Page 35 of A Little Thankful

“And I’m excited to see her. Can I hold her?” he asked, as Sami, Sylvia and Iris busied themselves with getting all the side dishes on the table. I even saw Sylvia’s award-winning cranberry sauce go by, and my mouth watered. I was a sucker for good cranberry sauce.

“Sure, if you can pull her out of this sling,” Sage told him.

And while they did that, Mace turned to me, and whispered. “Did he have a revelation while he was gone? He looks different.”

“He looks calm. Relaxed. Drugs?” Hunter asked.

“I think he’s had a come-to-Jesus moment and realized he can’t alienate his only daughter,” I whispered.

“I don’t know, but he’s coming over,” Hunter said. “Mr. Pilgrims. Nice to see you again.”

He was holding Autumn now, who seemed to love being in his arms.

He held out his hand, for Hunter and said, “Welcome to the family.”

“Thank you, sir,” Hunter said, taking his hand and giving it a pump.

“Call me Vernon,” he said.

“Thank you, Vernon,” Hunter told him.

Then he turned and took my hand, gave it a firm pump, welcoming me into the family, then did the same with Mace. Each time, he seemed sincere and authentic.

We were all shocked.

“Vern, if you’ll bring in the turkey, we can start,” Martha said, taking Autumn from her husband.

We followed them into the dining room, and took our seats. Everything smelled and looked delicious.

Vernon stood at the head of the table, and held up his wine glass. “Before we get started on this beautiful meal, I would just like to say that I’m thankful for my lovely daughter, her beautiful baby girl, and for these fine young men who will take care of my girls, love them, provide for them, and keep them safe. I couldn’t ask for a better family. To Sage, may she always be queen of her castle, and may her new business blossom and do better than she ever dreamed it would.”

“This is so fu… frickin’ cool,” Sami said, and with that we all clinked glasses.

THREE HOURS LATER, after everything was cleaned up, and Autumn was fast asleep with Iris close by, the four of us had gone off to spend our first night together since those three days at the cabin, down by the river. I had the biggest bed, and the biggest house.

Thing was, when we first arrived, we couldn’t do anything but curl up and sleep for at least nine hours straight. We were, in fact, still exhausted. And even the thought of sex wasn’t enough to keep us going.

I first woke up to the sound of the shower in my bathroom, and when I looked around, I realized Sage was in there, alone.

I slipped out of bed, Hunter was still asleep on the far side of the bed, while Mace had crawled up on the recliner in front of the fireplace.

My room had remote controlled blinds that kept the morning light out, so the room was still dark, but the clock said it was seven-thirty.

I snuck into the bathroom, and found Sage just standing under the shower, letting the hot water run over her body, looking as though she could stand there for hours.

“Mind if I join you?” I asked as she gazed in my direction.

I had an oversized shower, with a clear glass enclosure.

“Not at all. I’d prefer it, actually,” she said, as I shed my clothes and stepped inside. We’d been so tired last night, that the only thing any of us removed were our shoes.

I quickly washed my hair and body as she watched, then she stepped aside as I rinsed off.

I couldn’t believe how absolutely stunning she was naked. I hadn’t seen her naked yet, and the fact that she stood before me without any bit of shyness caused me to love her even more.

“Oh, babe, this is the way to wake up in the morning,” I told her, as I gathered her into my arms and held her close, our bodies pressing together. My erection started as soon as I sawher, and had reached its max now. My entire body vibrated from the heat of her, from the feel of her, and from the love I felt between us.

I leaned down to kiss those perfect lips, and touch her sweet tongue with mine, and the sensations of that kiss sent shockwaves through me. I was finally having my private time with her, and it hadn’t even been planned.

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