“I’m ready!” Ali bounced down the stairs with excitement and looked at us dressed up for the day with her dad. “You guys look good in everything. It's not fair.”
Settling my empty glass down on the coffee table, I walked toward her and grabbed her into my arms. “What’s not fair is that you are wearing that dress and we can’t even take it off of you.”
“Yet,” Kace interjected.
He had a point–we couldn't take it off of heryet–but we would. It wasn’t the fanciest dress, as her dad wanted to keep things casual, but it hugged her body, showed her legs, and gave me a peek at just enough of her tits that my mouth was salivating. She had a sweater on, and would need a bigger jacket when she was outside, but the thought of the cold air making her nipples pebble under the thin fabric was making the plan to go to her father’s house seem like the dumbest idea in the world.
For Philip, that dress may be casual and innocent, but to me—and probably Kace—it was enticing and sexual. Fuck, I wanted her so bad. It was like I was never going to get my fill of Ali Hansen. I was going to burn for her for as long as I lived.
CHAPTER8
ALI
So many things to do and so little time.
I knew I was trying too hard to make it all perfect, that my sanity was close to faltering, but I couldn't help myself. It had been way too long since I had looked forward to Christmas.
“Fucking hell,” I heard Mary shouting from behind the door. We stood on the porch to my dad’s house, which was also my childhood home. The guys had yet to go there and see where I was from and how I grew up, and a part of me was nervous just because of what their opinions would be.
Not that Dad’s house was a dump, but it was meager, and a lot of the work that needed to be done to keep up with a home was no longer something Dad bothered with—although the poinsettias that sat on either side of the front door were a nice touch.
“Why did you knock?” Mary asked as she opened the door wide. She didn’t bother with pleasantries and didn’t try being someone she wasn’t. Mary was a hard-nosed woman, with a mouth that would put a sailor to shame. Her and Dad were like night and day, so it made me giggle every time I thought about how close they had become.
“The door was locked.” I moved to hug her and she gave in, wrapping an arm around me and swaying me back and forth.
“I fucking know that,” she spoke into my ear as she continued to hug me. “But don’t you have a key?”
Pulling back, I looked down at her and shrugged. “Kace drove, so I left my keys at home.”
Hearing his name was just enough to make her look behind me and see my guys standing there watching us. Mary’s eyes started to twinkle, and she moved around me to get to them.
“My babies! My lying, good for nothing, can’t-throw-the-ball-to-the-wide-receiver-if-his-life-depended-on-it babies!”
“Mary,” Cam leaned in for a hug that Mary returned with no problem. “I see you have been watching me play. Thanks for the support.”
I could hear the teasing tone in Cam’s voice and the smile in his eyes. He knew Mary never minced words. and he was professional enough to know there was truth behind what she was saying.
“Hey,” Kace called out. “I’ll have you know, I haven’t missed one throw to a wide receiver yet this year.”
“Your time is coming.” Mary let go of Cam and turned to hug Kace. “Once baseball season starts, I’m sure you’ll find something to suck at too.”
“Aw Mary,” Kace laughed. “You sure do make the holidays a warm and special time of year.”
Her laughter was infectious as she led us into the kitchen, where my dad was stationed over a huge turkey.
“Dad!” I squealed. I kissed his cheek and settled for a side hug, since his hands were covered in seasoning. “You need a hand?”
“Nonsense,” he huffed, and looked behind me. “Good to see you boys.”
“Good to see you too, Philip,” Kace said at the same time Cam replied with, “Glad to be here.”
“Go ahead to the table. Mary and I will serve up dinner. It's ready and warm.”
Dinner ended up being amazing. I had almost forgotten how good of a cook my dad was. He didn’t make the effort much, but I wondered if that had changed now that Mary was with him. Having someone to cook for was much better than preparing a meal for one. I knew exactly how that felt.
Afterward, we sat in the living room with coffee and the cookies I had brought, admiring the tree that Mary and Dad had put up. It was a mixture of old ornaments and ones I had never seen before. It suited them and made me smile.
We also exchanged gifts, giving each other simple and meaningful gifts like we did all the years before. Dad looked relieved and I assumed he thought with Cam and Kace’s money, I would be more extravagant. But that wasn’t who he was, and I didn’t want to change our special traditions.