The gates of the Prescott mansion closed almost immediately as Rebecca's car pulled into the driveway.
She stepped out carefully, balancing a large dish covered in foil in one hand and a bottle of red wine tucked in the other.
She didn't wait for anyone to open the door for her.
She pushed it open with her shoulder.
"Mom!" she called out brightly.
Elizabeth was in the living room, seated gracefully with her tablet resting on her lap. She looked up at the familiar voice and smiled instantly.
"Rebecca."
Rebecca crossed the room carefully, setting the wine on the console table before leaning down to kiss her mother's cheeks.
"You smell like rosemary," Elizabeth said lightly.
"Its the lasagna," Rebecca corrected proudly. "And yes, I outdid myself."
Elizabeth chuckled. "You are taking this 'i want to be the one to cook for my family thing' too serious"
"Of course mom" Rebecca smiled adjusting her dress.
"You don't want to get a help, you can get one from the company we employed Mrs Collins from" Elizabeth suggested.
"No mom, I appreciate the thoughtfulness, maybe I'd hire when I'm in the third trimester besides cooking is fun" Rebecca pointed out.
"Alright if you say so" Elizabeth said and subtly signaled toward the hallway. "Mrs. Collins?"
Mrs. Collins appeared almost immediately and gently took the dish from the console table.
"Thank you," Rebecca said warmly. "Please tell me it's still warm."
"It is, ma'am."
Before Elizabeth could respond again, footsteps echoed from the staircase.
Amy.
She was halfway down when Rebecca spotted her.
"Sister-in-law!" Rebecca shrieked dramatically.
Amy burst into laughter. "Rebecca....."
Rebecca hurried forward and hugged her tightly the moment she reached the last step.
Elizabeth shook her head lightly laughing. "Rebecca."
"What?" Rebecca protested. "I just saw you and my sister-in-law. That should make me happy."
"It's true," Elizabeth admitted with a small smile.
Amy was still laughing. "You're ridiculous."
"Oh.....that's cause I Love you."
Amy laughed as they moved toward the living room seating area. Rebecca sank into the couch, stretching her legs comfortably.
"I still can't believe you're leaving tomorrow," she said, looking between Amy and Jace, who had just descended the stairs.
"It feels like you just arrived," she continued. "Like it was yesterday you came to Virginia. And now you're running back to Manhattan again."
Jace shrugged lightly. "Work calls."
Rebecca sighed dramatically. "Work always calls....almost like your father"
"Don't compare me with him please, he's a sadist" Jace said feigning annoyance.
She straightened suddenly. "Anyway. I told you we'd do something nice before you left. So here I am."
She clapped her hands once. "Suggestions. What are we doing tonight?"
Elizabeth tilted her head. "Movie?"
"Too quiet," Rebecca dismissed.
"Dinner and wine?" Amy suggested.
"That's already happening."
"Cards?" Jace offered.
"Boring," Rebecca said without hesitation.
They began tossing out ideas casually, music, dancing, storytelling, board games.
"Trivia," Elizabeth suggested thoughtfully.
"Too serious," Rebecca said.
"Charades," Amy tried.
Rebecca paused.
"…That could work."
Elizabeth smiled softly. "We could make it teams."
Everyone nodded slowly.
And then Amy added gently, almost without thinking.....
"We could make it...you know.....family game night"
The room shifted. Almost dramatically.
Amy's smile faltered slightly. She glanced around.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Rebecca looked at her quickly. "No, no....."
But Elizabeth's eyes had softened in a way that revealed memory. They used to do game night.
Before.
Before things changed. Before Emma's tragic accident. Before tension. Before distance between father and son. Before certain traditions stopped.
Rebecca cleared her throat. "Amy" she said gently, "we don't do that anymore."
Amy's heart sank. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean....."
"Amy," Elizabeth said softly. "you don't need to apologize."
Jace stepped forward then.
"It's fine," he said quietly.
Rebecca looked at him carefully. "It just… that was when Dad used to...." She stopped herself.
Jace inhaled slowly.
