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Aurora Fitzgibbon sat on a pink shag rug on her bedroom floor surrounded by an army of dolls and stuffies. She had a very important job to do and didn’t want to mess it up. It would be the worst thing ever if she ruined Thanksgiving for her entire family.

“Daddy says he wants me to be the first person to say what I’m thankful for this year when we sit down to eat Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a really big responsibility, but do you think I’m responsible enough?” Aurora nibbled nervously at her fingernail.

“You definitely are,” Pinkie, a pink-maned unicorn, said.

“For sure,” several Barbie dolls dressed for a grand ball, agreed in stereo.

Aurora breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was good to be surrounded by stuffies who believed in her. “The big question is what I’m thankful for.” She looked around at the circle at all of her companions. “I’m definitely thankful for all you to snuggle and cuddle with and because Daddy, Uncle Jude, and Ronan always get me new friends to add to our family.” Aurora always said “thank you” when she got a new stuffie or doll, or new coloring books and markers. Now that she thought of it, Aurora got a lot of stuff.

Remembering all the things she had, like her house, and her cozy, warm bed made Aurora think about the people that lived at her father, Jace’s, homeless shelter. They didn’t have a house to live in or a hot meal. They didn’t have a bed or shower or a room full of toys. All most of them had were the clothes on their back. “I’m definitely thankful for all the work Daddy does to keep everyone at the shelter safe and fed.” The animals surrounding Aurora agreed.

“What about all of our friends?” Dorothy, a rainbow-colored teddy bear asked. “Aren’t you thankful for Everly, Woofie, and the other kids at school?”

“Oh, yes,” Aurora agreed quickly. “I’m very thankful for them. I love having sleepovers with Everly and making yummy brownies with Nana Kaye and building Legos with Woofie.” She thought back to the beginning of first grade when she was being bullied by a mean boy in her class who said that her fathers were going to get rid of her because she was adopted. Everly and Woofie were there to protect her and keep her safe. They also told her Daddy what was happening at school so that he could help too. Aurora had been too scared to talk to her father. She didn’t want him to tell her that the boy was right.

After that day, he’d had a long talk with her and said that she was his daughter forever and that he loved her to the moon and back. “I’m thankful for my Daddies too.”

“You have the best Daddies!” Jeff, a green dragon stuffie, said. “Fitz is my favorite because he reads us stories with funny voices.”

“No,” Arthur, a white unicorn, interrupted. “Jace is my favorite because he sings the Frozen songs for us.”

Aurora giggled. Daddy Jace loved to sing, but he wasn’t very good at it. His voice reminded her of the baby goats she’d met at the petting zoo, loud, screechy, and painful to listen to. Fitz said Daddy Jace could hit notes only dogs could hear. She didn’t know what that meant, but Daddy Jace had stuck his tongue out at Fitz.

“What about all the books the daddies read?” Astrid, a purple unicorn asked.

“I got to go to story time at the li-berry last week,” Matilda, a small stuffed tiger, said. “There were soooo many books.”

“Good point. I’m very thankful for the li-berry and the li-berryans. They always help me find the bestest books.” Boy, Aurora’s list was growing by the second. If she told her family all of these things, everyone’s food would be cold by the time she finished talking. It was a good thing she was going first and not Uncle Ronan, who would talk until it was time for breakfast the next morning.

“There are so many things to be thankful for,” she said, picking up Everly, a yellow unicorn that her namesake had given Aurora for her birthday. She gave the stuffie a cuddle. “Which one is the most important?” Was it her warm house? Her awesome fathers? Nana Kaye’s ooey-gooey brownies?

“I think it’s the way that my daddies help everyone. Daddy Fitz helps people who are hurt and Daddy Jace gives people hot meals and warm socks.” Aurora looked around at her room with its pink bed, shelves full of books, a chest full of toys. All of those things were nice, but helping other people was nicer.

“Hey, love bug!” Fitzgibbon said from Aurora’s bedroom door. “You ready for dinner? Daddy Jace made hotdogs.”

“Yummy!” Aurora loved hotdogs, especially when they were slathered in mustard and ketchup.

“What kind of meeting were you having?” Fitz walked into the room and joined the circle.

“We were discussing what I’m thankful for. I was a little nervous about what I was gonna say tomorrow, but everyone helped me figure it out.”

“You’re so thoughtful.” Fitz gave his daughter a hug. “You know what I’m thankful for?”

“Peppermint stick ice cream?” Aurora asked with a giggle.

“No.” Fitz shook his head. “I’m thankful for you. You are the best daughter in the whole wide world.”

Aurora’s heart swelled with Fitzgibbon’s words. “You’re the best detective daddy in the whole wide world.” Jumping into Fitz’s arms, she hugged her father tight.

Thanksgiving would be a day filled with friends, Frozen , family, and food, but Aurora couldn’t wait to tell everyone how thankful she was for all the ways her daddies took care of people and kept everyone safe.