On Thanksgiving weekend, Beatrix “Trixie” Fairchild expects her three grown children to meet her in Niagara Falls. For what, she won't say -- but her cryptic invitation spark a certain kind of magick and makes it so each one of her adult children returns to their hometown with hope, and only a small amount of resentment, in their hearts.<br><br>Whether it's Ivy, the oldest, who fears following in her mother's witchy footsteps; or Hazel, the middle child with itchy feet and a wanderlust that can't be sated; or Rowan, the youngest and only boy, now a trans woman struggling to integrate her past and present lives; each returns home, expecting some sort of resolution to their family woes. What they get is a surprise love interest along the way.<br><br>Will Ivy continue to overthink her own happiness, refusing to see what is right in front of her? Will Hazel feel too betrayed by her false family line and leave now that she has no home anchoring her in place? And will Rowan be able to finally integrate the best parts of herself without compromise and hurt feelings in the aftermath? What is Trixie planning for the holiday weekend?

The Thanksgiving Invitation

Young Rowan had, of course, imagined the streamers through her hands. The elation in her lungs as she would ride it. And the feeling of the seat between her thighs. She’d gotten the bike, too—but it had been purple rather than pink. It did have streamers, though. It sucked that she only rode it around the neighborhood once before the boys caught on and made fun of her. Then, as her mother would most likely tell her, all those bad feelings had made it so she was no longer a match for the bike. Her body’s shame response—red cheeks, lowered eyes, and pouting lip—made it so the bike no longer fit with her.


Chapter 14