Thanksgiving.

The day I should be spending with my mother and sister but instead I was sitting alone in my dorm room while everyone else spent it with their families.

I buried my face into my knees as I clutched my legs closer with my arms.

This was the first holiday I would have to spend without my mom and not only that but my sister still wasn't talking to me. My heart clenched at that thought.

I heard the door to my room open and I lifted my head at the noise.

"Declan..." Butterflies flew in my stomach as I looked up to see the man who had nursed me back to health just a few days ago. He gave me a smirk and then walked up to me and grabbed me up out of bed.

"What are you doing?!" I screamed. He laughed as he looked down at me.

"You're coming to my dad's house for thanksgiving." He said happily.

"I-I can't. That's..." I couldn't find the words I was looking for.

I couldn't intrude like that.

"Goldi, you're not staying alone in your dorm room for thanksgiving. I won't allow it. I'm bringing you with me. Now, you better get dressed. As much as I like those pajamas your wearing, I don't think they are appropriate for dinner." He winked at me on the last sentence. A blush colored my cheeks as he walked me to the tiny closet in my room and set me down. I picked out a gold and black sweater dress and gold leggings before rushing to the bathroom to change. I quickly got into the clothes and then grabbed my black boots and slipped them on.

"Are you sure?" I asked before he got to the door. He turned his face to me for a moment and smiled reassuringly.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." His tone of voice made me think he wasn't just talking about thanksgiving dinner and it made my blush grow darker. I slowly walked up to Declan and wrapped my arms around his torso. He stiffened slightly for a minute but then relaxed and embraced me.

"Declan, you are the most amazing man I've ever met." I whispered into his chest.

"Goldi, can I ask you something before we go?" I looked up at his face and nodded.

"Can I introduce you to my dad as my girlfriend?" He asked; a blush coloring his cheeks. His question made my heart skip a beat and then speed up. I felt tears prick my eyes but I blinked them away.

"Are you asking to introduce me as that or asking me to BE your girlfriend?"

I needed it to be clear. I didn't want to get my hopes up for no reason.

"The latter." He said and his blush grew darker.

"Then yes. I would lo-like that."

Oh my god. I almost said the L word.

"Alright, now that we have that settled, you ready to go...girlfriend?" I laughed lightly and then nodded.

I couldn't believe I actually had a boyfriend.

I was becoming more normal than I ever thought possible.

We walked out the door, hand in hand, and drove Declan's car to his dad's house. When we pulled up, I looked out the window to see a really large, beautiful home. It was made of a tan brick that made it look similar to a cottage. We got out of the car and walked up the front steps. Declan knocked on the door and then took a step back beside me. When the door opened, he slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me close.

"Declan, how are you? And Crystal, right?" Mr. Murphy smiled at me and I nodded.

"I'm good. And yes, this is Crystal, my girlfriend." He emphasized the word 'girlfriend'.

"Oh, so you do know my name?" I asked Declan. He turned his face to me and smirked.

"Yes, I just prefer calling you Goldi. My Goldi." He responded and I laughed at his answer.

"Alright, you two love birds, come on in!" His dad said as he moved to the side to let us in. When we walked through the door, I looked around to see an open room with off white tiles covering the floor. It looked like a lounge room.

"Your home is beautiful, Mr. Murphy." I said.

"Thank you, but call me Randy. Mr. Murphy makes me feel old." He said and then let out a low laugh.

"It's nice to meet you formally, Randy." I replied, reaching my hand out to him. He took it and smiled.

"Ah, yes. You were our waitress a while back, right?" I nodded at his question. I felt a little embarrassed about that. I'm sure it kind of felt weird that his son, a professional boxer, was dating a waitress.

"I just have three more years of college and then I will be done with that." I told him. I don't know why I felt the need to say it but it was like I had to justify myself.

"What are you studying?"

"Psychology. I want to become a child psychologist." I explained and then glanced over at Declan to see he was listening to me intently. I was a little surprised to see how interested he was in what I was saying.

"That's very nice. What made you decide to do that?" Randy's voice brought me to look at him again. I really didn't want to answer that question because the truth was, I wanted to go into psychology because of what happened with my dad.

"Ah, I had a rough childhood. I wish there would have been someone there to talk to at the time." That should be good enough to stop the questions. Randy nodded and then gestured to a doorway across the room.

"Shall we go have dinner?" He suggested and I nodded. Declan grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together as we walked into the other room. The dining table was all set with beautiful white and gold China. We sat down and I couldn't help but notice there was an extra setting across from me.

