Come Home with Us

"Yes," Maria whispered. "Is that okay?"

"Of course. I know Ben feels the urge to look out for you. So do I."

"Sometimes I wonder... does that make me weak? But I like me. I like being... quiet. Happy."

"I like that about you too. You're not weak. And if you ever feel that way, well, we're here for you. Always."

They dozed off and on for an hour or two. It probably would have been longer if Ben hadn't texted. Catrin woke from a pleasant meandering dream about window shopping in New Bainbridge to slip out of bed and fetch it from her clothes. Maria wiggled onto her back and watched with sleepy, happy eyes as Catrin returned to bed, reading her message.

"Ben needs us out of the house for a while here in an hour or so."

"What is he up to?"

"From his note, Christmas shopping, sounds like. Oh, speaking of which, you want to go?"

"Mm, I want to stay in bed, but yes, I want to pick something up for your parents and maybe something to eat for your family dinner tomorrow."

Catrin cupped her cheek. "Oh, honey, there's going to be so much food."

"I promised Ben garlic knots. And besides, I'd feel guilty if I didn't bring something."

"Well, we can't have that," Catrin said. She kissed Maria and stroked her thigh. "We have enough time. Want to take a bath together?"

"Yesssss," Maria said, and hopped out of bed.

* * *

"I really appreciate this," Ben said.

"Hey, no problem," Andy said.

Shawna, Catrin and Andy's sister, bobbed up and down on her feet. "It's so sweet."

Shawna, like the rest of Catrin's family, had a nest of red hair, kept at that moment under a thick fur trapper cap. She was shorter and stockier than the other two siblings, and carried some comfortable motherly weight after having three kids in rapid succession. Her husband was staying behind with the little ones to give the other adults some time to go tree hunting.

"We'll have to do this when the kids are older," Andy said.

Holding his hand, his wife Melanie said, "Oh, wouldn't that make for the nicest holiday picture?"

"It would."

They walked down a gentle, sloping snowmobile path through a patch of forest near Pike Bridge, prime Christmas tree hunting territory, according to Ross when Ben stopped by the store to get his guidance on how to obtain a tree permit and to buy a saw. He was right. Fifteen or twenty years ago, this area saw a nasty forest fire that left the hillside blackened and all the old trees wiped out, but the new growth was now perfect for a Christmas tree. Of course half the town thought the same thing, so they had a hike ahead of them to find a spot that hadn't been picked over, but it was worth it.

Maria was worth it.

Ben wondered, as he had a dozen times that morning, what Catrin and Maria were up to. That brought a smile to his face. When he woke that morning, the two were still cuddled up together. He drank his coffee at their door, watching them, thinking about the future, thinking about how happy he was, and thinking too about what Arturo told him.

As far as Ben was concerned, Maria would always have a home with them. Even if this didn't work out, that was true. And the first step started that day.

"You tell me if you get winded," Andy said to his wife.

"You and Ben could carry me out," Melanie said. She squeezed her husband's hand. "I'm fine."

"You and Catrin talking any about getting married?" Shawna asked.

Ben thought again about Maria and shook his head. "Your parents have been asking us the same thing all week."

"There," Melanie said. "What about that one?"

She pointed out a fat fir that would have been perfect, but when they stomped off the path to take a look, the other side of the tree was mostly bare., and they continued on.

"So how about it?" Shawna asked. "Are you going to marry Catrin?"

"Shawna," Andy said.

"What? He knows I'm just looking out for her."

Shawna could be described politely as forward. She was blunt, and generally, that was a good thing. Ben thought about how to respond, and finally said lamely, "It's something we've discussed. Right now, it's not what we're interested in."

"Right now?" Shawna asked.

"I would never want to do anything that would hurt Catrin," Ben said.

"What does that even mean?"

Ben chuckled helplessly. He didn't want to discuss this with Catrin's family without her, and besides, they still needed to work out what they were with Maria. In a relationship, a fling, maybe not even that. "Someday soon we'll talk about it."

Shawna finally let it go, mostly because they found the right tree. It was perfect for their needs, short and full, with big fat needles. Ben did most of the sawing, and when the trunk came free, he lifted it up and grinned. "Perfect."

Shawna was clearly pissy with him and broke away when they got back to town. That was okay. She was angry for the right reasons, he supposed.

Shopping for bulbs, garland, and lights wasn't necessary. Ross and Anne had plenty of everything and were happy to supply it. The one thing Ben did have to buy was a new base and a skirt for the tree, and while he was at the counter with his purchases, he added a box of candy canes too.

