Excerpt: For Better or For Worse

The first thing Holly Swift did on Thanksgiving morning was check her cell phone. Sure enough, she had a text message waiting for her.

“Good morning, beautiful,” it read. “Happy Turkey Day!” The sender was simply listed as “Boyfriend.” Grinning, Holly picked up the phone and texted back. “Happy Thanksgiving, Chris.”

Holly got out of bed and pulled on jeans, a cami the color of oatmeal, and a cranberry-colored pullover sweater. She and Chris Stand had only been dating for two weeks, but already she couldn’t imagine life without him. They had been best friends since June, but it felt like they had known each other for years. Holly tucked her cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans and went out into the living room.

“Hey Mom,” Holly said as she passed through the kitchen. Sausage, onions, and celery were sizzling on the stove, and the turkey was splayed out in its black and white speckled pot. The Swifts’ two Rottweilers, Comet and Turbo, were seated patiently by the sink, watching Mrs. Swift’s every move with their gaping mouths laced with strands of drool.

Holly entered the living room, where the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade was playing on the TV. “Hey Josh, hey Dad,” Holly greeted the two fixtures on the couch. The two guys grunted in response. Josh was tossing a football up and down absently as the television announced another cartoon character float.

“Oh, honey, could you come help me out in here?” Mrs. Swift called. Holly sighed. Josh and Mr. Swift made no effort to get up.

“Coming!” Holly went back into the kitchen and nearly tripped over Turbo, who had lunged at a fallen bread cube from the stuffing currently occupying Mrs. Swift’s hands. Mrs. Swift pointed at the bowl of stuffing, and Holly grabbed a handful and started jamming it into the uncooked bird.

“What are we doing for Christmas this year?” Holly asked nonchalantly.

“We’ll probably go see your father’s parents on Christmas Eve and celebrate as a family back home on Christmas Day. Why?”

“I was just wondering,” Holly said. “I was hoping that Chris could come down for a few days around then, if it was okay with you and Dad.”

Mrs. Swift frowned. “Don’t you two see enough of each other at school?”

“But it’s a holiday, and I’d really like you and Dad and Josh to meet him, and maybe his family too. Maybe the day after Christmas they could come down and we could all go shopping together or something.”

“Maybe,” Mrs. Swift said, but she didn’t seem all that happy about it. “If you two are still together by then, I’ll think about it.”

“Oh, we will be,” Holly said confidently. Little did Mrs. Swift know, Chris had already asked Holly to marry him twice within the first two weeks of dating. He wasn’t the kind to give up that easily.