“How’s it look?” Jenny asked as she studied it from the other side of the island.

Kevin took a bite and feigned bliss.

It’s actually pretty good.

“No problem,” he said to his wife. “I thought you were supposed to be resting.”

“I’m fine. I’m just making sure we haven’t forgotten anything.”

“You mean I haven’t forgotten anything.”

“No, Mom was working on some items too.”

He grinned as he watched Jenny checking the various pots on the stove. The perfectionist couldn’t help herself, especially when her mother was around. Jenny’s mother loved helping out but she also loved playing with Gregory. Sometimes she’d start playing with her grandson and ignore dinner altogether.

“It’s fine,” he said over the sound of the knife. “You’ve been on your feet too much this morning.”

“I’m fine,” she said.

But her pretty little face said differently. He could see that Jenny was tired. She passed by him and opened the fridge. With her back to him, Jenny didn’t even look pregnant. She was all belly at thirty weeks, even though she constantly complained how big she was getting and she constantly ignored his comments about how beautiful she looked.

“Jen?”

“What?” She wasn’t getting anything in the fridge, just making sure everything was in order.

“We’ve got it covered.”

She glanced at him and then smiled. “Okay.”

“It’s fine. Now just relax.”

“It’s hard to do that when everybody’s coming over.”

“It’ll be fine.”

As she walked back into the family room, he kept carving the turkey.

Relax . . . It’ll be fine . . .

He could say these words to her even if he didn’t believe them himself.

Sometime today after the meal and after everybody was gone, he’d have to tell his wife the truth. But it was Thanksgiving, and he didn’t want her worrying.

I’ll tell her later. I’ll figure out a way.

The best part of the day for Kevin and Jenny was just after they got Gregory to bed when they had a few minutes to themselves. The problem lately was that both of them were usually too exhausted by then to appreciate it.

Tonight was no different. The busyness of Thanksgiving was over but no one had recovered from the festivities. Jenny probably should have already been in bed but she was fighting sleep while lying on the couch and watching television. She didn’t have to tell Kevin how uncomfortable she was. He could tell just by the way she lay there and by the expression on her face.

“You never did say how the meeting yesterday went.”

They’d had a full house today, with both sets of parents and siblings over. In the chaos of about ten adults and a dozen children, it was easy for Kevin and Jenny not to connect.

Part of him wished this conversation could wait for tomorrow. But that was part of the problem the last few years. Every conversation and every special occasion and every intimate connection always seemed to be put on hold for tomorrow, for whenever he was wasn’t busy. “It was fine,” he said.