I want to thank everyone who reads my stories, but most of all I want to thank those who take the time to vote and comment. It is because of you that I continue writing. I hope you enjoy this next installment, and if the response to it is as strong as it has been with the last two, there will be more to come. Enjoy! - CM
*****
It's been a month since that amazing moment Grace and I spent in the shower, exploring each other. We still had not made love, and there were several reasons for that. Firstly, of course, our parents had decided to remain at home through the holidays, even though Matt Segan and Lance Forster's trials were complete. They'd decided it wouldn't make any sense to get back on the road, only to turn around and come back home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I can understand their feelings on the matter, but it did complicate things for Grace and I. Of course, if we wanted to, we could've gotten a motel room and had all the privacy we wanted. We both decided not to, though. First of all, it would look a little odd if we both simultaneously announced we were 'spending the night with friends.'
But perhaps more important than that was this: I didn't want to do anything to cheapen the experience. To me, it would feel sleazy to take my precious Grace to some no-tell motel. I know what some of you are probably thinking. No, no one removed my balls, and I don't find my evening movies on the Lifetime Channel!
This was not to say that we hadn't managed to spend more time together - far from it! Every second we spent together was a chance to express to each other how we felt. Aside from that first, magical encounter in the shower, we had had two more very intense times exploring each others' bodies. Both of them occurred at our special place (the creek). Of course, as the end of November approached, the outside temperature didn't lend itself to such things.
I sighed, and shifted my rucksack where it was laying between my feet on the floorboards. We were all headed to my Grandparent's house for Thanksgiving. They lived on a farm about an hour north of town. Grace and I had both loved visiting there as children, especially during the winter. We had an absolute blast sledding and skiing through the woods. Even now, we loved to walk around the huge property.
My Grandparents owned all that land, but even when my mother had been a child, they hadn't worked it themselves; They leased it to other local farmers. No, the restaurant business was my Grandparents' passion. They owned The Kindest Cut, easily the best steakhouse in the state (I admit I might be biased, but before you argue, you seriously need to try their Porterhouse!). These days, of course, they didn't spend much time there personally, preferring to let the manager handle things.
I was stirred from my reverie when I felt a warm feminine hand stroke my leg. I smiled, and looked over at Grace. She smiled at me briefly before turning her attention back to the road. "Penny for your thoughts?"
I shrugged. "I'm not really thinking about much, baby."
Gracie followed behind Dad's Camero as he turned off the highway onto County Line Road, the final leg of the trip. She looked at me again, then. "Looking forward to seeing everyone again?"
I laughed this time. "Yes and no, Gracie. Yes and no," I replied.
"I know what you mean, honey," she said with a grimace.
Like any other extended family, we had relatives we were fond of, relatives we were indifferent to, and relatives we tried to avoid. Holidays brought all of them together into one place. Joy.
It was only fifteen more minutes before we reached the old farm. This was my favorite part of the trip. The driveway that led onto the property wasn't marked in any way; if you didn't know where it was, you could easily drive past it multiple times and never see it.
Taking the turn onto the driveway led us up a short, but steep hill, slowly revealing the beautiful old two-story farm house. It had been in one branch or another of my Mom's side of the family for about a hundred years, and had been lovingly maintained. Each generation to live there added or changed something. My Grandparents had added a greenhouse where my Grandma cultivated roses, and her own herbs. They'd also restored and refitted the old barn behind the house.
Dad pulled his Camero under the carport while Gracie circled around to park her Jeep by the barn. As she took her keys from the ignition, I leaned into her and kissed her. She responded after a moment of surprise, and melted against me. I gently caressed her neck and shoulders as our tongues slid along one another.
"I love you so much, Gracie," I whispered intensely, as the kiss ended.
"Oh Kevin," she whispered back. "Kevin, I've never felt so adored in all my life! I love you too!" The interlude lasted only a few moments, but like all the others we shared, the intensity burned it into our memories. Finally, grinning, she patted my cheek. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's go in."
We stepped out of the Jeep and started heading towards the back door of the house. We were startled to hear Grandma's voice coming from behind us. "Well hello you two!" she called. When we spun around, we could see her petite form stepping out of the greenhouse to the left of the barn. She wrapped her old blue cardigan tightly around her as she walked across the yard and embraced us tightly.
"Hi Grandma!" Gracie said, kissing her cheek.
"Hi, Grandma!" I said, doing the same.
"It's good to see both of you!" she replied. "Let's go in. It's a little cool out here for old bones."
As we entered the house, we were instantly greeted by the smells of food cooking. The strongest odor was the mouth-watering scent of the turkey being slow-roasted. Grandma sighed gratefully as she closed the door behind us and stepped into the warm kitchen. Grandpa and our parents were already there, sitting at the small kitchen table and drinking coffee. The six of us were alone, this early in the day. None of our other relatives would get there until much later, probably not until shortly before it was time to eat. That would spare them from having to help with anything.
