27. Abby
ABBY
Thanksgiving
“Benjamin, no one wants strawberry shortcake on Thanksgiving,” I tell my usually so on point lawyer boyfriend as we stand in front of the dessert spread laid out midway between the kitchen and the dining room.
“It’s our—your—signature flavor,” he protests. “There will be strawberries present at every meal we host from here to forever.” He leans in and nuzzles my ear. “You wouldn’t want to deny me something that reminds me of how sweet and delicious you taste, do you?”
I shiver, instantly aroused, and glance around to make sure no one has heard him. While I am proud to be on the arm of all three of my boyfriends, I don’t need everyone at our friends and family Thanksgiving to hear details of our sex life.
In that way, I’m still shy. In private? There is nothing shy about me when I’m alone with my three gorgeous men.
“Of course not,” I tell him. “But don’t be offended if no one touches it. Pumpkin has a lock on this holiday.”
“Pumpkin is disgusting,” Kane comments as he comes up behind the two of us and runs his hand along the curve of my ass briefly. “I can’t be the only person who feels that way.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Benjamin says. “If no one eats it, more for us tomorrow with our leftovers.”
“We do have enough food for fifty people,” Dash comments, joining us as his eyes scan the dessert table laden with pies and pumpkin rolls and whipped cream. “Whipped cream,” he murmurs, his voice going deeper.
His hand reaches for mine.
With Benjamin on my left, Dash on my right, and Kane behind me, it’s the now-familiar feeling of being cocooned by devoted and loving men.
Who are always only one glance or touch away from pleasuring me until my eyes cross.
My nipples are already tightening, my breath catching. My pussy is instantly aching.
But there’s no time for this particular brand of fun right now.
“We can’t all be at the dessert table,” I tell them in amusement. “We have guests we need to entertain.”
This is our first holiday together and I wanted to host a big friend and family gathering. The guys were all just as happy to spend the day with everyone who is so important to us. We want them all to meet each other, mingle, and celebrate our new and incredible relationship.
“She’s right,” Benjamin says, straightening his tie. “Split up and make everyone comfortable. Offer drinks as you go.”
Kane harassed him endlessly about wearing a suit at home but Benjamin insisted he wanted to make a good impression on my parents. I tried to tell him it wasn’t necessary but he was adamant and frankly I find it adorable.
This is really the first opportunity we’ve had to spend time with my parents other than a night they came to Willow Bay to watch Kane and Dash play for the Mutts and one other night we all went to dinner together.
To see them working so hard to normalize our poly relationship amongst their own friends and acquaintances has really made me appreciate them all over again.
“What did you say, have a drink?” Kane says with a grin.
But he claps Benjamin on the back. “I’ll go see to our parents. You get in there with Abby’s and suck up even harder than you already have.”
Benjamin glares at his brother. “I’m not sucking up. I’m being…”
“A suck up.”
“Stop teasing him,” I tell Kane. “I think it’s sweet.”
I also think it’s because my father is a bit in awe of Dash and Kane playing professional hockey and he seems quite comfortable talking to them. He and Benjamin have had more stilted conversations, even when they both try really hard. I think it will just take time.
I turn and cup Benjamin’s cheek. I go on tiptoes and kiss him gently. “I love how much you want to be a family with my family. You’re incredible.”
His expression softens immediately. “I just want you to be happy.”
“I am.”
He heads over to my parents, who are ensconced on the sofa with Magda Litwinski. My former neighbor was thrilled to get the invitation to our Thanksgiving.
“I needed a lively shindig,” she had told me. “And the distraction.”
She’s scheduled for a knee replacement in a week and the doctors made her quit smoking in preparation. Magda going cold turkey off of nicotine has been…interesting.
Lots of cursing and snacking.
“I’m off to be the most amazing host who ever hosted,” Kane says, kissing the top of my head with a loud smack.
Dash reaches out and takes my hand. “What’s my assignment?” he asks, the corner of his mouth turning up in a small smile. “Or do I get to stay by you? Please?”
Big parties are not his thing and I know that. I squeeze his hand. “I would love it if you would restock the refrigerator with the beer and wine from the garage,” I tell him.
He gives me a grateful nod. “It’s only been an hour and I think Bennett and Gus have used up my social battery.”
That makes me laugh. I glance over at the two rookie Mutts players who appear to currently be in competition to see who can toss more cashews into their mouth.
Neither was able to go home for the holiday because the Mutts play on Saturday and the travel time would have been too long so Dash invited them to join us.
I think Gus is from Connecticut and Bennett is from Florida but I wouldn’t swear to it.
They both have high energy and big grins.
Much more like Kane than Dash.
But Dash is also the one who made note of the fact that they had nowhere to go today and made sure they could enjoy the holiday.
Dash goes off to the garage and I squeeze a dollop of whipped cream onto a spoon and put it in my mouth, just to torture myself. Whipped cream has also become a signature playtime treat with my guys and now that Benjamin brought up sex I can’t stop thinking about it.
Besides, this is a great vantage point to survey the house and everyone in it.
It gives me a warm and tingling sensation to see everyone talking, laughing, getting along. Magda’s grandson came with her and he’s deep in conversation with Sadie, who is doing a very flirtatious hair flip. I’m not surprised. Tristan is a good-looking man.
Dash’s parents are with Kane and Benjamin’s parents chatting by the fireplace, and my work bestie, Thomas, is keeping score for Gus and Bennett.
The turkey is in the oven and will be done any minute now. Everyone has been noshing on appetizers and sipping drinks. The whole house is warm and filled with the aromas of a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
I want to pinch myself. This is so perfect.
