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I stare at the younger man. The much younger man. Literally, I could be this guy's father. He drives me crazy. He seriously does. A lot of the time, I want to smack him. But I have to admit, not only is he my star player, and the one who is very likely taking us to the Stanley Cup this year, he makes the woman I’m in love with deliriously happy.
And dammit, he makes me happy.
I might roll my eyes and shake my head, a lot, but I also smile and laugh a lot more since Crew McNeill became more to me than just one of my players.
Not that I am ever going to tell him that.
"He's going to be pretty excited to meet you," I finally admit. "He's a fan."
Crew grins a grin that clearly says, of-course-he-is. He tips back the orange juice and takes another swallow. "I'll sign a jersey,” he says after swallowing.
"My grandfather used to own the team. He has more signed jerseys than he knows what to do with."
"But he doesn't have a signed jersey from me." He thinks for a second. Then he says, “How about skates? I just got new ones. Still have my last pair. Those are a lot harder to come by than jerseys.”
I open my mouth to argue with him. I intend to tell him that, again, my grandfather won’t remember that he even has the skates. Crew should keep those and give them to a charity auction or some kid with cancer or something. But then Crew's words about even five minutes of Christmas come back to me. Even five minutes of meeting his new favorite player and getting a pair of signed skates would give my grandfather immense joy. My grandfather could easily revert back to his forty-year-old self. Or his twenty-year-old self. Or possibly his ten-year-old self. He's been a hockey fan his whole life.
And then I could show him those skates again next week. And the week after. He could have those five minutes of joy again and again.
I feel my chest tighten as I also realize that I can always give those skates to charity someday…when my grandfather is gone.
I suck in a breath. Hell, I’ll write a check to a kids’ cancer charity today and give my grandfather some Christmas joy at the same time.
"Okay. He’d love that,” I finally say.
“Cool. We’ll swing by my place,” Crew says easily.
Danielle walks into the room just then. She comes straight to me. “Good morning," she says sweetly as she wraps her arms around me.
I dip my head, putting my nose into her hair and breathing deeply. "Good morning. I didn't mean to wake you up."
"I know. And we might talk about that later, because you should have woken us all up. But for now, let's go see Stanford." She pulls back and looks up at me. "Okay?"
I know she's not asking if I'm okay. She's asking if it's okay if they all come along. I know that if I say no, Danielle will go to bat and try to talk the other guys out of it. But the thing is, I've come to trust Michael. I've always been the guy in charge. I make big decisions that affect people's lives every day. I'm known for my cool thinking, my ability to see the big picture, no matter the tiny distracting details, and I will make the decision for the greater good, the entire team, every time.
But when it comes to my personal life, I'm not so good at that. I have come to trust Hughes to be our voice of reason. He's someone I can actually lean on and trust to help with those decisions when my emotions are involved. I've never had a friend like Michael Hughes before.
If he thinks they all should come with me today, I believe him. And maybe it's not just for me. Maybe it's for them too.
I nod and lean in to give her a soft kiss. "Yes, it's okay."
We’re all going to be meeting each other's families. We're all going to be getting some insight into what makes the others tick. For better or worse.
CHAPTER2
Dani
Nathan’s grandfather,Stanford, is having a good day, much to my relief. These visits are bittersweet for Nathan on a regular day of the week, but seeing the upscale nursing facility cheerfully decorated for Christmas is just another reminder of all he’s lost.
But maybe, this year, it’s a reminder of what he’s gained as well.
Us.
The thought of all of us, and how in love with these men I am, makes this first Christmas together even more special.
Whereas normally Nathan strides down the hallway silently, alone, to his grandfather’s room, we’re a boisterous foursome today, gifts in hand, Crew in a Santa hat.
The Santa hat Nathan is eyeing with annoyance. “I told you not to wear that.”
