“Can’t,” I replied, heading toward the coffeepot. “I’m getting married.”

“You’re what?” my dad asked, his head jerking up to look at me. He was elbows-deep in the turkey, and the whole thing jiggled at his surprised movement.

“I asked Sarai to marry me, and she said yes,” I said, grinning. “Last night.”

“Last night?” my mom said, her voice faint.

I looked at the absolute shock on their faces and laughed. “What? Why are you so surprised?”

“Because you never said anything,” my mom said, going back to chopping vegetables. “Didn’t you just start dating? I didn’t realize the two of you were so serious.”

“Have I ever brought a woman home?” I asked, a little annoyed at their reactions. I was their last holdout, the child they said they worried would never settle down. Where were the congratulations? Where was the joy and excitement?

My dad watched me for a long moment, then looked over at my mom. Their eyes met for only a brief moment, but it was as if an entire conversation passed between them. He looked back at me as he wiped his hands with a towel, then gave a slight nod. “Congratulations, son,” he said, walking across the kitchen to hug me.

“Thanks, Dad.” I met my mom’s eyes over his shoulder.

“I think it’s great,” she said, her lips trembling a little as she smiled at me. “Just great.”

“Thanks, Ma,” I said, letting go of my dad so I could cross the room and hug her.

“Did you get her a ring?” she asked, her arms circling my waist. “What does it look like?”

“I haven’t gotten one yet.”

“Alex,” she scolded.

“Go get one tomorrow,” my dad said as he started doing ungodly things to the turkey again. “It’s Black Friday.”

“Jewelry stores have Black Friday sales?” I murmured, holding back a laugh. He was completely serious.

“Everyone has Black Friday sales,” my mom replied. “Do you know what you want to get her?”

“A ring,” I joked. Actually, I had no idea what kind of ring she’d like. We’d never even talked about her taste in jewelry. She didn’t wear very much of it. She always had gold hoops in her ears and a gold necklace around her throat with a small Star of David charm that her parents had given her. Sometimes she wore gold bracelets that clinked when they knocked against each other, but that was pretty much it unless we went out somewhere.

“Well, that narrows it down,” my dad muttered.

“A gold one,” I said happily.

“Shit,” my dad said, laughing.

The back door opened just as my expression fell and I started to panic. My cousin Trevor walked in carrying a couple of bowls covered in tinfoil.