| November 23 | Thursday |

"Are you sure you wanna go?" I asked Megan. "I'm sure mom and dad-"

"Samantha," Megan stated. "We are going to your parents' for lunch. End of discussion."

I groaned. Okay, it's not that I didn't want to go to my childhood home. That wasn't the case. It was just, when Megan and I had gone last year for Thanksgiving, things had been different. More low-key. This year, the extended family was going to be there, including my snobby cousins, bitchy aunt Monique and creepy uncle Harold.

Charlie jumped against my leg in angst, sensing Megan and I were about to leave.

I picked her up.

"Charlie doesn't want us to go," I claimed.

"Then she can come with us," Megan countered.

I rolled my eyes.

"I just can't win," I said to Charlie.

"That's right." Megan grabbed her purse. "Will your mom and dad be okay with us bringing her?"

"Mom will be too distracted with appeasing her stuck-up sister." I sighed. "The last thing she'll be worried about is our dog."

"Alright, well..." Megan looked around one last time. "We should go if we don't want to be late."

"Right," I agreed. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."

Megan just rolled her eyes in response.

I followed her out of our apartment and grabbed Charlie's leash and a chew-toy to entertain her on the way. Honestly, I was glad we were bringing her, because if I was too busy attending to my puppy, I wouldn't have time to associate with my too-good-for-you cousins and my very conservative aunt.

Megan had no idea what she was in for.

But overall, I was just nervous because this was the first holiday Megan and I would spend together as a couple around people who weren't aware I was dating a woman. At least, they weren't aware yet.

Because in a few hours, when we stepped into my childhood home hand-in-hand, that would change.

I set Charlie in the backseat on a blanket as Megan hopped into the driver's seat of her car. I joined her in the passenger once the dog was settled in.

Once we were well on our way, Megan looked at me.

"Why are you so nervous for me to meet your extended family?" she asked.

"Because I have a tendency to want to protect you from evil and all that."

She laughed. "What? Are they gonna chase me out with pitchforks and torches?"

I contemplated. "My aunt might."

Megan let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, if you're so worried, we can skip the introductions-"

"Oh, hell no," I defended. "I did not go through hell and back for you just to let people assume you're just a friend."

That's when her hand slipped into mine.

"There's the fearless Sam I fell in love with," she teased.

The trip to my house wasn't long enough. I had hoped we'd hit some Thanksgiving Day traffic that would prolong the inevitable, but unfortunately, we hadn't. Now, we were pulling down my street and I could see the congregation of cars in the near distance.

"God, I shoulda packed a flask," I mumbled.

"You're being dramatic."

"You have no idea what you're about to walk into."

As we exited the car and snapped Charlie onto her leash, Megan joined my side.

"You act like I can't handle a little heat," she said.

"It's not so much heat, but more along the lines of passive-aggressive attempts at how much better her kids are than my mothers," I informed.

"Wanna know something? Megan asked.

I looked at her. "What?"

"I'm the Queen of passive-aggressiveness."

Then, a manicured finger stabbed the doorbell. I sucked in a tight breath.

Luckily, Shawn answered the door, with a very pretty blonde by his side.

"You two got here just in time," he said.

"For?" I asked.

"To witness the most dysfunctional Thanksgiving of all time." He opened the door. "Oh, this is Casey, my girlfriend. Casey, this is my sister Sam, and her girlfriend, Megan."

"Hi." I took her hand. "It's nice to finally have proof that Shawn's not gay, too."

This caused Megan and Casey to giggle while Shawn frowned.

"Nope. Can't say I've missed you," he countered.

"It's mutual."

In all honesty, I was grateful Shawn was here already. If Megan and would've had to take on my mother's side on our own... well, we'll just say I would rather pull teeth.

I picked up Charlie. "Are you ready to meet your grandma and her crazy sister?"

She just licked my cheek in response.

"Maybe it won't be that bad," Shawn said. "Unless she gets drunk. Then she pretty much loses her filter."

