Aidan's face fell. I had no idea.

I know you didn't, sweetie, but I'm telling you now. There will be no more secrets between us, all right?

A smile curled his lips. That would be great.

So what I'm saying is that keeping you as far away as possible from Virgil Cavanaugh was the smartest thing I ever did. Turns out I did something right.

You've done lots of things right, Mom. Aidan inclined his head toward the voices coming from the living room. Getting back together with Dad is right up there, too.

Kat felt her face blossom with happiness. You think?

Oh yeah. He's… Aidan stopped, clearly overwhelmed with emotion. I couldn't have dreamed up a better dad. Or a better mom. And now I look forward to having both of you in my life at the same time. I'm finally going to know what having a whole family feels like.

Kat burst into tears and grabbed her boy, never wanting to let go.

Everybody OK in here? Riley hung back in the dining room, not quite entering the kitchen, not sure that he was welcome.

Kat separated from Aidan and wiped her eyes. I just had a mother moment, she said, grabbing a piece of paper towel from the dispenser and blowing her nose. It's kind of surreal having Aidan here.

Riley nodded.

I'd like to try something, Aidan said. You guys up for it?

Riley and Kat looked at each other, and then at their son.

Sure, Kat said.

Come here, Dad, Aidan said, holding out his left arm. Riley stepped into his son's embrace. Come here, Mom, he said, holding out his right. Kat pressed up against him, then instinctively brought her arm around and grabbed on to Riley. The three of them stayed in a huddle like that for several long moments, their heads touching in the center, a feat that required both men to bend way down to meet Kat.

Eventually, Aidan pulled away. In-friggin'-credible, he said, shaking his head. I will never forget this night as long as I live.

Carrie hit the road early on Thanksgiving Day, figuring there would be serious northbound holiday traffic. She wanted to get this distasteful errand over with. She brought along a book to read in the coffee shop because she knew she'd get to Persuasion with hours to spare.

She shook her head, merging onto the highway. It was beyond her why Riley and his crowd decided to hold a fund-raiser on Thanksgiving Day, a day that was supposed to be sacred, spent in the company of family and cherished friends. It pissed her off to no end that she'd had to leave Kenneth behind in Charleston, especially since his parents had extended an invitation to join their family for dinner.

Carrie sighed. Kenneth was gorgeous and brilliant. Not like Riley, of course, but in his own way. He was a financial analyst. He'd grown up in Morgantown and gone to Ohio State. He played squash and racquetball, and he dressed tastefully. His kissing needed just the teensiest bit of work, but Carrie was up to the challenge. And he had nice eyes. Kind of plain, really, not the knock-me-on-my-ass kind of eyes like Riley had, but /nice/.

She was aware that she'd have to stay more than a hundred feet from Riley at all times, just as the protection order said. She would not speak to him or Kat. She would show up at this stupid event, bid for Matt, rub her leg against him or do something equally distasteful for everyone to see, and then she was out of there. That would have to satisfy Madeline's taste for revenge because that was all she was getting. As far as the money went, Carrie had set a five-hundred-dollar limit for herself. She absolutely, positively would not go a penny higher.

She'd decided that once the legislature was back from holiday recess, she'd undo the clinic-funding mess. The last few weeks had been filled with soul-searching, and she realized that withholding the clinic money had been a mean-spirited thing to do. Carrie had breathed life into the project by calling in every political favor owed to her. She wanted Riley to adore her. Be in awe of her. She wanted him to propose to her, and it had worked. How embarrassing it had been to go back to the same people a couple years later and beg them to make the money go away! She did not even want to think about how humiliated she'd be returning yet again, wanting the funding restored. The whole town would think she was nuts.

Carrie shivered. She dreaded going back to Persuasion, because the last time she was there was for her encounter with the foul Virgil Cavanaugh, closely followed by being slapped with the protective order. It was pretty obvious that her meeting with Virgil had been a harbinger of disaster, a blatant signal to Carrie that she was on the wrong path and needed to clean up her act. If it weren't for the fact that she was driving, Carrie would've closed her eyes right then and taken a moment to connect to the positive energy flow of the universe.

No matter how much she cranked the heat, she just couldn't seem to get warm.

Kat greeted the day happier than she'd ever been in her life. Today was going to be the kind of Thanksgiving she'd dreamed about since she was a little girldelicious food on the table and a bounty of forgiveness, honesty, and love in the hearts of those gathered together. She had much to be thankful for.

The first thing she did that morning was call Riley.

Happy Thanksgiving, a groggy voice answered.

I love you, Riley Bohland.

Mmmm, he replied, still half-asleep.

I wanted those to be the first words I said today.

That's really sweet, Scout. She heard him roll over in bed.

Are the young lovebirds still asleep? she asked.

It's not even seven yet, so I'd say it's likely.

Kat opened the drapes in her bedroom, and looked out over the quaint scene of Laurel Lane in the morning. She hoped that in each of those houses there would be peace today.

I'm sorry for waking you, but I'm just so excited! Kat padded down the stairs and into the kitchen. I'm going to begin all the turkey prep work and start some of the side dishes.

Riley chuckled. You really are enjoying this, aren't you?

It's my home and my family and my chance to do things differently, so, yes, I'm enjoying this.

I love you, Kat. Do you know how much I love you?

A lot?

You got that right. Now, would you mind if I go back to sleep?

She giggled. Of course not. Be here around noon, OK? Please don't forget the six extra chairs.

We'll bring 'em in the truck. Bye, sweetie.

Kat spent the next several hours in glorious solitude, puttering around her kitchen, drinking coffee and listening to her music as loud as she wanted. With Aidan and Nola both here in Persuasion today, she didn't feel the slightest internal pull east toward Baltimore. And once Phyllis' donation made her part of the clinic forever, she'd be here in Persuasion, too, in spirit.

Cliff had called about ten o'clock last night to let Kat know that he, Barbara, and the grandkids were checked into Cherry Hill. He told Kat how much he was looking forward to the visit. Jeff and his partner, Richard, arrived earlier yesterday evening, and Jeff couldn't stop raving about Cherry Hillhe thought it was absolutely charming.

Jeff sounded cheerful, but Kat had gotten to know him since the Caymans, so she was able to detect the hint of melancholy in his voice. He was in Persuasion because his own family in Vermont had reacted coolly to his coming out and told him they were uncomfortable having Richard for the holidays. When Kat invited Richard and Jeff, he had leaped at the offer.

She looked forward to seeing him again.

By ten, Kat had everything under control and had showered and dressed.

She'd chosen her outfit with the newspaper photos in mind, selecting a subdued eggplant turtleneck and a pair of black dress slacks. Nola arrived by ten-thirty, bringing a huge pan of lasagna in case there wasn't enough turkey to go around.