by Vivian Ward
“Do you need any help?” Wendy offers.
“No, no. You kids take it easy. Edna and I will bring all the dishes to the table and we’ll pass them around, family style.” She pulls a casserole dish out of the oven and places it on the counter, then says, “And Wendy? We’re so glad you’re here to join us this Thanksgiving. We’ve missed you!” She hugs her tightly.
“Thank you,” Wendy says, blushing as my mom squeezes her.
We take our seats, sitting next to my brother and his wife so we’re farther away from my mom, dad, and aunt Edna. Glancing over at Wendy, I notice her makeup is a bit smeared and motion for her to fix her eyeliner and lipstick. Embarrassed, she quickly wipes away the smudge marks and giggles.
Mom and Edna form a solid army of two, refusing to let anyone help, as they carry dish after dish to the table. Before long, the table is covered in all of the traditional Thanksgiving foods. There’s mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing, yams, seven layer salad, and rolls. All of the food looks amazing and none of us can wait to dig in. My brother’s wife begins making the children’s plates and I reach for the mashed potatoes when mom stops all of us dead in our tracks.
“Put those things back!” She shrieks. “This year, before we make our plates, we’re going to go around the table to say what we’re thankful for.” Low groans ensue all around the table but we comply because, honestly, it’s something we probably should’ve been doing all along, instead of digging in like little ungrateful pigs. “And I’ll start,” she says. “This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for my health and family. I love all of you.”
Everyone goes around the table, slowly reciting what they’re thankful for and then it’s my turn. Smiling, I grab Wendy’s hand under the table and say, “This year, I’m thankful for all of my loved ones and I’m glad that I found Wendy next door so she could join us this holiday.” My brother snickers and mocks me before his wife backhands him in the chest to make him shut up.
Now it’s Wendy’s turn and I can tell that she’s nervous. She’s never been big on speaking in groups, and now my whole family is staring at her, waiting for her to speak. Clearing her throat, she smiles at everyone and says, “I’m grateful for my health, my school, and all of you. Thank you for inviting me to be here today.”
After everyone’s finished, mom finally says we can dig in and everyone goes nuts. You’d think we were a bunch of starving people who’d never had cooked food before as the dishes quickly get passed around while some of us complain that the food’s not coming fast enough. It’s not too long before all of our plates are overflowing with plenty of turkey and all the trimmings.
Loud chatter surrounds the table as we stuff our faces and clean our plates. My nephew even takes it as far as to pick up his plate and lick it once he’s finished everything on it. His mom yells at him to stop as she puts second servings on his plate. As we’re sitting at the table eating, I eye the last drumstick with a smirk on my face, and it isn’t lost on Wendy.
“What are you smiling about?” She whispers.
I nod my head in the direction of the turkey. “I was going to ask if you’d like to have that meaty drumstick but then I remembered you’ve already had two today.”
She kicks me under the table and says, “Cooper! Shut up before they hear you and know what we did!”
Her rosy cheeks give away her embarrassment and I can’t help but laugh at her. There’s no way anyone’s going to hear anything we’re saying, not over how loud they’re all being.
“Relax, they’re not paying one bit of attention,” I say. “Would you like any seconds?” I ask as I scoop another pile of mashed potatoes and gravy on my plate.
“There’s no way I could eat another bite,” she rubs her stomach. “I don’t even think I can fit a piece of pie in here without my gut busting open.”
“Whatever,” I laugh at her. “You’ve barely eaten. How can you be so full?”
“Well, when all you eat is a pack or two of Ramen per day, I guess your stomach kind of shrinks.”
My mom’s eavesdropping and overhears the last bit of our conversation. “Oh! That’s awful, Wendy! Before you go, I’ll load you up with some leftovers to take back to school.”
Wendy mouths ‘oh my god’ as she visibly shrivels in her chair. She easily gets embarrassed over everything and I think it’s so cute. Even the tops of her tiny pierced ears are beginning to turn red. “Thank you,” she finally says. “But I’ll be okay.”
“No, you’re not leaving until you have some leftovers. Besides, we’ve cooked so much that there’s no way we can even store it all here. Everyone’s taking some!”
Wendy looks around the table as the whole family nods in agreement. “Okay,” she says, feeling better about the situation. “I’d love to have some then.”
Chapter 5
“So what are your plans?” I ask once we’re finally alone at her grandma’s house.
My siblings and their families all left a few hours ago, and mom was all over Wendy, which made her feel uncomfortable so we made up an excuse that she needed to come home to check on something.
We’ve just been hanging out, sitting in front of the TV, drinking while we catch up on stories. She’s been going on and on about all of her studies, new friends, and her new life. I’m glad to hear that she’s doing so well, but I can’t help but feel left out.
