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Your hands are shaking by the time you look out the car window at the big farmhouse. The black shutters accented the olive green paneling, and the wrap-around porch is already crowded with people. You are about to spiral into a complete panic when a soft hand lands on your thigh.
“Don’t overthink it, babe. They are going to love you,” Nicky reassures you after giving your thigh a small squeeze before leaning over to kiss your cheek lightly.
“How do you know?”
“Because I love you,” Nicky winks, turning off the car, “and anyone who can make me settle down must be someone made of miracles.”
You can’t help but laugh as you look down at the engagement ring that now adorns your left hand. After two years, Nicky had finally decided to pop the question and drag you back to New York to meet her family. There had never been a good time with your crazy work schedule, and any time Nicky had to go home, she often went alone. Now you had the weekend off work, and you knew that it was time to face the music.
You had been anxious about it ever since Nicky had suggested it a month ago, but there was no turning back now. As you approached the house, clinging to her hand, you felt out of place and more nervous than you had expected. On the flight, Nicky had tried to catch you up on all there was to know about the very dysfunctional Reznikov-Mendoza family.
It was easy to remember Alex, Nicky’s business partner, who often visited when things in the business were more chaotic than usual and needed both of their help. Their business idea had been sparked during the riots and the torture they had both experienced at the hands of a horrible CO. When they had gotten out, Alex and Nicky were determined to change the way that prisons operated. It had been harder than they originally anticipated, but if there was one thing about Alex and Nicky, it was that they never went down without a fight. Now their business was booming, and Alex got the chance to travel the world to host expos, small teaching clinics, and large conferences. Nicky had been by her side until she had met with you, and suddenly, all she wanted to do was be by your side. She took a step back and did the background nitty-gritty of the business, which is something Alex teased her about constantly. Yet anytime that it was brought up, Nicky was quick to remind you that there was nowhere else that she would rather be.
Then came Boo, who always called Nicky to see if she was “still dating that one girl” or if she was ready to prowl the town again. You always laughed it off and tried to set up Boo with one of your friends. She declined every time and said she wasn’t ready to settle just yet. Yet with every phone call, you could see that her resolve was wavering, and the little flicker of want was in her eyes. She wanted what Nicky had, someone to come home to, someone to love her unconditionally, someone to show up even when she wasn’t at her best. It was something that you hoped for her, too; you just didn’t know how to help her get there.
After that was Lorna, who had been explained over hours of drinks and more crying than Nicky wanted to admit. She had once believed that she loved Lorna, but came to realize that it hadn’t been love at all. It had been something to pass the time in prison, a person to scratch the itch when no one else would, someone to feed her need for unconditional love. You hadn’t been worried about meeting Lorna until she decided out of the blue to start messaging Nicky again. Nicky always left the messages unread, but the constant onslaught of them was getting more annoying than you wanted to admit. Lorna was supposed to be happily married to her husband, not hitting on your future wife.
On the Mendoza side of the family, Nicky warned that Benny and Julio were at the “disgusting teenage boy phase” of life. Still working through high school, Benny and Julio had taken to playing video games all hours of the day until Gloria ran them out to help on the farm or in the store in town that was run by Gloria’s oldest daughter, Cecilia. Cecilia is no-nonsense, just like her mother, but has a soft spot for Nicky and your relationship. She is the person Nicky turns to whenever she is worried about the next step to take in the relationship, not trusting Alex or Boo to give her useful information. Ceilia has claimed to be the most excited to meet you besides Elana. The youngest daughter of the Mendoza clan has two daughters of her own, Nya and Natasha, who have become the shining light in her life. However, they are still very much in the fussy toddler stage of life, so Elana has taken to asking Nicky questions about her love life like she is the center of a romance novel.
Then came Gloria, or Mom, as Nicky had come to nickname her. It had not always been an easy relationship with Gloria, who had come late into her time in prison, but she was just as important. Gloria had been the one to make sure that Nicky knew that her past did not define her. That she was capable of doing so many things as long as she just believed in herself, which is something that Nicky had always struggle with. During the riots, Gloria had been the one to save the motley crew of the Reznilkov clan, and Nicky often said that she owed Gloria her life, for more than one reason.
