Page 91 of Home for the Holidays

“Please. If there’s anyone with the patience to handle you and your weird moods, it’s my fucking mom.” He groaned. “I can’t believe you’re with my mom. Of all the people in Vale Park, Indiana, you fell for her?”

“Yeah, I did.” She sat up and looked at him. “I know it’s nutty and happened so fucking fast, but I couldn’t stop it. I tried to. So did she. It was like we were on a runaway train, with no brakes and no end of the track in sight.”

“Did you meet her at the café that morning before you knew she was my mom?”

She answered his question with a simple nod, knowing if she verbally answered, she would blush a thousand shades of red.

“I have a confession to make,” he said softly. “I didn’t talk about her to you or show you pictures or warn you about her because I had this weird feeling that you would…” The way his voice trailed off and the look of surrender on his face made Iris’s heart clench. “I know you, Iris. I knew she was your type. And the last thing I wanted to do was get your hopes up. It’s been this thing with us, right? You talk me down from guys I have no chance with, and I do the same for you with the chicks. Except, nine times out of ten, you end up with the girls we thought you didn’t have a chance with.”

Iris grinned. “I’m charming. What can I say?”

“Yeah, well, I had no ideashewas going to fall foryourcharms.” He rubbed his hands over his face and let out a low “Oh, god.”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Are you going to be my stepmom one day? Because that’s going to be a lot for me.”

She couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled out of her. “I don’t know. Maybe one day.”

“I’ll never call you ‘Mom.’ I hope you know that.”

“You better not. I’ll slit your throat.”

They continued to laugh together, and for the first time since everything happened, Iris felt like their friendship might just make it. Was it weird? Yes. But to lose each other would have been significantly weirder.

CHAPTERFORTY-ONE

If a list of strange dinner parties existed, last night’s was near the top. The only thing that would have made it even more strange and strained would have been if Sandy had shown up. Thankfully, Heidi didn’t put that one into the universe. Knowing her luck as of late, thinking it would have manifested it.

Iris handled the evening like a pro. Mary seemed to lighten up as well, once she was on her third glass of Conundrum Red. An outsider would have never known that Iris and her mom had issues. They were talking and giggling together, and at one point, Mary even leaned over, kissed Iris on the cheek, and told her how much she loved her. Heidi wondered how often Mary sent signals like that. Ones that were not necessarily mixed, but maybe hazy?

After dinner, the conversation they all had as they sat around the fireplace was interesting as well. Mary went on and on about the PFLAG chapter and how proud she was of Iris. She said a few times that she regretted not telling her that more often. Was she reading Iris’s mind, or was she simply reading the room? Either way, Heidi hoped it meant Iris and her mom could find some peace. She could tell from a mile away, regardless of Iris’s attempts to try and act normal, that she was struggling.

And now it was morning. Heidi squinted her eyes and peered at the clock on her bedside table. Five in the morning to be precise. God. She was so tired. For good reason, obviously. Shortly after Iris had slid under the covers and said she didn’t give a fuck that her parents were in the guest room downstairs, she had stripped Heidi’s clothes off and proceeded to make her come four times in a row.

And Heidi made sure to give Iris the same treatment. Sex with her was perfect and was quickly becoming her favorite thing to do. Her bakery would be in trouble if it started to be more fun than baking.

Oh, hell, who was she kidding? Sex with Iris was categorically more fun than baking.

She looked at the woman sleeping soundly beside her. She was lying on her stomach, left leg hiked up, face turned toward her. She looked peaceful, happy, and all Heidi wanted to do was wake her up and taste her. She scooted closer to her, gently lifted and folded the sheet and comforter from her bare body, and waited a beat to see if that would wake her up. When Iris didn’t move, Heidi ran her fingernails lightly down her back, then back up. A small smile started to appear on Iris’s lips. She circled her shoulder blades, then moved down her spine to the waistband of her panties, which she said she had to put back on to sleep. These small eccentricities were becoming her favorite things about Iris. Especially her softmmmwhen Heidi slipped her hand beneath the fabric of her panties and over her ass.

Heidi pressed her naked body against Iris as she easily found her wetness. “Someone’s awake,” she whispered as she circled and then gently dipped a finger inside Iris. She was greeted with a low moan; then Iris moved and pushed her ass higher to give Heidi better access, and she took the invitation with glee. She pulled Iris’s panties off, adjusted her position to her knees, and started to thrust into her, one finger, then two, until she couldn’t handle it any longer. “I want to get my mouth on you.” She flipped Iris onto her back and settled between her legs with such finesse she even impressed herself. She put her mouth on Iris’s warm center, flicking her and licking her as she writhed beneath her. Within seconds, she could tell that Iris was close. Her sultryyesesandoh my godswere enough of an indication to know she was doing everything just right to bring her to a quick climax. Just like that, Iris arched her back, her leg muscles flexed, and she came with Heidi’s mouth still on her.

“Holy shit,” she whispered as her body collapsed into the bed. “Goodmorning.”

Heidi laughed as she plopped down next to her. She wiped her mouth shyly, for some reason feeling timid about the fact that she was covered in Iris. “Did you sleep?”

Iris rolled onto her side, her perky breasts lovely in the dawn light that had started to fill the room. “I did. Didyou?”

“I did.” Heidi bit her lip when Iris reached across and casually started to circle one of her nipples. “What are you doing?”

“This will never be a one-way street, Heidi,” she said before she closed the distance between them and put her mouth on Heidi’s right breast. “Ever.” She bit down lightly on her nipple as it went erect. “Ya give, ya get.”

Heidi gasped when Iris’s hand slipped between her thighs. Her fingers were on Heidi’s clit, and before she could say another word, her orgasm was peeking its head around the corner. She was floored by how well Iris knew her way around her body. At her age, sometimes getting to orgasm took a little longer than it used to, but Iris did it with ease, as if she was meant to. And it felt so phenomenal. Heidi could only imagine how good it was going to feel when they’d been together for years and years and years.

Iris kissed her deeply and pushed her fingers inside of Heidi before she focused again on her clit. That’s all it took. Heidi unraveled. She arched her back and felt the wave crash into her, from her head to her toes and all at once. Once she had her breathing somewhat under control, she gasped out, “How do you do that to me?”

“Same way you do it to me.” Iris kissed her deeply. “I think maybe we were supposed to find each other.”

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