Page 20

Homemade Pie

Thanksgiving was a day of simple pleasures. The air was crisp with an autumn chill, and colorful leaves had finally drifted to the ground just in time for the holiday. A blessing. The meal had come together just as I’d hoped, and we’d stuffed ourselves over wine and the best conversation.

Presently, the Lions and the Bears battled it out on the TV in the living room while Kyle, Devyn, and I finished putting away the last of the Thanksgiving dinner dishes, the ones that wouldn’t fit in the now overflowing dishwasher. The day had been a memorable one. We’d all hugged and laughed and shared wine and all kinds of sweet and savory dishes across the long table in my formal dining room. This was only the second time I’d used it, having inherited it from Lindy. Everything seemed to have slowed down for us all to gather and celebrate the abundance we had in our lives, which very much included each other.

“It’s ridiculous to go for it,” Christian said, tossing his hand in the air. “This offensive coordinator needs to lose his job.” He sat back and shook his head. One thing we’d learned about him today was that he cared a great deal about football.

I smiled from my spot at the sink as I scrubbed a serving dish. “You tell ’em, Christian. Who goes for it on fourth and nine?”

“It’s honestly really hot,” Jonathan whispered to me. “He’s such a dude. I love it.”

“I think he loves you ,” I said back quietly. “I’ve been watching. He smiles whenever you walk by and laughs the loudest at your jokes. Plus, he ate everything on his plate like a good little boy.”

“Look at us. With people,” Jonathan said, standing a little taller. “In relationships. I wish we could send their photos to our high school selves.”

“Young Savanna’s head would explode.”

“Young Jonathan thought he’d die lonely and limping literally through life.”

I turned to him. “God, he was so wrong. And don’t you ever again think such negative things about my best friend, or I’ll punch you in the face.”

He gasped. “I’m on crutches, you bully.” It was his favorite retort.

“Do I need to break you two up?” Kyle asked from her spot at the drying station. She tossed her hand towel onto her shoulder. The cream-colored sweater, jeans, and boots look was so catalogue perfect, it hurt to look at her. Cuddly and chic.

“Don’t you listen in on our secret conversations,” I said over my shoulder. “You could never keep us apart. We have too much dirt on each other.”

“So true,” Jonathan said with a shudder. He gave me a hip bump.

I couldn’t remember a day when I’d smiled as much. Everything had been, quite simply, perfect. It almost helped me forget about the fact that I was hosting the dad-I-never-knew-I-had for the first time. I’d taken to calling him that for the truth of the nickname and the rhyming scheme.

“You ready?” Kyle asked quietly as I sank onto the couch next to her twenty minutes later. It was twenty to six and I thought I’d steal the time to relax. Enjoy the company of the room.

“Tackle him!” Elizabeth screamed at the top of her lungs and leapt to her feet, ready to bust through the screen and do it herself.

“She has a lot of feelings,” Devyn said matter-of-factly and gently ushered Elizabeth back down to the love seat they occupied.

“Well, I have the pecan and the pumpkin set out. I mean, it’s too early for the ice cream. But I guess I could soften it.”

“I mean are you ready?”

Aha. She was checking on my anxiety level, which was moderate to I just googled Can you die from overthinking? “I’m going to be. Just my first official social event with…him.”

She gave my knee a squeeze, and it instantly slowed my breathing. I didn’t know how Kyle had such a centering effect on me, but I was grateful.

A short time later, the doorbell rang, and I opened the door with the smile I’d planned on, the one that said Welcome to my home. It’s Thanksgiving and I’m thankful for your presence . Surely I’d nailed it.

“Savanna!” Peggy enthused. She wore fire-engine red lipstick and had her hair in a French braid. “I can’t believe we’ve known each other all these years and never visited each other’s homes. I’m so glad we’re doing this.”

“Me, too,” I said. “Come in. Come in.”