It would only be better if my sister were here. I invited Emily and gave her the address and details but she didn’t respond.
My guys assured me that was all I could do but I’m still sad.
“Abby!” my dad calls out to me. “Benjamin just offered us season tickets to the Mutts!”
He’s beaming.
Benjamin looks both relieved and thrilled.
“That’s awesome, Dad! That means we can see you more often.”
He nods. “Any excuse to see my girl.”
I’m walking toward them to join the conversation when the doorbell rings. I pause and glance over.
“I’ll get it,” Dash says, his hands filled with two bottles of wine in each palm.
“It’s probably just a delivery,” I say. “I’ll get it. If someone is working on Thanksgiving, I want to give them a tip.” I open the drawer of the table by the front door and pull out a twenty from the stash of cash Benjamin keeps there in case it’s ever needed.
I pull the door open with a smile, “Thanks for—
My jaw drops and tears fill my eyes.
It’s Emily. My sister. Standing there on our doorstep, a sheepish look on her face. Her dark hair is shorter than it used to be and her face is more mature. But it’s her.
She shrugs. “Hi.”
“You came,” I choke out, fighting the urge to reach out and pull her into my arms for the world’s biggest hug. But I resist. I don’t want her to bolt.
She has a bottle of wine in her hand. “Um, here.” She shoves it at me.
I take it, automatically. “Come inside,” I breathe, gesturing for her to enter the house.
She looks past me into the entryway and she hesitates. “Look, I need to say something before I come in. Is that okay? Are you cold?”
Of course it’s cold outside. It’s November in Wisconsin. But I’d stand in a blizzard barefoot to hear what she has to say.
“I’m fine.” I pull the door ninety percent closed so that no one can hear us. “I’m so glad you came,” I tell her.
“I’ve been going to therapy and working on myself and I just want you to know that I know it was never your fault. You didn’t ask for cancer and you didn’t ask for all those treatments and for your life and Mom and Dad’s and mine to be uprooted like that. I know that, intellectually.”
I nod, trying to be careful with what I say. “No, I didn’t. I was in pain and terrified almost every day.”
She swallows hard. “I know. I’m sorry you went through that.”
“But I’m sorry for what you went through too,” I say, meaning it with everything in me.
“I know my cancer ruined your childhood, too. I wish I could take that back and make everything normal for you.” I shiver, wrapping my arms around my chest. “It was no one’s fault and all our feelings about it are valid.
We had a different lived experience and I think it would be really helpful, healing even, if we could talk about it.
Share that with each other now, on the other side of it all.
” I pause and take a breath. “I just want to spend time together. Get to know this version of each other. Maybe it could heal some wounds, you know?”
She nods. “That’s why I’m here. I want to start. I need to start. It’s not fair to you, or to me, to let all of that still affect us. I don’t want to let cancer still impact our lives today. It’s like we haven’t fully gotten over it, if we don’t move past this emotional part too, right?”
I nod. “That is how it feels, I agree.”
“Okay, let’s heal this part too.”
I give her a very genuine smile. “Okay.”
“And also…fuck cancer,” she says, vehemently.
I give a watery laugh. “Yes. Fuck cancer.” I reach out a hand. “Now, come inside and meet my boyfriends.”
“Do you really have three boyfriends?” she asks, taking my hand as she steps up onto the front landing. “That’s…wow. Wild. You were always so…demure.”
I tug her inside with me as I laugh. “I still am. Just not…at certain times.”
Dash is now juggling four twelve packs of beer.
“There’s one of them,” I say, glancing back at my sister over my shoulder. “This is Dash.”
Dash stops and looks at us curiously. “Hi. Who’s your friend, Abby?”
I beam. “This is my sister, Emily. Emily, this is Dash.”
After that, the night is a blur of introductions and laughter and tears and lots and lots of food.
The turkey is cooked to perfection, the desserts all destroyed, even the strawberry shortcake, and eventually everyone is sent home via car service arranged by Benjamin after many bottles of wine were consumed all around.
My sister didn’t hug me, but she did say, “I’ll text you and we’ll have coffee,” when she left, and for me, that’s enough. It’s more than I dared to hope for.
Once everyone is gone and the kitchen is a disaster, the four of us flop down on the sectional.
I give a contented sigh.
Kane pats his lap and I lay down sideways, so that my head is in his lap and my legs are across both Dash and Benjamin’s thighs. Dash massages my sore feet and Benjamin caresses my ass.
Kane plays with my hair. “I’d say our first Thanksgiving was a success,” he says. “Though I have to tell you that I busted Magda lighting up a cigarette in the garage when I took the trash out.”
“Magda is in her seventies,” Benjamin says. “It has to be hard to quit a fifty year old addiction.”
“Tristan seems like a cool dude,” Dash comments. “He’s obviously devoted to his grandmother.”
“Sadie seemed into him,” Kane adds.
“And vice versa,” Benjamin says.
“Really?” I ask.
“Oh, yeah, I noticed the two of them too,” Dash says. “They were together all day.”
I saw them talking for most of the day, and I did see him offer her his last bite of strawberry shortcake now that they mention it.
But I was so distracted with my sister here and playing hostess that I didn’t really think about it.
Now I make a mental note to ask my best friend about Magda’s grandson. That is very interesting.
Dash pulls a throw blanket off of the top of the basket we have filled with blankets and spreads it out over me. “Bedtime?”
“Not quite.” I snuggle in a little closer to all of them. “I’m just enjoying the moment. I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I am right now,” I tell my three guys.
“And this is only the beginning,” Kane says.
We all laugh.
And yet, somehow, I know it’s true.
Thank you for reading Three Hockey Hotties!