“How’s your day been so far?” Tucker asks as he pulls out of the packed driveway.
“So fun!” she exclaims. “I played and ate lots of food.”
“Sounds like the perfect Thanksgiving!” I tell her. “We did the same thing at my parents' house. Are you ready for Nona and Papa’s?”
“Yeah, but I’m not hungry. Do I have to have more turkey?” she questions.
“Only if you want to, but I’m sure that Nona has made your favorite potatoes,” Tucker tells her.
“Okay.” She sighs, and I can tell that she’s already tired from today's events.
“Maybe the two of us can sneak away from everyone when we get to Nona and Papa’s and take a little nap. I’m feeling tired,” I offer, winking at Tucker to let him know that she might benefit from a short nap.
“Maybe.” Paisley yawns as her head rests back against the edge of her seat. I can tell that her eyes are getting heavy as the car ride starts to lull her to sleep. Damn turkey, making people tired on Thanksgiving.
“I don’t think she’s going to last even until we make it to your parents’,” I quietly tell Tucker.
“You’re probably right about a nap not being a bad idea. Especially since we’ll probably be here pretty late.”
“I don’t mind lying down with her for a little bit,” I tell him, reiterating my offer.
“If she passes out before we get there, I can probably get her inside without her waking up. But if you need a nap, I won’t stop you. Need you well rested for later.” He smirks.
“Oh, really?” I quirk an eyebrow at him. “And who jumped whom this morning?”
“You know you can’t resist me,” he throws right back at me. He’s not wrong, but I like to think that the feeling is mutual and that we’re both just as gone for each other.
“And she’s out,” I tell Tucker as he pulls up to his parents' house.
“You get Buckley, and I’ll get Paisley,” he tells me, shutting the truck off.
“Sounds like a plan.” I jump down, then open the back door. Buckley hops out, heading straight for the house.
I hold the screen door open for Tucker to walk through, a sleeping Paisley in his arms. He carries her back to one of the bedrooms and successfully transfers her without her waking up. Poor girl is tuckered out.
We head toward the noise from his family, all gathered around in the living room, kitchen, and dining room areas. Much like my family was, the women are congregated together in the kitchen, while the men are watching the football game on TV, or even outside playing their own football game.
“Hey, Mom,” Tucker greets her, accepting the hug she pulls him into.
“Where’s my Paisley girl?” she asks, looking around him for her granddaughter.
“Asleep on the bed. She passed out on the drive over here,” he explains.
“Oh, sweet child. She must have had fun today for her to take a nap so willingly,” Donna muses.
“My thoughts exactly.” Tucker chuckles, stepping back from his mother's embrace.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Lindsay,” Donna greets me.
“Happy Thanksgiving, thanks for having me.”
“Of course, dear. The more, the merrier.” She pulls me into a hug of my own, and I see the smile that fills Tucker's face. I know his parents mean everything to him, just as Paisley does, so to know that having me here means something to him makes it that much more of an important day.
* * *
“I don’t know how we made it home without someone wheeling me in,” I joke, dropping down on the bed. The day was long, filled with so much love, laughter, and a ton of food. “I’m going to be full for the next week; I ate so much.”
“I’m sure you’ll be out rummaging through the fridge, looking for pie, come morning,” Tucker smirks, tossing his shirt into the hamper.
“Well, duh, there is always room for pie, especially for breakfast. Plus, it's got fruit in it, so, therefore, it is healthy,” I say, doing my best to keep a straight face, but failing when he gives me an oh really look.
“Sure, we’ll go with the fruit, so healthy, bit,” he teases before ducking into the bathroom.
I lay back on the pillow, being lazy and not getting myself up to get ready for bed; thankfully, I have tomorrow off so I can sleep in and get a few things done before returning to work on Saturday.
“So, are you going to get ready for bed or just lay there like a bump on a log?” Tucker asks as he steps out of the bathroom in nothing but his tight boxer briefs.