It was Galina that you were most nervous to meet. The woman who had once been nicknamed Red had stripped away some of her hard outer layers once she had left prison in the arms of her wife; however, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Her culinary skills were unmatched, but so were her humor and wit. She was the one that Nicky talked about constantly, called every day, and made sure to visit once a month. You know that if Galina and Nicky had never crossed path, you would have never met the beautiful woman that you shared a bed with every night. Galina was the one who had put together the broken pieces of the woman you loved and showed her that there was a whole life worth living if she just stuck around long enough. You also knew that Galina hadn’t talked to Nicky for at least three days when she had spoken of their engagement. The older woman had wanted to meet you, well, more like interrogate you to make sure that you were the correct fit for her beloved daughter. Being stripped of that right had hurt her in more ways than one, and you felt like it was your job to make things right again.
These thoughts were pushed from your mind, however, as Alex rushed over to you with Nya curled on her hip. There was an easy smile on the woman’s face as she held the young child, and you couldn’t help but grin.
“Alex Vause holding a child and actually enjoying herself is something I never thought I would experience,” you tease as you gaze at the little girl.
“What can I say… the twins are irresistible,” she smirks, bopping Nya on the nose gently. “Princess, this is Y/N, Nicky’s wife.”
“If I can survive dinner,” you mumble, which causes Alex to laugh.
“If you can survive dinner.”
-~-
Gloria approaches her wife, who stands at the sink, swearing over a burnt pan of sauce. It is not like her wife to be flustered in the kitchen, let alone burn everything, but this holiday season is different. Nicky is not her only daughter, but she has always been her unashamed favorite. Nicky was the one who had given her life in prison, and it was a connection that could not be ignored. The fact that she had gotten engaged to you before Galina had even met her had started to weigh heavily on the older woman.
“Gal,” Gloria said, gently pulling her hands away from the edge of the sink, “you are spiraling again.”
“I am not spiraling. I am fine. The sauce is the one that has a problem. It had one job, but apparently that was too hard for it,” Galina growls, trying to pull her hands away.
When the redhead’s hand falls away, Gloria grabs her by the hips instead sneaking her hands under Galina's shirt to give her that much needed skin to skin contact. “You have to give her a chance. She is going to be our new daughter after all.”
Galina scoffs but drapes her arms around Gloria’s shoulders. “We haven’t even met the woman yet, and now I am expected to act like she is going to be part of the family.”
Gloria glares at the older woman. “Galina, stop that.” She rubs a soothing circle onto her wife’s hips as she continues to talk. “We may not have met this woman, but we have learned about her through Nicky. We have heard stories, seen pictures, and most importantly, we have seen the way she had changed Nicky. Y/N has made our daughter softer and brighter all at the same time. We no longer have to worry about Nicky traveling the world or continuing Boo’s stupid sex competition games. Plus when is the last time that we have heard Nicky talk about how much she misses drugs.”
Galina contemplates all of this for a moment and then finally sighs having given up the fight and sags against Gloria. “You know you don’t always have to be right, my love.”
“Oh, but it is so much more fun that way,” Gloria grins, leaning up to kiss Galina. “Now perk up and go fix that damn sauce. It is my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner.”
The older woman lets Gloria turn to leave and get all the way to the doorway before she speaks again. “Here I thought your favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner was me.” Gloria turns to glare at her wife, but Galina meets her with a mischievous smirk. “Guess I know where your priorities lie.”
Gloria rolls her eyes, knowing she has fallen victim to her wife’s trap, but refuses to let her have the last word on the situation. “Mi vida, you are my favorite meal every day. I refuse to limit myself to just Thanksgiving if it's you I'm having. If you need reminding, however, I'm more than willing to have the main course right this second, but you should be aware that once we start, I won't be willing to stop. The choice is yours, Chef.”
It is a primal growl that escapes Galina’s lips but her snarky response is cut off when Nicky enters the room. You cling to her hand, aware that the tension in the room is thick enough to cut with a knife. Immediately, you think that it is because you have entered the room, and the panic begins to rise in your throat.
