My phone was blaring some annoying ringtone at some ungodly hour in the morning, waking me up out of a seemingly blissful sleep. I let out a groan and rolled over, slapping my hand around on the nightstand until I found my cell phone. It took me a second to figure out how to answer the stupid call before putting the phone to my ear and grunting as a hello.

"Get your ass out of bed, woman."

"Excuse me?" I sighed, fighting back a yawn.

It took me half a second to realize that I happened to be talking to someone I didn't even know.

"Uh, who is this?" I demanded, suddenly very awake as I sat upright.

"Who do you think this is, genius?"

Oh, hell. I recognized that familiar snarky voice. Of course it had to be Archer calling me. I should've known. It wasn't as if I'd been talking to anyone else recently.

"Archer?" I said, a hand at my forehead. "Why are you calling me? And hey - more importantly, how did you get my number?"

"My mother gave it to me," Archer said, like it should've been obvious. "Now get over here."

"Over where?" I yawned, flopping backwards onto my mountain of pillows. "You woke me up to give me orders?"

"Hadley." Archer's voice sounded amused, something I'd definitely never heard there before. "It's almost one in the afternoon, and we're having dinner at four. Did you forget you were invited, or did you decide that you're too good to meet my family?"

Shit. That's right.

I started babbling out a string of obscenities as I tossed myself out of bed, landing on the floor, before dragging myself up and rushing to the bathroom.

"I am so sorry, Archer," I babbled like an idiot. "I'll be over there as soon as I can, I didn't mean to - "

"Jesus, Hadley, will you shut up? Get over here and let's leave it that."

"Oh...okay," I sighed, gnawing on my lip. "If you're sure."

"Stop apologizing!"

That's the last thing Archer snapped before the line went dead.

I glared at my phone before I threw it on the bed. Damn cell phones.

Okay, so I didn't mean to oversleep and show up late to Thanksgiving dinner with the Moraleses. Not only was that completely embarrassing, but Archer also happened to be pissed off because of it.

Well, Archer happened to be pissed off about a lot of things, so there was really no point in worrying about that one.

I probably could've spent a good few more minutes contemplating the workings of the universe like that, but I was already late as it was, so I figured I might as well get moving.

I padded my way into the bathroom and yanked on the shower faucet, stripping my pajamas off before stepping in the shower.

I showered as quickly as possible, washing my hair with my favorite smelling shampoo and scrubbing myself down with my cherry blossom body wash, before yanking off the faucet and wrapping myself up in a fluffy towel to sprint out of the bathroom to the closet.

Of course I was going to spend a few minutes standing in front of the row of clothes in my closet, wondering what I should wear to Thanksgiving dinner tonight.

This rarely happened, so I was completely baffled as to why I happened to be freaking out in a surprisingly teenager girl move. A moment later, I chalked it up to Archer's fault.

I probably spent a good half hour wondering what to wear and finally getting dressed. I decided on wearing a pair of dark jeans and a flattering brown blouse that Taelor had managed to convince me to buy one of the few times we'd gone shopping together.

I bit back a sigh as I thought of Taelor. One of these days I was going to have to break down and call her, because she was so right. I had such a major thing for Archer it was absolutely ridiculous.

I ran a brush through my hair and dusted on a light layer of makeup before I grabbed my coat off the back of my computer chair, my cell phone off the bed and my wallet off the desk, and then sprinted from the apartment after grabbing my keys off the coffee table in the living room.

Whoever out there that ruled the universe must've been feeling particularly fond of me today, since there happened to be a train that made a stop two blocks over from Mama Rosa's that left in three minutes once I made it down into the subway.

The subway ride felt as if it lasted a good three hours or so, but in reality, ten minutes had passed before the doors slid open as the train came to a stop. I probably could've afforded to walk the two blocks over to Mama Rosa's, but for some odd reason I decided to sprint.

I'm sure pedestrians on the sidewalks didn't particularly appreciate me barreling my day down the streets, occasionally bumping into people, but I didn't want to be any later to Thanksgiving dinner than I already was.

It wasn't exactly the way to make the best first impression, but it wasn't the first time this had ever happened, either.