“But I’m comfortable,” I pout, rolling over and off the bed. I head toward the bathroom, but Tucker intercepts me, pulling me into his practically naked body.
“Thank you for today,” he says, cupping my cheeks. “It was my favorite Thanksgiving I can think of in a long time.”
“All I did was eat and visit,” I tell him.
“You did more than that. But I’m not referring to those parts of the day. I’m talking about all the little moments. Sharing our lives together, how we easily slip into one another’s families. That isn’t always easy, but we’ve made it easy. Thank you for always looking out for Paisley. She really does look up to you, and that’s important to me as her father. I’ve never had a woman in my life—or hers—that didn’t realize the importance that she plays in my life and know that she’s my number one priority and be okay with that.”
“Tucker,” I sigh his name. “Of course, Paisley is your number one. I’d judge you if she wasn’t. You’ve done a great job being her dad, and don’t let that ever change. She’s lucky to have you and Lilly as her parents.”
He pulls me in tighter, until his lips cover mine. What starts out slow quickly builds into roaming hands, nips and sucking, dueling tongues, and clashing teeth.
“Let me get ready for bed,” I mumble against his lips. “Then we can continue this in bed.”
“Make it fast, woman,” he says, smacking my ass as I turn for the bathroom.
I appease him by rushing through my bedtime routine so I can meet him back in bed. He’s lying on top of the blankets when I emerge from the bathroom, naked and stroking his cock as he watches for me.
“Mhmm...” I hum my approval. I stand at the doorway for a few seconds, waiting to see what he does. I had the same thoughts and stripped while I was in the bathroom. His eyes roaming over my naked body is like a branding on my skin. He might as well be running his fingertips up and down my skin the way his eyes bore into me.
“Get your sexy ass over here,” he says, patting the bed next to him, all while still stroking his cock.
I saunter as sexily as I can over to the bed. When I reach the foot of it, I place a knee against the mattress and crawl up; as I pass over his groin, I drop my head, licking the length of his cock from root to tip before I circle his crown and sucking him deep into my mouth.
“Fuuuuck,” he groans, his head thunking against the headboard as I work his cock over. Tucker slips one hand into my hair, gathering it to keep it from falling into my way as I bob up and down, sucking him over and over as my fist and mouth move in tandem.
“Linds,” he warns, tapping my shoulder. “Stop, please,” he grits out between clenched teeth. I pop off his cock, but don’t stop stroking him with my fist.
“Something wrong?” I cheekily ask.
“I’m not coming in your mouth tonight,” he tells me, flipping me onto my back. His lips land between my breasts as he nips his way to my left nipple. He sucks it into his mouth, laving at it until it hardens into a tight bud. He moves to the right, doing the same thing to that one while one hand slides down my torso and through my folds.
“Yes!” I cry out, my back bowing slightly as his fingers graze over my clit. I’m so desperate for his touch and a release. He slides two fingers inside, twisting them until he finds that magic spot—my body trembles as he works me up, building that release that we both so desperately want.
Tucker pulls his fingers from my core, causing me to whimper at the loss
. “Why did you stop?” I pout. I was not ready for him to stop.
“Because you’re not coming on my fingers tonight,” he tells me as he positions himself above me. I watch as he fists his cock, stroking it a few times before he lines himself up with my entrance. His lips land on mine as he thrusts inside, until he’s fully seated and balls deep.
My cry of complete pleasure is swallowed by his kiss.
Our kiss matches the intensity and rhythm he sets, pistoning his hips and building up the ultimate release. My body trembles as it falls over the edge, my orgasm taking hold of my entire body, from the curling of my toes to my fingertips that claw at Tucker's back, leaving a mark on his skin like he’s left on my heart.
His pleasure-filled grunts and satisfied smirk tell me that he’s feeling just as good as I am. His release comes hard and fast, filling me with one last snap of his hips against my own. “Damn, baby,” he pants, pinning me to the bed. My legs stay wrapped around his hips, my ankles locking behind his back as we both recover.
