Angel on Earth

Chapter Twenty One: I'm Thankful For

Make sure you read Chapter Twenty before you read this one!!! 

Monroe's POV

"What time did you say they were coming over?" Mom asked as she set the timer for the banana bread in the oven. 

I stopped swinging my legs and scooted further back on the counter. I pulled out my phone and re-read the texts Axel had sent me last night. I scrolled past the sexts and found the one I was looking for. "He said he can be here around five," I told my mom as she rushed over to the fridge and put a few sticks of butter on the counter to soften. 

Although it was already December 7th, my family decided to hold another Thanksgiving and invite Axel's family over to eat. My parents nearly had a heart attack when Axel revealed he didn't celebrate Thanksgiving this year. He tried to defend himself and said that he still made Thanksgiving-like food, but my parents were having none of it.

Mom paused for a moment with her hands on her hips as her gaze drifted skyward. She looked back at me with a grin. "Okay. That'll give us about eight and a half hours to make everything. We'll make the turkey around twelve."

I nodded and asked, "Is the banana bread for breakfast? I'm hungry."

"Hi hungry, I'm Dad!" 

I groaned and put my head in my hands as Dad set the grocery bags on the counter. Mom laughed loudly and shuffled through the bags, beginning to put everything away and leaving out the things she needed at the moment. 

"So, what sides are we making?" Dad asked as he, too, began to rummage through the bags and put things away.

I scrolled through my messages again and said, "Axel said he would make green bean casserole and mac and cheese." My phone buzzed and took me to the most recent message. I read the text and smiled. I was a sucker for pet names.

Axel: 
Morning, baby. 

You: 
Morning. I'm surprised you're up this early.

Axel: 
You know how the four are when they're excited. Never let a guy get any sleep.

You:
Lmao true. Just turn on Charlie Brown as a distraction. They love him.

Axel:
I don't blame them. He's the best.

Axel:
As much as I hate to let you go, Jay's screaming for food and Robin's arguing with Drake about the correct way to pronounce 'neither' so I gtg. See you later.

I laughed and sent a 'see you later' back to him. Mom smiled at me and said, "Monroe, come here and help me with these cookies."

***

Mom wiped her hands on the apron around her waist as the doorbell went off. I launched myself off the couch and said, "I got it!" 

I opened the door and almost fell backward with the force Jay attacked my legs in a hug. "Hi, Monroe!!"

I laughed and hugged her back the best I could. "Hi, Jay! Where are your brothers?"

"Here!" Robin said as he too joined Jay in squeezing my legs. Drake ran over and jumped up, forcing me to catch him, but making me fall over in the process. 

I groaned as I hit the ground, the three of them on top of me. Raven's always-stoic face peered at me a few feet away, just at the edges of my vision. "Okay?"