At his request, Catrin got Maria out of the house before he came home. Her texts to him were cryptic but teasing. They were going to do a little Christmas shopping themselves, something he did that morning. He asked Catrin for several uninterrupted hours. Andy and Melanie helped with filling out the tree, and added some touches of their own, red bows and an angel to top it with. Ross had also provided them with some outdoor lights, so Ben borrowed a ladder and staplegun from his girlfriend's father and set to work decorating the outside of the house.

Andy and Melanie left when that was done, refusing to take any money for the help. "Shawna might be grumpy," Andy said, "but you're family. Family helps family."

Ben saw them off and checked the time. He had about thirty minutes before Catrin and Maria came back. He headed to the SUV, pulled out the gifts he bought that morning, and headed into the master bedroom to wrap presents for both the women of his life, as well as a few family gifts for the Walshes. These he arranged under the tree as daylight began to settle into dusk.

Something was still missing though, and Ben couldn't figure out what it was. He looked around, frowned, and didn't see it. Went outside and did the same. Still didn't see it. It was only when he took the ladder and staplegun back to the Walsh house and pulled up in front of their house that he realized just what he could add to the decorations to make it perfect for Maria.

Ross and Anne were both home by that point. Both were seated in the living room, Anne looking for something to watch on TV while Ross was reading a Stephen Graham Jones novel, a bowl of his wife's absurdly good winter chow mix in a bowl beside him. Winston charged Ben with playful yaps, and Ben stooped to give the dog a few scratches on the back.

"Hey Ben! How'd the decorating go?" Anne asked.

"Great, and thanks again for everything. How late does the holiday store downtown stay open?" Just that year a new seasonal gift shop had opened up, taking full advantage of the town's popularity as a holiday destination. "I pulled up and got to thinking about how Maria liked your nativity set. Thought I'd see if I could find her a small one, sort of a nice memory of this Christmas she could take home."

"It closes at seven," Anne said, but gave her husband a funny look. "We were just talking about... well, a nativity set."

"We were," Ross said, looking pleased. "Hang on. No need to buy one."

"Oh, hey, no, we've already taken so much..."

Ross rose and shook his head. "No. It's all just gathering dust around here."

"And we have so much Christmas stuff," Anne said. "I keep saying, we need to have a garage sale."

"You're doing us the favor," Ross said.

While Ross went to dig through a storage shed in the backyard, Ben brought the ladder and the garage where he found them. When he came back inside, he stole a handful of the chow mix and tossed down the sugary chocolatey mix.

Ross came back in with a plastic bag in hand, tied off at the top. He set it on the kitchen table while Anne went to find a gift bag in her hobby room. When Ross untied it, he said, "Now this was Lorne and Diane's." Lorne and Diane were his aunt and uncle, both of whom passed that year from different illnesses. "When the kids were organizing what they wanted to give away, they wanted us to have some of the Christmas stuff. We got a bunch. This isn't fancy, but it's been in the family for a long time."

Ben, who never really thought much about religion other than believing "don't be a dick" was a good philosophy, thought Ross was wrong. The nativity set wasn't ornate or finely detailed, but it was handcrafted, and obviously made with a lot of love and care. He offered to pay, but again, Ross and Anne wouldn't take a dime.

"Hell, Ben, there's a whole shed of that stuff," Ross said.

Ben headed back to the rental, the nativity set beside him in its bag. He had just enough time to turn on the Christmas lights inside and out and set up the nativity set on an end table with a note in front of it that said "For Maria on her first Christmas with us."

He didn't know it, but a day after they got back to New Bainbridge after Christmas, Maria would swing by an office supply store and have that piece of paper laminated so she could hold onto it forever.

* * *

Christmas shopping hadn't been so fun for Maria in years and years. Neither of them really needed to buy much, but they loved taking in the gift shops and other businesses downtown. She did find some small gifts for the Walsh family, cute freestanding wooden reindeer silhouettes that would work perfect not just as gifts for Catrin's parents, but for her siblings as well. And at a grocery store, she picked up the things to make Ben's beloved garlic bread bites and some parmesan Brussels sprouts.

They returned back to the rental. Maria crept her hand across to Catrin's side and brushed the other woman's hip. Catrin glanced down, smiled, and took Maria's hand to hold it until they came to a turn.