"We can't keep living in the past," he said after a moment. "It's a new year. Maybe it's time to continue from where we stopped."
Elizabeth looked at him carefully. Rebecca did too.
There was no anger in his voice. Just maturity.
Rebecca nodded slowly. "A new year," she echoed.
"Yes, a new year, we stopped alot of things when Emma died but it's been years. It's not as if we are forgetting her entirely if we do the things we used to do as a family when she was here... instead we'd be preserving her memories and also remembering her through it".
That made sense to all of them. Amy looked at him with admiration in her eyes. His sister looked at him with a lot of respect and his mom looked at him with eyes filled with love that she could raise someone as thoughtful as him.
"I agree" Rebecca said.
Elizabeth stood gracefully. "I'll go tell Mrs. Collins to prepare the living room properly."
"And I'll go call Nick," Rebecca said, rising quickly. "He needs to witness this historic moment."
They both exited in opposite directions, leaving Amy and Jace standing alone in the center of the room.
The house felt quiet again.
Amy stepped closer to him.
She reached for his hand gently.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, looking up at him. "I didn't know."
He shook his head immediately.
"Don't apologize."
She searched his face. "I didn't mean to bring up something painful."
He looked at her for a long moment.
Then something softened in his expression.
"It's not painful," he said quietly. "It's just… unfinished."
Her thumb brushed lightly across his knuckles.
"I think it's good you brought it up," he continued. "Maybe it's time we stop avoiding things."
She studied him carefully.
"You're okay?" she asked.
He nodded.
"In fact," he added with a faint smile, "I'm thankful."
"For what?"
"For you."
Her chest tightened slightly.
"For seeing things simply. For reminding us we can start over and give things a chance again.".
Without another word, she stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He pulled her in fully, resting his chin lightly on her head.
The hug wasn't dramatic.
It was grounding.
They stayed like that for a few seconds, quiet and steady.
The sound of Elizabeth's voice giving instructions to Mrs Collins drifted faintly from down the hall. Rebecca's animated tone was heard from another room as she called Nick.
Jace leaned back slightly, brushing his fingers through Amy's hair.
"Ready for game night?" he asked.
She smiled. "Only if we're on the same team."
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I don't know about that, I am competitive, you ready for that?"
She gasped lightly. "Traitor."
He laughed genuinely.
Tomorrow they would leave but tonight already felt huge and blissful to all of them.
....
The scoreboard stood like something ceremonial in the middle of the Prescott living room.
Markers arranged.Wine poured. Crackers on a huge bowl with little serving plates on the side. Berries. Lasagna scent lingering in the air.
Elizabeth sat straight-backed in the couch, a small porcelain bowl on the table filled with folded slips of paper. Jace, Amy, Nick and Rebecca were all seated.
Rebecca stood up and clapped once. "Alright guys, tonight is about to be the best night ever for the longest time in the Prescott household but of course apart from the new year's eve, my pregnancy announcement and Amy and Jace's engagement" She said as Jace winked at Amy.
"We are about to experience the first ever Prescott family game night in over 8 years" She continued. "For the first game of the night, we'll be playing 'Guess the sketch', basically one person draws and the other guesses"
"That sounds fun babe" Nick said.
"Of course it does, It was my idea" She said rolling her eye animatedly and they laughed.
"Rules," she announced. "Two teams. When one person draws, only their teammate guesses. No help from the other team. First to five points wins."
Nick nodded. "Understood."
Just then James comes down the stairs and muffles a hello to them.
"Hi dad" Rebecca says.
"Hey pumpkin" He replied.
"Umm....James....we are about to play a game, you should join" Amy blurts and she felt Jace's eye piercing into her soul saying something like "what the hell, Amy?"
"Yeah totally, you should join dad" Rebecca says.
"Alright,I guess I should give it a try besides I don't have anything I'm doing" He said as walks to one of the chairs and sits down.
Jace's countenance changed and Amy could feel it. He still looked at his father with so much contempt.
"Teams?" Rebecca said brightly.
