“Honey, where are the pie pans I got you for Christmas two years ago?” Katie asks through the door, and Fawn’s smile falls away as her cheeks turn a shade of pink that has nothing to do with the orgasm I just gave her. “Never mind, don’t rush,” she says quickly. “I’ll just have Libby look for them.”
“Give me twenty minutes, Mom, and I’ll be out to help you,” she yells, then looks at me. “What do you think the probability of us sneaking out of here without being caught is?” I grin.
“None, babe.”
“That’s what I thought.” She sighs, sitting up. “I better get up and get dressed.” Putting my elbow on the bed, I watch her stand and put her hands on her hips as she looks toward the door. “I need to find a way to sneak home to get some clean clothes.”
“You’ve got stuff here,” I say, and her eyes come back to me.
“I don’t really want to put on the clothes I had on yesterday.”
“You have clean stuff in the second drawer.” I nod to the dresser.
“What?”
“You have a tendency to leave your shit all over my floor, so the last time I had the laundry sent out, I put your stuff in with mine.”
“Then you put it away in your dresser?” she asks, and I study the look in her eyes as her bottom lip goes between her teeth. She looks nervous, and that doesn’t sit well with me. I know this thing between us has been happening fast, but I’m not going to be the one to slow us down—not when it feels so right. If I learned one thing from being a cop, it’s to always follow my gut, and my gut is telling me she’s my future—a future I’m very much looking forward to.
“Baby.” I sit up and move to the edge of the bed so I can take her waist and pull her toward me. “You’ve been in my bed every night for the last two weeks. Some of my shit is hanging in your closet,” I remind her quietly, and she nods, running her fingers through my hair. “You okay with having a drawer here?”
Her eyes meet mine, and she smiles softly. “Yeah, I’m good with it.”
“Good, now go get ready.”
“Okay,” she agrees, but she doesn’t move. She gives me a smile I haven’t seen from her before, then drops her mouth to mine in a soft touch. Before I’m ready to let her go, she pulls her mouth from mine and walks to the dresser, opening the second drawer that I cleaned out for her last week. Staring inside for a moment, she shakes her head and pulls out a few items before closing it and turning to look at me briefly. Then without another word, she heads for the bathroom. Standing, I move around the bed and follow her so I can clean up. As soon as I walk into the steam-filled room I watch her disappear into the shower and hold back a growl of frustration. I should be getting into the shower with her—we should be having our first morning of wake-up sex, then shower sex—but with everyone here, those plans will have to be moved to tomorrow. Unless everyone is planning on staying the night—then I’ll be screwed again.
After brushing my teeth, I wash my face, find a shirt to put on, and head back to the bathroom.
“I’m gonna take Muffin out,” I say, and the water goes off right before she pulls the shower curtain open.
“Do you want to wait for me? She doesn’t really like the guys in my family, and I don’t want her to freak out on one of them.”
“You shouldn’t be on your foot too much,” I say as she grabs the towel hanging on the wall.
“It doesn’t really hurt anymore. I think I just bruised it, I’m oka—”
“Fuck,” I clip out, dropping my eyes down her body. I watch the drops of water sliding down her skin. “This is torture.” She laughs, pushing me a step back when I move into her space.
“You’re torturing yourself.”
“I didn’t get enough of you last night.” I sigh regretfully, and her big eyes come to me.
“You didn’t get enough of me last night?” She looks me over and swallows. “You had me more times than I can count.”
“It will never be enough. Being inside you is . . . Fuck, there are no words for what it’s like being inside you,” I explain, shaking my head, as she steps over the edge of the tub. “All I know is it’s my new favorite place to be.”
“Stop.” She pokes my chest, pushing me back when I unknowingly move to her again. “You’re making me dizzy, and I need to get ready. My whole family is out there, so I need to prepare myself for what’s about to happen,” she says, moving to stand in front of the sink.
“What’s about to happen?” I ask, placing myself against her back, wrapping my hands around her waist, and dropping my chin to the top of her head.
“I don’t know.” Her eyes meet mine in the mirror. “All I know is that it will probably be embarrassing.”
