Page 96 of Home for the Holidays

“Well, I’m the closest thing you’ve got to a daddy who ain’t gonna take shit from someone trying to get into your pants.”

“Oh my god.” Heidi rubbed her forehead, where a Donna-induced headache was mounting. “Okay, okay, I get it. Thank you. Keep checking your AOL email. I’m going to show them around.”

Donna looked at her. “Is that a dig at my age?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Margaret answered from behind the bar. “We should probably set you up a Gmail account…”

Heidi grabbed Iris’s hand and pulled her through the café. Her parents were up at the counter ordering pastries, which made Heidi feel good. She could get them for free and they knew that, but they still insisted on purchasing their breakfast. They were turning out to be great people. Especially Skip. She had known he was a keeper when she realized Maddie didn’t want to leave his side. Maddie was an excellent judge of character.

“So you know where the bathroom is,” Heidi gently teased.

Iris coughed. “Yes, yes, I do.”

Zac’s eyes narrowed. “You two are weird. Evan and I are going to go sit at the bar and have a capp.”

Iris watched them leave, then turned and playfully smacked Heidi on the arm. “You’re bad.”

“What? I was only pointing it out.” Heidi leaned against the counter near the door to the kitchen. “Your parents seem to have settled in.”

“It’s shocking.” Iris’s eyes widened in seeming disbelief. “My mom is like a whole new person. I wish she would have been like this when I was a kid.”

Heidi shrugged in commiseration. “Everybody’s working on something.”

“You’re so right.”

“I was a mess when I was raising the boys too.”

“And now look at you.” Iris was standing in front of Heidi, her blue eyes sparkling in the natural light of the café. She was wearing Heidi’s black sweater, and it had never looked better than it did clinging to the swell of Iris’s breasts.

“I want to rip your clothes off.” Heidi was shocked by the desire in her own voice. She was insatiable.

Iris licked her lips. “We could try that bathroom out again.”

“Or we could use my office.”

“Even better.”

“Will your parents wonder where we went?”

“Who cares,” Iris said as she grabbed Heidi’s hand and pulled her from the counter.

Heidi led her through the kitchen back to her office. As soon as she closed the door behind them, Iris spun her around and pressed her back against the cool metal. “Blinds, close the blinds,” Heidi mumbled into Iris’s lips. She fumbled with the strings, opened them completely at first, and died of laughter before she finally figured it out. Heidi laughed along with her. “Come here.” She pulled Iris into her and kissed her deeply. The first time with Iris had been so rushed, but it was still so vivid in her mind. And now, after all they’d done together, this time felt just as exciting, just as necessary. Iris’s hand, fingers, as she slipped them under Heidi’s panties, felt just as mind-blowing. Her orgasm, the timing, the length, the intensity felt just as exquisite. She wanted to question it, question why and how this could be, but questioning it now felt foolish. Why question something that didn’t need an answer?

And why would she ever need an answer when she had everything she ever wanted?

CHAPTERFORTY-FOUR

“Thanks for coming with me, you guys,” Iris said as she walked down Vale Park’s main street with Zac and Evan.

“I’m sure you needed a break.” Zac shoulder-checked her lightly. “You’re so in love with her, aren’t you?”

Iris’s cheeks were warm. She was blushing for sure. “Yeah, I am.”

“I’d love to ask how in the world you fell that quickly, but…” His voice trailed off as he looked at Evan. “I sort of get it.”

“And here I thought I was going to have to fight like hell to get you back,” Evan said.

“All you had to do was smile and I knew.”

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