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“It’s good to see you, Mom.”
“I’m so glad you’re home,” she says, pulling back to look up at me. “Now where is my new daughter-in-law you brought me?”
My mom’s eyes are lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.
“He didn’t pick her up at from the department store on his way over, Mom,” Everett quips.
My mom ignores him. She’s gotten good at selective hearing with five kids.
She searches around us and the minute her eyes latch onto Juliet, she gasps.
“Oh my gosh,” my mother says, walking over to Juliet. “You’re gorgeous.” My mother beams.
“I know, right?” Harper says. “Now you can be honest Juliet, was my brother wearing a bag over his head when you agreed to date him? Or did he catfish you into thinking he’s a looker before you agreed to marry him and then you felt too bad to hurt his feelings so you went through with it out of pity?”
Everyone laughs except for my mother, who grabs Juliet’s free hand. She has plans for my wife and none of us are invited.
“Ignore these baboons and come sit with me and your sisters-in-law,” she says, tugging Juliet with her.
I’d wondered where Camden, Austin, and Everett’s wives were but it makes sense that they’re probably already sitting down, getting my niece and nephews settled with snacks before we get started.
Harper’s husband is in Toronto on a work trip so he’ll be the only one Juliet doesn’t get to meet but Harper and her husband are in Seattle a few times a year so she’ll get her chance.
Juliet sends me a wide-eyed look as my mom pulls her back through the space between Austin and Everett, but at least it’s accompanied by a smile.
“Bye, new sis,” Camden calls out.
They all chuckle at my mom’s blatant show that we’re all old news to her. She has a new shiny daughter-in-law, and I guarantee she’s about to show her off to all the ladies in her garden club who have come to everything my family and I have done since we were kids.
“Mom! I don’t get to say goodbye before you take her away?” I call after them, but my mom has already disappeared toward the bleachers set up for the mass of visitors, all filling up at all three ice rinks.
“I don’t think Mom reacted that way with any of our wives,” Austin says.
“Told you… prodigal son,” Camden says.
“Did you mean protégé son?” Harper says, coming to my defense with a smirk.
Camden and Everett made it to the minors and played for a while. On the other hand, Austin had different goals and went straight on to become a heart surgeon. The asshole is brilliant and I’m glad he didn’t take the pressure our father applied on him. He probably could have made it to the NHL with me if he wanted.
Camden’s buddy from his college hockey days starts heading our way from across the ice. Our sixth player and our goalie—the position my father used to play.
The announcer asks the two teams to prepare, and I head over to the bench to tie up my skates.
A few minutes later, I skate out to do the coin toss with a member of the opposing team.
My eyes search out the beautiful woman in the crowd who’s wearing my ring.
I find her quickly and see that my mom has the two of them cuddled up under a pile of blankets with my niece and a warm thermos of hot cocoa that she must have brought from home for each of them.
Juliet is crowded by a gaggle of older women all probably hitting her with rapid-fire questions about us and our plans, but from here she’s smiling… and so is my mom.
I see my nephews all running across the top of the bleaches and my sisters-in-law all trying to wrangle the three small boys.
Damn, it’s good to be home.
Juliet sees me watching her and sends out a little wave.
I wave back.
