Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Five: The First Thanksgiving
The twins came home for Thanksgiving.
Lina had been counting down the days for weeks. She cleaned the penthouse from top to bottom. She bought groceries and cooked and planned. She wanted everything to be perfect.
Ethan watched her from the kitchen doorway.
"You're going to exhaust yourself," he said.
Lina looked up from the stove. "I'm fine."
"You're not fine. You're nervous."
Lina set down her spoon. "What if they've changed? What if they don't want to be here? What if they'd rather be with their friends?"
Ethan walked over and put his arms around her.
"They're your children," he said. "They'll always want to be here."
Lina leaned into him.
"I hope so," she said.
---
The doorbell rang at noon.
Lina ran to the door, her heart pounding. She opened it.
Lily stood in the hallway, her backpack over her shoulder, her smile bright.
"Mama!"
She threw her arms around Lina.
Lina hugged her daughter, breathing in the smell of her, feeling the solid weight of her in her arms.
"You're home," Lina said.
"I'm home," Lily replied.
Leo stood behind her, more slowly, his expression thoughtful.
Lina hugged him too.
"You're home," she said again.
Leo hugged her back. "I'm home."
---
The penthouse was loud again.
Lily talked nonstop about college—her classes, her friends, her auditions. Leo was quieter, but he smiled more than he used to. He laughed at Lily's jokes. He asked about Sprinkles and Sky and Sunflower.
Lina watched them and felt her heart swell.
They were different. Older. More independent.
But they were still hers.
They would always be hers.
---
Thanksgiving dinner was chaos.
The table was crowded with food—turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy and cranberry sauce and pies.
Everyone was there. Victoria and Victor and Katherine. David and his half-siblings. Maya and her mother. Emily and Hope.
Lily told stories about college. Leo explained his research. Hope ran around the table, laughing.
Lina sat at the head of the table, looking at her family, and felt something she had not expected.
Gratitude.
Not for the food. Not for the occasion.
For the people.
For the love.
For the family that had chosen her, and the family she had chosen in return.
---
After dinner, Lina found Leo in the garden.
He was sitting on the bench, looking at the stars.
"Are you okay?" she asked, sitting beside him.
Leo nodded. "I was thinking."
"About what?"
"About how much has changed. About how much I've changed."
Lina was quiet for a moment. "Is that bad?"
Leo shook his head. "It's not bad. It's just... different."
Lina took his hand.
"Different is good," she said. "Different means you're growing."
Leo looked at her. "Do you think I'm growing?"
Lina pulled him into her arms.
"I know you are," she said. "I've watched you every step of the way."
Leo hugged her back.
"I love you, Mama," he said.
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
"I love you too, baby. More than anything."
---
Later, Lina found Lily in her old room.
She was sitting on the bed, holding Snowball.
"Are you okay?" Lina asked, sitting beside her.
Lily nodded. "I was just remembering."
"Remembering what?"
Lily looked around the room. "Everything. Growing up here. Being happy here. Being safe."
Lina's heart ached.
"You're always safe here," she said. "No matter how old you get. No matter how far you go."
Lily leaned into her.
"I know," she said. "That's why I love coming home."
Lina held her daughter.
"That's why I love having you," she said.
---
The twins stayed for a week.
They slept late. They ate too much. They argued about the same things they had always argued about.
Lina watched them and felt a strange mix of pride and sadness.
They were leaving again.
Soon.
But they were here now.
And she was going to treasure every moment.
---
The last night, Lina sat on the couch with Lily and Leo.
They watched a movie—the same movie they had watched when they were small, the one about the brave little elephant who saved her family.
Lily cried. Leo pretended not to. Lina held them both.
"I don't want you to go," Lina said.
Lily leaned into her. "We don't want to go either."
Leo nodded. "But we have to."
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
"I know," she said. "I know."
---
The next morning, Lina stood at the door, watching the twins pack their suitcases.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
Lily nodded. "I'm ready."
Leo nodded. "I'm ready."
Lina hugged them both.
"I love you," she said. "I'm so proud of you. You're going to do great things."
Lily hugged her back. "Thanks, Mama."
Leo hugged her back. "We'll be fine."
They walked out the door.
Lina stood in the doorway, watching them go.
They looked back.
They waved.
She waved back.
She cried.
Ethan put his arm around her.
"They'll be back," he said. "For Christmas."
Lina leaned into him.
"I know," she said. "But I'm still going to miss them."
"That's your job."
They stood in the doorway, holding each other, while their children walked back into their own lives.
---
That night, Lina sat on the couch with Ethan.
The penthouse was quiet again. The twins' rooms were empty again. Their voices were gone again.
"How do you feel?" Ethan asked.
"Empty," Lina said. "Not in a bad way. Just... empty. Like I've been carrying something for so long that I forgot what it felt like to put it down."
Ethan put his arm around her. "That's called love."
"Is that what this is?"
"I think so."
Lina leaned into him.
"They're gone again," she said.
Ethan kissed her forehead.
"They are," he said. "But they'll come back. They'll always come back."
Lina closed her eyes.
She thought about all the years ahead. The visits. The phone calls. The moments she would hold her children and the moments she would have to let them go.
She was not ready.
But she was learning.
And learning, she was beginning to understand, was the most important part of love.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Five