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It wasn’t meant to be erotic and sexy, foreplay to an activity we’ll never partake in because we’refriends, but that’s what it feels like this is.
His eyes pin me with a heated gaze. His tongue licks over my knuckles and he hums, a satisfied rumble from the back of his throat. The sound vibrates against my skin, and my breathing hitches.
I haven’t been with a man in months, too busy with work and wanting to spend my evenings in the bathtub with a glass of wine and a trashy reality show instead of making idle conversation with someone who doesn’t know what an erogenous zone is. If this is what I’ve been missing, though, I need to get back in the game. Nothing has felt thisgoodin a long time.
I almost moan when Shawn’s teeth drag up my finger and leave little bite marks on my skin. He can tell, the asshole, because he smirks.
“Delicious,” he says. It’s barely more than a rasp, and I feel the three syllables down to my toes. I wonder how they would feel against my neck and the hollow of my throat. Between my legs. A kiss on the underside of my breast and the rest of my naked body. “I told you I can be persuasive.”
“Maybe. But you’re still not getting any pie,” I say when I find my voice, dragging Maggie with me as I escape Shawn’s clutches.
“What wasthat?” Maggie asks. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
“Yes,” I say, and her eyes light up. “But not in the way you’re thinking.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Positive.”
* * *
“Aiden, the turkey was phenomenal,”I say. I lean back in my chair and stretch my arms over my head. “Much better than last year.”
“Last year it was bone dry,” he says from across the crowded table, shaking his head. “That’s what I get for being distracted by football.”
Shawn wipes his mouth with his napkin and sets the cloth on his empty plate. “I thought we could wrap up today by each share something we’re thankful for this year. I do it with my guys in the locker room, and it’s a nice reminder of what the day is about.”
“That’s a great idea, Uncle Shawn. I’ll go first,” Maven says, and she bounces in her seat. “I’m thankful for my friends and my family. Oh! And having strong enough legs to run cross-country and track. And to play soccer.”
“You have your mother to thank for those legs, Mae. I just have tree trunks,” Aiden says. He nods at Katie, his ex-wife, who smiles and rests her head on her partner’s shoulder. “I’m thankful for a good co-parenting relationship which allows us to spend holidays with our magnificent daughter. I’m the luckiest dad in the world.”
“Ugh, gross.” Maven sticks out her tongue. “You’re being uncool, Dad.”
“I’m thankful for both sets of our parents being healthy enough to travel to see us,” Maggie says. “I’ve always wanted a big Thanksgiving. Thank you all for making my dream come true.”
We go around the table, and everyone shares what makes today special to them. Pets and food and the crossword puzzle in the Sunday newspaper. An upcoming trip to Aspen and long walks on the beach at the tail-end of summer. When it’s my turn to share, I cross my legs under the table and smooth my hands over my skirt.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to slow down,” I say. “My life is busy with work and patients and people needing me. And, as much as I love my job, I’m grateful to take a deep breath and spend a few hours with people I care about. Maggie and Aiden, thank you for opening up your home to us and giving us a place to be today. It means a lot.”
Maggie reaches over and takes my hand in hers. She sniffs and blinks away tears. Her shoulders shake with quiet laughter. “Damn you for making me emotional,” she says.
“I’m sorry.” I nudge her. “What are best friends for?”
Shawn scoots back in his chair and stands. Our attention settles on him, and he smiles. “I’m thankful for each and every one of you at this table. I know what I signed up for when I took the head coaching job with the Titans; being away from my family for long stretches of time. Games on holidays. A chaotic schedule that makes it difficult to keep people around. We’re not blood, but you all are my family, too. I’m such a lucky bastard that I have you all in my corner.”
“To found family,” I say. I lift my glass, and everyone follows suit. “And to the people who surprise us.”
Shawn’s eyes wrinkle in the corner and he grins at me, a display of joy I scoop up and hold close to my heart.
ELEVEN
SHAWN
“Willyou stop rinsing the dishes? You’re going to be late,” Aiden says.
“I have a few minutes,” I argue. “I don’t need to be at the stadium until five. It’s only three. You’re a doctor. You can do math.”
“I can, and I also know you shouldn’t be spending your last minutes of quiet bent over a sink with soap up your arms. How does your back not hurt, old man?”
