Home for the Holidays, page 27
Heidi led her through the kitchen back to her office. As soon as she closed the door behind them, Iris spun her around and pressed her back against the cool metal. “Blinds, close the blinds,” Heidi mumbled into Iris’s lips. She fumbled with the strings, opened them completely at first, and died of laughter before she finally figured it out. Heidi laughed along with her. “Come here.” She pulled Iris into her and kissed her deeply. The first time with Iris had been so rushed, but it was still so vivid in her mind. And now, after all they’d done together, this time felt just as exciting, just as necessary. Iris’s hand, fingers, as she slipped them under Heidi’s panties, felt just as mind-blowing. Her orgasm, the timing, the length, the intensity felt just as exquisite. She wanted to question it, question why and how this could be, but questioning it now felt foolish. Why question something that didn’t need an answer?
And why would she ever need an answer when she had everything she ever wanted?
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
“Thanks for coming with me, you guys,” Iris said as she walked down Vale Park’s main street with Zac and Evan.
“I’m sure you needed a break.” Zac shoulder-checked her lightly. “You’re so in love with her, aren’t you?”
Iris’s cheeks were warm. She was blushing for sure. “Yeah, I am.”
“I’d love to ask how in the world you fell that quickly, but…” His voice trailed off as he looked at Evan. “I sort of get it.”
“And here I thought I was going to have to fight like hell to get you back,” Evan said.
“All you had to do was smile and I knew.”
“All he had to do was smile, and I fucking knew it,” Iris said with a laugh. “Being at dinner with you two that first night was so uncomfortable. The eye-fucking going on? It was like, ‘Get a room.’”
“Oh, we did.” Evan grinned and wagged his eyebrows.
“So where are we going?” Zac asked. “You still haven’t told us.”
“I want to get your mom—”
“Heidi,” Zac corrected. “Come on, Iris. Call her Heidi. Please.”
She laughed. “I’m sorry. Heidi. I wanted to get Heidi something. She got me a gift for Christmas, and I obviously didn’t get her anything.”
“Are we going to Engstrom’s?” Zac’s excitement was shockingly palpable. “Are we?”
Iris nodded.
“Are you going to get her a ring?”
“Oh my god, are you going to propose?” Evan’s excitement matched Zac’s perfectly.
“God, no.” Iris laughed. “But I do want to get her a ring. Something that says I’m not going anywhere.”
Zac bounced around her as they walked. “Holy shit, are you going to move here and live with my mom?”
“Heidi,” Iris corrected. “Don’t you go calling her your mom now.”
“Wait.” Zac stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Iris was on the edge of her seat even though she pretty much knew what he was going to say. “Are you sure about this? It seems so soon.”
Yep. It was way too soon. But something inside of her was screaming at her not to wait. Especially after the accident. “Life is way too short, Zac. And if you’re truly okay with this…”
“Iris,” he whispered. “I will admit that it’s hard, but goddammit it’s super great seeing her smile. I’ve never seen my mom—Heidi—like that. Never. She was always so closed-off to affection from my dad. I remember this one time, I found her in the bathroom crying on the floor. She wouldn’t tell me anything, but the next day, they told us they were getting divorced. Even after it was final, it was like she was always holding her breath. And then you…” He shrugged. “You made her breathe again.”
“And I’m of course fine with it because if Zac moves to Chicago with me…” Evan added with a wink at Iris.
“Oh? Is this what’s on the table?” Iris smiled at the two of them. “We’d only be an hour from each other then.”
Zac couldn’t hide the excitement on his face. “We’ll see if we still like each other after our trip together. But…” He shrugged. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be leaving the Big Apple for the Windy City.”
“I love this for you both.” Iris pulled them both into a hug. “I don’t want to cut this short, but we gotta go, I’m freezing.”
They headed for the jewelry store, happy tears cold on their smiling faces.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
The day had been filled with nothing but good times and laughter. Heidi was shocked by that considering the drama that had led up to this day.
Meeting Iris. A dramatic event in and of itself.