"I didn't know she had one."

We made it into the living room as I spotted my father talking to creepy uncle Harold, my crazy aunt's husband.

When my dad spotted us, his face lit up like a Christmas tree before immediately dismissing himself from his previous conversation. When he made it to me, he hugged me close.

"You're finally here..." He pulled back. "And you brought a surprise."

Charlie's body wiggled in excitement as I handed her over to dad.

"Yeah, figured she needed to meet the grandparents sooner than later," I answered.

That's when my mother joined my dad's side with a glass of wine.

"Please get Monique out of my kitchen," mom pleaded. "She's going to ruin the green bean casserole."

My dad handed Charlie back over to me. "I'm on it."

After my dad left, me and the rest of the sane side of the family stared at my mother.

She sighed. "Megan, I'm so glad you could come."

They exchanged welcomes as I smiled. Then, once they were done, I grabbed my girlfriend's hand in reassurance. My mother had come a long way.

I set Charlie down and gave her the chew-toy for entertainment. But instead of curling up on the couch like she would at home, she took off into the kitchen.

"You let your dog into your kitchen?" I heard Monique, my aunt, ask.

"She's not my dog, Monique, she's Sam and Megan's," my dad answered. "And she's not hurting anything."

"You know I'm allergic to dander, John."

"Well, that's unfortunate."

Shawn and I looked at each other.

He smirked. "Wanna make a bet on how many times she's gonna offend someone?"

"I bet at least twenty-three."

"Thirty-five."

Shawn and I shook hands.

That's when I looked at Megan. "Would you like some wine? My mom bought your favorite."

"I think I'm gonna hold off on the alcohol," Megan declined.

That's when creepy uncle Harold approached us.

"Wow, you Carson's sure know how to pick em'," he claimed as his eyes basically molested Megan. "And what's your name, sweetie?"

"Megan," my girlfriend answered. "Megan Adams."

She went to shake his hand, but Uncle Harold had a different greeting in mind. He lifted her hand to his lips and planted a small kiss. I felt disgusted.

"Nice to meet you, Megan."

I pulled her away. "We're uh, gonna go look for my dog now."

Megan quickly followed behind me.

"Okay, maybe I'll take that glass of wine," she said. "God, why were his lips so wet?"

I watched her escape into a nearby bathroom to wash her hands.

"Now do you see what I was talking about?" I asked.

She had a dry look on her face as she stared at me through the mirror.

Once she was finished she stood straight and cupped my face. Even when I hadn't wanted to expose Megan to this side of my family, I was glad she was willing to stick through the bad and the uncomfortable with me.

"No amount of outside force will ever convince me to leave," she reassured. "Please give me some credit."

Suddenly, my face flushed with heat. And when Megan pressed her lips to mine, I knew that we had reached another stepping stone in our relationship.

"Now..." She pulled away. "Let's find some wine to help us get through this lunch."

* * *

Once the turkey and side dishes were laid out on the extended table, it was now or never. I knew this was the worst part about today. It was sitting at the dinner table with my entire family while we scarfed down our food in hopes to hurriedly get my aunt and her family the hell out of this house.

"So, Megan," my mom started. "How's school?"

Megan sipped her wine with a nod. "It's uh, it's great. Glad the semester is almost over."

"What university?" my aunt asked.

"Mizzou."

"Don't you get bored?" one of my cousins asked. "Columbia seems like such a dud town."

"It's small but, there are plenty of things to do."

"What are you studying?"

"Getting my Masters in History."

"Why not a Doctorate?" my aunt included.

At this, I could feel the tension shift. Shawn was eyeing Megan, who was sitting next to me as I eyed Shawn from across the table. Looks like Megan was about to experience my condescending aunt first-hand.

"Well, up until this semester, that had been the plan," Megan answered. "But I've changed my mind."

"It's probably a good thing..." My aunt picked at her turkey. "A Masters in History seems like a pretty dead-end career path."

