. They were being cautious about overwhelming Elijah, which was fair, as he'd always been a loner, and even before his disappearance, hadn't been a big fan of large gatherings.
"Damn good to see you, son. We're happy you're back," her grandfather spoke with the gentlest of smiles. Although Grandpa Jim was getting up there with age, and his memory was slowly fading away, he'd never forgotten Elijah. Every now and then he'd refer to him as 'the lost grandson', breaking Madeline's heart more than it already had been.
Despite this side of the family's lack of religion, for holidays, her grandfather always said a prayer, and that prayer always included requesting God keep Elijah safe.
Her set of grandparents on her father's side never really fully understood why her immediate family had grown so attached to the boy next door, but at least they respected it.
Elijah reached across the table and shook his hand. "It's nice to see you, Jim."
Her grandmother's arms opened, trembling in mid-air as she looked across the table hopefully. This was the grandmother who enjoyed sending Madeline inappropriate packages, and still had a wicked sense of humor, and a filthy mouth, to boot. When anyone tried to rein her in, she'd just tell them, 'I'm old and I'll do what I damn well please.'
"Please, my sweet boy?"
Elijah gave her a big smile and walked to the other side of the table to hug her grandmother with a soft touch. "Grandma Rose."
She'd always insisted he call her that when he was young. She never flat-out told him why, but Madeline and everyone else likely knew. Harrison Fox hadn't gotten his temperament out of thin air. Rather, it was ingrained in him. Warm grandparents couldn't be found on his side of the family. On his mother, Sandra's side... her parents had disowned her for marrying someone who didn't belong to their religion, and never reached out after her death.
Elijah needed a family to be part of. People who loved him and treated him as their own flesh and blood. He needed parents who celebrated with him, provided for him, and supported him. He also needed grandparents to give him ugly presents, make him snacks, and sneak him small amounts of money. Hence Grandma Rose.
After she kissed him on both cheeks, leaving pink lipstick stains, Elijah found his way back to her, wiping off his face the best he could, and pulled out Madeline's chair for her to sit down.
"I hear the two of you have grown quite close again," Grandma Rose spoke. "I'm told you're practically living together."
"Living in sin," Grandma Bethany muttered.
Grandma Rose just smiled at her father's mom. "A little sin keeps us young, Bethany. That's why I look a good ten years younger than you."
Madeline laughed as Elijah pushed her seat toward the table, then sat between Madeline and her mom. Neither grandmother looked younger than the other, but Grandma Rose very much felt and acted younger than her years.
"Speaking of sin," her favorite grandmother continued, "were the two of you planning on, you know? Or are you going to break my Mary's heart and keep things platonic?"
Elijah laughed and scratched his facial hair, giving her the side eye before turning his attention back to the aging woman. "Not sure if that's an appropriate dinner conversation, Grandma Rose."
"Only if your answer is the inappropriate kind, which just so happens to be my favorite, in case you haven't figured that out by now."
Her dad let out a cough on the other side of her mother, reminding Madeline that he already knew the answer. She'd forgotten her dad had witnessed their affection on the front lawn after Elijah's mild breakdown because he hadn't brought it up, and never reacted to it in the slightest.
Elijah laughed once again, sneaking her one last look before looking at her mother, then across the table. "I won't be breaking Mary's heart, no."
Her grandmother clapped her hands as if she'd just won a trip to Disney World, while her mother let out a gasp by Elijah's side.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me? I asked you about this on Monday, and you said nothing happened."
"Nothing had happened on Monday," Madeline argued. "Or Tuesday, come to think of it."
"So, today?" Her mom prodded. "I mean, that just leaves today, right?"
Elijah hung his head and just shook it. "Fucking hell," he muttered to himself, keeping his voice quiet before answering her mother's question. "Yes, that leaves today. Around five this morning, if you need a better timeline."
"So you rented them a hotel to fornicate in?" Grandma Bethany asked, her eyes focused on her father.
Her dad just shrugged. "Seems so," he answered before he leaned forward to look at Elijah. "Just do us all a favor, and don't knock her up until after she graduates college."
Grandma Rose laughed. "Then I have something in your care package that'll come in handy."
Except Elijah didn't laugh. But as the server approached, no one questioned him on his serious expression, or how he'd mentally checked out over the teasing.