holy ground ★ conrad fisher (1)

born in the usa ★ bruce springsteen

hi again! so the next few chapters are some of the longest ive done for this book, with quite a few original scenes added for the sake of plot continuity. some of those may seem unnecessary and boring to read now but i promise it all ties in at the end. enjoy!!
✎ bia

twenty-two | 1x04

THE FOURTH OF JULY IN Cousin's was an annual celebration that the Cooper-Conklin-Fisher clan took part in.

Susannah would decorate the whole house in various party decorations colored red, white, and blue. Marie would make her special cinnamon apple pie for the cookout.

Rory would spend all morning in the kitchen, baking and decorating various sweet treats for the families to enjoy. She'd even pack some extra pieces to give to friends and neighbours the next day.

The dads would drive up to join the mothers and kids for the weekend, the boys would steam clams, and the night always ended with the parents huddled in the backyard, Rory and Belly sharing a blanket and chair on the deck and the boys shooting off fireworks at the beach.

It was all about traditions, and the comfort the familiarity brought to the three families.

However, even though the day had barely started, Rory could already feel that this year's Fourth of July would be different.

She wasn't sure why she was feeling like this, maybe because she knew that the house wouldn't have all its usual inhabitants this year.

Laurel and John had been divorced for a few months now, and the Conklins had seemed to be doing fairly well; however, Rory knew not having their dad here was going to be hard for Belly and Steven.

Yet, Rory hoped that they would make up for their usual lack of guests with all the new people joining them this year.

Susannah had been more than happy to host a few more guests, and Belly had invited a few of her debutante friends and Cam.

Rory had also gotten the green light to invite Chase, so she had extended an invitation to the entire Reynolds family.

Their parents would stop by for a bit, but Sophie was going to stay the night and Chase would be around till the firework show.

And so, like the past few years, Rory had pushed her alarm back an extra hour so she could prepare for all the extra desserts.

She planned them out for weeks in advance and once she got Susannah's approval she had practiced some of the new recipes before summer.

Around eight am was when Susannah joined her in the kitchen, getting ready to put up the last of the decorations so she could focus on painting the kids' portraits today as well.

The two chatted, and Susannah taste-tested a few things for Rory, before going into the backyard to set up her supplies.

Conrad was the next to enter the kitchen and teased Rory about all the flour that was sticking to her cheek as he rounded the counter to grab a coffee.

In retaliation Rory had swiped a bit of whipped cream onto her pointer and middle finger and smeared it across Conrad's cheek, even getting some in his hair.

Susannah came back into the house right on time, immediately stopping the childish food fight that was surely going to break out between the two teens.

They sheepishly apologized and Conrad sat down for breakfast and Rory continued to work, occasionally sending teasing grins across the kitchen.

Around eleven am, everyone was awake and lounging around the kitchen area, mostly ready for the party and guests to arrive.

In all the chaos, it had slipped Rory's mind that her mom and dad would finally be back as well.