Close To Your Parents

My alarm beeped, and I reached to shut it off before it woke Nicholas up. His arm tightened around me when I tried to get up, but I eventually managed to get out of his grasp.

I took a quick shower and headed downstairs to help Laura with the cooking, not surprised to find her already in the kitchen. The countertop was full of pans and bowls.

"Wow, you've been at it for a while."

She looked up and smiled. "I love Thanksgiving. This will be the first one in a long time that we've had so many people around."

I put some water in the kettle for tea and set it on the stove to heat. "So Nicholas usually spent his holidays alone?"

"Either that or he would take a business trip this time of year." She gave me a sad smile. My heart ached and my gut twisted thinking about him being so lonely. Maybe he'd been even lonelier than me during the holidays. At least I'd had Lory.

Laura and I worked together, dressing the turkey, making side dishes and desserts, and chattering away as the morning flew by. Nicholas appeared a few hours later, freshly showered and dapper in his sweater and jeans.

He made a beeline for me, kissing my neck while I had my hands buried elbow-deep in a mixing bowl.

"Good morning." I wiggled and giggled at his teasing touches.

"Good morning to you too."

"Do you know how hot you look with an apron on?"

I laughed and tried to bump him away with my hip. "You're distracting me."

"Excellent. Mission accomplished. Now let's go back upstairs."

“No, you have a check-in with an international partner.” He groaned in response. "If you're a good boy, I'll give you a treat later."

He hummed against my skin. "Oh, really?"

I turned my head to give him a smile over my shoulder. "Depends on your performance."

"That was mean." He grumbled and whined on his way toward the door, Laura and I laughing in his wake.

When he came back, Nicholas was talking about moving out of the city again. Bigger house. More space.

"I think I may have found a nice place. Do you want to go take a look in a couple of days?" He sat on a stool, watching Laura and I finish up our cooking.

"Sure. Where is it?"

He responded immediately.

"Is that close to your parents?"

He nodded and dipped his finger in the frosting. "Pretty close."

I smacked his hand away, shooing him off so that I could answer the door. Within an hour, everyone had arrived. It was nice to see John and Virgil in a relaxed setting, along with our friends and Nicholas' parents.

Clara walked in to give both Laura and me a big hug.

Nicholas helped out, making sure everyone had drinks and introducing those who didn't already know each other. I smiled every time he pulled out the baby ultrasound pictures and revealed we were having a boy.

Before we ate, I took Clara, Sarah, Lory, and Courtney upstairs to check out the nursery Nicholas and I had been remodeling in the bedroom next to ours.

"I thought you and Nicholas were thinking about moving?" Sarah asked.

I nodded. "We are. But even if we do, we're keeping this place. Nicholas wants to have a house in the city. Also, we wouldn't be moving until after the baby is born anyway."

After they had their fill of ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ over the baby things, we all made it back downstairs, the twelve of us squeezing in around the dining room table. It was so different from all the holidays of my past. It was loud, and happy, the room so full of conversation and food and activity, I wanted to remember it forever. Or at least repeat it as much as possible.

Even Nicholas was all smiles. I tried to keep up with everyone talking to me, but it was hard to not keep peeking over at him, wondering what was going on in his head. I knew he enjoyed his space, but it also seemed like he was truly enjoying himself being surrounded by everyone close to us.

All of them stayed through the afternoon, collapsing on couches and watching a game with full stomachs. I curled up next to Nicholas and shut my eyes for a while myself.

One thing that wasn't brought up all day was the looming meeting with Simon... at least not until Jefferson and Clara were saying their goodbyes. I walked with them to the door, Jefferson pulling me in for a hug.

"Thank you for today, Willow. It means a lot to be here like this."

"It meant a lot to us, too. I appreciate you coming."

"Everything will be okay on Monday. I promise," he whispered in my ear before pulling away.

I gave him a smile. It was hard to believe Jefferson's promises, but it was obvious he was trying to be the father he should have always been.

I was exhausted by the time everyone left for the night, but luckily Lory, Courtney, and Sarah all pitched in to help clean up the kitchen while the guys straightened up the rest of the ground floor.

Nicholas helped me up the stairs after they were gone, giving me kisses while he stripped off our clothes.

"I've been wanting to have a private giving of thanks all day long."

I laughed, settling back with my head on a pillow and enjoying his kisses. "Did you have a good time, though?"

He lifted his head, his eyes soft and his hair messy. "Yeah, I did. More than I thought I would." He moved down kissing my belly a few times. "It was nice having everyone around." He pushed my legs apart and smirked at me. "But I'm glad they're gone now."

Before I could even call him a pervert, his fingers had me clutching the sheets. He knew exactly where and how to touch me.

I twisted and turned, a moaning mess even before his tongue joined the party. He was teasing, bringing me close, and then slowing down and telling me I couldn't come yet.

"Nicholas, please."

He flicked his tongue over me and then blew air until I trembled. "You're so close, baby. Do you want to come?"

"Yesss."

He pushed his fingers inside me, curling them and using his mouth at the same time. It didn't take long before I came hard, gripping his head with my thighs as I tingled all over. He was hovering over me with a grin when I finally opened my eyes again, and I pushed him to lie down on his back.

"My turn," I said.

His eyes were honed on me, his hands gripping my hips as I moved to straddle him. "You are so fucking sexy when you ride my cock."

My stomach flipped, but I was too preoccupied to blush from his dirty talk, wanting him inside me immediately. I stroked him a couple of times before taking him in completely.

That moment when he first filled me was so amazing.

He scooted back, taking me with him until he was reclining against the headboard. I held myself steady by grabbing his shoulders, slowly moving up and down, swiveling and grinding.

"That feels good." He leaned forward, taking one of my nipples in his mouth.

He was right. It felt really good.

I lost myself in the movement, in feeling his fingers gripping and his breath panting against my skin.

"Oh fuck." His hands held me tighter, using his strength to move me faster. I knew he was close.

Just as he could anticipate my every response, I was also well aware of his. His hips thrust up as I came down, each impact of our bodies filling the room with the sounds of our slapping skin. When his thumb moved around to stroke me, I came apart again. He pulled me forward, pressing my body tight to his and kissing me hard, pumping and pulsing inside me while following with his own release. I was an exhausted, limp noodle as I slipped off him. He spooned me, kissing my sweaty temple.

"I love you so much."

I smiled into my pillow, reaching back to run my fingers through his hair. "I love you, too."

He quieted down, wrapping his arms around me and sighing in my hair. I thought he'd fallen asleep eventually but was surprised to hear his soft words break through the silence.

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

I snuggled back into him and gripped the covers, seeking any warmth I could find. I didn't know why, but a cold shiver crept up my spine.