Once he’s caught his breath, he pulls back slightly, looking down at me still pinned beneath him. “You good?” he asks sweetly.
“Never been better,” I tell him, meaning every word.
The smile that fills his face could light up a room. He brushes a few strands of hair out of my face before he kisses me sweetly. No urgency, no need to deepen the kiss. He pulls back again, leaving just enough space between us that we can easily look into each other’s eyes. “I love you,” he whispers.
“I love you, too,” I tell him as I feel tears slide from my eyes and down the sides of my cheeks and into my hairline.
“Why the tears?” Tucker asks, wiping them away.
“Because I’ve never told someone that and felt it so deeply. I thought I knew what love was before, but it was nothing like what I feel with you.” He doesn’t answer me with words; I don’t need them. He kisses me again, this time a little more urgency in his kiss.
18
Tucker
The past month has flown by. I can’t believe Christmas is already upon us, but here it is.
“Daddy?” Paisley calls for me from the other room.
“Yes?” I answer, walking into the living room.
“We need your help,” she says, doing her best to reach the top of the tree.
“I’ll pick you up; just give me a second,” I tell her, setting down the steaming mugs of hot chocolate. We didn’t get a tree set up until last week, just due to crazy schedules, and I’ve held off on decorating it until Paisley, Lindsay, and I could all do it together. It just so happens that today, three days before Christmas, is that day. So, we decided to make a day of it. Decorate the tree and house; we’re going to try our hand at baking some cookies later, and round out the night with some takeout and a movie night with the classic The Santa Clause.
I pick Paisley up, setting her on my shoulders and handing her the ornament she wanted to place higher on the tree than she could reach with the stool. It takes her about twenty more minutes to get all the ornaments on the tree with Lindsay and my help, but once it's done, it looks perfect. I plug in the lights and step back to see it glow in the front window. “You ladies did a great job,” I praise them both.
“You helped, too; we can’t take all the credit,” Lindsay says. I hold an arm open, and she tucks herself right into my side. With Paisley on the other, we all stand back and admire our handiwork.
“It looks beautiful,” Lindsay agrees. “Are we ready to make some cookies now?” she asks both Paisley and me.
“Cookies!” Paisley cheers and bolts for the kitchen.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She laughs.
I pull Lindsay into a hug, tucking my hands into her back pockets and cupping her ass. It’s a delectable one that I can’t keep my hands off of. “I’ll clean up the boxes and stuff, and then be in to help the two of you,” I tell her, before sweeping some hairs off her face and tucking them behind her ear. I drop a quick kiss to her lips before stepping away. If I’d have allowed the kiss to go longer or deeper, I don’t know that I’d have had the willpower to stop kissing her. We’ve been apart so much the last few weeks, due to our conflicting schedules, that I need that connection with her. She grounds me, and I almost feel lost without her.
“Sounds good; we’ll be waiting,” she tells me before going to join my daughter in the kitchen. I stay put, listening to them talking as Lindsay reads off the ingredients they need for the cookies they’re starting with. As they begin pulling everything out, I get a move on it so that I can join them sooner than later.
“The Cookie Monster has arrived,” I announce as I enter the kitchen a little while later. The mixer is whipping something up, and the oven is beeping, alerting us that it is up to temperature. “Who’s ready to feed me?” I ask. I can’t help but laugh as I take in the picture before me. I slip my phone out of my pocket and snap a couple of pictures of my girls together. Paisley has probably as much flour on her as the bowl does. But the smiles on their faces as they measure and bake together hit me straight in the chest.
“We don’t have anything for you, yet, but just be patient,” Lindsay tells me, looking up and flashing me a smile.
“Can I do anything to help?” I offer.
“Not yet. We’re still mixing everything together. Maybe once we’re ready to scoop, you can help.”