"Nick and I," she declared immediately, dragging him toward another couch.
Nick sighed. "I was not consulted."
"It's not as if you got a choice babe."
"I'll team up with Amy" Jace said almost immediately.
"Oh I'm sorry Jace, you know I can't draw and I'm very bad at guessing, I think I should stick to being the timekeeper" Amy said.
"Mom?" Jace was literally begging with his eyes now.
"I guess I'll be in charge, I'll call out what will be drawn" Elizabeth said shifting slightly on the couch.
She shifted her gaze toward Jace and her husband.
"That leaves you two."
A beat.
James nodded. "That's acceptable" he said.
Jace stood up. "I guess I'm done for the night then"
Amy swallowed softly. She willingly opted out of teaming with Jace so he could be together with his dad but the whole plan was about to get ruined.
"Jace, it's just a game, remember what you said earlier" Elizabeth said.
Jace frowned and then sighed. Now he wished he hadn't given that grand speech earlier. "Sure" He replied sitting back down.
She could also feel the tension. Like two men who had spent years speaking past each other suddenly required to speak directly.
"Alright, let's start everyone. 60 secs only for each team" She said looking at Amy and she nodded.
"Team A" She said pointing at Jace and his father. "Team B" She pointed at Rebecca and Nick.
Elizabeth unfolded the first slip.
She walked to James and showed him the word privately.
He gave a small nod and he stepped up to the board and picked the black marker.
Amy raised the timer. "Ready?... Go!"
For a second, he simply stood there.
Jace waited.
James began with controlled strokes, a long rectangle. Then smaller shapes along one side.
Jace frowned slightly.
James added circles.
Then a curved line above.
Silence stretched.
Jace's eyes sharpened.
"Train," he said calmly.
Amy blinked. That was quick. Less than 30 seconds in.
Elizabeth checked the slip.
"Correct."
Rebecca groaned dramatically. "Already?.....that didn't even look like a train" She said as they laughed.
James handed the marker to Jace without comment.
"1 point to team A"
Nick's turn.
Elizabeth showed him the word.
Nick's eyebrows lifted. "Oh no."
"Oh no?, not now babe" She said dramatically.
He began drawing something that looked like a lopsided animal.
Rebecca leaned forward intensely.
"Dog?"
Nick shook his head aggressively and kept drawing.
He added something that resembled wings.
Rebecca gasped. "Horse?"
"No" He said still adding lines and shapes to the drawing.
"A lion?"
Nick threw the marker down triumphantly.
Elizabeth nodded. "Correct."
Rebecca screamed like she'd won a championship.
"1 point to team B"
Back to Jace.
Elizabeth showed him the word this time.
He exhaled quietly and approached the board.
James folded his arms.
Jace drew quickly, clean, efficient lines.
A tall structure.
Windows.
He paused.
Added something small at the top.
James studied it.
He didn't rush.
He tilted his head slightly.
"Lighthouse."
Amy's hand tightened around the timer.
Elizabeth nodded.
"Correct."
James didn't smile broadly.
But there was something satisfied in his expression.
Score: 2 – 1.
Nick and Rebecca went again.
Rebecca drew this time around.
They argued mid-drawing.
"You're overcomplicating it," Nick said.
"I'm adding dimension!" She said.
"It looks like a potato!"
Time buzzed.
They lost the round.
"It was your fault, that was a pear"
Nick laughed. "That didn't look anything like a fruit"
Score: 2 – 1.
Rebecca accused the timer of bias.
Amy laughed and defended her time keeping passionately.
Laughter filled the room.
And something in Jace relaxed.
Third round.
Elizabeth walked to James again.
Showed him the word.
This time, James's expression changed slightly.
More thoughtful.
He approached the board.
He drew a small figure.
Then another.
One slightly taller.
He hesitated before adding something between them.
Jace's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
He stared at the drawing.
James didn't look at him. He looked at the board.
"Brothers," Jace said quietly.
Elizabeth glanced at the slip.
"Correct."
The room quieted for a fraction of a second.
