Chapter 229: Thanksgiving Vibes and Sudden Inspiration

Saturday afternoon, Eric stepped out of his car alongside Emma, who was carrying a bag of fruit. They walked down the driveway, and Eric glanced over to notice Ruby’s car parked there, right beside a sleek luxury sports car. Eric and Emma stood on the porch holding hands. When Eric raised his hand to knock on the door,

“Click.”

The door opened, leaving Eric and Emma’s eyes wide. They saw Miranda behind the door, but her appearance was completely out of the ordinary. Miranda was wearing full home makeup, so even in a simple sundress, her beauty radiated as if she were still thirty years old.

“Goodness… why are you standing at the door? Usually, you just walk right in. Come on inside,” Miranda welcomed.

“Here, Mom, Eric and I bought fruit at the supermarket,” Emma said, handing over the plastic bag.

“Oh… thank you. Don’t go through the trouble next time. Come in,” Miranda urged, pulling Eric and Emma inside by their hands.

After stepping inside, they walked into the living room, and sure enough, Martin and Ruby were already seated on the sofa. Across from them sat Wesley, who seemed to be chatting with them. Seeing Wesley there, Emma instantly put on a sour face and rolled her eyes so hard it looked like they were stuck in the back of her head. Naturally, Miranda noticed right away, “thud” she nudged Emma hard enough to make her jump, rub her arm, and glare sharply at her mother.

When Ruby saw Eric, she stood up right away to greet him and urged him to sit next to Wesley. Emma then sat beside Eric, while Miranda took a seat next to Martin. On the coffee table stood a pitcher of drinks and a spread of pastries large enough to feed a small village.

“Why were you late?” Ruby asked Eric.

“Ah… finished up a song real quick,” Eric answered.

“Oh? Writing music again? For The Empress? Or Nobelia?” Wesley turned to ask Eric.

“Both, actually. Just wrapped up two songs, my target is three for Nobelia and two for The Empress,” Eric replied.

“Whoa… keeping busy. Especially since I heard you’re launching a non-profit foundation,” Wesley noted with a smile.

“Yep… getting it sorted out,” Eric said with a smile.

Wesley then turned to look at Emma, who sat completely silent and wedged close beside Eric.

“Why so quiet, Emma?” Wesley asked.

“Don’t feel like talking,” Emma answered curtly without looking at Wesley.

“Looks like someone forgot we’re even in the room,” Ruby quipped.

Eric, Emma, and Wesley looked over toward where Ruby was staring. Miranda and Martin were chatting casually and laughing happily. Occasionally, Miranda would touch Martin’s hand before letting go, and likewise, Martin would sometimes place a hand on Miranda’s shoulder. Both looked completely relaxed, cheerful, and cozy with each other.

“Okay… they’re just chatting… nothing weird,” Wesley whispered.

“Yeah… no big deal,” Eric whispered back.

“Ruby, pretty soon we’re gonna be sisters,” Emma whispered, leaning over to wrap her arm around Ruby.

“Huh… what are you talking about?” Ruby asked, turning to face Emma with a pale, horrified look.

“Why the face? You look like you just saw a ghost instead of being happy,” Emma teased softly with a grin.

“Ugh… drop it for now… we don’t know what the future holds,” Ruby whispered back.

“It’s precisely because we don’t know… that’s why we can hope, right?” Emma whispered with a smile.

“What are you two talking about?” Eric asked, looking at Emma and Ruby. “It’s obvious they’re just chatting, and mostly about business anyway,” he added.

“True… but every cause has an effect, right?” Emma said.

“Please don’t get all philosophical on me, you’re making me want to throw up,” Ruby groaned.

“Man, you kids are tough. Getting all worked up over something so simple,” Wesley muttered under his breath.

“Shut your mouth,” Emma snapped, throwing Wesley a icy glare.

“Whoa… so fierce… I yield, I yield,” Wesley said, raising both hands with a smile.

Eventually, the four of them fell silent and stopped whispering, watching the two middle-aged adults chat merrily in front of them without paying attention to their surroundings. The room grew quiet save for the sound of Martin and Miranda talking. Eric kept a neutral face with no reaction, but when he turned to look at Ruby beside him, he was surprised to see her face slowly darkening.

