“Can’t we just stay up here?” she asked, dusting her lips along his.

“Don’t tempt me,” he said roughly against her. “Plus, I’m pretty sure my mom is going to be the next one to hit someone.”

“Probably Sabrina,” Lacey supplied, but Karson shook his head.

“I’m hoping for Rachel. I don’t trust her,” he said, his eyes telling her the same thing.

“Why?” she asked. “She has been so good to me.”

“I’m telling you, she is conspiring with your dad or something.”

Lacey smiled. “No one is conspiring against us. They just don’t like you.”

He scoffed. “Oh, really?”

“What? You knew that,” she said with a grin, knowing that he didn’t give a damn if they liked him or not.

“Yeah, I do.”

“But,” she said, her fingers pinching his chin. “I don’t care. I love you.”

His grin grew as he squeezed his strong arms around her. “Good, ’cause I love you too.”

Her heart sang for him as her lips met his for a long, drawn-out kiss. As his tongue moved along hers, he stole her breath by deepening the kiss, his fingers clutching her face. Pulling away suddenly, he shook his head. “If we don’t stop, I am going to take you right here, not caring that both our families are down there at each other’s throats.”

With a sneaky grin, she stepped out of his arms and then slowly lifted the dress she was wearing up and over her body, taking the apron she wore with it. With her eyes locked on his, she undid her bra and let the cups fall away and onto the floor before slowly sliding her lace thong down her thighs. She used to be embarrassed by her body, but in front of Karson, she loved her body. Because he did. Biting her lip, she beckoned him to her.

“Isn’t it said that after you have a fight, you have makeup sex?”

He swallowed loudly as he slowly nodded. “I’ve heard that’s how it works.”

“Then come here,” she said in a throaty way. “Let me make you forget why you were ever mad or hurt.”

Taking a step toward her, he took her naked body in his arms, and against her mouth, he said, “I forgot the moment you said you loved me.”

And as her husband slowly lowered her onto their bed, everything that was going on downstairs was a distant thought.

She had better things to do.

Her husband being the obvious choice.

But they couldn’t stay up in their room forever.

No matter how much they wanted to.

Cuddling into his side, she said, “I don’t know what is going to happen when we get down there.”

“Nothing good, probably,” he whispered against her hair. “But if we don’t go, they are going to come after us.”

“I’m surprised they haven’t yet.”

And right as she said that, a knock came at the door. “Guys, um, sorry to bother you, but Lacey, I think your dad is wanting to say bye.”

“We are coming down now,” Karson called out to his sister. Looking down at her, he said, “Time to face our happy family gathering.”

She groaned as she got out of the bed, finding her underwear before sliding her dress on. “You should have told me no to inviting them.”

He scoffed as his threw his shirt on and then pulled his jeans up. “No way, you wanted this.”

“But it was a bad idea.”

“But it was supposed to make you happy,” he answered back and she smiled.

“You really are a great husband.”

He shrugged one shoulder, a grin pulling at his luscious lips. “I try.”

He held out his hand and she took it, beaming up at him and knowing that whatever was going on downstairs wouldn’t matter or faze her a bit with this man at her side.

“Are we going to try to talk him into staying?” he asked, cupping the back of her neck.

She shrugged. “It would be best since I don’t want them to be flying home on Thanksgiving.”

He nodded. “Then let’s go talk them into staying, and then I need to put my father in time-out for hitting.”

Lacey giggled as they left the room and made their way to the kitchen where eight adults stood in tense silence. Zander and Flynn were watching TV, but as soon as they saw Lacey, Zander said, “So, they are trying to leave because someone hit someone. I don’t know. I want to stay.”

“I got you, buddy,” Karson said with a thumbs-up. “And then we’ll go out and play some ball.”

“Cool,” Zander said with a grin.

Flynn then chimed in, “Can we play hockey instead?”

“I like the way you think,” Karson said with a wink before they made it into the kitchen. When they entered, all eyes fell on them and Lacey took in a deep breath.

This was going to be interesting.

“Lacey Arielle, we are leaving,” her father said with his booming voice. “This was a bad idea to put us all together.”

“Yeah, it was. Fucking douche, your dad is,” Karl said back. “But we love you, Lacey.”

“No one is going anywhere, and no more name-calling,” Karson said, holding his hands out.

“Who are you to tell me anything?” Nate barked, but before Karson or even Karl could say anything, Lacey set him with a look.

“He is my husband and this is his family, Dad,” she said with her hands on her hips. “This is my first Thanksgiving as a married woman. I am making a damn turkey and you are going to stay, and all of you are going to get along, and we are going to enjoy this damn holiday. If anyone has a problem with that, I don’t freaking care. You will deal because you are dealing for me! Don’t ruin my holiday,” she said, meeting everyone’s gaze.