The drapes were drawn over the windows of Mama Rosa's when I came to a gasping halt in front of the place, gripping the handle of the door tightly to keep from falling over. I was definitely going to have to start working out more or something like that because I was most certainly out of shape.

Just to add to my luck, too, the door swung open a second later and I promptly fell over into the doorway, my face nearly hitting the hardwood floor.

Oh, God, this couldn't get any more embarrassing, could it?

"Do you always make entrances like that? Or is it just for this holiday?"

I let out a disgusted huff of air and scrambled to my feet, expecting to see Archer standing there, but much to my horror, it was someone I'd never had the pleasure of meeting before.

The guy was probably only an inch or two taller than I was, but he had the same dark hair and eyes that I suspected was an Incitti family trait. He looked a little like Archer, but his face was rounder, more child like, and he looked like he pranked people for fun.

"Uh...yeah," I said awkwardly, going hands on hips. "I thought I'd do that for, uh, suspense or something."

"Awesome," the guy said with a smirk. "I always knew Archer would find a keeper."

"Uh..."

So the first time I happened to meet one of Archer's family members and my face was so red it looked like I was sun burnt.

Yay.

"Carlo, what the hell are you doing?"

Ah, there was that familiar condescending tone I'd missed so much.

Archer appeared by the guy called Carlo with a scowl in place, and then shoved the guy out of the way before he reached out and yanked me into the coffee house, slamming the door shut behind me.

"And, uh, who is this, Archer?" Carlo asked, tossing an arm around Archer's shoulders.

I had to fight back a laugh at the fact that Carlo had to reach up on his tiptoes to do it.

"Piss off, Carlo," Archer snapped, jabbing an elbow into his side.

Was it just my imagination, or did Archer actually look embarrassed? He looked insanely handsome in a black button down shirt that was rolled up to his elbows, and his hair looked amazing, but there was no denying the fact he definitely looked embarrassed.

"I'm Hadley," I said, stepping forward with a polite smile.

"So this is Hadley?" Carlo said incredulously, his eyebrows shooting up his forehead. "Damn, cuz, I thought -"

"Carlo, go bother someone else and leave Hadley alone," Archer cut him off, giving his cousin a murderous glare.

"Can't evade me forever, Archer!" Carlo said in a sing-song voice before skipping away.

I had a hard time believing that Archer and this guy were even related.

"Sorry about him," Archer muttered, blowing out a sigh. "My cousin is an idiot."

"No, no, it's fine," I said airily, waving a hand. "I never see my cousins, so I'm totally cool with it, even if you say he's an idiot."

Okay, I hadn't meant to let that slip. During these past ten days, I don't think I'd ever let something about myself slip like that. Hell, I think the only thing Archer knew about me was that my parents were hotshots in New York, and that was about it.

"Well..." Archer trailed off with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Then get ready for a whole lot of family you're going to be sick of by the end of tonight."

I had a feeling he was going to be wrong about that one, but it didn't hurt to wait and see, right?

All most as if the rest of Archer's family crowded around in the coffee house had heard the two of us talking, there was a loud shout of "Hadley!" and then I was being surrounded by a bunch of people I didn't even know.

So, in all, it turned out that seventeen of Archer's relatives had come in for Thanksgiving. Regina had three siblings - two sisters named Karin and Sophia, and then a brother named Vittorio - and between the four Incitti siblings, they had fourteen kids.

April, May, June, and Archer belonged to Regina.

Karin and her husband, John, had six children. Carlo was the eldest, and then there was Lauren, Rosalie, Maria, Georgiana, and lastly, Antonio.

Sophia and her husband Marc had three children. Mia was the first born, followed by Portia, and then William.

The only boy out of the four, Vittorio, and his wife Ana, had one son, who was named Isaac.

I wasn't stupid enough to believe that the Incittis and their children were all of what made up the entire family. There had to be tons upon tons of more family members that hadn't made it out for Thanksgiving dinner. I mean, weren't most Italian families extremely large?