“I’ll be with you,” I say, then mutter a curse as my cell phone rings.
“You should get that,” she says quietly, studying me in the mirror.
“Yeah.” I kiss her shoulder and let her go. Going to the bedroom, I find my cell on the dresser and expect it to be work, but it’s my mom.
“Mom,” I answer, putting the phone to my ear.
“Happy Thanksgiving, honey.”
“Thanks, Mom. Have you been cooking all morning?” I know she probably has. Since I was little, my mom has been making a feast at Thanksgiving, getting up at six to put in a turkey and get things ready before everyone shows up.
“No, actually, I’m standing outside your apartment building . . . Surprise.” She yells the last word, and I scrub my hand down my jaw in disbelief as I look into the bathroom and watch Fawn put her hair up on top of her head. I told my mom about Fawn two weeks ago, and she couldn’t wait to meet her. I just didn’t expect that meeting to include Fawn’s entire family.
“You’re standing outside my building,” I ask, just to confirm.
“Yes. Well, we all are . . . we didn’t want you to be alone on Thanksgiving, so we figured we’d drive in and cook at your place. That way, even if you get called out, you can eat when you come back.” Fuck me, this shit is not going to go well.
“Fawn’s whole family showed up this morning with that same plan,” I say. When it goes quiet, I pull the phone away from my ear to check that the call didn’t drop. “Mom.”
“Fawn is with you? I thought she was going to be with her family today,” she says, repeating something I told her last week when she asked what Fawn would be doing on the holiday.
“She didn’t want me to be alone,” I say quietly and listen to her pull in a sharp breath.
“Oh my,” she says, and I know she understands the significance of Fawn coming to spend Thanksgiving with me instead of staying with her family.
“Mom, let me let you go. I’ll be down in a minute to let you in.”
“Sure, honey,” she agrees, and I pull the phone away, end the call, and shove it into my pocket as I walk back into the bathroom.
“Change of plans, baby.”
“You have to leave?” she asks, sounding disappointed as she pulls a shirt on over her head—this one is red and has the word Bazinga scrolled across the front in large yellow lettering.
“Nope, my family is all downstairs.”
“What?” Her face pales, and her eyes shoot past me to the door. “Your family is here?”
“Yeah, I need to go let them in.”
“Your family is all here? As in outside our building?” she repeats, sounding panicked.
“Yeah, ba—”
“But . . . but my family is all here,” she cuts me off with wide eyes.
“They are . . .”
“Oh my god. This is going to be a disaster. Your family is going to hate me because my family is going to do something crazy.”
“It’s all good, calm down.”
“Calm down,” she breathes, staring at me. “Do you not remember when my mom suggested I get knocked up to keep you . . .” She pauses, throwing out her hand and pointing at me. “In front of you?”
“Take a breath.” I grab her hand and pull her to me, then take her face betw
een my palms. “It’s going to be fine . . . promise. I’ll be right back.”
“This is the worst day of my life,” she pouts, closing her eyes. “We should just break up, because obviously fate doesn’t want us together.”
“Christ, you’re cute.” I laugh, kissing her pouting bottom lip quickly. “I’ll be back.”
“If you don’t find me when you get back, look out the window, because I’ve jumped to my death.” Shaking my head at that, I leave her in the bathroom and head out of the room, finding a few people still in the apartment, including Mac, who’s in the kitchen making a pot of coffee. “Do me a favor—go to your sister.”
“Is she okay?” she asks, looking from me to my bedroom door.
“She’s having a panic attack because my family just showed up—they’re downstairs.”
“Seriously, your family is here?” she asks with wide eyes that look just like her sisters’.
“Seriously”—I nod, heading for the door—“I’ll be back.”
“Sure,” she agrees, turning on the coffeepot before heading for my room, looking slightly amused and a little bit worried.
Swinging the front door open, I move to the stairs and jog down, pushing out of the building as soon as I get to the door. The sight that greets me makes me smile. My mom, dad, and brothers, plus their wives and kids, are all here. As happy as I am to see my family, I know this day is going to be a long one, and it’s the first time since meeting Fawn that I’m praying to get called into work. But if I do, I’m taking her with me.