The house was lit up, and in turn, Maria lit up too. Not only were there strings of lights twinkling outside, but a tree glowed brightly inside, and she laughed to see it. This must have been what Ben did all day.

They gathered up their purchases. Ben was inside watching TV and drinking a beer. He hadn't heard the vehicle pull up and stood.

"Maria... last night, you left your phone in the SUV," he said. "Arturo called. I answered it in case it was an emergency." He set down the bottle of beer and came to the pair to bring a hand to Maria's face. She blinked away heat starting to build in her eyes for about the thousandth time that day. "He and Martin, they miss you. And they wanted me to give you the best Christmas I could." He nodded towards the tree and to the nativity set she hadn't yet seen. She stared at it, so much emotion washing through her. All this, for her. "This isn't just me trying to do that. The Walshes and-"

Maria kissed him. She couldn't bear it anymore, and just had to. Her tears fell free now, and Ben's hand at her cheek went to the back of her head as he lost himself to the kiss, pulling her tight, crushing her to him. Beside them, Catrin ran their hands over both their backs, saying nothing, letting them connect.

Ben roped his arms around Maria and lifted her up. She giggled throatily but his face was completely serious as he walked her through the living room, his hands on her terrific ass and his breaths coming faster. He got her into the master bedroom and settled her on the bed. Catrin trailed in behind him as Ben worked the zipper on Maria's puffy coat. She sat up for him and he tugged the jacket off her.

"Give me," Catrin said, and Ben did. But before she could get away from arm's length, he took her arm and pulled her in for a kiss. She smiled against his lips, then twisted her head, and kissed Maria too. They held it long and lovingly. "We... had a lot of fun today."

"Yeah we did," Maria said.

"Good," Ben said simply. "But Maria, Catrin, I have to say this. I want both of you. If we do this, I don't want it to end this week. There's something here between all three of us."

"I agree," Catrin said.

Maria nodded emphatically. "Yes. If you'll have me... yes."

"Good," Ben said. "Now, tell me what you two got up to while I finish getting Maria undressed."

They did, and he did. His eyes traveled freely across Maria's body, as did his hands. He first helped her with her shoes, emulating the path Catrin took on her mouth's exploration of Maria. Then came her leggings, leaving her in a teeny tiny thong. She covered herself shyly at first until Ben slowly pulled her hands away from her sex and leaned down to kiss her through the fabric.

Then he moved up to kiss her navel as he pulled her long-sleeved top over her breasts, which he kissed too through her bra. When he tugged it free of her head, her hair cascaded down in messy waves, covering her face. She blew a strand away, giggling, and he did the rest of the work for her, pulling it away from her face with one hand, leaving her staring up at him with a shy smile.

"Beautiful," Ben said, and leaned in to kiss her.

Catrin came to the part about them sixty-nining as he stood and undressed her too. When both women were down to their skimpy panties and bras, he turned to look at one, then the other, then back again.

"I think we've short circuited his brain," Maria said.

"He had brains?" Catrin asked.

"Hey now," Ben said, and goosed her ass for that.

Catrin pushed him towards Maria. "Take care of her. I want to watch this first time."

She sat on the edge of the bed as Ben returned to Maria. Their sweet lover turned her face up as he brought his in close. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hi back, gorgeous."

His fingers went first to Maria's neck and her cheek, stroking her skin with tender brushes as they kissed and kissed and kissed. Finally, almost reluctantly, Ben brought one behind her back and worked the clasp on her bra. She shrugged it off, and he guided her onto her back to lean down and suck one of her nipples into his mouth.

"Ohhh, Ben..."

Catrin slid a hand down her panties as Ben sucked Maria's nipples, flicking between them every so often and leaving a fine trail of wetness at their tips. Then, slowly, he dipped down further and turned Maria over so she was on her stomach, looking back over her shoulder, her ankles kicking at her curvy butt. This he kissed too as he pulled her panties down, admiring the perfection of her sculpted ass.

His eyes traveled slowly down to her delicate pussy, and he had to have a taste. Ben leaned in and brought his mouth to her, his thoughts dreamy and formless. Catrin had always talked about wanting this. So had he. A third. They had other opportunities with other women but had never gone for it, waiting for the right one. They wanted a partner, something real, not a one-night stand, but someone to engage with and join in with the fun not just in their bed but in life.

They waited for Maria, and they couldn't have chosen someone more right.

He closed his eyes as he tasted her, his tongue teasing her with short laps. She swayed back against him, looking over her shoulder, her attention mostly on him but giving Catrin a few pleased looks too.

