“Here, here!” Ali’s dad, Bill, raises his glass in the air, followed by his wife, my folks, the boys and the rest of our gathering. Everyone salutes their glasses and sings out aHappy Thanksgiving.
“Tuck in!” Joshua announces. I don’t miss the wink over at Lexi. I know the two of them get along really well, maybe toowell. But I smile anyway because Joshua is so much like me, and he will do what his heart desires. I love that about him.
And what a feast our Thanksgiving dinner is. My parents hit it off with Sue and Bill, and Clementine is a sweet kid, helping her mom, Sue and my mom serve up dessert.
“You’ve found a winner there,” my mom whispers to me when we’re making coffee to go with the pie just off the kitchen.
“I really think she could be the one, Mom.”
“You deserve to be happy, son.” I didn’t realize my dad was hovering until he pats me on the shoulder from behind.
“Clementine is just adorable,” Mom coos.
“She sure is.” I smile as Mom and Dad take the coffee cups out to the table. Noah takes the opportunity to nudge me in the ribs on the way by.
“Knew you had it in you, Dad,” he jibes. “She’s really great, her kid, too.”
“Seems like you hit the jackpot.” Bradley gives me a pat on the shoulder.
“Thanks boys, that means a lot.”
It makes my heart so full seeing everyone around me happy. Including my sexy sweetheart.
I get a few stolen moments with her later when everyone has retired to the den after cleaning up. A movie plays on the big screen while my sons and Clementine rack up a game of pool and keep themselves amused.
“What a night,” Ali says when we sneak off upstairs for a quiet moment while the family are distracted.
“It went so well. My parents love you.”
“My parents love you, too,” she giggles.
I smack her on the ass as we head for my bedroom. It’s only now she strips off her apron, with a little help from me untying it at the back, and drapes it over her arm.
“What about you?” I ask, wrapping my arm around her from behind and snuggling into her.
“What about me?”
I pull her to a halt at my bedroom door. My erection grew in seconds and is now digging into her ass.
She slaps my hands away with a squeal. “The kids are downstairs!”
“Babe, I can be fast when I want to be.”
She eyes me over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I don’t want our friends and family thinking we’re sneaking off to get busy!”
“You worry too much.”
“What were you going to say just before?” she asks.
I spin her around to face me as she presses her hands against my chest to steady herself and smiles up at me. I can’t resist leaning down to press my lips against hers. “I think I love you, Ali Archer.” I’ve been wanting to say it for a while, and it may only be a few months in and early days, but the time is right.
It really feels right.
She gasps at my confession and blinks up at me, and for a second my heart falters. Then her smile breaks into a wicked grin, almost as wicked as mine. I poke her in the ribs as she contemplates her answer, biting that sexy, plump lip under her teeth, exaggerating the movement.
“Take your time,” I mutter into her neck, kissing her with sensuous strokes, my faint chuckle making her soft skin shiver. I’m fairly certain she feels the same way, I just wonder if she’ll admit it.
When she finally speaks, her words are like a sweet melody, sounding even better than I ever imagined in my head. “I think I love you too, Tristan Lucas.”
I cock a brow. “You think so, or you know you love me?”
“I know I love you.”
“I know it, too.” And we seal it with a hot, passionate kiss before I grab her by the hips, kick my bedroom door shut and pull that sexy bun so it falls free.
THE END