“Hi,” Jake said from behind her. He wore a maroon sweater with a gray and maroon striped tie underneath it, which I found touching. I’d never seen him dressed so nice, which meant he cared about today. His cheeks were rosy, which told me he was nervous, too. More so than when I’d seen him at the donut house.

“Hi.” I met his eyes, realizing they really weren’t far off from my own. Trippy. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

He held up a covered dish. “We brought the pie. She made it. I just do the carrying.” He laughed nervously and moved past me into the house.

“Both count!” I said back, just as nervous. I followed them in and stood off to the side as my friends greeted the newcomers.

“Ohhh, I’ve heard all about you,” Peggy said, pulling Kyle into an embrace. “Everyone has a crush on you, ya know.”

I raised an amused eyebrow at Kyle, who sent me a news-to-me face. “Really? Well, that’s not something I was aware of.”

“Half of those people who show up in that ER are not injured, I’ll have you know. They confess all their sins to the donut ladies. Part of the job. Have you met Jake?” She hooked a thumb. “He spends too much time doing crossword whatevers, but other than that is a pretty good fella.”

She turned to him. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Kyle Remington.”

I grinned. “What a name, right?”

“Real nice to meet you,” Jake said, giving her hand a squeeze. “Brought some pie,” he said to the room. Everyone exclaimed their excitement and gratitude, and I went about taking orders. Once everyone was squared away and in the midst of conversation, I turned to Jake, who’d joined me in the kitchen.

“I’m not quite sure what to say,” he said, “but I think it’s really nice of you to extend the invitation.”

I raised one shoulder. “I thought it might be a nice way to get to know each other. Did you see Charlie today? I don’t think he’s happy with me.”

“Ah, yep. He’s on his heels. I should have been more up front with him all these years. Hell, I should have been more up front with myself.”

“With me, too.” I still wasn’t over that part. No one had been honest with me. Not one person.

He nodded and sobered. “With you, too.” A pause. “I like to think I’m a better man today than I was back then.”

I nodded.

“As for Charlie, he needs time. He’s a good guy.”

“I know, and I wish I had considered his feelings before my less than discreet ambush at Amazin’ Glazin’.”

“Not your fault,” he said, as a round of laughter erupted in the living room. They were giving us space to talk. No one had come in to refill a drink, grab a napkin, or drop off their plates and join the conversation. “People like to gossip. As soon as the next rumor rolls in, they’ll be onto it and forget all about us.” He shifted.

“I had a great dad,” I blurted. “I loved him a lot. Still do. Always will.” I don’t know why I felt the need to get that out there right away, but it was important. I wasn’t replacing my own father, in any capacity, by reaching out to Jake. Both things could exist.

My comments didn’t seem to faze Jake. “He was a good guy. I liked him. You were lucky to have him as your dad. It was a terrible loss for the whole town. But especially you.”

“That might have been the time to step forward, you know.”

He went still for a moment. “Would have made sense. The version of me from twenty years ago was a chickenshit who drank beer, quaked in his boots, and put those feelings first. I wouldn’t make that same decision again. I’d wring that guy’s neck if I could. But I was a grown-ass adult who wasn’t grown at all.”

I did my best to see things from his perspective. “I imagine your family factored in.”

He nodded. “I was married. She didn’t know I’d fathered a child, and I was afraid to tell her.”

“Right. I gathered that after talking to Charlie.” I was absorbing as we went but knew I’d take the conversation out again, when I was alone, and examine it more fully, comb through each detail. “And you’re fairly sure…that you fathered this particular child?”

“The timing matched. And you look so much like my mama, I can barely believe it. Yeah, I’m sure. But at some point, sure, maybe we—”

“Find out officially?” I finished. Kyle had already briefed me of the quickest way to test paternity.

“Just for your peace of mind.”

“How’s the pie?” I asked. He’d taken a couple of distracted bites.