Because it wasn't just a correct answer.
It was recognition.
Score: 3 – 1.
Nick and Rebecca managed to score again after a chaotic drawing that looked like a tornado but turned out to be "blender."
Score: 3 – 2.
Fourth round.
Jace's turn.
Elizabeth handed him the word.
He blinked too fast. Just for a second and Amy noticed.
He began drawing slower this time.
A large shape.
Then smaller details around it.
He erased part of it with his thumb and redrew.
James stepped closer.
Not touching.
Just observing.
Jace added a small arch.
James's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Is that a Bridge," he said.
"Correct." Elizabeth announced.
Amy was surprised because the drawing wasn't even that obvious. It wasn't easy.
There was understanding between the two men, structure. Perspective and Intention.
Score: 4 – 2.
Nick and Rebecca got their round this time after arguing playfully.
Score: 4 – 3.
The room buzzed.
"Final point wins," Elizabeth declared dramatically.
She looked at the final slip in her hand.
Then at her husband.
Then at her son.
She walked to James and showed him the word.
James read it.
His fingers tightened slightly around the marker.
He approached the board.
This time, he didn't start immediately.
He exhaled slowly. Then drew.
A big house. Doors. Windows. Something that looked like a balcony. A fountain.
A path leading away from it.
He paused.
Then added something at the end of the path. Something like a bush.
Silence filled the room.
Amy's timer ticked softly.
James stepped back.
He didn't look at Jace.
Jace studied the drawing carefully moving closer. He swallowed.
"Penthouse?" he asked a little unsure.
James shaped his head negatively urging him to guess more before their time runs out.
"Uh.....window and a door, our estate?" He guessed.
Elizabeth closed her eyes briefly before nodding.
"Correct, Score 5 – 3, the winning team is team A"
The game was over.
Rebecca protested dramatically.
But none of it mattered.
Jace and his father were still standing in front of that drawing.
James finally looked at him.
"Great job, son" he said quietly.
Jace met his eyes. The words landed softly. He didn't expect it.
Jace nodded once and walked back to the couch.
Across the room, Amy felt something like a tiny little win flutter in her stomach. It was something big because this was the first time the two men were in the same room without an argument or one of them storming off.
It was close to something good.
Amy stepped closer to Jace smiling at him.
"Great job babe" She said.
He nodded. "It's just a silly game" He smiled back.
Rebecca huffed dramatically, crossing her arms as she perched on the arm of the sofa. "I want a rematch. That game was so rigged. There's no way Nick and I didn't win!"
Nick grinned, leaning back with exaggerated nonchalance. "Rigged? Really, Rebecca? Maybe it's because you can't draw for your life."
Rebecca shot him a look that could kill.
"Oh, please. Your drawing was worse. Remember the pear you were trying to draw? It looked like a potato with angry legs!"
That made Rebecca laugh, holding up her hands in surrender. "Touché....touché"
Elizabeth chuckled softly from the armchair, shaking her head. "You two never change."
Nick's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Alright, alright. Since we're clearly in need of redemption… how about another game? Two Truths and a lie."
Rebecca's face lit up with a mischievous smile. "Ooh, now that sounds fun. I like the sound of that."
James, who had been quietly observing, leaned forward and added, "I've never played this one before."
Nick grinned. "Simple. One person says three things about themselves, two out of the three would be true, one false. The rest of us guess which is the lie. Then, the person guesses a lie wrong would have to drink some more wine. We'll rotate through everyone"
"Sounds… scandalous," Rebecca murmured.
"Except you of course, we are pregnant remember?" Nick reminded.
"Yh, if you loose, then you eat some lasagna, it's a win for everyone" Amy said smiling.
"That doesn't sound bad at all" Elizabeth concurred.
Nick clapped his hands. "Alright. I'll start."
He smirked and said, "I once accidentally ate a whole jar of pickles in one sitting, I can whistle the song from titanic, and I'm a secret salsa dancer."
