First Impression 2

Chapter 86

-Hayley's POV-

It was five thirty in the morning. I was downstairs helping my mom prepare her famous Thanksgiving dinner that none of us would be allowed to eat for another twelve hours at minimum. I took another drink of my third coffee, trying to stay awake long enough to finish stuffing the turkey.

"So what are we going to eat for breakfast?" I asked with a yawn.

She shrugged. "I don't know. What do you want? Pancakes sound good?"

"With blueberries?" I grinned and Mom rolled her eyes.

"Yes, with blueberries."

The one thing about Thanksgiving was the preparation. I never understood the concept of waking up at the ass crack of dawn to prepare a meal you wouldn't eat until the day was half way over with. But when my mom had asked to me do it with her, I couldn't say no. It reminded me of the times we had done it with Dad.

"Hayley, slow down," Dad chuckled as he grabbed my hand that was taking everything off the counter and throwing it into a bowl. Mom had said I could make the stuffing and that was what I was doing. "Honey, we don't want to put paper towels in the stuffing."

"But if we don't then it's gonna get all messy!" I shouted despite the fact that the sun wasn'tt even awake yet.

Dad laughed again and took my secret ingrediant out of the bowl. Mom shook her head but was smiling in the corner. Her belly poked out further than it had before, making it difficult for me to hug her. She kept saying that if I hugged her too hard it would hurt my baby brother.

I just wanted to know why my brother didn't like hugs.

I snickered to myself as Dad kissed Mom's forehead, making her smile deepen. She placed one hand ontop of her tummy and the other continued to stir the eggs that we were be eating for breakfast.

"You don't have to work today right?" Mom asked with sad eyes. It worried me because a few seconds ago she was happy.

Dad shook his head. "I shouldn't have to anyway."

I hoped he wouldn't have to go to work. Mom got worried when he had to work suddenly. I didn't blame her. I didn't like it when Dad would be playing with me and then suddenly run out the door, sometimes without even hugging me goodbye.

None of us liked when Dad worked.

~

It was nearly three in the afternoon now and all of our stomachs were growling angrily at the lack of nutrients. I sat down next to Niall as we watched a football game Logan had picked, a plate full of fruit dip and strawberries in my hand. Niall had a plate stacked tall with every snack food Mom had allowed him to eat.

"I don't understand why we have to wait so long." He groaned stuffing a pickle in his mouth.

I rolled my eyes and popped a strawberry into my own mouth. "It's kinda like why at your house for Christmas we all wait before eating the big supper."

"Because the food isn't ready when everyone shows up?"

"Exaclty."

A few minutes of comfortable silence fell between us, only disrupted by Logan and Jeffery's cheers and curse words. Niall lifted his arm up, inviting me to lean into him, which I did. His hand ran up and down my arm a few times before coming to a stop.

"Remember our first Thanksgiving together?" Niall asked with a smile.

I snorted and covered my face with embarassment. Of course I remembered our first Thanksgiving together. We had stayed in this same house , sitting on old worn furniture that belonged to my lost father.