Even so, I didn't mind in the slightest that the coffee house was packed with loud, chattering adults and even louder and hyper children. The last time I'd seen any of my family members I had to at least have been in kindergarten or first grade. This was different from anything I'd experienced in the last several years, and far from feeling awkward or anything, I actually felt comfortable.

I thought it was sort of weird that I felt more comfortable with people that weren't even my own family. I doubted this was going to happen again, so I decided to soak up the environment before I never saw it again, as depressing as it was to admit.

"Hadley! Hadley! Hadley, come play hide and seek with us!"

I was instantly bombarded by a pack of little kids the second I stepped out of the bathroom after washing my hands. Unless I was much mistaken, dinner was in a few minutes, so washing your hands was a good idea, of course.

I wasn't sure which one of Archer's little cousins was currently bouncing around my legs, but she was adorable with dark ringlets and bright blue eyes.

"Georgiana!" A loud voice cut over the chattering little kids, making them all stop talking immediately. "What are you doing?"

A tall, pretty girl, probably about fourteen or fifteen, appeared in the kitchen doorway a moment later, looking disapprovingly down at the small clump of children.

"I just wanted to play with Hadley, Lauren!" the little girl named Georgiana said in a cute voice, blinking up at the taller girl, Lauren.

"Well, we're about to eat dinner, so you can't play right now," Lauren said with a sigh, making all of the little kids fall silent with disappointed looks.

"But I promise we can play hide and seek later," I interjected before I could stop myself. Honestly, I'd never been around little kids much before, but they were absolutely adorable and I didn't want to see them looking so sad. And a game of hide and seek wasn't too much trouble, was it?

Apparently, the group of little kids enjoyed that, because they all let out squeals of excitement and tried to hug me at the same time. Well, since they were all so small, they ended up really just hugging my legs. I nearly toppled over backwards on to the floor from the mass of children currently hugging my legs, but I couldn't help but burst out laughing, trying to keep myself upright.

"You're so awesome, Hadley!" May squeaked, clutching at my lugs. "I knew there was a reason Archer likes you so much!"

I tried not to pay too much attention to that comment. Even if I was desperately hoping that it was actually true.

"Come on, come on, children," Lauren cut in, waving a hand. "You can come help me set the table."

There was something in Lauren's authoritative air that made the kids immediately dash from the kitchen, which I suppose was for the better, since they were getting rather rowdy. That, and it probably wasn't a good idea to play hide and seek in a kitchen.

"Thanks for the intervention," I said to Lauren with a small smile. "I'm not normally used to being around so many little kids."

"No problem," Lauren replied, grinning. "I figured as much, since you are the daughter of Michaela and Kenneth Jamison."

I blinked. "How do you know who my parents are?"

Lauren shrugged indifferently. "Archer told me."

I rolled my eyes, huffing out a sigh. "Typical."

Lauren's grin widened. "I wouldn't worry about that. Archer's normally always unpleasant."

"You don't need to tell me," I snorted in agreement. "I wholeheartedly agree with that one."

"You know, I'm sort of surprised you're not a stuck up bitch," Lauren said conversationally as we left the kitchen.

I stared at her with wide eyes, not sure whether or not I was supposed to feel complimented or offended. "Uh...okay?"

Lauren laughed. "Well, Archer wouldn't hang out with you if you were one, I suppose."

I was probably supposed to be rather pleased about that one.

Archer didn't think I was a bitch! Score one for Hadley.

Lauren and I wandered over to the four tables pushed together in the middle of the coffee house, covered with homemade tablecloths. Regina, Victoria, and Sophia were bustling back and forth between the kitchen and the tables, carrying steaming dishes of turkey, mashed potatoes, buttered rolls, green beans, cranberry sauce, and a few dishes that I didn't even recognize.

I wasn't so sure if pasta dishes were usually apart of a Thanksgiving dinner, but I figured it was another Italian thing.

I helped Lauren and one girl with dark hair cut sharply around her face, who I suspected was Mia, pass out porcelain plates around the table, followed by silverware. All of Archer's cousins, teenagers and the younger ones included, kept giving me curious stares as I worked, and I was starting to feel a little self conscious. People didn't normally stare at me this much.

