right where you left me | angela giarratana

chapter thirty-six

RIGHT WHERE YOU LEFT ME
ANGELA GIARRATANA

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
"YOU'RE FAMILY"

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KENNEDY smiled as she embraced the older woman in front of her.

"kennedy matthews! it is amazing to see you!" she exclaimed.

"same to you, deb giarratana!" kennedy beamed as she pulled away.

"good work, angie." deb joked, moving to hug her daughter. "i knew i'd see kennedy again."

"yeah, i guess i'll keep her." angela joked.

"ray! john! angie's here!" the woman yelled loudly as everyone walked into the house. "and she brought kennedy!"

"kennedy! good to see you, sweetheart." ray said as he wrapped kennedy in a hug. a very huggy family, kennedy always felt safe with the giarratanas.

"good to see you too, ray." kennedy grinned.

once ray moved to hug his daughter, angela's younger brother appeared behind him.

"hey, john!" kennedy greeted. their hands immediately went into the short handshake they created years prior.

"just checking you still remember." he smiled.

"oh, john, it's good to be back." kennedy sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"okay, kiddoes, hope you're all hungry." deb began, ushering the three young ones to the table. "we have chicken parmesan, salad, and french bread with butter."

"sounds good, mom." angela complimented, pulling kennedy's chair out for her.

kennedy blushed at the small gesture, sitting down. once everybody was settled with glasses of wine and water and plates full of dressed salad, chicken, and warm bread, conversation began flowing.

"so, kennedy, what have you been up to since the last time we've seen you?" ray asked. kennedy looked up from her plate to the man that angela got most of her features from.

"well, in new york i got lucky and found some acting gigs which allowed me to travel to some cool locations." kennedy explained.

"you were in those kiddy netflix horror movies that ang made us watch." deb said, holding her fork up in rememberance.

"mom." angela groaned.

kennedy laughed and looked over at her girlfriend. "oh, i didn't know she did that."

angela just shook her head, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"it's okay ang." kennedy chuckled, rubbing her arm. "i'm truly flattered.

"so how'd you find your way back to california?" ray asked, chucking lightly at the earlier interraction.

"honestly, i just missed it here." she smiled. "but opportunities were better here as well."

"smart girl." ray noted, his mouth a little full.

kennedy laughed. "thank you."

dinner was over and angela was standing in the kitchen, helping her mother do dishes while the boys and, with much protest to help with dishes, kennedy talked in the living room.

"are you happy, angie?" deb asked, scrubbing a plate.

"of course i am." angela smiled, drying out a wine glass with a towel.

"good, because i've always loved kennedy." she stated.

angela laughed."you called her a dumbass when she left for new york."

"i love who you love and you needed some support." deb shrugged. "i did what had to be done."

"thank you, mom." angela smiled. "i feel really good about this time around. it's different. we've matured a lot since college."

"i'm so glad." the older woman smiled, looking at her daughter.

"hey, are you sure you don't need a hand?" kennedy asked, popping into the kitchen.

"nope, we're just about done, ken." deb said sweetly.

"i still don't understand why i couldn't help." kennedy chuckled.

"you are our guest of honor." deb smiled, wiping her wet hands. "no dish duty for you." deb wrapped an arm around kennedy's shoulders.

"thank you for welcoming me back in with open arms." kennedy smiled, leaning her head on deb lightly.

"are you kidding?" deb laughed. "you're family! and you always will be."

kennedy lifted her head, smiling sweetly at the older blonde. "thank you for everything, deb."

deb grinned, beaming with joy. "thank you for making my angie happy."

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abi speaks!
family dinner 💖
everyone loves kennedy 💋😭❤️