One of the most spontaneous and dangerous things she had done in a bathroom. Ever.
Her beautiful son finally being honest with her. Seeing him and his happiness with Evan.
Christmas Day. Thinking she was never going to see Iris again. The beginning and end of a beautiful relationship flashing before her like a blip on a radar. And then, poof.
The accident. She still hadn’t spoken about it, but it had shaken her to the core. She barely slept the three days Iris was in the hospital. Maybe an hour or so every now and then. The chair by the side of Iris’s hospital bed was about the only place her body saw for the first forty-eight hours. It wasn’t until Zac made her go home to shower and change clothes that she realized how long she’d been sitting there. Of course, the only time she left, Iris woke up. When she got back and saw her awake, it was like a shot of adrenaline to her heart. Restraining herself had proven very difficult, but she didn’t want to freak Iris out.
Iris’s parents showing up.
Everything that had happened felt like it was a lifetime in the making, as outlandish as it sounded. She had loved Stanley with every fiber of her being. She had known the second she met him that she was going to marry him. And he was all in when she said she wanted to move to Paris. He would go to school overseas, he said. He would do whatever it took to escape Vale Park. And escaping with her was his best option. It wasn’t that he didn’t love her; he did. But they were both so young, so repressed. Reliving the past had a way of revealing truths, truths she never thought needed to be uncovered. Truths she was sure were lies. Oh, how misguided she had been; she had now uncovered so much about herself. Searching her memory bank was a common occurrence these days, but none of the memories she accessed had even an ounce of the intensity she felt with Iris—even the memories with Eloise in them. The fire she lit inside Heidi was nothing compared to the blaze Iris had ignited.
Heidi lifted her glass of sauvignon blanc and took a sip. They were all in the living room, a fire provided by Skip roaring away in the fireplace. Holiday music played over the speakers, there was wine in their glasses, and they all had full bellies. Heidi was trying her hardest to listen to Evan and Zac telling Mary and Skip about their Italy plans, but all she could focus on was the feeling of Iris pressed against her side, her hand on her thigh.
They’d had an enjoyable dinner, which Mary insisted on helping with. Heidi would have normally fought her—she was a firm believer in company not helping to cook—but she proved a highly capable sous-chef. The heart-to-heart she had with Heidi was also helpful, even if it had included a similar threat to Donna’s oh so eloquent if you hurt her, I’ll kill you. She learned a lot about Mary in the hour they cooked together. The most important thing was that she loved her daughter immensely and was working on showing her that.
“She’s been more than enough her entire life,” Mary said as she chopped onions for the salad, blaming them for her tears. Heidi knew better, though. Those onions were a great cover-up.
Yes, it wasn’t exactly how she had thought her New Year’s Eve was going to go, but it was turning out to be one of her favorites.
At ten o’clock, Zac talked them into playing charades. Mary was tipsy; Skip was as well. They were a hoot and much better at the game than anyone thought they’d be. She and Iris won, though.
“I thought you said you weren’t good at this game.” Always the poor sport, Zac was pouting when he came in last place. “You obviously lied.”
“I said I don’t like it, not that I’m not good at it.” Iris shrugged. “And my partner is pretty freaking good.”
“I am amazed at how many you both guessed correctly.” Mary lifted her glass of wine in a toast. “To the winners.”
“Don’t toast them,” Zac said with a laugh. “You two have to have cheated. There’s no way you could have guessed Elvis without a single clue.”
“That was pure luck,” Heidi protested. “And we’re good. What can I say?” She high-fived Iris, then leaned over and kissed her in front of everyone, including her parents. Shit, she must be tipsy too.
When she pulled away, Iris’s smile was breathtaking. “I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you, too,” she said and quickly kissed her again before she could let the embarrassment flood her features.
At half past eleven, Evan rushed out of the kitchen with champagne flutes and two bottles of Chandon. He was excited, which was so much fun to see. Seeing him together with her baby boy was a breath of fresh air. It was lovely to know that her one wish—for her kids to be happy—was coming true. Being happy herself wasn’t a bad place to be in either. She truthfully didn’t think the night could get any better.