“Oh. The fuckin’ best. Peggy is a genius when it comes to this kind of thing. As you know.” He knew I frequented the donut house. He’d had his eye on me all this time. While I still hadn’t worked through the resentment of not being told, there was a surprising feeling of comfort in the thought of him watching out for me.

“This is still a lot to wrap my head around.”

“I know. But I did some thinking, and the most important thing for you to hold on to is that everybody, you know, loved you.” His voice had gone raspy. “Everybody.” I watched as his face went pink with emotion just like mine so often did.

My throat ached with an uncomfortable lump and my eyes filled. Dammit. I didn’t mean to get all sentimental, but there I was, fighting emotion as Christian and Elizabeth argued about whether a foot had been in bounds when the receiver caught the ball.

I smiled at myself and Jake returned it. “What a day,” I said. “Thanksgiving might be my favorite holiday.”

“I’m a big eater, so I’m right there with ya,” he said with a laugh. “Wanna watch the game?”

“I definitely do.”

We joined the others and sat around my living room, shooting the breeze and trading stories as the memorable day wound down. A peaceful calm settled over me while Kyle and I said our final goodbyes to Devyn and Elizabeth, the last couple to leave.

“You did an amazing job today,” Kyle said.

“I don’t know about amazing .”

“Don’t downplay.” Her eyes were determined when she met my gaze. “You made the day wonderful for everyone. I don’t know how you do it, but you have this welcoming spirit that makes people comfortable in their own skin.”

“That’s such a nice thing to say.” I watched her. “The truth? Today was only what it was because I had you here with me.” Now that the dust had settled, I thought about her trajectory and experienced immediate guilt. “And you must be so exhausted. You worked a full shift and then jumped right into the throes of preparing a huge meal with guests everywhere. You haven’t had a break or any downtime.”

“This wasn’t work. I loved every minute of it.” She paused. “But yes, every muscle in my body is screaming.”

I laughed. “C’mon. I have an idea.”

I used my fancy remote to turn on my gas fireplace and watched as the flames licked and danced. “I will never get used to the magic of just pressing a button and having instant fire. The cave people would seek out my friendship if they knew.”

“You’d be all over the cave news, I bet.”

I took a seat on the couch. “Damn right I would. Sit right here,” I said, patting the spot on the floor in front of me.

Her eyes lit up as she anticipated what was on the way. I made a show of interlacing my fingers and stretching my arms in front of my body in warm-up.

“Are you about to do what I think you’re about to do?”

“Maybe.” I wiggled my fingers like I was Mozart and placed them on the skin of her shoulders, just beneath her sweater.

Kyle let out a quiet moan of pleasure. “I might cry.”

I began to rub her shoulders slowly but with moderate pressure, following the muscle and pressing and elongating. “You’re really tight right here.”

She went still and then her shoulders began to shake. “I’m really sorry, but sometimes I’m a teenage boy.”

I laughed with her. “I hear it now, but focus on relaxing.”

“With you saying things like that out loud to me?”

I swatted her shoulder. “Let’s lose some of this tension.” There was a knot just below her trapezoid, which I worked on slowly and with repetition.

“That’s amazing. Have I told you how awesome you are because—Oh, wow. Yes, right there. Exactly there. Yes.”

Now it was my turn to laugh. “Okay, this massage is inspiring a sex response. Massages are sneaky.”

“The more you know,” Kyle deadpanned, and we shared another laugh. I loved laughing with her, and for us, it came easily. I had the best time when it was just her and me. Our alone time made me feel free and alive, as if the stress of the real world was far, far away.

She’d gone quiet once I moved on to her neck, applying the light sweeping strokes I’d once read were the most relaxing forms of touch. I pulled her dark hair to one side, exposing the column of her neck, which I’d always been a little preoccupied with. In the quiet of my living room, I let my hands dip lower, down the front of her shoulders onto her breastbone, and then beneath the neckline of the knit top. I kissed her neck because I couldn’t help myself, not with her so close, with her neck looking like that .

