Chapter Thirty-One Thanksgiving #2
“Yeah, you gotta ease people into this collection of crazy,” Paige chuckles.
We all laugh at that and Zander approaches me, rolling his eyes.
“Run while you can,” he tells me, offering me a set of keys. “You can take Dad’s car. He doesn’t mind.”
My eyes drop to the keys, then shoot back up toward him and I nibble my lip nervously before blurting, “Do you want to come with me?”
His brows shoot up nearly to his hairline and he stares at me in obvious shock. I wait anxiously for him to pull himself together again and answer. He shoots his sisters and Mom a look, and I see Michelle grin and give him a subtle nod.
“Yeah… yeah!” he finally stammers. “I’d love to go!”
My cheeks are burning and I know I’m red, but I’m happy that he’s coming with me. I don’t want to hang on to my anger any longer… it’s just not worth it. Not when he’s so genuine and amazing, and being with his family has only reinforced that fact for me.
“You two have fun,” Lauren chuckles softly and I turn to find all four Caldwell women watching us with twinkling gazes and satisfied grins.
“We’ll see you later,” Michelle adds.
Zander grabs my hand to quickly lead me out of the kitchen and away from delighted giggles of his sisters, and the tender, loving smile of approval from his Mom.
The ride to my mom’s house is quiet, neither of us saying a word.
I’m not sure what’s going through Zander’s head, but mine is buzzing and my heart is thundering.
I almost can’t believe I asked him to come with me.
It doesn’t seem like he can believe it either.
A few times, I catch him stealing glances my way, as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear or suddenly change my mind.
“Thanks for this,” I murmur.
“Oh, uh, yeah! No, thanks for inviting me. I’m excited to meet your mom.”
The corners of my lips twitch into a small smile.
“I’m excited for you to meet her too.”
My heart is still pounding by the time we reach Mom’s house and make our way up the front porch.
Even though I’m excited to see her, I’m definitely more worried about her meeting Zander than I was about meeting his family.
Given how tense and quiet he is next to me, I gather he’s plenty worried, too.
We approach the front door hand-in-hand. Zander has Gizmo tucked under his other arm, and I’m hoping the presence of her fur-grandbaby will soften Mom a bit and make her go easier on Zander.
“You ready for this?” I ask when we stop in front of the door.
“I… I think so,” he murmurs, then visibly gulps.
Giving him what I hope is a reassuring smile, I reach out and ring the doorbell. Seconds later, it flies open and all I see is Mom’s smiling face.
“Rylee! I’m so happy to see you, sweetheart.” She pulls me into a tight hug, and I’m not sure if she’s noticed Zander yet or not. That question is answered, though, when she pulls back and gazes up at him. “And who’s this handsome giant?”
“Uh, Mom, this is Zander,” I answer, my voice wavering slightly. “He’s my boyfriend.”
Mom blinks up at him for several moments, not saying anything, and I worry that she’s going to go into interrogation mode, but to my surprise, she lets out a gasp of delight.
“Oh, wonderful!” she exclaims, grabbing a stunned looking Zander and pulling him into a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you, Zander! Please, come in. Come in. Dinner is just about ready.”
I’m dumbfounded at how warm and welcoming Mom is being as she leads me and Zander inside and directs us to the dining room.
It’s smaller than his family’s dining room, and the table is shorter, dark, and shiny.
It’s usually just the two of us, so we don’t need space for large family gatherings like his parents do.
Case in point, the table is set for two, but she hurries into the kitchen to grab another plate and silverware for Zander, placing them at the seat across from me.
She then starts bringing dishes out and setting them on pot holders, waving off my attempt to help her.
“You two go on and sit,” she insists. “Get comfortable.”
Zander and I exchange surprised glances as we both sink into our chairs. Soon enough, Mom has a feast of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, corn casserole, sweet potato pie, and so much more spread out before us.
“Wow, Mom. This looks great. You really went all out.”
“Well, of course. It’s Thanksgiving, and you know me! You can’t have Thanksgiving without all the fixings. Now, go on and dig in.”
Zander doesn’t need to be told twice and dives into the food, loading up his plate but remembering his manners and helping serve us portions as well.
Once we have our food and are beginning to eat, Mom looks at Zander and asks, “So, Zander, tell me, what do you do?”
“I play professional hockey, ma’am,” he answers. “For the Denver Night Hawks.”
“Professional hockey?” Mom looks impressed. “That has to be a pretty demanding sport. I don’t know anything about hockey myself, but from what I’ve seen it’s quite physical.”
He chuckles and nods. “It is, ma’am. Definitely.”
“And, from what I gather, your fanbase can be rather intense.” She tilts her head and arches a brow. “I think the term ‘puck bunnies’ is pretty common for female hockey fans?”
Zander’s cheeks go bright red. “Oh, uh, yes ma’am. I mean, they’re a very specific type of fan.”
“You don’t think you’ll be tempted by a puck bunny while you're with my daughter, do you?”
“Mom!” I exclaim, startled by her blunt question.
She gives me an innocent look. “What? I just want to know that he can really commit to you in spite of the hockey player lifestyle.”
I groan in embarrassment. “Mom, please… ”
“It’s okay,” Zander chuckles, giving my mom a charming grin. “You have nothing to worry about, I promise. I’m not interested in any other woman but Rylee.”
Mom looks satisfied at that. “I’m glad to hear that.”
I shovel food into my mouth as they talk, but I hardly taste my food as she continues in interrogation mode. Leave it to my mom to trick us and lure us into a false sense of security first.
“How will you two make this work, if you’re in Denver and Rylee is here in Nashville?” Mom asks. Her tone isn’t cutting or cold at all. She sounds genuinely curious.
Zander casts me a glance before answering, “Well, I’m actually originally from Nashville, and I’m willing to travel back and forth between here and Denver to make this work.
And if that’s not enough, I’m a free agent now.
I’d planned on staying with the Night Hawks until I retire, but that can change if need be.
My friend Landon plays hockey too, and we’ve always wanted to be on the same team so I could transfer to Nashville and play out my last years here. ”
I stare at him, shocked. “You’d… you’d do that? But the Night Hawks are like family to you.”
He nods. “Yeah, that’s true, but I see a future with you, Rylee.
You’re the most important person in my life now, and if I have to relocate to make this work between us, I’ll do it.
I’ve always planned on coming back to Nashville anyway since my family is here.
After I retire, I’d like to get a local coaching job at a school or something.
It’d be nice to get a position where I could coach my nephews if they wanted to play hockey.
If I have to move up the timeline a bit, I’m willing to do that. ”
Mom and I both stare at him in complete shock.
I can’t believe it. I hoped he would fight for me and be willing to travel back and forth, but I never thought he’d willingly leave the team he loves to be closer to me?
I don’t want it to come to that, for his sake, but the mere fact that he’d do so without hesitation has my heart racing and pressure building behind my eyes.
No man has ever gone all in for me like this. Not even my father and brother.
Mom continues asking him friendly questions, but I hardly hear her. I can’t stop staring at him and wondering how I could ever doubt this man’s intentions.
He’s it. The man I’ve been waiting my whole life for. I have no more doubts and feel no more hesitation.
Zander is my perfect man.
Later, when we’re getting ready to head back to Zander’s mom’s place, and I’ve gotten Gizmo settled to stay with Mom, she pulls me into a tight hug and whispers, “You did it.”
And I know I really have.