"It’s my pleasure, Kels. Thanksgiving is really fun around here. I think you’re gonna like it." She offers me her hand. "Come on."

As I slide my hand into hers, I take a moment to notice how right they feel together. How could I have been so stupid to push her away from me? If I had worked at it a little maybe things could have been different for us. Damn.

As we walk through the house, I notice more of the detail: the marble, the cut glass in the windows, the stained glass at the top of the stairs and over the entry. True beauty. Just like the woman walking in front of me. I screwed up. Damn.

Damn my own fears, and damn my parents for putting them there.

Harper leads me to the garden where her parents are. They’ve been joined by a young man and woman. The man is an obvious brother of Harper’s, being merely a male version of my partner. A small child is standing next to Cecile clutching her pants leg. Cecile stroking his hair as she speaks with the young man and gives him a hug.

"Well, look there," Harper yells as we enter the garden. I’m waiting for her to release my hand now that we’re nearing her family, but she doesn’t. Actually, if anything, I notice her tighten her hold on me. "If it isn’t the ugliest thing on two legs since the zoo got its new baboon."

The young man straightens up and turns our direction. "Ah, baby sister, don’t start what you can’t finish." He sprints toward us. My hand is released as they engulf each other in a fierce embrace, which resembles a tackle.

I watch them until I notice I’m being waved over by Cecile. I leave Harper and her brother, who are now joking with one another, and join her parents and the young woman. I notice now that she’s cradling a tiny dark-haired baby in her arms. "Ah, this must be little Clark." I smile as I look at the baby. "Harper hasn’t talked about anything else since we got on the plane."

"Yes, this is the newest addition to the Kingsley clan." Mama offers as she makes the introductions. "This is his mother, Rene, and his older brother, Christian." She gestures to the child clutching her pants. "Rene, this is Kelsey, your sister’s partner."

"How do you do, Kelsey?" She asks warmly as she adjusts the baby and offers me her hand.

"I’m fine, thank you. Nice to meet you."

I kneel down to the child and offer my hand. "It’s nice to meet you too, Christian."

He gives me an embarrassed little smile and turns his face away. He’s adorable. I brush my fingers through his hair before standing back up.

"Christian’s a little shy." Rene looks to her eldest. "But he’ll get over that soon enough. Christian, I want you to say hello to Ms. Kelsey."

He peers up at his mother, trying to gauge how serious she is.

"Say hello to Ms. Kelsey. You need to be polite, ma fils."

He nods slowly and then fixes his big blue eyes on me. Apparently the Kingsley clan specializes in big, blue eyes that make your knees weak. "Hello," he says softly, but clearly.

"Hello, Christian," I reply.

"Baby!" I hear Harper yell as she moves across the grass to us. "Give me the baby!"

Rene laughs as she gives up the child to the demanding hands of my partner. "Here you go, Tante Harper. Let me introduce you to Clark."

"Ah, little guy, I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived, but, rest assured, if you ever need me, I’ll be here for you." She coos as she cradles the child in her arms.

Now there’s a sight. Harper Kingsley holding a baby.

She unwraps the blanket from around the small body and inspects the child. Finally, she looks up and grins at Rene. "Thank the good Lord above this one also looks like you, Rene." She leans down and kisses her sister-in-law’s cheek. "There’s hope for him yet. Despite having Robie as his papa."

"Hey now!" Robie protests good-naturedly. "I don’t see you providing Mama and Papa with any grandchildren."

"Well, I’m in the infertile brother, remember?" Harper replies and then the two siblings explode in laughter, apparently over an inside joke.

Little Clark lets out a small cry of protest at the noise, causing Rene to reach for her youngest son. Harper swats at her hand and nestles the boy closer to her.

"Don’t worry, Ren, I’ll be good around him. Now, let me bond with my nephew." She drops to a knee. "And, little Christian, get over here and give your Tante Harper a kiss."

The boy immediately obeys, throwing himself at my partner with abandon. She somehow manages to hold onto the infant and get an arm around the two year old. She pinches the small boy’s cheek, then kisses it. "Mmmmm, my little cochon de lait!"

He laughs, a big belly laugh, nearly doubling his small body over. "Tante Harper! I am not a cochon!"

"Mais, yeah!" she replies back. She leans forward and makes pig noises against his small neck, sending the small boy back into fits of laughter.

If this is Harper Kingsley, who is the person I know back in Los Angeles?


* * *

At supper, Harper insists on two things. She demands that I sit on one side of her and Clark’s infant seat is situated in a chair on the other. I notice that her family takes this behavior in hand as if her love of children is common knowledge. I obviously don’t know her as well as I thought I did.

Supper consists of andouille gumbo with sweet potato, jambalaya, and homemade French bread. It’s absolutely delicious. The family is loud and loving. I smile as I think how appalled my mother would be at the display before me: elbows on the table, people reaching across the middle, tossing pieces of bread from one end to the other.

Harper is equally attentive to Clark and me. She makes sure my plate is full and often asks me if I’m doing okay even as she is holding a bottle for the baby and following the conversation around her.

Christian, true to his mother’s words, has lost all shyness. Now Robie and Harper are taking turns challenging him to sing songs and he stands in his chair for each one, belting out classics like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Each round is greeted with cries of encouragement from the two siblings. "You sing, peeshwet."

Somewhere in the middle of the meal, I forget to be uptight and reserved and start enjoying myself.

Mama is bending my ear on one side, asking about work and how I got where I am. She brings up my family but drops the subject kindly when I’m reluctant to talk about them. Even though I’ve known her for less than a day, I’m certain the topic will come up again and I won’t be able to avoid it.

