Thankful by Shelley Shepard Gray

Daed said with a scowl.
    â€œHe kept trying to hold your hand,” Leanna pointed out.
    â€œAnd he was fat,” Henry pointed out. “And had soft hands.”
    Obviously embarrassed, Treva tossed back her head. “See what I mean? I don’t blame you one bit, Aden.”
    â€œ Danke , Treva,” Aden said with a dry smile.
    Nate and Henry looked at each other and then sighed. “I understand, too, Aden,” Henry said. “When I’m as old as you, I sure wouldn’t want to be living at home and doing chores.”
    Their father grunted. “Because I’m sure when you’re living on your own you’ll have no chores to do.”
    â€œNot the same ones, though,” Henry said.
    Aden chuckled at all the bickering. “Oh, I’ll have chores, I’m sure of that.” Looking at Nate and Henry, he added, “I just won’t have to do anyone else’s too. Or have to take care to make sure everyone else is doing theirs correctly.”
    â€œI’ll look forward to that day, too, son,” Daed said with a dry expression. “Now, Aden, what do you need from us?”
    â€œNothing. Just your understanding.”
    Her parents looked at each other. “We understand, but that doesn’t mean that we’re happy about you leaving.”
    â€œEven if you live by yourself, I will still think of you as my eldest boy, Aden,” her mother said. “No matter where you go, you always will be.”
    â€œI want to always be one of your boys, Martha. It would be my honor.”
    After that, there didn’t seem to be anything more to say. Nate and Henry darted off, Treva hugged Aden before escaping to her room, and her parents patted his head before wandering into the kitchen.
    All too quickly, only she and Aden remained. Christina felt so many conflicting emotions, she yearned to escape to her room so she could cry in peace. But when she noticed that he seemed just as stressed, she knew she couldn’t leave him alone. “It looks as if it’s just the two of us now.”
    His gaze warmed. “How do you think it went?”
    â€œAbout as well as could be expected, I suppose,” she said diplomatically. “You gave us a bit of a shock.”
    â€œAll I’m doing is moving out.”
    â€œI know.”
    â€œI mean, it’s not like we won’t still see each other.”
    â€œThat is true. But things will change. It’s going to be different.”
    â€œIt is time.”
    â€œPerhaps.” She yearned to say more, to tell him how confused and conflicted she felt. But she decided to keep her thoughts to herself for a little bit longer.
    â€œChristina, please don’t be upset with me.”
    His tone was so sweet, so pleading, she found herself looking into his eyes yet again. “I’m not upset.”
    â€œYou sure?”
    â€œI know you’ll be fine. I mean, everything changes, right?”
    â€œI think so.” He swallowed. “It’s like the seasons, I suppose. We can’t stop winter from coming or spring from arriving. Change is inevitable.”
    She knew that. And she agreed. But it didn’t make what was happening any easier. She was disappointed that she wouldn’t be sharing most of her meals with him. Sad that their relationship was going to change. Worried about their futures.
    â€œI’ll be fine living on my own, you know.”
    â€œI imagine you will.” Though it hurt to say it, she knew it was true. Aden Reese was the type of man who would be fine wherever he was. “Do you, ah, have enough money to rent an apartment?”
    â€œI think so. I’ve been saving for a while.”
    Which meant that he’d been planning this move for some time. For some reason, that made everything seem worse.
    Which, unfortunately, made her blurt her innermost thoughts before thinking better of it.
    â€œAden, why, exactly, do you want to be on your own? And