Rebecca's hand shot up immediately. "Oh, that's easy. You can't whistle the song from titanic, you can't even whistle to save your life. Only I should know the that… since I'm married to him!" She smirked, glancing at Nick with a hint of pride as everyone laughed.
Nick groaned. "Fine, fine, you win this round."
"Wait a sec, before we continue.....Nick....you salsa?" Jace asked a little shocked.
"You need to see him salsa dance, he's a pro" Rebecca said laughing.
"Now I want to see some salsa dancing" Elizabeth said grinning.
"No no no.....Bec's just kidding" Nick laughed between his words as he rushed to the nearest seat as everyone laughed at him.
Rebecca's turn came next. She leaned back, her eyes sparkling. "Okay…..one, I dyed my hair pink in college. Two, I tried to run away from home when I was nine. Three, I once convinced a teacher to let me skip gym class by faking an injury."
Elizabeth raised a finger, a soft smile tugging at her lips. "Hmm… the hair thing is a lie. Rebecca adores her hair too much to ever allow a dent on it."
"So Rebecca really tried to run away when she was nine?" Amy asked surprise.
"I was there" Jace laughed.
Nick laughed, the loudest in the room. Rebecca swatted him playfully.
"Hey! Paige was one of the popular kids in school, and I really wanted to go to that sleepover," Rebecca explained. "So yeah, when mom didn't let me go I was convinced she didn't love me. I tried to sneak out. But the front door… it was too huge for nine-year-old me to push open."
Elizabeth leaned forward. "I remember that night. It was a sleepover at Paige's. I didn't want her to go, but Rebecca had packed a bag and tried to run away at midnight. She was determined."
Nick wiped a tear from his eye, laughing so hard it almost annoyed Rebecca..
Rebecca shot him a playful glare. "Stop laughing, Nick!"
"I can't help it," he said between chuckles. "I can't stop imagining how tiny she was trying to shove that door open!"
Rebecca's lips curved into a sly grin. "Oh please.....and Paige? She didn't even talk to me afterward. Apparently,I was supposed to bring this really cute Barbie doll set mom got for me to the sleep over so she'd brag to the other girls that it was hers. But screw her… I don't even speak to her anymore either."
Everyone burst into laughter, the room alive with playful history.
Nick gestured to James. "Your turn James."
"Already?" He asked and Rebecca nodded smiling at him.
"Alright, let's see.....One, I proposed to Elizabeth in the rain. Two, I've always hated photography. Three, I… I've been skydiving."
Rebecca smirked immediately. "Surely it's the rain thing, that's the lie"
Nick shook his head. "Nope, it's the photography. That's the lie."
Elizabeth's eyes softened, a quiet smile on her lips. "Yh, Nick's right"
"What?" Rebecca asked in disbelief.
"Actually… your dad did propose to me in the rain. And it wasn't just any proposal. It was that night after the company's charity gala. He had a terrible cold, we were soaked to the bone, and he just… dropped to one knee. Totally unplanned. But I said yes anyway."
Rebecca gasped. "Wait… Dad proposed in the rain?"
Elizabeth laughed softly. "Yes. And he was freezing, but he couldn't wait. I remember thinking… only he could make a rainy night feel so romantic."
The girls aww'ed, and even Nick tried making a low whistle but ended up making a funny sound. Jace just gave a small smile.
Rebecca leaned back, clearly impressed. "I didn't know Dad was a romantic."
Elizabeth nodded, eyes thoughtful. "He was, once. And the photography thing, before life got busy, he'd wander with a camera for hours. That's actually how he met some of his oldest friends. And… he was really passionate about it. Makes you see him in a slightly different light, doesn't it?"
James simply smiled nodding. "That's right and I think I still have my old camera tucked away somewhere in this house"
Jace, sitting quietly on the sofa, felt a subtle shift in the room and inside of him. He didn't know his father was ever into photography. This was the first time he heard it.
The game continued with laughter filling the air. Rebecca being dramatic and occasionally rubbing her tiny belly. Amy snuggling closer to Jace and James smiling almost like he hasn't laughed in a while. Everywhere simply felt peaceful for once.