Chapter 5 #2
I decide now is a good moment to make a cup of tea before I shovel half a pie down my throat. Filling a pot with water and setting it on the stove, I feel his eyes on me. It should make me self-conscious, but I’m only more curious of what he is thinking.
“So, uh… your family. You’re going to see them at Christmas or is that too much jolly joy for you?” I mundanely ask.
“Jolly joy is in our dictionary today?” He smiles wryly.
I shrug. “Could be. Anyhow, you’re kind of related to the coach, right?”
“Yep, Asher is my second cousin. Plus, my dad’s firm also represents a bunch of hockey sponsors.”
“You don’t sound thrilled or annoyed. You don’t mind?”
He’s busy cutting his piece of turkey when he lets out a sound.
“Nah, it’s fine. As long as nobody makes me feel as though I’m where I am because of connections or special treatment.
So far, it’s been okay. Asher and I keep things professional.
And my dad? He wasn’t one of those dads who put pressure on me or anything, either.
Instead, he showed up to games and would get a little too zealous with the other hockey dads.
” Those memories make him smile to himself.
“Brothers and sisters?”
“A sister, Luna. I heard I was a handful as a kid, so I probably ruined their ideas of having any more,” he jokes.
The pot is boiling, and I turn to pour the water into a mug with a tea bag. “I think Seb and I were pretty low-key. I’m not sure I’ll see him this Christmas.”
“My mom wants to visit.”
I snicker a laugh. “Wouldn’t that require a tree and holiday ham in the oven? You might lose your mind.”
Tyler snaps his fingers. “Oh, but I’m so wise and would have her stay at the Dizzy Duck Inn and we can do dinner there. Plus, no ham necessary. My aunt is Jewish, and my mom’s Christmas Day menu when she would visit kind of stuck with us even if she isn’t visiting for the holidays.”
“Interesting. And sending your parents to stay at a hotel? You really hate wholesome family time, don’t you?” I swirl the teabag in my tea.
“I have hockey to think about. Other guys are good at balancing life and the game, but I’m not married, I don’t have kids, so hockey can be my number one priority.”
My mouth shuts tightly closed. Everything in that sentence was dripping with all the things I hate. A guy who puts hockey first.
If only he knew.
The sound of Enzo entering the kitchen luckily gives me the escape in my mind. “Let me guess. You are here for pie?”
“Yes. I’ve only been waiting like forever.”
I walk to him and wrap my arms around his front to hug him from behind while we smile at Tyler. “He’s so smart. Pie is always priority. And since my little guy ate his green bean casserole, then he most definitely deserves a giant piece.”
“I don’t know. I’m a big guy, I kind of need a lot of pie for my stamina. I might need half the pie, actually,” Tyler says to my son, and that tiny blimp inside of me takes flight. The way he is with Enzo. Not a care that I’ve been a miserable host since the moment he stepped through the door.
“It’s okay. You’re going to need your strength when you have a game against my uncle later in the season.”
Tyler hisses a whistle. “Watch it there, kiddo.”
Enzo laughs while he heads to the pumpkin pie in the corner. I set my mug down and grab a knife from the drawer.
“I’ll do it. The whipped cream is in the fridge. Meaning you need to go get it for me.”
It takes a minute, but pie is dished out and everyone is happy eating sitting at the counter.
Tyler engages Enzo in conversation about his latest theme at school which involves learning about the North Pole.
I clean up, occasionally admiring the view in front of me that is a dangerous combination, because attachment does things to people, and it’s my son that I need to protect.
But I keep letting Tyler in. I’m making no sense.
An hour later, Tyler informs my son that it’s time for him to head out. He has an away game this weekend.
“Puzzles or your block creations. No more screen time,” I call out to Enzo who disappears into the living room, but then I stall and wince to myself. “Fine,” I give in. “It’s a holiday. Pick another movie.” He didn’t even need to ask, I’m soft today.
I trail behind Tyler until he opens the front door.
Taking over, I hold the door open, and he turns to me. Our eyes meet, and I’m not sure what to make of this second. It’s different. That’s for sure.
Especially when he reaches out and without hesitation slowly tucks a few loose strands of hair behind my ear, causing a soft tickle on my cheek.
“There,” he rasps.
The entire area is closing in. My heart is hammering in my chest. What is he doing?
“Thanks,” I whisper.
“No, thank you. It tasted good, and I was able to be kind of lazy and not touch my kitchen today,” he quips.
I cluck my tongue. “Right. Because heaven forbid you actually wanted company today. You know that thing they call being social.”
He winks at me, and it is so fucking sexy that I might drool. “Just following your stereotype protocol.”
Yeah, that is on me. I deserved that.
I attempt to smile weakly, but it wilts quickly.
“Anyhow, night,” he tells me.
I tip my nose up in acknowledgment then watch him cross the hall, the door closing behind him, and I’m wondering why the guy I should hate, just like every other guy whose career is on the ice, has me burning and melting into an unknown.