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Chapter Forty Seven - Thanksgiving

"My toy."

"My blankie."

"My puppy."

It was one of the greatest football days of the year, Thanksgiving Day, and Noah and I were decked out in our matching Bucs jerseys while Brooke walked around the room confirming her supreme authority over everything in the house. As she reached for Lila, the poor dog scampered away as fast as her legs could carry her. Brooke looked around for her next possible possession. She walked up to the couch and wrapped a hand tightly around Noah's leg.

"My NoNo!"

Noah didn't seem to appreciate her love. He yanked his foot back and gave her a very pissed off little grunt. It didn't seem to faze Brooke. She looked up at me and gave me a very toothy grin.

"My daddy."

I smiled. "My Brooke."

She clapped excitedly to find someone that appreciated her game.

"Nick?"

I heard the sound of the oven door opening and closing.

"Yeah?"

"When's Angel getting here?"

"She said she'd be here by two!"

"What time is it now?"

"Two fifteen!"

"Ugh."

Brooke took off at a little gallop. I waited a few seconds and then...

"My mommy!"

I heard Liv say something and Brooke's unmistakable giggle. A minute later Liv was carrying her back into the living room.

"You need to stay here with daddy," she said. She plopped Brooke on the couch. Brooke flipped around and slid back off.

"My vee-vee," she said, touching the TV.

Liv looked like she had just crawled through a hot desert and fought off a giant monster. She had some white gunk smeared on her face, her hair was a mess, and she still had a huge oven mitt on one hand.

"Do you need help?" I asked. I crossed my fingers, praying she would say no. The game was just getting good...

"No, it's fine. Just keep the kiddos out of the kitchen, okay? I'm going to go get dressed."

I smiled. "Absolutely no problem."

Liv leaned down and gave me and Noah pecks on the cheek.

"Thank you."

She took off upstairs and I stretched out on the couch. Noah perched on my chest and studied the players taking off down the field. As the crowd went wild, he clapped. I groaned.

"No buddy, that was the other team. We go 'BOOOOOO!'"

"BOOOO!!!" Brooke squealed. I laughed.

"See, your sister's got it."

Fifteen minutes later it was halftime and the doorbell was ringing. I scooped up Noah and headed towards the front door.

It was Angel.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she apologized. She brushed past me; she was completely flushed.

"It's okay," I laughed. "Where'd you come from? Oz?"

She gave me a look. "No, it's just things have been crazy."

She set down a huge box on the floor and took off down the hall. I heard the bathroom door close.

"Hello to you too," I muttered. I glanced down into the box. I saw pies. My stomach growled. The guys and I had been getting the tour choreography down for the past three weeks and I was sick of all the fruit and salad that they had thrown at us. It was almost as bad as all the rice I had inhaled over in Japan.

"MY!" Brooke cried happily. She leaned over the box. I scooped her up in my free arm.

"Nope, that's for later."

Her face wrinkled. I was hoping I wasn't heading for a Brooke meltdown. I didn't want to be stuck doing corner patrol when the game came back on.

I had just gotten both kids back on the couch when the doorbell rang again. I headed back into the hall and opened the door.

It was Liv's mom and Mike.

"Hey mom," I said as she hugged my tightly.

"You're losing weight," she said. She stepped back and looked up at my face. I grinned.

"We've been getting in shape for the tour and--"

"Well, we'll make sure you have plenty of food."

Mike slid in beside her. He was carrying a huge box. I could smell delicious aromas wafting from inside.

"Beans, corn casserole, cranberry sauce, cheesy potatoes, and cheesecake," Mike rattled off. "Since I've been with Carrie I've gained twenty five pounds. I couldn't get back on the FBI squad if I tried."

I laughed. "You can come dance with us any day."

I picked up Angel's box and Mike followed me to the kitchen. Liv's mom took off towards the living room.

"Who wants presents?" I heard her say. Brooke squealed and I heard Noah laugh loudly.

