MAKE IT REAL

"Oh," Fay said, an awkward smile on her face.

"Don't let those heathens bother you," the matriarch patted her back lovingly. "It's good to know there's someone else that takes prayers as seriously as I do."

"No jokes. Grandma once took us all to a ten hour church program. I think I had hearing loss five hours in," Colin joked.

Fay chuckled, and the sound sent electrical shocks towards Ace. She looked so at ease with his family. Now that the elephant in the room had stormed out, she was definitely more comfortable.

"That's enough. Everyone, eat up."

The mumblings stopped, and only the sound of metal scraping against metal as they devoured their food could be heard.

In-between eating, someone would make a joke that would send them reeling from laughter.

The matriarch could only swallow her tongue and watched the newest generation of the Atticus', mingle.