“Well, shit,” Nicky grumbles, looking between her two moms. “Do I need to come back or something? I feel like I just cockblocked the two of you.”
Gloria lets out a laugh slicing through the tension as she's looking between you and Nicky. “You just helped me prove a point, so I will take that any day.” She immediately gathers you in her arms for a tight hug. It is the kind of hug that you have been desperate for, and you immediately melt into it against your will. She keeps her arms wrapped around yours until you decide to finally pull away. “You must be Y/N. I am Gloria.”
“You can call her Mom,” Nicky whispers and then nods her head towards Galina, “that is Ma. Don’t let the hard exterior fool you, she is full of fluff on the inside like a marshmallow if you will, well when her wife isn’t being a tease that is.”
“She acts like it is her full-time job,” Galina grumbles, which causes Gloria to smirk.
Your eyes flick to the burnt pan that is still billowing smoke. You let go of Nick’s hand, looking into the sink. “Was this apple cider chile butter sauce?”
Galina huffs out a breath. “I looked away for one second.”
“And the whole thing caught on fire.” You guess without judgment, looking at the ingredients spread across the counter. “You think that you have enough to make another batch?”
Galina looks at you in disbelief as Nicky rushes to explain. “Y/N is a head chef in a Michelin-star restaurant. Caviar Russe has a branch in Chicago.”
“You work at Caviar Russe?” Galina asks, impressed although her arms remain folded.
“Yes, but I know that your cooking is superior. I am not asking to intrude on your Thanksgiving meal. I am asking to help fix your sauce,” you explain, already reaching for one of the many aprons that hang on the wall.
Galina knows that you are in your element the moment the apron tightens around your waist, and your hair gets pulled back from your face. For a single moment, she lets her resolve soften. “Only if you promise me that my wife won’t be able to spot the difference. It is her favorite sauce after all.”
Galina gives Gloria a wink, and the younger woman can’t help but smile. She knows that the redhead is trying, and as long as you don’t epically fuck it up, you might have found your way into Galina’s heart. You promise that your sauce will be an indistinguishable replica before settling into a spot next to the older woman. Both of you look at Gloria and Nicky, who are watching you intently.
“Get out of my kitchen,” you and Galina say in unison.
Gloria laughs before taking Nicky’s hand and pulling the younger woman into the living room, where the rest of the family patiently waits for dinner.
-~-
There are two things that Galina loves about Thanksgiving: family eating her food and making them laugh while doing so. She tells jokes all night long, not all of them good and definitely not all clean, but enough to make the air fill with laughter and an ease that sweeps everyone up like a warm blanket. She loves seeing her family all together under one roof and looking happy. It was something she wasn’t sure she could ever really have after she went to prison, and she spent every day since she has gotten out trying to make it a reality. Now, as she looks around, she can't help but realize that maybe, just maybe, she achieved that dream after all.
Which is why she doesn’t care when her next joke comes out a little crude; it is her house after all, and she loves to see her wife squirm a little under the stares of others. She waits for the right moment and finds it when Gloria lifts a forkful of stuffing towards her mouth.
“Would you like a little extra stuffin my love?" Galina questions Gloria like it's the most innocent thing in the world, biting back a smirk as she lifts the little dish of stuffing in front of her as if to pass it forward in Gloria’s direction.
You can almost see the red in Gloria’s face as she blushes at her wife’s words. Everyone at the table lets out a groan of disgust as they look between the two lovebirds. It is only Benny who snickers at Galina’s words and raises his hand in a high five, which she gives to him before laughing as well.
“Come on, Ma! Was that necessary!” Nicky yells, covering your ears with her hands.
Galina smirks, leaning back in her chair as she raises her wine glass to her lips. She takes a large drink before she speaks. “Absolutely necessary, I am afraid.”
“I would apologize, but they are like this all the time,” Nicky grumbles as she pulls away her hands.
“Don’t apologize,” you smile, looking at everyone around the table, “I love it here.”
Galina takes this as a segue to stand at her spot at the end of the table, clearing her throat gently. It only takes a couple of moments for everyone at the table to settle. Everyone stares at her expectantly as she raises her glass of red wine.