“Okay, everyone.” Zac jumped up and turned the television to the local Chicago station. Whichever bar the newscasters were reporting from was packed. The countdown in the corner of the TV said, 11:57 p.m. “Time to get ready!” He passed out the New Year’s Eve hats and noisemakers. “And don’t forget the confetti.”
“Which you’re cleaning up. You promised,” Heidi said as she took the popper that would spew the irritating mess everywhere.
“I know, I know. Calm down, Ma.” He waved her off, then pulled Mary and Skip up from the couch. “Okay, Abbotts, let’s get ready to party.”
Mary was trying to hide a yawn when Iris pulled her mom into a hug. “No yawning. The night is just beginning,” she said.
“Okay, okay, I may need more wine.”
“That’s what the champagne is for!” Evan had popped the bottles and started handing filled flutes to Zac. He passed them out as quickly as possible, giddy laughter bubbling out of him the entire time. Yeah, he was also tipsy. They were all going to be hungover tomorrow, and it was going to be so worth it.
Iris moved over to where Heidi was standing near the bay window. “Hey, I wanted to give you something.”
“Give me something?” Heidi smiled. “You don’t have to give me anything.”
“I know.” Iris pulled out the ring box. Heidi’s heart leaped into her throat. “Before you think I’m asking you to marry me”—Iris chuckled—“This is just a ring because I thought it would look really good on your finger. That’s all. And because it’s the holidays and I, for the first time in a really long time, feel like I’m home.”
Heidi’s throat was aching from holding back tears. “Iris, you’re so…” She couldn’t finish as Iris opened the box. Her breath left her body. The ring was exactly like the ring her own mother used to wear. A simple band of diamonds. And it was the only thing she couldn’t find after her mother passed. “Oh my god. How did you know?”
Iris shrugged. “I had some help picking it out.”
Heidi looked up from the ring over at Zac, who was smiling from ear to ear, crying his own tears. “Thank you,” she mouthed to him. He covered his mouth and nodded as Evan pulled him into a hug to comfort him. “This is the most amazing gift I’ve ever… Iris, I love it. I love you. Thank you so much.”
“11:59, everyone!” Evan shouted out. “Get your glasses ready!”
Iris took the ring from the box and slid it onto Heidi’s right ring finger. She smoothed her thumb over the ring, then looked up into Heidi’s eyes. “I’ll get you another ring one day. I promise.”
“Seventeen, sixteen!” Mary and Skip were joining in.
“I’ll say yes,” Heidi whispered as she leaned in and kissed Iris.
“I know you will.” Iris’s whisper mingled with the countdown and it made Heidi’s chest tighten. “I can’t imagine doing this without you.”
“Doing what?” Heidi’s eyes had filled with tears. She wasn’t holding them back, though. Not this time.
Iris shrugged. “This. Life.”
“I love you.” Heidi pulled Iris into her with her free hand and kissed her deeply. “I can’t imagine doing this life without you either.”
She really and truly couldn’t. For the first time in a very long time, she was excited about the future. As long as Iris was near her, she knew she’d be able to handle whatever came her way.
EPILOGUE
A year had passed. An entire year. Iris had moved to Vale Park in the beginning of February. She rented a place above The Tattered Cover, a secondhand bookstore Iris had fallen in love with. The apartment was cute; small but cute. Heidi had told her a few times she didn’t need to spend the money, but Iris insisted. Deep down, they both knew Iris was just worried. What if their relationship didn’t work? Then what?
Heidi wasn’t worried, but their numerous conversations about commitment issues and the foolishness of falling too hard, too fast was a clear indication that Iris had their romantic demise in the back of her mind.
“How is this real? How are you real?” she’d asked more than a few times.
“It’s real because we’ve made it real, Iris. And I’m real because you believe in me, because you love me,” was the only answer Heidi ever gave. Iris’s inability to trust happiness was heartbreaking. It wasn’t that Heidi wasn’t also shocked by her love for Iris. It was that she knew without a doubt that what she had with Iris was all she ever wanted.