"Is someone else joining us?" I asked, gesturing to the empty setting. Declan shook his head and leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"My dad always sets a place for my mom." It took a moment for his words to sink in. Surely his dad doesn't pretend that she's still alive. That's on the edge of crazy. I stared at the place setting, trying to sort out my thoughts when a few people brought food in and set it on the table. We passed it all around until we had the food we wanted on our plates.

"So, Crystal, do you want kids?" Randy's question made me half choke on my food.

"Dad!" Declan yelled in shock. Randy started laughing.

"Calm down. I just meant someday." He explained. I found myself thinking about his question more deeply than I had anticipated. It had never even crossed my mind to have kids because I never planned on getting married or even being in a relationship with a guy.

But now...

I looked over at Declan to see him scowling at his dad.

Declan made me rethink everything. He made me wonder about marriage, kids, growing old together...

"Yes." I finally said. They both looked at me, surprised by my answer.

"How many?" Randy asked.

"Dad! Please!" Declan's face was pure red with embarrassment.

"I don't know yet. Maybe two?" I answered. That was the first number that came to mind.

"A couple of boys to teach boxing to, right?" Randy seemed to be enjoying embarrassing his son. I couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"Maybe we could have 8 and start a football team." I joked and I found myself really lightening up to the conversation. I could feel Declan's gaze on me so I turned to look at him. His eyes were wide and filled with wonder. He seemed completely blown away by something.

"What?" I asked, feeling a little embarrassed now. He finally broke his gaze, shook his head and smiled.

"Nothing." He said and then focused on his food.

"What do you think about Declan's career?" Randy's question caught me off guard.

"His career? You mean boxing?" I asked.

"Yeah, do you support him?" He rose an eyebrow at me and I suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Um, I guess? I mean, he's really talented and works harder than anyone I know. So yeah, I support him." I turned to look at Declan before I continued, our eyes locked on each other. "I would support anything you decided to do, though."

"Thanks." Declan said quietly as he reached over and took my hand in his.

"Declan won't be boxing forever. His wealth won't last the rest of his life." Randy's comments made me look back at him confused.

"I know that. It doesn't matter to me. I'm not with your son for his money or fame. I'm with him because I love him."

Oh.

My.

God.

I just admitted out loud that I love Declan. I turned my head slowly to gauge his reaction.

"You love me?" His eyes were wide in shock and I felt my chest become tight.

"Yes. I love you, Declan." The words felt good as they rolled off the tip of my tongue. A smile grew onto his lips.

"I love you, too, Goldi." He said softly. We smiled at each other, in our own little world. Randy cleared his throat uncomfortably and we both turned to look at him.

"Well, that was sweet. Would you mind giving me a moment with my son?" He asked. I looked back at Declan to see him nod at me and stand up, letting go of my hand. He and his dad walked out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts and a whole bunch of food.

I ate the rest of the food on my plate and then just as I was starting to wonder if they were ever coming back, Declan stormed into the room. His face was etched with anger as he stomped towards me.

"We're leaving, come on." He grabbed my hand forcefully and pulled me to my feet.

"Declan, stop. What's going on?" I asked as he started pulling me towards the door. His dad walked into the room as we were walking out. I tried to read his expression but he was stoic as we passed each other. Declan slammed the front door open and then the fresh air hit us. I pulled his arm harshly enough that he finally stopped.

"Declan, what just happened?!" He let go of my hand and looked up at the night sky. I looked up to see the stars lighting up the darkness.

"My dad doesn't think we should be dating." His words stung and I looked back at him. His back was still to me as I tried to understand what he was saying.

"Why?" I choked out.

"He thinks you're lying. He thinks that you are only with me for the money and fame...like Kate..." He turned around to face me, his eyes were still angry but I could see the hurt he was trying to hide. "He doesn't know you like I do, though." Declan took a step towards me and reached out his hand, cupping my cheek.

"Declan." I whispered his name.

His dad doesn't want us to be together. And now they were fighting because of me. I couldn't let him ruin his relationship with his father again.

"No. You can't let me come between you and your dad." I tried to sound firm but it came out weak.

"Goldi, he's wrong. I don't care what he says, I'm never going to break up with you." I felt the tears well up in my eyes so I closed them tightly.

"Stop, Declan. I can't let you do this."

"You are the most important person in my life now. I love you and there is nothing that my father can say to change that. Don't worry. He'll come around...he has no choice because I'm not giving in." He leaned down and put his forehead to mine, giving me a small smile.

"I'm so sorry." I choked out, trying to hold back the tears.

"Don't be. Just tell me those words again." I let out a humorless laugh.

"I love you, Declan Murphy."