"Mama made sweet potato pie for dessert, Kels," Harper says, interrupting our conversation. "She makes the best pie so you better save some room." To her mother she says, "I have had such an envie for good food, Mama!"

Mama replies with a wide smile, full of affection of her youngest.

"Save some room? You’re the one who’s been piling food on my plate," I laugh.

Harper pats my knee and winks at me. God, she’s even more gorgeous here with her family.

"Hey," Robie calls from his seat across the table. "Quit flirting over there. You get to see Kelsey all the time. I think Clark needs his tante to hold him."

Harper doesn’t miss a beat as she reaches over to free Clark from his seat and cradle him against her. "Thank God I get to see Kelsey more than your ugly mug, Robie."

Clark fusses momentarily and I wave my fingers at him. He looks comfortable there on her chest. Of course, who wouldn’t be?

"You wanna hold him, Kels?"

I blink for a moment. Me? Hold a baby? "No, that’s okay."

"No, really." She’s already moving closer to me, pressing the baby into my arms.

"Maybe she doesn’t want to hold Clark, Harper," Robie chastises.

"Ça! Don’t worry. She won’t drop him on his head like Papa did you, big guy." Her blue eyes twinkle at me. "You won’t drop him, right?" she whispers.

I shake my head rapidly.

"Good." She’s tucking my arm around him, sliding it under his well-padded bottom.

"His head?" I don’t know much about babies but I remember something about wobbly necks.

"It’s fine," she assures me. "Just support it on your elbow like that. There."

Oh shit. Her hands are gone and I’m holding Clark. He looks as uncomfortable as I feel.

"Relax," Harper whispers, rubbing my knee warmly. "Isn’t he wonderful?"

I nod. He’s warm and solid in my grip and his eyes are so trusting. I can’t help but smile.

"Smell him."

"Huh?"

The entire table bursts out laughing and I blush bright red. I can feel the heat of my face.

Harper smiles. "Smell his skin. Babies smell so good. As long as their diapers are clean."

I do as she says and there is something about his scent that’s comforting. He smells fresh and cozy. The scent of baby powder lingers on him. I look up to Harper and we meet eyes as she nods.

"Wonderful, huh?"

"Yeah," I agree. "You love kids."

"Sure, I do. What’s there not to love?"

"Have you ever thought of having them?"

"Nah," she waves me off. "I’m the world’s best aunt. That’s good enough."

Christian agrees readily and Robie makes a comment about swollen heads. Harper ignores him as she helps me settle Clark and shows me how to eat one handed. It’s harder than it looks.


* * *

I know I’m in for it when I sneak into the kitchen just after midnight and Mama is sitting at the table.

"Thief!" she accuses and I smirk.

"Is there any more of that pie, Mama?"

"Mais, yeah."

She starts to stand but I wave her back to her seat. "I’ll get it. You want a piece?"

"Oh no, bou. I’m stuffed."

She lets me stew through half of my midnight snack before she speaks up. "Tell me about this sweet Kelsey and you."

I meet her eyes, knowing that they are exact replicas of my own. She’s not teasing or pressing, she honestly wants to know.

"Not much to tell. We work together."

She purses her lips in thought. "But you want more?"

"It’s complicated."

"Tell your Mama," she soothes. How often have I heard that phrase?

I consider how much to tell but I know she’ll get it all out over the course of the weekend. Poor Kelsey, she won’t be safe from my mother’s questioning. "We work well together, we click in a lot of ways. When she’s herself, she’s wonderful. But she’s almost always hiding behind this imaginary person she thinks she has to be."

"She’s hurt you."

Uh oh. "Non, Mama," I say quickly, trying to save Kels from her wrath. "Well, we’ve hurt each other. But we’re moving past that."

"She wants a relationship with a woman, though? This you know?"

I smirk, finishing my pie. "I know she does."

"And she likes you?"

"Who wouldn’t?" I give her my best smug look.

Mama laughs and reaches out to smooth my hair back. "Who, indeed? What do you know about her people?"

I tell her about Omaha and the phone message I heard. "That’s all I know."

She looks as angry as I feel. "Maybe she doesn’t know how to be liked or cared for. Those couillons!"

I shrug silently. Maybe. But there is Erik and she’s mentioned a grandfather. Plus she does have some kind of relationship with Susan. I can’t figure out why the fuck she’d want Susan instead of me but self-esteem has never been a big problem of mine.

"We must seem from a different planet," Mama says and finishes up her coffee.

"I think she’s feeling a little overwhelmed," I agree.

"Harper, you dote on her."

I’m shocked. I don’t dote on Kelsey. I say as much.

Mama laughs and clears my plate, rinsing it in the sink and dropping it into the dishwasher. "You were good with her and Clark."

I shrug. "Kingsley babies are easy to love. She just needs practice." I can’t believe I said that. "With Clark," I add but I can tell by her smile that I already blew it.

"Practice makes perfect."

I shake my head, hiding a smirk. My parents are impossible. It’s late and I’m tired so I stand up and stretch. "It’s good to be home, Mama."

"Well, don’t wait so long next time," she chides. "And I’m glad you brought her."

"Mama, you know some matches just can’t be made," I say stupidly and then cringe. Shit, I just challenged her. We’re really in for it now.

I can hear her chuckling as I make my way up the staircase. I can’t wait to see the rest of my family tomorrow. My visit is all the sweeter having Kelsey here to share it.