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I look down at them on the floor, coming to Brandon’s rescue by picking up the dog in one hand. He licks my face but then settles in my palm.

Ander nearly has Brandon completely covered. It’s interesting how different they are, but also such perfect blends of their parents. Brandon physically resembles their mother, smaller in stature. But his personality is more like their father’s. Whereas Ander has clearly gotten his size from their dad, who stands eye to eye with both me and Ander, but his personality is all Momma B. The hugs. The constant talking. Taking care of everyone around him, making sure no one is ever left alone. That’s how I ended up here today.

“You are crushing my best right winger,” I say as I hold my free hand down, placing it in Ander’s sight line.

He looks at my hand, then looks up at me. His smile is bright, and it reaches his eyes. He grabs my hand. His palm is warm against mine. His touch alone lights a spark through me. I knew I missed being able to touch him, but I never expected a simple grab of his hand to affect my entire body so easily.

I pull him up off the ground and he immediately envelops me into a full hold, almost smooshing Shutzie between us. I manage to pass the dog off to Brandon, then wrap my arms around Ander too and hug him back. My entire body warms in the best way.

“Is good to see you,” I say at the same moment he says, “I’m so happy you’re here.”

“That’s something you don’t see every day,” Cole says to David. I can see them snickering together from over Ander’s shoulder.

They’re right. This is not something someone sees every day. Two NHL goalies, representing different teams, hugging it out in a tiny kitchen in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Christmas Eve.

EIGHTEEN

Ander

I can’t stop touching Nikolai. Getting him a drink after their long drive here, my hand lingers on his after I hand him a bottle of water. Showing him the Christmas tree in the living room that Mom, Dad, Cole, and David decorated, I stand close and bump our shoulders together. When my mother announces dinner is ready, I push him along to the dining room with my hand pressing on his low back. And when we get there, I’m quick to grab the two seats by the bay window for us.

“Hey!” Brandon protests. “I was going to sit there.”

“Too late,” I say as I quickly sit down beside Ryan on my right and gesture for Nikolai to take the seat to my left. Shutzie is running back and forth between the chairs, watching and waiting for everyone to sit down. He’ll probably circle the table like a teeny-tiny shark looking for scraps all night.

“It’s fine,” Ryan says. He uses his hand to pull out the chair beside him on his right and pats the cushion with his hand.

“You say that like you don’t know that this room is about to be nine thousand degrees in a few minutes and we’re going to wish we had control over the window.” Brandon glares at me then flicks his gaze longingly at the window behind me.

He’s not wrong. This is easily the hottest room in the house. It always has been. But that’s also part of its charm. I lean back in my chair and crack the window open. Best to start getting some air in here now.

On the other side of the glass, snow is falling. I knew it was supposed to snow, but at this rate, a full thick blanket will cover Green Bay by tomorrow morning.

“Is pretty,” Nikolai says beside me.

I take my gaze off the snow and turn it back to him. There’s a soft smile on his face as he watches the snow fall. And as pretty as that snow is, it has nothing on Nikolai.

I gulp. What a strange thing to think. Nikolai isn’t pretty. He’s handsome for sure, but not pretty. Instead of delicate features, he has a sharp jaw and prominent brow. His nose is long and straight, and his eyes are deep set and shaded.

He looks back at me and catches me staring. But instead of looking away, he wets his lips.

I gulp again as a sudden urge to kiss those lips runs through me. Why am I like this all of a sudden? What happened to me the night I realized I’m attracted to him? Why had I not noticed it before? And why can’t I stop it? This is the last thing I need.

But it’s also apparently exactly what I need because when he scoots his chair closer to the table, it also forces him to press his leg firmly against mine due to the lack of space. That simple press of our thighs together both relaxes me, and sets my body to humming. Every nerve in me buzzes. I press my leg against his and even bring my forearm to rest beside his on the table.

“Who’s hungry?” my mom asks as she walks into the dining room carrying a platter laden with the pot roast she’s spent the day slow cooking. My father is behind her carrying serving dishes full of garlic green beans, mashed potatoes, and fresh baked dinner rolls. He also has two bottles of red wine tucked under his arms.

Nikolai rises from his seat. “Let me,” he says as he tries to get around the table. But there is no easy way for him to do so. With the extension added to the round table to accommodate all eight people, we are crammed in here. There is no getting around to the other side unless everyone clears out.

“Sit, sit,” my mother says as she leans over the table with the food, trying to reach the center.

Brandon, who is the closest, grabs it from her and places it down.

“Thank you, dear,” she says and pats Brandon on the shoulder. She turns her attention back to Nikolai as my dad places the rest of the food down. The two then take their seats. “You’re in the best seat of the house, by the window.”

“Unless you need to go to the bathroom,” Ryan says.

“True,” I agree and turn to explain to Nikolai. “If that’s the case, it’s best to crawl under the table to get out.”