Alisha snorted out a laugh. She was fairly certain there was enough food to feed two armies. "I think we'll be okay, Fabs."
"Well, James eats a ton and I would assume Big does as well," she shrugged. "And I've seen you eat Thanksgiving dinner before, so I should probably send you back to the market for another sack of potatoes." Maggie made a silly face and Alisha laughed.
"Hardee har," Alisha snapped, without heat. She put a gigantic skillet on the stove and added three sticks of butter. The smells in the kitchen were heavenly and she couldn't wait to tear into some food later. She methodically chopped onions and stalks of celery, adding them to the pan. "What time is everyone else getting here?"
Maggie glanced at the large clock mounted on the wall. "Hard telling with them. Any time really. Are you going to be okay with Big here today?"
Alisha continued sautéing vegetables and nodded casually, even as her blood sang just hearing his name mentioned. "I already told you it's not a problem."
"I know you did," Maggie evenly responded, looking up from potato duty. "I don't know what came over me, but when James said Big wasn't working and he wasn't going home for the holidays, I just invited him over. No one should be alone during the holidays. Even that Neanderthal," she added with a sigh.
A smile lit across Alisha's face. "You're softening," she teased. "Seems love agrees with you, my friend." She lifted her head met her friend's eyes.
"We're not—" she began, but the arch of Alisha's eyebrow stopped her. With color flooding her cheeks, she blurted, "I am one hundred percent, completely and ridiculously in love with James Keller."
She pressed a hand to her chest. "Sweetie, that's amazing!" Alisha gushed.
Maggie shook her head, started pacing around the kitchen. "It's insane! We've only been together for a couple of months. How can I already be in love with him? I'm not this person. I make fun of the people that are totally ass over teakettle after a few months and look at me now! I'm one of them," she cried, gesticulating wildly.
Alisha opened a cabinet and pulled out two wineglasses, pouring them each a full glass of white. Handing one to Maggie, she looked at her encouragingly. "But?"
"He's it for me. I know it…I feel it. It's just—he's just—everything," she finished, tilting the glass to her lips and drinking deep. Her eyes brimmed with tears and a few spilled over as she started a hybrid of hysterical laughing and sobbing.
"Aw, honey," Alisha cooed, setting down her glass to wrap her friend in a hug. "I'm so happy for you," she murmured against her blonde head. And she was really and truly happy for her best friend. Her own eyes stung and went blurry with unshed tears. "Have you told him how you feel?"
"N-n-noooo!" she cried.
Alisha pressed her lips together to stifle the giggle that bubbled up in her throat. "Fabs, you should tell him. I'm willing to bet anything that he feels the same way about you."
Maggie lifted her head from Alisha's shoulder and glanced up into reassuring brown eyes. "You think so?" she sniffled.
Big followed James through Maggie's apartment and his mouth instantly watered. His belly was going to be nice and happy later and for that, he felt very thankful. He carried the case of beer and bottle of wine he'd brought (hey, he wasn't raised in a barn no matter how many times he'd been accused) into the kitchen and ran straight into James's back when the taller man stopped abruptly. "Jesus, James. Been walking long?" He looked around his tall frame and saw Maggie and Alisha hugging each other and crying. "The fuck are they crying for?" he muttered loud enough for James to hear.
"Maggie?" James began carefully. "You okay, babe?"
Her head shot up and her terrified gaze sought comfort in Alisha's warm and reassuring smile. She nodded slightly and brushed away the tears. With one last you can do it from her friend, Maggie went and stood before her boyfriend, looking way up to meet his kind eyes. "We need to talk," she smiled, lacing her fingers through his and leading him out of the kitchen.
Embarrassed that she had tears in her eyes, Alisha tried to discreetly wipe them away with the back of her hand before turning and offering Big a watery smile.
His brows knit together as his mind ran over possible reasons for the tears. "Jesus, Maggie's not knocked up, is she?" he asked.
Alisha barked out an incredulous laugh. "What? No!" she said, shaking her head adamantly.
Big expelled a breath and bridged the gap between them, reaching out the pad of his thumb to gently wipe away a stray tear on her cheek. "What's with the waterworks?"
"Nothing. Maggie and I were just having a total girl moment. All's well." The dimple on her chin winked when she flashed him a genuine smile. "Hi," she started over. "Happy Thanksgiving."
He shook his head, deciding that he'd never in ten zillion years understand teary women. But seeing as the tears weren't his fault and she was now smiling and wishing him Happy Thanksgiving, he damn well knew better than to question it. "Happy Thanksgiving," he smirked. Looking over his shoulder and seeing no one, he decided to take advantage of their moment of privacy. He leaned down and captured her lips with his, savoring their sweet warmth for a brief moment. The stern, warning look she attempted when he stood to his full height made him chuckle.
"We need to be careful," she whispered heatedly. The admonition quickly fell away when those full, sexy lips of his quirked into a lopsided grin and it made her feel tingly and warm all over. "Seriously," she added, smirking this time. Turning her attention to the bottle of wine in his hand she lifted her eyes to his and
