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The air is thick with tension, and Bristol skates in, literally in roller skates. I swear the kid is trying to give her dad a heart attack.

“Bristol,” Kyler growls under his breath, his face reddening, and I’m waiting to see if he explodes. “What did we say about sports in the house?”

“We take it outside. But your sports,” she gestures at the guests, “are all in the house.”

He tips his head back and covers his face with his hands. I think he might actually scream. He takes several long and deep breaths before removing his hands from his face, just as Emerson’s heels click into the living room.

Talk about perfect timing.

“Bristol, can you come help me in the kitchen? I’m making brownies and I can’t decide if they should be double chocolate or chocolate raspberry.”

“Double chocolate with raspberry on top,” Archer says before Bristol can even answer.

Bristol glances back at Archer and points at him. “I like the way you think. I want that, what he said.”

“Okay, but I need your help making the raspberry sauce,” Emerson says. “And you heard your dad, no skates in the house.”

“Fine,” she grumbles and plops down onto the floor while Emerson heads back into the kitchen.

Bristol slowly removes her roller skates, taking her sweet ass time. It’s clear she wants to be part of the chaos with the team. “Where’s Uncle Jasper?” she asks.

I try not to look overly enthusiastic when I hear her question. Jasper is the other Greyson brother who also played for the Ice Dragons. I met Jasper once at Blue Line. Meeting him again with Kyler, would be fan-fucking-tastic.

“He’s with Aunt Amber.”

“Obviously,” Bristol says and rolls her eyes. She slips out of her roller skates and stands. Kyler gives her a pointed look and she bends down, picking up the skates. He doesn’t even have to say a word. “If you guys are talking hockey, I just don’t get why he isn’t here.”

“He’s not on the team anymore,” Kyler says, way too calmly.

“Neither are you,” Bristol retorts.

“Bristol!” Emerson shouts from the kitchen.

“I’m coming. Chill out, Mom.” Bristol puts her skates away and then saunters into the kitchen to help Emerson, thankfully without any more attitude.

“I don’t know how you do it,” Reid says, laughing. “I’m sure kids are great and all, but oh my gosh, makes me want to go get snipped.”

Kyler shoots a death glare at Reid.

“Sorry!” Reid says, throwing his hands up into the air. “Just joking around.” He laughs nervously and elbows Archer to say something, anything, to kill the tension in the room.

“So, is it true? You’re thinking about buying the Ice Dragons?” Archer asks.

Midnight draws near, and I brush my lips over Juniper’s as we ring in the new year together. The kiss is warm and electric, the heat sizzling between us as she shifts her weight on my lap and I groan from her movements.

Her lips part, the kiss deepens and I’m overjoyed to be kissing her, tasting her, touching her. My hands roam over her back, momentarily forgetting where we are and who we’re with.

“You two get a room!” Archer shouts, and I pull back, but not before planting one final kiss to her lips.

The night winds down and everyone starts heading to their respective bedrooms. Is it terrible that I’m overjoyed Juniper and I have to share a bed? I bring her upstairs with me, quickly brushing my teeth while she gathers her pajamas from her overnight bag. The room is hot, stifling.

I don’t know how I’m going to sleep with anything on. I’ll be sweaty and gross. That’s not how I want her to remember the first time we slept together.

Slept next to each other.

Sleeping together—I like Juniper, but I don’t see that happening tonight.

Finishing in the bathroom, when she goes in to brush her teeth and get changed for bed, I strip down to a fresh pair of boxers.