I felt Megan tense, but she never faltered.

She twirled her fork. "What did you go to school for?"

At this, aunt Monique was caught off guard.

"I was a stay at home mom, for my children."

Megan sighed. "That seems more like a dead-end than higher education, don't you think?"

My face must've shown my enthralled shock. Shawn and Casey tried their best to stifle their laughter. My father also looked mighty impressed with my girlfriend.

"Maybe," Monique responded. "Elizabeth, how is your first semester at U-Penn going?"

I rolled my eyes. Of course, Elizabeth would be attending U-Penn.

As everyone pretended to care about Elizabeth's prestigious acceptance into the University of Pennsylvania, I leaned over to whisper in Megan's ear.

"Nice job," I complimented. "I think you won that battle."

"This feels more like a war," she answered.

I slipped my hand into hers under the table for further reassurance.

Lunch continued and Shawn and I proceeded to tally up all of aunt Monique's offenses. It looked like Shawn was going to win this round, because by the end of it, my aunt had a count of forty-one insults. Most of them, directed at my mother, but I had taken some for the team after revealing I was managing a gay bar. That information definitely took the apple pie.

As we cleaned the kitchen, my aunt handed me her plate.

"Samantha..." She turned to my mother. "The turkey was a little dry."

I turned to the sink.

"Just like her sex life," I whispered to Megan.

Megan fumbled with the plate in her hands as she tried her best to stifle her own laughter. She silently apologized to my mom for the ruckus.

When lunch was over and the kitchen was clean, aunt Monique decided it was time for her and her family to go. I was more than ready to say goodbye.

"It was nice meeting you all," Megan lied.

"Likewise," my aunt responded.

I forced myself to give my creepy uncle Harold a hug, and he of course held on a little too long for comfort. It was no different with Megan and Casey.

Then, once they were all out the door, it was as if the house itself sighed in relief.

My mom threw herself on the couch. "Even though we only see each other once a year, it's still too much."

My dad poured my mom another tall glass of wine.

"I was expecting worse," Shawn admitted.

"Same," I agreed. "She only insulted my sexuality once!"

"She still thinks your Satan's spawn." Shawn laughed. "Megan just put her in her place."

Megan blushed in response. It wasn't often she turned on the bitch-switch, but when she did, you were done for. What aunt Monique got was nothing.

Shawn sighed. "Okay, so since the witch and her coven are gone... I have some news."

Immediately, everyone's attention was on Shawn.

"I was only supposed to be temporarily relocating to Florida, but I've decided to move there. Indefinitely," he finished.

This came as a shock to everyone. There was a pang of sadness in my heart at the confession, but we all knew this was good for Shawn. He never really belonged in Missouri anyway.

"What changed your mind?" mom wondered.

"Well..." He wrapped one arm around Casey. "Meeting Casey, but also, the company promised me a promotion and a hefty raise. Plus, Florida is fantastic."

Even though the thought of my brother moving states away made me upset, I could see the happiness in his expression. He had found his place. And if he would thrive in a different environment, just like Megan and I had, then I would whole-heartedly support him.

"Great." I broke the silence. "That'll give us an excuse to come to Florida."

Shawn smiled as he draped free arm around my shoulders and hugged me close.

"That's right," he said. "But we'll fly in for holidays. And Casey's family already lives in Florida, so we won't be completely alone."

"Well jeez, when's the wedding?" Megan joked.

Everyone just laughed.

Charlie jumped onto me and curled up on my lap. I gently scratched her head as Megan leaned her own on my shoulder. Even though today had been wild with my extended family, this right here made my heart warm. This was who truly mattered. Too bad Blair and Tony weren't here to enjoy this moment.

"Happy Thanksgiving, guys," I mumbled.

"This one was for the books," Shawn included.

"You can say that again."

And as I sat with my family, I couldn't help but think that even when we ran into obstacles and distance was put in between... we would always be family at the end of the day.

And I was thankful.