“Okay,” I agree and pull out a stool to sit down on at the counter. I just watch Lindsay and Paisley and how easily they work together. A stranger looking in the windows would never know that they weren’t mother and daughter. That we were not the happy, perfect, little American family. Lindsay might not be Paisley’s mom, but this is the family I want, the one I need in my life. The momentum of that reality hits me square in the heart. I’ve known I love this woman for weeks now; I’ve told her that as many times as I could since that first time. I’ve known that we were definitely working our way toward these serious conversations. Marriage, kids, life, moving in together, but I didn’t realize that they could happen so quickly. But in this exact instance, this moment is one of clarity. I want this, all of it and more.
Even with the epiphany, I know that trying to pull off a proposal for Christmas isn’t in the cards. I need time to plan the perfect proposal, shop for the perfect ring, and, most importantly, have a little chat with Lindsay’s parents and with Paisley. I know she loves Lindsay, but I need to make sure my daughter is truly okay with me marrying someone. I know that it seems weird that I’d run something like that past my five-year-old, but this is her life, too, and I need to know that she’s just as happy with things as I am.
“Earth to Tucker.” Lindsay waves a hand in front of my face. “You okay?” she asks, the worry evident in the crease of her brow.
“Yeah.” I shake my head, as if that could jar the plans already spinning in my mind.
“Did you want a bite of the cookie dough?” she asks, holding up a spoon.
“Of course. Isn’t that the best part?” I ask.
Lindsay scoops out a spoonful of the dough and hands it over. “Mhmm, this is good!” I tell them as I eat it. Lindsay helps Paisley with a scoop as she plunks down balls of the dough on a cookie sheet. Lindsay must have brought a few things over, since I don’t recognize many of these items, and I know for sure I didn’t have some of them.
“Need any help?” I offer it again.
“I think we’ve got it, for now.”
“Okay.” I’m content just sitting back and watching the two of them work together. I sneak a few more candid pictures of them together, Lindsay wiping some flour off of Paisley's cheek, the two of them looking in the window at the cookies as they bake.
“Daddy, can I have a cookie when they are done?” Paisley asks as the timer ticks down.
“Maybe once they cool. If you try to eat one right away, it might burn your mouth.”
“How about we have some with a glass of milk once they cool,” Lindsay suggests.
“Yes!” Paisl
ey cheers. She hops off the stool she was on so she could help. Now that they have a sheet of cookies in the oven and the second sheet all scooped and ready to go in, so doesn’t have anything to keep her busy. Lindsay, on the other hand, keeps busy as she starts to bustle around, cleaning up and putting things away.
“Are you just making the one kind today?” I ask, sneaking another bite of dough.
“I wanted to make another batch, but we’ll see how we’re doing on time. I don’t want to be baking all day and miss the movie,” Lindsay says.
“Sounds good, sure there isn’t anything I can help with?” I ask, coming around the counter and pressing against Lindsay’s back as she stands at the kitchen sink. Her little apron tied in the back, bare feet on the floor. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun on the top of her head, and I can’t stop kissing along her exposed neck as my arms box around her and I rest my hands against the counter.
She leans into my touch, her ass rubbing against my cock and causing it to spring to life. That wouldn’t usually be a problem, but with my daughter just a few feet away and my sweatpants not hiding anything, I pull away slightly, needing to cool things down. “Later,” I whisper for only Lindsay to hear.
“You can dry after I wash,” she tells me, handing me a dishtowel. She gets to work filling the sink with some soapy water and washing the measuring cups, mixing bowls, and everything else they used in the process of baking.
“All right, who’s ready for some cookies and milk and a movie?” Lindsay asks about a half-hour later. All the cookies are baked and cooling, and the kitchen is clean with everything except the cooling rack washed and put away. Besides the container filled to the brim with cookies and the smell lingering, you’d never know the mess that was in here just an hour ago.
“Yes!” Paisley calls out, and turns for the fridge to grab the gallon of milk from the door. I pull down three mugs, setting them on the counter so I can fill them up.
“Here’s two cookies for you, and two for Daddy, and two for me,” Lindsay tells Paisley, setting each of our cookies out on napkins.
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