Chapter 16 - The Choice
As Christmas approached once again—nearly a year after the infamous dining room incident—our family was completely transformed.
Garrett was living in a quiet apartment near Paramus, rebuilding his relationship with our parents, Nadia, and the kids. He spent every weekend at our house, playing catch with Caleb in the yard and teaching Lily how to build legos. The dark shadow of tension that had hung over our family for years had completely dissolved.
Meanwhile, Harvest & Hearth was gearing up for the busiest December in company history.
In addition to our commercial contracts, Nadia and I made a big announcement to the family in early November:
We were hosting Christmas dinner at our home this year.
I bought a massive, ten-foot solid oak dining table—a beautiful, rustic centerpiece crafted from reclaimed wood. It was huge, warm, and sturdy, capable of seating twenty people comfortably.
We sent out handmade invitations to the entire extended family: my parents, Garrett, Uncle Pete, Aunt Sarah, cousins, and old friends who had nowhere to go for the holidays.
Every single person who received an invitation accepted immediately.
Even relatives who had historically stayed quiet during Susette’s hosting years reached out to express their excitement. Uncle Pete called me personally. “Wes, I wouldn't miss your Christmas dinner for a million bucks. And I’m bringing three extra folding chairs just in case!”
We laughed together over the phone.
May you like
There was only one person in northern New Jersey who did not receive an invitation.
Susette remained in her sprawling, silent five-bedroom colonial in Ridgewood—isolated, divorced from Garrett, and completely alienated from the family she had tried so desperately to control.
