Talk about a family gathering.

Years of anger and confusion are being replaced with love and joy. That was the mood among three sisters who spent their first Thanksgiving together since reuniting 22 years after the youngest was sold as a baby for drugs.

Tiera Rice now has a family to spend the holiday with.

It's just one month since that first meeting between Rice, of Smyrna, and her two older sisters, Crystal Smith and Teesha Jenkins, both of Clermont.

"It actually feels like what I'm supposed to be doing," Rice said.

What she was doing Thursday was what most siblings consider normal: spending time with family.

She brought her son to meet his cousins, and she talked with her nieces and nephews just like any aunt would as the family enjoyed a private Thanksgiving feast at The Longstreet Cafe in Gainesville.

But until recently, Rice didn't have a real family — at least not that she knew of.

Rice, who grew up with the name Candace Flores, was sold by her cocaine-addicted mother, Wanda Gee, when she was only 3 months old.

Her sister, Smith, was 12 and Jenkins, 6. And a year later, in 1989, their mother was sent to prison for murder.

Rice was raised speaking Spanish and for much of her life thought she was an illegal immigrant. When she was 15 she learned her life was a lie. Her parents weren't actually her parents. Her name wasn't Candace Flores.

But she didn't know her real family or her real name until she hired a private investigator. And when holidays came, she didn't have a family to spend them with.

"It was lonely, and I just sat in the house and acted like it was just another day," Rice said.

Those years of longing also impacted Smith and Jenkins, who knew their sister was out there somewhere.

"I'm excited. Things finally came together and we have a family to actually have dinner with," Smith said.

That longing the sisters felt for so many years is clearly gone. Family members can tell a burden has been lifted from the shoulders of the three women.

"It's like a relief," said Brian Funderburk, Smith's fiancé. "She's just excited about starting a life with (Rice) and getting her involved in the family because it's something that they've never had."

"We feel together and fulfilled," Jenkins said. "We were looking forward to this day, just to finally be together as one."

That togetherness feels just as normal for Smith and Jenkins as it does for Rice. They act like they were never even separated.

Stories and memories were shared from one end of the table to the other Thursday. They hope to share their story with others, though, and after garnering nationwide attention after reuniting, they're currently working on a book deal.

For now, they're just happy that book will have a happy ending.

"It feels normal, like she's always been here," Jenkins said.