Until Now (Not Yet #2) by Laura Ward Page B

ran out and bought right before dinner. I used the excuse that my mom would never let me join another family for dinner empty-handed, but I wanted to make Grace’s dinner special for her. She took care of Finn, but who took care of her?
    “I’m grateful that I followed my heart.” She looked at Finn and then at me. “Even when it was scary, I always listened to my heart.” She wiped at her eyes and took another sip of wine. I held her hand under the table until Finn yelled out that he needed his turkey cut.
    “I like mashed taters. Oh, and pie with whipped cream. Oh, and sparkly juice too!” Grace placed a slice of pie in front of each of us and grabbed a can of whipped cream from her fridge.
    “Nobody let me drink this fancy-schmancy sparkling apple juice when I was a kid. I had to drink milk. What a bummer,” I said as I grinned at Finn. Finn had told me that he and Grace shared sparkling cider on holidays to be fancy.
    “Schmancy.” Finn chortled. “That’s funny!”
    Grace approached Finn with the whipped cream. She sprayed a large dollop on his pie. “Open up!” She winked at me, and I watched her spray a mound into Finn’s mouth and a tiny drop on the tip of his nose.
    Finn giggled uncontrollably as he swallowed his extra treat.
    “We’ve started our own traditions,” Grace explained. “Want some?” She laughed and pointed the can to my mouth. “Or should I save it for later?” She winked and bit her bottom lip.
    And… I was hard. I pulled her onto my lap. “Just on the pie for now, Red.” I kissed her neck, and Grace shivered.
    I was ready for later.
    Right now.

 
     
    Chapter Twelve
     
     
    Grace
     
    I SANG LULLABIES to Finn as I bathed him and put him to bed. I hadn’t seen my son this happy in a long time. He had never known a holiday with anyone other than me, and having Dean present meant the world to him. My heart hurt when I thought of Christmas, Easter, or next Thanksgiving when it would be just the two of us again.
    Walking back into the kitchen, I saw that Dean had ignored my direction to leave the dishes and had almost finished cleaning up from the entire meal. I wrapped my arms around his back and kissed between his shoulder blades before pressing the side of my face against him. I hummed, a sound of contentment, and Dean stiffened.
    “That feels way too good, Red. You better cut that out.” He turned around, moving me into his arms. “I have some pots and pans left to clean.”
    I reached up to kiss his lips. “I told you not to do the dishes.” I scowled, and he tweaked my nose.
    “At my house growing up, the girls cooked and the guys cleaned. Every holiday. Seems fair to me.” Dean brought his mouth to mine, fusing our lips together. Then he swung me around, sitting my butt on the kitchen counter.
    “Why didn’t you tell me you and Finn were alone?”
    I closed my eyes. My head felt dizzy and hot at the thought of what I had to tell him. “Kiss me first?” I whispered and opened my eyes. “I’ll tell you my whole story, but first I need to be kissed.”
    Dean’s eyes darkened. He ran his hand up my neck and into the back of my hair. I tilted my chin up, and he pressed his lips to mine. My mouth opened, and I traced the edge of my tongue along the seam of his lips. His mouth opened to me, and I tasted him, sucking on his tongue. We both moaned, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, trying to get even closer. My hands moved up his chest and around his neck.
    Dean pulled away and dragged his mouth to my neck, kissing and sucking my skin along the way. “The things I want to do to you, Red.” He bit my earlobe, and I moved my hips closer, rubbing against him. He groaned at the contact. My body was hot and needy and vibrating with lust for this man. “But we need to talk. Let me in. Let me know you.”
    I nodded, my eyelids heavy from my own desire. He lifted me off the counter and carried me into the living room. Dean sat on the couch, keeping me straddling