Alexis went into the dining room and checked out the table. They had spent all day and stayed up late last night preparing everything. The table was set, food was in the center, and the sound of the front door opening and closing told her that the rest of the guys had shown up.
“Let’s eat before everything gets cold,” her dad said, and everyone came piling into the large rustic dining room. Her childhood home was massive, and built from the ground up by her dad and the rest of The Grizzlies.
She moved away from everyone and went to the window in the living room, and pulled the curtain aside.
“He’ll be here, honey,” Sonya said from behind her.
Alexis turned and stared at Nico’s mom.
“I know you’re anxious to see him, but he was handling some club business for his dad, and is running just a little behind.” Sonya smiled again. And then the sound of gravel crunching under tires had Alexis’s heart racing.
Nico’s small truck came to a stop behind all the other vehicles, and then her guy was climbing out. There was a light flurry of snow that had started to come down about an hour ago, and the blanket of whiteness that covered him had her smiling. All he wore in terms of winter wear was a jacket that was unzipped, his signature distressed jeans, and his too thin shirt, which she could see between the lapels of his coat. He also wore a beanie type hat with The Grizzly patch embodied on the front. He hurried up the steps, but glanced up, and when their gazes locked he smiled. God, she had missed him. She was over by the front door as soon as Nico opened it, and without wasting any time they were in each other’s arms and kissing passionately. She didn’t care that anyone of his or her family members could walk in and see what they were doing.
Nico pressed her back up against the now closed front door, slanted his mouth on hers, and kissed her deep and hard. He tasted good, minty and sweet, and she moaned softly against his mouth.
“I missed you, baby,” Nico said, and then slipped his hands behind her, down her back, and gripped her ass. She was wearing a dress, not a really short one, but short enough that the tips of his fingers brushed along her bare flesh.
“I missed you, too,” she responded, and held on tighter to his thick biceps. He was a patched in member with the club, had been for several years now, and he was just as a badass as any original member.
“You two better knock that shit off,” Lucas said from behind Nico. “If Brick sees you’re all but molesting his little girl in the foyer he’ll bust your ass.” Lucas started laughing now, and popped what looked like a piece of turkey in his mouth.
Nico didn’t turn around, but did flip off his twin.
Lucas tsked. “Is that anyway to act toward your brother on Thanksgiving, especially one trying to help your horny ass out?” Lucas said with amusement in his voice. “I was told to come get you two, because they are slicing into the turkey.” Lucas turned and left them alone without waiting for a response, or to see if they would follow him.
Nico pulled back and looked at her in the eyes. “All right, we can finish this later, for sure.” He flashed her a smile with straight, white teeth, and leaned down to kiss her once more.
They made their way into the dining room, and the noise was enough to have her ears ringing. But it was the good kind of noise, the happy and family kind. Brick stood at the head of massive raw cut wooden table cutting the turkey, and her mom and brother were sitting side-by-side next to her dad. Jagger and his family were then next down the line. Diesel, Dallas, Stinger, and even their horde of old ladies and kids were passing around the side dishes. Lucien, Kink, Malice, and several of the other guys from The Brothers of Menace were on the other side of the table. And then there was Drevin. Poor Drevin that had never settled down and taken an old lady, and didn’t have any children. She could still see him finding the right woman, but he kept to himself, and did a lot of the more violent dealings for the club. She had a feeling that because he wasn’t settled down, he didn’t have anything to look forward to anymore.
“Come on, kids,” Molly said and gestured for them to sit on the other side of the table.
They sat side-by-side, and Nico reached under the table to take her hand in his. He leaned in close and whispered low enough that only she could hear, “I love you.” And then he leaned back and started talking to his brother, who sat across from him.
The noise escalated, the brothers were bullshitting with each other, and even busting one another’s balls, but it was all in good fun. She had this goofy look on her face, she knew that, and when she looked at her dad, and saw Brick glowering at Nico, she couldn’t help but smile wider. It took one hell of a guy to handle being in her family. But hell, it took one hell of a male to be in The Grizzlies, but she knew Nico was the right man to her in her life for the rest of it.