It hurts.
Not that I was hoping she was miserable or anything, but to see how much she’s grown—intellectually—and matured while I’ve been stuck here helping my dad run his mechanic shop kind of stings. I’d hoped to go to college but it wasn’t in the cards for me. My parents don’t have the money and dad wants to hand down his family business to me someday since my brother went into pharmacology. I’m his last hope that the business will live on.
“I don’t know,” she answers. “It’s kind of scary, to tell you the truth. I mean, I’m starting my final year and then it’s the ‘real world’ and I don’t know what that means for me.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine. You always figure it out.”
She chases another shot of tequila before settling her eyes on me. “Why don’t you come with me? We need a new roommate to help split the bills and you’d be perfect!”
I laugh. “How would I be perfect? I don’t even go to school.” I shake my head. “I wouldn’t fit in.”
She leans over, planting both of her hands on each of my knees and gets in my face. She smells like vanilla and tequila, and I can’t stop inhaling her scent. “Cooper,” she says with all seriousness in her voice. “You would fit in! We need a good guy living with us. Someone who will keep us safe, someone who knows how to fix things, someone cool to hang out with, and someone to balance things out.”
“Balance things out?” I ask. “What does that even mean?”
She rolls her eyes, chasing another shot. “One of our roommates is a douche. His name is Dakota, and we all hate him. Maybe if you’re there, he’ll stop strutting around like he’s the king of the palace. If we’re lucky, maybe he’ll move out!”
“So that’s it?” I ask, offended that she just wants me there to fix things and run off some jackass.
“No,” she says, kissing me on the cheek. “I was thinking that maybe we could get back together? I mean, if that’s something you’d be interested in.” She bites her lip. “Never mind. God, I’m such an idiot. Just ignore me. I don’t know what I’m saying.” She holds up her shot glass. “I think I may have had a bit too much to drink. I’m sorry.”
“No, I like this,” I say, brushing her hair away from her face. “I misunderstood what you were saying, and you’re not an idiot—I am because I let you go and didn’t come with you in the first place.”
“Don’t say that,” she says. “You stayed behind to help your dad. If I had a family, I probably wouldn’t have left either, so I don’t blame you.”
“Well, you have me and my family. You’ll always have a place here, even if we….,” I can’t finish the
sentence because I honestly don’t want to imagine my life without her in it. It’s been a long, miserable three years that were torturous hell. I might be the smartass who never shows feelings but it would literally kill me.
When silence fills the air, she leans in and kisses me. I can’t get enough of her and pull her onto my lap. Running my fingers under the thin material of her cashmere sweater, I unclasp her bra. My fingers skate over her hard nipples and that’s all it takes before the two of us begin tearing each other’s clothes off.
Straddling my lap, she slowly lowers herself onto me but I can’t wait. I pull her onto me, causing her to crash down and it feels so fucking good. Taking her nipple into my mouth, I pull it between my teeth until it’s perfectly hard. Both of them are aching to be sucked so I take turns, giving each of them attention before I focus on her neck. She tosses her head back, exposing the entire length of her neck to me and I alternate kissing and sucking until her moans fill the room.
Digging her nails into my shoulder, I feel her tightening up as her pussy clenches my cock. Pulsing waves squeeze my dick and I can’t hold back. My balls begin to ache before I shoot my load inside her.
Smiling, she sits up, riding out my orgasm as I watch her breasts bounce. “Now I have something to give thanks for,” she says between ragged breaths.
“No, I think I have something to give thanks for,” I kiss her.
Epilogue
“Do you have all of your bags now?” I ask as we finish loading up the trunk.
“Yeah, I think so. All I have to grab is my laptop and then I’ll be ready.”
I start the car to begin warming it up. It’s going to be a long trip back home but this Christmas will be the best one ever, and I can’t wait for tonight. All of my family is gathering at my parent’s house for Christmas Eve and that’s when I’m going to propose.
I’ve driven to every jewelry store in the area to find the perfect ring, and I just hope she likes it. She was a little suspicious when I had to keep running errands for the last couple of weeks but I don’t think she knows—at least I hope not. If she does, she’s playing it off really well because she’s still annoyed with how much I’ve had to do lately. I just blamed it on our roommates.
They’re actually really cool and have made me feel very at home. We’ve had a lot of good laughs for the past month and I’m kind of sad that they’re not coming with us because it’d be awesome if we could all spend the holiday together. More than anything, I’d like them to see our engagement, but I understand that they have families. Plus, I didn’t tell them out of fear that they might ruin the surprise. Her one roommate, Brittany, can’t keep a secret to save her life. I love her, she’s cute, but I don’t trust her not to say anything.