Liv, bless her heart, had actually asked me if I was going to invite my mom to Thanksgiving. After making sure that she hadn't been hitting the rum, I had told her that while her intentions were good, I'd rather have hell freeze over.

The only other person I was expecting was BJ, and that was iffy. Dad had stopped by yesterday and we had a pre-Thanksgiving pizza dinner. Brooke seemed to find her grandpa fascinating and my dad about cried when she fell asleep in his arms.

"How's everything going?" Mike asked me. I smiled.

"Hectic, but that's the norm around here. What about with you?"

Mike grinned. "Well..."

"Nick, did you get my pies?"

Angel swung herself into the kitchen.

"Yeah, Brooke almost got into them."

Angel laughed. "That sounds like your daughter."

"What sounds like his daughter?"

Liv walked into the kitchen and opened the oven door for another bird check. Then she turned around and gave Angel a hug.

"Nick said Brooke was trying to get into the pies, so I said---"

Liv laughed. "Yeah that would be his daughter, all right."

"Do you need any help in here?" Liv's mom asked. She had Noah in her arms. He was holding a huge stuffed football.

"Yeah, I need some carrots cut up..."

Mike and I took that as our cue to leave. We ended up out in the living room to watch the third quarter of the game. The Bucs were three yards from a freakin' touchdown when Brooke tugged on my legs.

"Daddy, potty."

Liv had decided that it was time to attempt potty training. For the past week Brooke had ignored the whole thing as if it didn't exist.

It figured that today, at this nerve-wracking moment, she would choose to give it a try. As a dad, I had only one choice.

"Liv!" I called out.

There was no answer. I heard a lot of girly chit chat going on. Brooke tugged on my leg again.

"I'll let you know what happens," Mike teased.

I scooped Brooke up and kept darting glances back at the TV as I walked. They were taking their sweet time getting back into formation. I headed down the hall and into the bathroom. A very girly princess potty was sitting right beside the regular toilet in all its pink glory. I set Brooke down.

It was like a long drawn out stage show. First she stared at the thing, then she patted the seat. She tilted her head as if contemplating her next course of action.

I heard Mike cheer in the living room.

To aid things along, I got her bare bottomed and ready to go. She turned and just smiled at me.

I heard Mike groan from the living room.

"Brooke's potty," I said encouragingly. I tapped the seat. She giggled.

"MY!"

I heard a long string of cursing from the living room and Liv's mom yelling. I broke out into a sweat. The game...

Then the miracle occured. Brooke plopped down and peed as if she did it everyday of her life. She kicked her legs against the seat and clapped.

"GOOD JOB!"

I started to clap. Never in my life did I think I'd practically be doing a victory dance over someone going pee.

"What happened?"

I glanced over at Liv.

"She did it!"

Liv started to clap just like me. She knelt down and got Brooke all ready to go again.

"What a big girl!"

"My potty," Brooke said happily. She walked out in the hallway. I heard a long string of 'My's' as she went.

"How amazing is this?" Liv asked. I had slowly been inching towards the door. I stopped and leaned against the wall.

"Awesome. That didn't take long at all," I said.

"Well, this is only one time, but it's a start," Liv said.

"Right. Well, I'll go make sure she stays in the living room..."

I gestured towards the door. Liv grinned.

"Nick, go watch the game."

She didn't have to tell me twice. I took off towards the living room before I got stuck cleaning a potty chair.

----------------------------------

"Nick, seriously it's nothing to pout about."

"One point. One point."

The Bucs had lost by one lousy, stinking, point. The kicker had missed the shot as the last seconds of the game ticked away. I had gotten so mad I threw Noah's new stuffed football and Atari and Bitsy had gotten each end and tore it in half.

Needless to say, Noah was still sniffling even as he picked at the pieces of turkey Liv had cut up for him.

"Well, I have some good news," Liv's mom announced. She wiped her mouth and smiled at Mike.