"He's very good, isn't he?" Catrin asked her, reaching out to stroke their friend's shoulder.

"He is so good," Maria said.

"This is my Christmas present," Ben said, and took another lap of Maria's pussy before squeezing both her cheeks. "Dis butt. Dis my butt now. Catrin's butt too. My butts."

Then he proceeded to further ruin the moment by playing Maria's cheeks like a bongo, slapping out a tune and making her laugh so hard she nearly toppled forward. He caught her and brought his lips to her cheeks, kissing one, then the other before returning to her pussy.

"My pussy," he said softly, and licked her again.

"Your pussy," Maria repeated, her voice still light but a tinge of desire returning to her.

"My Maria."

"Your Maria."

He reached a hand out to Catrin. She took it. "My Catrin."

"Your Catrin."

"That's all I ever need."

He put Maria on her back again, nuzzling her pussy a few more times before standing and undressing. "Catrin and I are clean," he told Maria. "I don't expect you to believe me and I have condoms if that's what you prefer."

"Are you on the pill?" Catrin asked her.

"The shot, yes." She looked between them. And I'm clean too. I haven't slept with anyone in a while and I got tested after we broke up. I want to feel it. If that's all right."

Catrin twisted further on the bed to kiss Maria. "I told you, honey, anything you want."

Ben watched them make out, the embers of their earlier passions stoking back up again. He finished with his briefs and joined them on the bed. Catrin started to move away from Maria but both Ben and Maria grasped her arm and leg at the same time.

"No," Ben said. "Be with us." Maria nodded, looking between the two. Catrin relented and snuggled in right next to Maria, kissing her shoulder, her cheek.

Ben dipped to taste Maria and test to see if she was still wet enough for him. She was, and he slid up the bed to her, first to kiss Maria, then Catrin. After that, he was all Maria's for a while, their eyes locked as he rubbed her sex with his length. She hadn't yet caught sight of the full length of his cock, and her eyes widened when she finally felt the size of him pressed against her.

"If it hurts," he told her, "you let me know."

She bit her lip and nodded.

"Ready?"

"Yes," she whispered.

Ben gripped himself and guided his tip in. Maria tensed, but she didn't tell him to stop. Little by little, he filled her, barely moving, letting her get used to the fullness of him. Her head slowly dipped back and her eyes fluttered with every inch he gave her.

"Oh, oh Ben, that's... that's so good..."

A few inches in she finally held up a hand. Ben stopped and began to gently pull back. "Too much?"

"No!" she gasped. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I think you're going to make me come with the next one."

She was close with that guess. Two more gentle exploratory pushes and she clutched the sheets, her eyes closed, her lips pursed, her fingernails digging into the sheets. Maria could make no sound as she came, but when it finally lessened its grip on her, she cried out, "Oh Ben, ohhhhh, Catrin, ohhhh, I... I... "

Catrin could stay on the sidelines no longer. She rushed over to straddle Maria's waist and lean down to kiss her. "We're here, we're here, you're taking so much of him, baby, it's so sexy..."

"Catrin, ohhhh, Catrin, kiss me, please kiss me..."

Catrin did, and Maria clutched at her as Ben eased back again and pushed in, letting Maria ride this out at her own pace. He stroked Catrin's ass from time to time but most of his attention was solely focused on Maria, on making her feel good.

The two women's kissing intensified, their whispers breaking into needy moans. Catrin looked over her shoulder at Ben. "Fuck her," she said.

"Maria?"

Maria nodded. Catrin returned her attention to the other woman as Ben started to pick up the pace. He would not take her as fast as he would Catrin, not that time, but he did let his self-control go, pumping into her with harder thrusts, making her gasp each time.

Catrin twisted off the other woman, resting by her side and dipping low to suck one of Maria's nipples into her mouth. Her hand traveled down to the joining of Ben and Maria's flesh, stroking the other woman's mound, making Maria thrash all the harder.

"ohhhh, God, oh oh ohhh, mmmmm, mmm hmmm," Maria moaned. The way her head kept bouncing up and down would have made Ben laugh if the whole tableau before him wasn't the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. Maria, the work crush he adored since the first day she came in, spread out beneath him, her petite pussy spread lewdly wide around him, her body rocking. His gorgeous redhead girlfriend sucking her tit lewdly, rubbing Maria's pussy around him. It was all unbelievable, but it was happening. This was real.