A Brotherly Thanksgiving!

Chapter 1: Brothers in Appetite

The crisp November air carried the scent of woodsmoke as Adam and Luke Taylor stood side by side on the porch of their parents’ house. Their breath misted in the cool morning air, and the orange and red leaves of late autumn crunched underfoot as they wrestled with the task of unloading folding chairs from the trunk of Luke’s SUV.

“Can you believe Mom is making three turkeys this year?” Adam, the younger of the two, chuckled as he hefted a chair under each arm. His lean frame had grown considerably more defined in the past few years, a testament to his commitment to the gym. At six feet tall and 175 pounds, he wasn’t bulky, but his broad shoulders and muscular arms made him look every inch the athlete.

Luke, on the other hand, smirked as he grabbed a box of decorations. At 27, three years Adam’s senior, his build was slim and wiry. At 5’10 and 170 pounds, he didn’t share his brother’s fitness obsession, but he had an effortless leanness that frustrated Adam to no end.

“Three turkeys is nothing. You’ve been eating like it’s Thanksgiving every day for the past six months,” Luke teased. “What is it? Chicken breasts, rice, broccoli—repeat until you die?”

Adam grinned, refusing to take the bait. “You’re just jealous I can out-eat you now.”

Luke laughed. “Oh, please. I’ve been out-eating everyone in this family since I was ten.”

It was true. As a kid, Luke’s appetite was legendary, earning him the nickname “Bottomless Pit” among friends and family alike. His parents often joked that feeding him had felt like a full-time job. Adam, on the other hand, had been the picky eater—the kid who pushed peas around his plate and took forever to finish a single slice of pizza.

That all changed a couple of years ago when Adam discovered weightlifting. With fitness came a hunger that surprised even him. Now, family gatherings had turned into a kind of food Olympics, with Luke and Adam as the star competitors.

“Hey, just because you finally learned to eat doesn’t mean you’re beating me at the table tomorrow,” Luke said, carrying his load inside.

“We’ll see,” Adam shot back, his competitive streak shining through.

Inside, their mother, Evelyn, was a whirlwind of activity in the kitchen. The smell of roasting turkey already filled the house, mingling with the warm scent of cinnamon from freshly baked pies cooling on the counter. Their father, George, was busy setting up the dining room, laying out silverware and adjusting the folding table to accommodate the extended family.

“There you boys are!” Evelyn exclaimed as the brothers walked in. “Put the chairs by the table. And Adam, honey, don’t you dare steal a piece of that pie. I saw that look in your eye.”

“I wasn’t going to!” Adam protested, though he had definitely been eyeing the pecan pie.

Luke smirked, leaning against the counter. “Mom, don’t worry. He’s just carb-loading for tomorrow. Apparently, he’s got something to prove.”

Evelyn sighed, shaking her head but smiling. “Honestly, you two and your food competitions. You’re going to eat us out of house and home. Again.”

Adam and Luke exchanged a look, then burst out laughing. It wasn’t the first time they’d heard that line, and it wouldn’t be the last.

As the day wore on, the brothers helped with final preparations—peeling potatoes, setting up decorations, and sneaking samples of stuffing when their mom wasn’t looking. The house grew warm with the chatter of relatives arriving, the sound of football on the TV, and the promise of the feast to come.

As evening settled, Adam found himself back on the porch with Luke, this time nursing mugs of hot cider. The stars were just starting to peek out over the treetops, and the crisp night air carried the promise of a perfect Thanksgiving.

“Think we’ll make it through dinner without embarrassing ourselves?” Adam asked, only half-joking.

“Not a chance,” Luke replied with a grin. “But hey, it’s tradition.”

And with that, the brothers clinked their mugs together, ready to take on whatever the holiday—and their appetites—had in store.