“Um… you okay?” Eric asked Ruby.

“I’m fine,” Ruby answered shortly.

Eric stayed silent. Seeing his sister was in a bad mood, he chose to keep quiet. Miranda then seemed to realize that the four young adults across from them had gone quiet. She turned and was slightly surprised to catch Emma and Ruby staring intently at her and Martin, while Eric and Wesley just looked dazed. Brushing her hair back, she stood up,

“Ah… right! My turkey must be done by now. Let me check on it, and then we can eat,” Miranda said with a smile. She turned to Emma and Ruby,

“Can you girls help me set the table?” Miranda asked, standing up and reaching out to the two dazed girls.

“Okay… come on, Ruby,” Emma said, standing up and pulling Ruby by the hand.

“Oh… y-yeah,” Ruby replied, getting up.

“I’m heading to the kitchen. Just relax and keep each other company for a bit,” Miranda told Martin.

“Sure… go ahead. Let me know if you need any help,” Martin replied with a smile.

Miranda walked into the kitchen with Emma and Ruby trailing close behind her. Martin then turned to face Eric and Wesley across from him, who were now staring directly at him,

“What? Why are you looking at me like that, Eric? And you too, Wesley?” Martin asked.

“Nothing at all,” Eric answered.

“Yeah, Mr. Martin, totally relaxed,” Wesley added.

“Liar. Go look in a mirror and check out those weird smirks on your faces,” Martin shot back.

“Oh.” Eric and Wesley both realized they were grinning like fools at Martin, who looked refreshed and full of energy. “Sigh.” Martin let out a breath, and his face returned to its usual stoic baseline as he looked at Eric,

“I know what’s in your heads. Don’t worry, I have no intention of rushing into anything with a formal label attached to it. I’m simply glad to finally have someone from my own generation to talk to. As for what happens in the future, nobody knows, and I’m just taking it one day at a time,” Martin said.

“Yeah, I get it, Dad. Don’t worry about it. Honestly, I’m just happy to see you looking relaxed instead of tense every day like before,” Eric replied casually.

Hearing Eric’s words, Martin offered a gentle nod and a smile, though he didn’t say anything back. Soon after, Emma called out asking them to come to the dining table, and they all walked over together. Stepping up to the table, Eric was slightly shocked because Miranda had gone all out.

Sitting on the table was a whole roasted turkey, thick slabs of beef brisket, a full bowl of coleslaw and garden salad with various sauce choices, a large bowl of mashed potatoes, a bread basket overflowing at the edges, and wine.

“Wow… looks like Thanksgiving… Is there a special occasion today?” Eric asked.

“No occasion at all! It’s just been a while since we all gathered together. Come on, sit down, sit down,” Miranda answered.

Suddenly, Emma pulled Eric down by his shoulder, bringing his head low enough for her to whisper right into his ear.

“Whenever Mom is happy, she goes overboard like this. Just go with it and don’t ask too many questions, ehehe,” Emma whispered.

“Huh… is that so?” Eric asked.

“Yep… just look over there,” Emma answered, pointing across the table.

Eric glanced over at Miranda sitting next to Wesley. Across from them sat Martin and Ruby side-by-side. Miranda was serving a portion of roasted turkey to Ruby and chatting with her until Ruby’s initially tense demeanor thawed into relaxation. He also caught Martin talking to Wesley, the two of them clinking their glasses together before taking a sip. Taking in the entire picture, Eric realized he was looking at a picture-perfect, cozy family dinner, even if they weren’t officially a family just yet.

In that moment, lines of words began forming in his head, prompting him to pull out his smartphone immediately to jot them down. Noticing it, Emma asked,

“What are you doing?” Emma asked, puzzled.

Eric turned to face Emma with a smile, “Writing lyrics for Nobelia’s new song,” he said.

“Oh… I see! What’s the title?” Emma asked with a smile.

“‘Warm in the Light,'” Eric answered.

“Cheesy… you always come up with the most dramatic titles… but I love it, so it’s fine, ehehe,” Emma giggled, planting a kiss on Eric’s cheek.

“Sweet… thanks,” Eric replied, kissing Emma’s cheek in return.

After that, they joined the rest of the table in enjoying the meal and sharing lively conversation, while Eric kept typing out the lyrics flowing into his notes app.