She murmured her appreciation, reached around, and slid her fingers into my hair, pulling me closer. It was all the encouragement I needed. I continued kissing her neck, the underside of her jaw, her earlobe. She was my favorite everything, and I was drowning in desire for her. I wanted to touch her. I wanted to tease her. I wanted to run my hands through her hair and grip while I listened to her climax.

“I can never get enough of you,” I murmured. My hands dipped lower and palmed her breasts through her bra, prompting Kyle to hitch in a breath. She dropped her head back, resting it partially in my lap. I kissed her lips, upside down and hungry. It wasn’t enough for her. She went up on her knees and turned fully to face me, her body between my knees. She pulled me to her for a scorching kiss, held my face in place and explored my mouth with her tongue. Our pace, which began slow, picked up, until it was clear we were desperate for each other. Somewhere along the way, I’d done away with her top entirely. My hand was inside the cup of her bra, cradling her breast and pressing it against her body. I pulled one out and then the other. She sent me a flushed-faced smile. I knew from pillow talk that she loved it when I showed them attention. I bent down and pulled a nipple into my mouth, sucking gently. Then not so gently. I was aware of her hips pressing against my leg.

“You’re wet right now, aren’t you,” I whispered in her ear.

She met my gaze, her eyes dark. All I got was an earnest nod. A request.

Without any more communication, I unbuttoned her jeans. Unzipped them. Finally, I slid my hand down the front of her underwear into warmth as her eyes fluttered closed, and she steadied herself with a hand on the couch cushion.

“Such a good day,” she said with her eyes closed.

I grinned and began to play. Soft touches. Long strokes. Slow circles. She began to ride my hand, guiding me. She loved control, but in this vulnerable moment, she handed it to me, and it reaffirmed our bond. She trusted me, and I was learning to trust her again.

“Look at me,” I breathed.

She opened her eyes and we connected, holding eye contact as her sounds of pleasure increased in volume and desperation. Her lips parted, and I watched her face change as she broke. Pleasure washed over her features, the most beautiful woman in the world. A bouquet of feelings blossomed in my chest, stealing my voice, robbing me of my words and forcing me to simply live in the experience.

Finally, Kyle took a deep, centering breath and stood up. She lost the bra, left her pants undone, and offered me her hand with a gleam in her eye I knew well. “Let’s go to bed. I have such plans for you.”

“You don’t look tired anymore.”

“Second wind. Can you believe it? Turns out I just needed proper inspiration, and let me say, I’ve more than found it.”

I laughed as her lips met mine. “I do declare, this is the happiest Thanksgiving.”

“And we’re so not done with it.”

We fell into bed a short time later, and she delivered on every promise, showing me how well she knew the human body. Several orgasms later, I turned to her. “Where did you learn how to do that? The last thing, with the timing and circles because, whoa.”

She grinned against my shoulder and raised her chin. “I guess just a combination of science and intuition.”

It was the perfect parallel to her personality, logical yet in tune to others. “I think it’s your new signature move. We could take a vote, but I would win.”

She propped her head up on her hand. “I had no idea you were so politically driven.”

“With the proper motivation, I’m finding I could be a lot of things.”

“Come here,” she said, pulling me on top. It was her favorite. I nestled in, staggering our thighs. “What are we doing tomorrow?”

“Whatever we want.” With Kyle in my life, and being part of an us that was the perfect fit for me, the world seemed boundless. “Let’s go shopping.”

“Okay. For what?”

“Let’s not decide.”

“Unspecified goods perusal.” She pulled her face back and nodded thoughtfully. “You have good ideas. Aimless shopping it is.”

I rested my head on her chest and sighed happily. My limbs felt heavy and my spirit light. The house that just a couple of hours ago had been full of chaos and conversation now hummed with quiet contentment. It had been a wonderful day and a perfect night, and I couldn’t help but bask as my eyes slowly closed. This was getting good, really, really good.