down, giving him a look to stay put until I tell him otherwise. I don’t make him wait long. “Okay, you can eat,” I tell him, and he dives right into the food, lapping it up as only a dog can.
“So, my cousin is coming for Thanksgiving this year!” Lindsay says excitedly as we eat our dinner.
“Awesome, when is she coming in?” I know that she was hopeful that Reese would be able to come back for the holidays.
“She’s going to fly in on the Tuesday before and stay for, like, ten days. Austin can only be here for two of them because then he’s out on a road trip, but at least they’re coming, and I get to see them!”
“That’s great,” I tell her. “Speaking of Thanksgiving, I was thinking today about it and what we’re doing. I’d kind of like to spend it together, if we can. Hit up both of our family’s dinners, if possible.”
“What is your family's tradition? Early or late dinner?”
“Well, it's never really set in stone because of me and Dad’s work schedule. There have been many years that we’ve celebrated on a different day because one or both of us were working. In the last few years, we’ve eaten at a normal dinner time because I’ve had to work.”
“Do you know if that’s the plan this year?” Lindsay asks.
“I haven’t asked Mom what her plans were, but I can. What does your family do?”
“We’ve always eaten at two o’clock on the dot. That was something my Nana started, and Mom had continued the tradition on, when she took over hosting when Nana no longer could.”
“I’ll get Mom to have ours around six, then. We can go to your parents’ place for your family’s get together and then head to my parents’ around five,” I suggest.
“Sounds perfect to me. Will Paisley be with you this year? Or how do you guys handle holidays with her?” she asks.
“We usually split the day if I’m off, and if I’m not, then she’s with Lilly on the holiday and with me on whatever day my family ends up picking. So, she’ll probably have to miss your family’s, and we can pick her up on the way to my parents’.”
“That works. Mom will probably give us crap for not bringing her with us, but will understand. She likes having little kids around, so she’s going to be so excited that Reese, Austin, and Nicole are coming; well, she’ll mostly be excited about Nicole, but ya know she can’t be there without Reese and Austin.” She laughs at her own statement.
“How old is she?” I ask.
“A little over a year.”
“That’s a fun age.”
“Reese says she's into everything now that she’s walking and running around.”
“How do they handle having a baby out on the road when she’s touring?”
“She hasn’t done a full tour yet since Nicole was born, just a few shows here and there. If Austin hasn’t been able to go with her, then her mom flies out to be there to take care of Nicole when Reese is busy.”
“I can’t imagine having to juggle a kid and being on the road, so I don’t blame her for not wanting to be on tour right now.”
“Yeah, she’s just enjoying being a mom, for now. She’s been so go-go-go for so many years now, has definitely earned the longer break.”
“So, back to turkey day. As long as my family can pull off the evening time, does that plan sound like it will work for you?” I ask.
“Sounds perfect to me,” Lindsay says, leaning over and kissing my cheek.
“Daddy?” Paisley pulls my attention her way.
“Yes?”
“Can I take a bath with Buckley?” she asks, and I can’t stop the bark of laughter that comes out.
“No, that’s not something we do. When Buckley needs a bath, we can give him one, but it wouldn’t be when you’re in the tub. We’ll actually take him to a special place to give him one. Kind of like when you go get your hair cut. Buckley will do the same,” I explain to Paisley.
“Okay,” she grumbles. I’ve obviously burst her bubble and whatever plans she’d cooked up in her mind.
“Sorry, honey. It just isn’t a good idea. Plus, he’d make you all dirty, which is the exact opposite of what’s supposed to happen when you take a bath.”
She heavily sighs again as my words sink in. “Can I have another hot dog?” she asks, changing the subject as only a kid can.
“Of course,” I tell her