Torn [SHAWN MENDES]

~36~

Yasmin walked into the living room wearing a burnt orange sweater minidress with a wide belt and tall brown boots. She did a twirl for Shawn. "What do you think?"

"Gorgeous, but you could wear anything and you'd look stunning," he told her.

"My mother is very judgy when it comes to holiday attire. She insists that the colors fit the occasion. Thank you for wearing that brown shirt, by the way. God forbid you don't match the autumn theme!"

The shirt she'd picked out for him was quite nice, and at least she wasn't forcing him to wear a tie like she had the year before. Piper was dressed in a sage green cotton dress covered in leaf appliqués. She had a coordinating headband on, but that wouldn't last long since she didn't like it.

"Should I get the food out of the fridge?" Shawn asked.

They didn't want to show up empty handed, so they'd had their chef prepare potatoes au gratin and a pumpkin pie.

"Yes, please. I'll put Pippy in the car seat. Oh! Grab a bottle of white wine, too. One that goes with turkey."

She picked up the baby and went to the garage while Shawn stared at the wines trying to figure out what paired best with poultry. He chose a Riesling from the Finger Lakes region of New York and hoped it would work.

"Do you think I should have bought flowers? Didn't we do that last year?" Yaz asked once he got in the car.

"We did, but we didn't bring wine, so it all balances out. Besides, your mother stuck them in the kitchen and none of the guests got to appreciate them."

"Oh. Now I remember. I think I vowed to never bring her any again, so bravo to me for not buying some."

Shawn laughed. "I really don't understand why you want to spend every holiday with your parents when you clearly don't enjoy it."

"Are we going to have this fight again?"

"Nope, because Piper is here and it's wrong to argue in front of her."

He had that tone again. Lately, whenever they quibbled over anything, he sounded so resigned, like he'd given up. One night that week, before Rosie left, she'd suggested asking her to stay another couple hours so they could go out on a date. She could tell he didn't want to even though he'd agreed to it. It was like his words said one thing but the timbre of his voice said another.

"We decided that we'll go to Toronto next year," she said cheerfully. "I'm already looking forward to it!"

He forced a smile. "How many minutes do you think we'll be at your parents' house before your dad makes a joke about Canadian Thanksgiving being on the wrong day?"

"I say ten, although he might wait until everyone is seated at the table for the maximum impact."

They arrived at the Chesterfield's neoclassical home and were met in the driveway by a valet. There would only be twenty people at dinner, but whenever they entertained, they liked to have extra employees on hand. It annoyed Shawn because it meant that these people couldn't be home with their own families. As he handed the young man his keys, he slipped him a hundred dollars and wished him happy Thanksgiving.

"Hello, darlings!" Caroline called out as she swung open the door. "We've just started on drinks and hors d'oeuvres."

"Are we late?" Shawn whispered to his wife.

"Not at all. She just wants us to think we are."

He set Piper down in the foyer and took her hand as she took several cautious steps. She'd started walking two weeks ago and wasn't completely steady on her feet.