“All ready,” she proudly announces, climbing into the car.
“Finally, it only took you four days to pack,” I tease her.
“Hey!” She punches me in the arm. “I had finals that I was studying for, and that’s the only reason it took me so long to pack!”
“I know, I’m just teasing you, babe.”
A few hours later, we pull up in front of my mom’s house and I’m so giddy and nervous. My stomach has been flipping non-stop ever since I saw the St. Louis signs on the highway. I hope it’s not too early to propose since we just got back together, but we have a long history so I think it’ll be okay.
My mom greets us with hugs and kisses, excited to see us. “How have you kids been? Everything still going okay?”
“Yes, mom, everything’s still good,” I say, smiling at Wendy. “I’m just glad to be back home.”
“You’re such a good boy, but you already knew that,” she says, ruffling my hair like I’m still eight-years-old.
“Stop it, mom,” I push her hand away.
“Awww, I think it’s cute,” Wendy chimes in.
“Don’t encourage her,” I warn.
After we eat dinner, my parents break out the eggnog and I know that it’s almost time. I break out into a sweat just thinking about proposing to her because it’s going to be in front of my whole family—and what if she says no?
“Let’s make a toast,” my dad says. Everyone holds their glasses high. “To the future.”
We all clink our glasses and take a drink of eggnog. I wait for my mom to sit next to my dad before I drop on my knee in front of Wendy. She’s so busy talking to my dad that she doesn’t even realize what I’m doing, so I grab her hand.
“Wendy, I know that I was difficult to buy presents for this year because I told you that I didn’t want anything, but I lied. The only thing I want is you. Will you marry me?”
Taking the ring out of my pocket, she cups her mouth with her hands and tears well up in her eyes. She’s so surprised and overwhelmed that she can’t even speak. Instead, she eagerly nods her head.
“I love you,” she finally says, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
“I love you. Merry Christmas, babe.”
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Get A Sneak Peek of Risky Gamble!
Get ready to meet Colton Kaswell!
He must have her—all of her.
And she must write a story that will blow her career wide open.
Colton tries to keep his sadistic needs to himself but the young, beautiful journalist is far too tempting. He doesn't know she's collecting information to publish his dirty laundry. She doesn't know how dirty things are about to get.
Will they both get what they want? Or is it too much of a risky gamble?
Chapter 1
Colton
Sitting behind my sleek mahogany desk, I lean against the high leather back of my executive chair as I stare out at the snow-covered rooftops from my office suite.
It’s fairly common to receive February snow in St. Louis; although, this year it has been unusually cold. According to the weatherman, it hasn’t been this cold in St. Louis since 1905 but I already knew that. Living here since birth, there’s not much that I don’t know about the area.
I know a lot of things, except for why it’s so damn hard to keep good help. No, I’m not talking about help in the office. My family has owned the Kaswell Properties since the early 1940’s.
My grandfather developed our company when he saw the need arise. While some of the lower income families were receiving discounted or free housing from the government, there were many who didn’t qualify for help because of their income. One thing that my grandfather knew was that just because you have the income, it doesn’t mean that you have the credit which is where he came in.
He went to the bank with a business plan. It was simple: he’d take out the max loan they’d give him and he’d purchase as many empty lots of land as he could. After he purchased several parcels, he began building apartments and duplexes on them. He knew how to build most o
f it from his previous job working construction.
My grandfather hired a small crew of men to assist him and, within a year’s time, he opened his first apartment complex. Using the money wisely, he invested the monthly rental payments that he received into more building materials and began developing more housing.
When my father, David N. Kaswell, handed the company over to me, the city had become overly populated. With too much competition from HUD housing and those who are fortunate enough to secure their home loans, I decided to take the company in a slightly different direction. We still maintain rental properties, but we run the business differently.
I hired a team of real estate agents to work closely with new and existing clients to place them in more permanent housing. Kaswell Properties now purchases homes for those who are on the verge of purchasing their own homes, but don’t quite have their down payment or their credit isn’t up to par. For example, a family might come to us knowing that they want to purchase a home with three beds and two baths in the price range of somewhere around $175,000. This family may or may not have a down payment, and either their credit is just a tad under what the banks would like to see or maybe they don’t have enough time on the job to obtain a loan.
We give the family the option to sign a one, two, or three-year rent-to-own with the option to purchase their dream home at the end of their rental term. Most families choose the three-year option to get a better price on the mortgage while it allows them time to save for a bigger down payment and get their credit to an optimal score. Of course, Kaswell Properties sets part of the monthly rental payment toward their down payment, in addition to whatever the individual may be saving on his or her own.