“Every year we have a lot to be thankful for,” she smiles, looking at everyone surrounding her table. “Family is always the thing I am most grateful for. All of you are a piece of me that I could not live without.”
She nods towards Gloria who sits at the other end of the table. “Moya lyubov’, moya dusha, moya zhizn’, more vse, (my love, my soul, my life, my everything). You have given me more than I thought was ever possible. You saved me, more than once, and continue to give me a reason to get out of bed. Every day I spend with you is the best day of my life. Thank you for giving me a family, a life, a purpose. I love you.”
Gloria’s eyes fill with tears, and she rushes around the table to curl into her wife’s side. Galina kisses the top of her head before turning back to the table. Her eyes land on Alex next.
“Alex, you have been a beautiful addition to the family and continue to bring nothing but joy to my life,” She glances towards Elana, who sits next to her, their hands intertwined under the table. “You and Elana make a beautiful couple, and I can only imagine the wonderful family that you two will create now that you've finally got your heads out of your asses.”
There is a chorus of loud laughter as Alex blushes a deep red. Elana leans over to kiss her cheek gently. Galina then turns towards Natasha and Nya. “My sweet grandchildren, you keep Abuela Glo and me young. I love you endlessly, my little malysh.”
“Boo,” she says, turning to the other woman with a mischievous smile on her face, “we may not always see eye to eye, but you make life exciting, and I couldn’t imagine a family without you in it.”
Boo raises her glass in a cheer before downing half of it. Galina then turns her attention to Lorna. For half a second, her gaze lands on Lorna’s husband, and her face twists with disgust before she smooths it back into a smile. “Lorna, I feel like I have known you a lifetime, and I am so happy that you have found a love to keep you whole and happy.”
For the first time of the night, you realize that Galina is not being genuine. Before you can think more about it, Galina is talking to Cecilia. “My eldest daughter, you have given your mother and me a second chance at life. Even when the world was falling apart, you figured out a way to keep it all together. I am endlessly lucky that you allowed me into your life and continue to be my sounding board on everything that is Gloria Mendoza. Please never change.”
Cecilia gives her mother a wink before Galina turns to her teenage boys. “Benny and Julio, my little men. You had to carry so much as a child, and now it is amazing to see you actually get to enjoy being kids. Though I do hope you two settle down soon. You are starting to give me grey hairs.”
More laughter erupts from the table as the boys give their eldest mother a devilish grin. It is clear then that they have no plans of settling down any time soon, and it may drive Galina completely crazy. Instead, she rolls her eyes and turns towards Nicky. Her gaze softens, and this time, a different Galina is the one that you see. This is the mother who scraped Nicky off the prison floor and fought tooth and nail to keep her alive.
“Nicky,” she hums, “there is so much that I could say. I could tell you that you were the first person to ever see me. The real me. That you kept me on my toes, and more than once, I thought I was going to lose you forever. Yet you came back stronger every time, showing the true Reznikov spirit. You are my daughter, through and through.” She bites her bottom lip as if to stop a surge of tears. “There is so much more I could say, but instead I will leave you with this. I love you, Nicky.”
Nicky doesn’t stop the stray tear that rolls down her cheek. “I love you too, Ma.” She then leans over to whisper in your ear. “See soft as a marshmallow on the inside.”
Her gaze finally lands on you, and your heart drops for a moment. Nicky reaches under the table, grabbing your hand as if already guessing all of the thoughts rushing through your head. Galina doesn’t scowl when she looks at you, as you originally expected. Instead, she beams. “Finally, I am so grateful to gain another daughter into my fold. Y/N, we may have just met in person, but I have spent the last couple of years coming to know you through the eyes of Nicky. I may not have understood it at first, because my little Nicky is not one to settle down, but now that I have seen it, I understand. You bring light back into my daughter. You are her better half, and I am so excited to have you be a part of our family.”
You can feel tears pricking the corner of your eyes as she reaches a hand out to rest gently on your shoulder. You rest your free hand gently on top of hers, too overwhelmed to say any words. She seems to understand and squeezes your shoulder before sitting down. When she settles back into her seat, Nicky leans over to press a kiss on your cheek.
“See, I told you that everyone was going to love you.”