“Mom.” I smile as my mom comes forward, wrapping her arms around me.
“Look at you . . .” She shakes her head. “So handsome.” She kisses my cheek, then lets me go.
“Dad.” I grin at my old man, and he holds out his arms and I walk toward him, hugging him tightly.
He pounds my back two times, muttering, “Son,” before letting me go.
“Uncle Levi,” my niece Madeline says, bouncing at my feet and holding her arms out to me.
“How’s my girl?” I ask, picking her up and swinging her around, listening to her giggle.
“Good.” She smiles, wrapping her arms around my neck and laying her head on my shoulder.
“So Fawn and her family are here?” my brother Lucas asks as his wife, Eva, comes forward to take their daughter, Madeline, from me.
“Yep, and she’s freaking out.”
“I bet,” Allison, my brother Cooper’s wife, says shaking her head at Cooper, who is holding their sleeping ten-month-old son, Jacob, in his arms. “I would totally freak if this kind of thing happened to me.”
“You always freak out.” Allison’s sister, Ruby, snorts, taking nine-month-old Emma from her husband, my brother Cole, as she starts to cry.
“Just keep that in mind when you meet Fawn. She’s a little overwhelmed with all of this.”
“It will be all right, she’ll see,” Mom says, and I nod, knowing she hasn’t met Fawn’s family yet, so she has no idea what she’s saying.
“We need to get the stuff from the car. Do you want to take Emma up for me?” Ruby asks, not giving me much of a choice as she hands the baby over. When my adorable niece’s bottom lip starts to tremble, I look at her mother’s retreating back for help.
“She’ll be okay, it’s just a stage,” Allison says stepping into the building. “Come on, Madeline,” she calls, and Madeline takes off at a run toward her. “Let’s go check out Uncle Levi’s apartment.”
“Okay,” she agrees, and I look at my mom.
“The code for the door is six, seven, three, eight—just punch it in and come on up.”
“Okay.” She smiles, then gets close, taking hold of my biceps to stop me from going in. “How serious is this thing between you and Fawn?”
“Serious, Mom,” I say quietly, and she nods, closing her eyes. “But Mom, play it cool. She’s a little skittish, so don’t freak her out.”
“I won’t freak her out. I don’t even know how to freak someone out.” She rolls her eyes at me, then looks at Emma. “Take her up, it’s too cold for her to be out here.”
“Do you remember the code?”
“Yeah, I remember,” she says over her shoulder as she heads toward where my brothers, dad, and sisters-in-law are all unpacking stuff from the cars they drove here.
“Mama,” Emma says, and I look down at her as she pounds her tiny fist against my chest. “Mama, Mama, Mama.”
“She’s coming, honey.” I kiss her soft forehead as I head up the stairs.
“This is the best day ever. Fawn just told me your family came to surprise you, too,” Katie says, greeting me at the landing between Fawn’s apartment and mine. Her eyes drop to Emma and light up. “Who’s this little angel?”
“This is my niece Emma,” I say, and Emma looks at her with baby curiosity.
“Hi, Emma.” She takes her hand, shaking it. “Oh my, isn’t she pretty.” She pulls her eyes from Emma to look at me. “Now, I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but the sooner you can give me one of these, the happier I’ll be.” When Emma reaches her tiny arms out toward Fawn’s mom, she scoops her up.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I mutter, feeling my lips twitch.
“Mom, what did I say about embarrassing me?” Fawn questions, coming over to stand next to her mom, and I realize that she’s changed out of her T-shirt into a long-sleeved dark-blue button-up top with pleats at the waist that show off her figure, dark jeans, and low-heeled boots. She looks beautiful—but then again, she always does; it doesn’t matter what she wears.
“I’m not embarrassing you, I’m just saying . . . I’d like one day, maybe sooner rather than later, to be a grandma.”
“Mom.” Fawn narrows her eyes.