Hopefully I wasn't in any trouble or anything.

It took another couple of minutes to get everyone seated around the tables, especially the younger ones. If anything, it had gotten significantly louder since I first walked into the place, and I wasn't so sure if my eardrums were going to be permanently damaged because of it.

Somehow, and I'll probably never know how, I ended up sitting in between Archer and his lovely cousin, Carlo. I suspected that it might have been Regina's doing that I ended up next to her son, but I don't know who didn't like me enough to put me next to Carlo. Not that I didn't like the guy or anything, but he instantly started blabbing in my ear the second his ass touched the seat next to mine.

"Everyone! Quiet!"

Victoria's aged, raspy voice was loud enough to drown out everyone else in the place, and we all immediately fell silent. It was sort of hard not to listen to anything that came out of that woman's mouth, because she'd probably put the eye on anyone that didn't.

"Bow your heads," Victoria ordered, glaring around at all of us. "And we'll say grace."

My stomach started churning when I noticed that everyone around the tables linked hands with each other, and I hesitantly reached out to place my hand in Archer's. He gave me a look out of the corner of his eye, one of his eyebrows raised, and I quickly bowed my head like Victoria ordered.

Now, don't get me wrong, I've been in some pretty awkward situations before. But having everyone else saying a prayer in Italian as a blessing and you not knowing a single word of it or what they were saying was completely awkward.

I knew everyone was Italian, but I had no idea that they all fluently spoke the language, too.

So I just quickly said the "Bless Us, Oh Lord" prayer in my head and dropped my hand from Archer's and Carlo's the second they all finished speaking.

"I didn't know you spoke Italian," I muttered, glancing over at Archer as he reached for a plate of rolls.

He shrugged in response. "Not really that impressive."

"Quindi dire che non impressionare questa bella signora con le vostre abilità bilingue?"

I stared at Carlo as if he'd just spoken gibberish, feeling very embarrassed since I had no idea what the hell he'd just said.

Archer glowered in Carlo's direction before he chucked a roll at his head.

"Chiudere la conversazione, è stronzo," was Archer's response.

Needless to say, I was even more confused.

"Archer!" Regina snapped, leaning over towards us from halfway down the table. "Do not call your cousin an asshole!"

I clapped a hand to my mouth to keep from bursting out laughing.

"Sure, sure," Archer replied, waving a hand.

I was beginning to like Carlo a little bit more after that.

Thanksgiving was an American holiday, so that was why there was a small plate of roasted turkey on the table. But other than that, Italian people apparently didn't celebrate the holiday and just looked at the day as another excuse for getting together, being loud, and eating a lot of food.

Half of the conversation going around the table was in rapid Italian, which made my head hurt. I wanted to know what they were talking about, at least so I wouldn't feel stupid about not contributing or anything, and the fact that most everyone was speaking Italian made it a little difficult.

Carlo unsuccessfully tried to involve me in a conversation about some girl he met at school with a "nice rack" (he was 15, a freshman at a high school in Albany) and that didn't last for very long. Archer leaned over about a minute later and whapped him upside the head, which effectively ended any other conversation that could have popped up for awhile.

I was thankful for that, in all honesty.

"So, tell me, Hadley," Archer's aunt Karin said after awhile, leaning towards me across the table. "What's it like having such famous parents?"

I tried to wipe the scowl off my face as fast as possible, but it wasn't easy. It was pretty much my normal reaction to look pissed off whenever someone mentioned my parents.

"Uh, I'm not really sure," I said slowly, biting my lip. "They're not really home that much, so I can't rightly say."

A rather sad look came across Karin's face, like she wasn't expecting my answer to be like that. "Oh, well, I'm sorry. We're very glad to have you here for Thanksgiving dinner, though."

I had no trouble smiling genuinely that time. "Thank you."

"So, and uh...you and Archer?" Karin's husband John interjected, giving the two of us a coy look.

"Just friends," Archer and I said in perfect unison.

Well, I wasn't sure how convincing my protesting was that time. My face was practically the shade of a new dodge ball and I was gnawing on my lip so hard I was surprised it wasn't bleeding.