"It doesn't involve football right?" Liv asked. Angel laughed.

They just didn't understand.

"No, not football. Actually...I'm getting married."

Liv's fork dropped on her plate. I saw her eyes widen.

"Really?"

Mike grinned and shoveled in another forkful of stuffing. Liv's mom looked like she was going to pass out.

"That's..." Liv trailed off. She picked up her fork. "That's wonderful."

"Carrie was afraid you were going to try to stab me with the carving knife," Mike teased.

"I was not! I just..."

"Mom, I think it's great," Liv assured her. "When's the big date?"

"February 18. We're just going down to the courthouse. Simple thing."

Liv grinned. "Nothing's ever simple. Am I invited?"

Mike laughed. "Of course. You're one fourth of our guest list." He winked at me. "Then of course your husband and the kids."

Liv and her mom started to chat about dresses and flowers and all that. Liv was right. After about ten minutes it didn't sound all that simple. Mike finally held up a hand.

"We're going to be in there for about fifteen minutes. We don't need any Wang Chung dresses or anything."

Angel looked at Mike like he had just committed a sin.

"It's Vera Wang," she admonished. He just shrugged.

After wedding conversation had died down, Liv and her mom got up and cut the pie. As we dug into humongous slices topped with whipped cream, Angel cleared her throat.

"I have some good news too," she said lightly.

"Are you getting married?" I asked. She laughed.

"Not quite." She had managed to scrape the entire layer of whipped cream into the center. It heaped there like an island floating in a vast ocean of pumpkin.

"You're going to be an uncle."

"What?"

There was a time, a couple years ago when someone had told me Leslie had announced she was pregnant. Somehow there was a whole bunch of drama with her husband (now ex-husband) and it was all an attention stunt. But Angel wasn't like that.

"Yep. I'm due in May."

My fork was heaped with delicious pumpkin stuff but I couldn't bring it to my mouth. I was looking at my little sister. My unmarried, single little sister. I decided yelling wasn't the best course of action. My voice came out pinched, but steady.

"Who's the father? Do I know him?"

A deep flush crept into her cheeks. "Well...that's the funny part..."

"Was it that groomsman at Nick and Liv's wedding?" Liv's mom asked. "He was chasing you like a hound all night."

"Groomsman?" I quickly eliminated Brian, Kevin, Howie, and AJ. That left...

"Matt," Angel said before I could guess.

My turkey was coming up and it didn't taste as good as it had going done.

"Matt?" I said incredulously. "Pothead, drunk off his ass, acts like a twelve year old Matt?"

"That's the one," Angel said calmly.

"Where is he?" Liv asked. Angel smiled.

"I don't know. We hooked back up about two and a half months ago and had a nice three weeks. And then..." She waved her hand in the air.

She was so nonchalant. As if she had just gotten the world off her chest, she took a large bite of pie.

"Where does that leave you?" I said. I was getting mad. I was having visions of punching him in his face and shoving his bong so far up his...

"It leaves me happy," Angel said. "I want a child, I don't want a wedding ring, and I'm old enough and financially secure enough to take care of myself and a baby."

I knew better than to argue with the only member of my family whom I actually got along with. Instead I stuffed some pie in my mouth and continued to think of what I would do to Matt when I saw him again. Meanwhile Liv and Angel started to talk excitedly about Brooke and Noah's future cousin.

"And," Angel said with gusto. The pie had quickly disappeared from her plate. "Mom didn't waste any time announcing that I could always come live with her."

I snorted. "Oh, yeah, that would work."

"That's basically what I said. Then she started whining about how I was her last hope for a grandchild she could actually visit."

I caught Liv's eye and smiled sardonically.

"And that darling," I said smoothly. "Is why my mother wasn't invited to Thanksgiving."

Liv's mom raised her water goblet.

"Here, here!"

The only thing left to do was toast to a Jane-free holiday.