In September, after the annual Popcorn Festival, Iris came over and never left. It was exactly how Heidi pictured it happening. Slowly Iris’s clothes started to appear in Heidi’s closet, and before she knew it, Iris was subletting her now-furnished apartment.
In November, they went to Zac and Evan’s in Chicago for Thanksgiving dinner. Their brownstone was immaculate, more than big enough to house the entire family for the festivities, which they did. This included Evan’s parents, who were just as over the moon for Zac as Heidi and Stanley were for Evan.
And then it was December. The entire family arrived on the twenty-second, just like the year before. Unlike the year before, though, everyone came exactly as who they were. There was no hiding and no secrets, and Christmas amazingly went off without a hitch. No drama; all love. And when Heidi opened her gift from Iris—two first-class tickets to Rome—she knew the holiday couldn’t get much better.
Everyone had arrived right on time for the New Year’s Eve celebration. Stacey arrived first, followed by Mary and Skip, Evan and Zac, Sandy, Stanley and Kevin, Adrien and Shaun, and Oscar, Karen, and Nora. Even Donna, Margaret, and Charity showed up. Heidi was so filled with love, being surrounded by all the people who mattered to her. Things were infinitely better when everyone was getting along, and Heidi was thrilled about it.
“Evan, Zac, how’s Chicago treating you?” Stacey asked as she sipped an espresso martini made by none other than Sandy, who was dating someone. Finally. What a load off Heidi’s mind that was.
“It’s so great,” Zac answered, his arm looped through the crook of Evan’s as they sat next to each other on the living room couch. “We’re going to head to Italy again in a few months. We actually purchased an old, dilapidated villa and are going to take a few months off and go fix it up.”
“Shut up!” Stacey gasped. “I want to come visit. Can I? Please?”
“Of course you can.” Evan’s answer was filled with genuine excitement. “I have a feeling you and I will get along swimmingly.”
“Oh, we will.” Stacey raised her glass. “To new friends. Who own villas.”
Their laughter filled the living room, and the sound made Heidi feel like she had finally done something right with her life. It’d only taken fifty-four years.
“Hello there, beautiful.” Iris slid her arms around Heidi from behind. “You okay?”
“Oh, babe, I’m better than okay.” Heidi turned so she could see Iris’s face. “I’m so happy. This is what I’ve always wanted. A big family celebration for New Year’s. It’s perfect.”
“I’m so glad I could help out with that,” Iris said with a chuckle.
“You changed my entire life, Iris.” Heidi blinked away the emotion stinging her eyes. “I just love you so much.”
“Okay, everyone, take a flute of champagne from the tray Kevin is coming around with. It’s almost time for the ball to drop!” Stanley called, then waved Zac over. “Son, can you please help me with this surround sound system? It’s too new-fangled for me.”
“Sure thing, Dad,” Zac said with a laugh as he left Evan on the couch.
“Honey,” Mary said, waving at Iris from her seat on the couch. “Come here, please.”
Iris sighed. “I’ll be right back.”
Heidi watched Iris’s interaction with her mom. They were smiling as Mary handed something over to her. The emotion on Iris’s face was hard to miss. What was going on? She wished she could read lips.
“One minute till midnight!” Kevin shouted. “Everyone up on your feet for the countdown!”
Donna rushed over to Heidi and pulled her into a hug. “I love you, Heidi. Thank you for having us here tonight. You know these two girls just love being part of the inner circle.”
Heidi hugged Donna back, chuckling the entire time. Something was up. She could tell by how nice Donna was being, but she decided to chalk it up to the holiday spirit. “I know, I know. It’s so exciting hanging out with our old asses.”
Donna’s raspy laugh was delightful. “You’re so rich. We sure know how to party, don’t we?”
Just as Donna said that, Iris appeared next to her. Her face was pale like she’d seen a ghost.