“Stop raining on my parade,” Katie says, hugging Emma, who is focused on Fawn.
“Utt . . . utt,” Emma says, and Fawn’s eyes go to her and fill with a sweet softness as she reaches out to take Emma’s extended hand.
“That means she wants you,” says Allison, who’s carrying Jacob.
“Baby, this is Allison, my brother Cooper’s wife. Allison, this is Fawn and her mom, Katie.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Allison says quietly before nodding down to Jacob, who is still asleep in her arms. “This is my son, Jacob.”
“Nice to meet you two.” Fawn smiles, then drops her gaze to Madeline when she comes over to me, holding her arms up.
“I’m Madeline. Are you Uncle Levi’s girlfriend?” Fawn laughs.
“I am, and it’s so nice to meet you, Madeline,” she says as her eyes soften.
“You’re pretty,” Madeline states, and everyone laughs.
“Thank you.” Fawn smiles, then looks back at Emma when the baby gets ahold of her sleeve and tugs to get her attention. Taking Emma from Katie, Fawn tucks the baby against her chest and looks down at her, smiling as Emma starts to babble.
“Yes, we definitely need a few of these little angels around,” Katie says, looking her daughter and Emma with hope in her eyes.
“Mom,” Fawn warns.
“An old woman can wish, can’t she?”
“Don’t worry, Levi’s mom is just as bad. Jacob is only ten months old, and she’s already pestering me about having another one,” Allison says, nudging Fawn’s shoulder and gaining a smile from her.
“I do not pester—I merely suggest,” my mom says, coming up the steps carrying a tray of food that I reach out and take from her.
“Suggest every day,” Allison says, and Fawn giggles, making Mom’s face go soft.
“Mom, I want you to meet Fawn. Fawn, my mom, Lisa.”
“Oh my, aren’t you pretty,” Mom says, giving Fawn a side hug so she doesn’t squish Emma, who is now playing with the chunky necklace around Fawn’s neck.
“Um . . .” Fawn smiles shyly. “Thank you, it’s nice to meet you. Levi talks about you all the time.”
“Good stuff, I hope.”
“Always good stuff,” she agrees, then step
s back. “Lisa, this is my mom, Katie.”
“Lisa,” Fawn’s mom whispers, studying my mom. “Lisa Gurstrich?”
“Katie Michels,” Mom says, and they stare at each other. “Oh my lord,” Mom cries, rushing to Katie, and they embrace tightly and rock back and forth, hugging. I’m staring at them as I wonder what the fuck is going on.
“Katie and I went to summer camp together for seven years up near Canada,” Mom says, looking back at me. “We went every summer until we turned sixteen and couldn’t go anymore. Oh my, it’s a small world.”
“Yes, and now, look—our babies are seeing each other,” Katie says happily, pulling my mom in to hug her once more. “I’ve searched and searched for you on Facebook,” she whispers, and I watch my mom’s arms tighten.
“Me, too. I can’t believe this,” Mom says, looking like she’s about to cry. Pulling my eyes from our moms, I look at Fawn, who is watching them hug with a look of disbelief on her face. My girl has had a crazy morning, and it seems it’s just getting crazier by the second.
My cell rings, and I pull it out of my pocket as Fawn’s eyes fly to me and fill with worry. I have no doubt that she’s scared I’ll be called in and she’s going to be left to deal with all of this alone. Looking at the caller ID, I see it’s Cole calling.
“Yeah.” I put the phone to my ear, shaking my head at Fawn; her body relaxes.
“What’s the code?” he asks, sounding out of breath.
“Mom, you locked everyone out.”
“Oh.” She jumps away from Katie. “I needed to come up and meet Fawn quickly.” She grins, leaning over to kiss Fawn’s cheek before pushing past me and heading down the steps with Katie following her.
“Mom’s coming,” I mutter into the phone and hang up.
“Let’s get the babies out of the hall,” Allison suggests, and we all head into my apartment, which is currently empty of Fawn’s family. Heading for the kitchen, needing a cup of coffee, I watch Fawn walk across the living room toward the couch with Emma.