I turn to Emmett. “You know how I’m your favorite big brother?”
“Are you?”
I glare at him, and he giggles. “Please behave today. Maybe stay away from Bennett while we’re there.”
“Why?”
“Because …” I hesitate. “It’s important.”
“I don’t understand why we’re not having Christmas here.”
“Because last year we got takeout, and we were all depressed because West and I can’t cook as well as your mom could, which only reminded us that she’s not here, and it was depressing.”
Emmett slumps a little, and I regret bringing up his mom at all.
“Sorry,” I mumble and cover the salad with saran wrap. “My point was we’re trying to do something to distract us from being sad this year.”
“I think it will always be sad.”
I wince. I turn to him and kneel to his level. He’s nine, but the twins are a small nine. “It will be, but maybe having dinner with another family will make it less lonely.”
The thought of each of these kids feeling lonely in a house with six other people isn’t lost on me.
“Can I take my iPad?”
I sigh. “Sure.”
If the twins are distracted with screens, they’ll be less destructive of Coach’s things.
West pops his head in the kitchen. “Are we ready?”
“Guess so.” Because sure? Let’s get this shitshow on the road.
Merry Christmas.
I’m thankful we agreed on not getting each other presents—that would have been another stress I didn’t need.
It would help if Kole hadn’t been so vague about what he actually told his parents about us. He said he just asked if a friend could come over for Christmas and then played the orphan card. Shit, I’m a bad influence on him, for sure. But still, it’s not clear how Coach feels about this.
And as we pile into the seven-seater minivan to drive the few blocks to their house and arrive on the Hogans’ doorstep, I think I get my answer.
Coach opens the door with a scowl on his face. I’m not sure if it’s completely because of me or the ugly-ass sweater he’s wearing.
“Merry Christmas?” I croak and then clear my throat. I hold up the salad as if to say, “Look, I’m not completely helpless.”
He eyes me and then the salad.
“Merry Christmas, Paul.” West shakes Coach’s hand.
Coach steps aside. “Come in.”
Okay, I know he’s usually a stoic man, only showing emotion when we lose and that’s always negative, but I dunno, it’s Christmas. Where’s that softer side of him I keep hearing about?
He was kind in hiring West, and he let me onto his team when he didn’t have to—although, I’m sure that has more to do with replacing an NHL-bound player with another one.
But he has a nice side. I know he does. Am I reading into it that he’s this uptight?
Is someone paranoid? a voice sings in the back of my head.
It’s not just me though. As we enter the house, and the kids barrel past us to go say hi to Kole and Hades, West leans in and whispers in my ear, “Kole didn’t tell his dad about you two, did he?”
“I don’t think so? But Coach is acting weird, right?”
“Yeah, that was intense.”
“Hello.” Kole’s mom appears in front of us. “You must be Westly and Asher. Paul talks about you two all the time.” She hugs us both, and I get an overwhelming mother vibe. I hate it and love it and maybe want to hold on to her hug a little bit longer than normal. She pulls back and looks me in the eye. “I’m so happy to have you here.”
“Umm, thank you for having us.”
She smiles and leads us farther into the house to Kole’s grandparents. “Mom, Dad, this is Westly, one of Paul’s assistant coaches, and Asher, one of his players.”
Whether or not Kole’s told them we’re together isn’t clear, but it is obvious he played up the orphan angle because Kole’s grandparents’ eyes soften in sympathy. It looks like they’re two seconds away from getting out of their seats and fussing over us.
The dining table is perfectly set in gold, red, and green decorations with a huge centerpiece and individual napkins on plates with Christmas patterns. It’s definitely fancier than anything we would’ve had back at home.
Hopefully the kids will feel like they’re getting a regular Christmas experience. We did Christmas presents this morning where West spoiled everyone with extravagant presents. The younger kids appreciated it, but Rhys and Zoe shared a suspicious look. When we were getting ready, I overheard them talking about how West has all this money but has kept Mom and Dad’s crappy house and the minivan.
I don’t think they understand that while West was playing for the NHL, it’s not like he put aside a shit ton of his earnings. They’re not privy to West’s old party lifestyle. He told me he has some saved up, but he’s now going to be responsible for five college degrees. So while he bought them all new iPads and game consoles and whatever, there’s a big difference between that and buying a bigger house or newer car. I made a note to talk to them about it later, but today is not the time for that.