Marry Christmas by Katie Kenyhercz

Author:Katie Kenyhercz [Kenyhercz, Katie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Katie Kenyhercz

Chapter 3

Monday, December 25

Thunderous knocking pulled Dylan from a heavy sleep, and he squinted at the bedside clock. Six-thirty. Presents weren’t until seven. Could there be a hiccup in the ceremony planning? A quick swipe of his phone showed no missed calls or messages. He frowned. By the time he dragged himself out of bed and padded over, no one was there, but little feet raced down the hallway as the kids knocked on door after door. Apparently, they couldn’t wait. He smiled and shook his head. It seemed like not too long ago that he and Taylor had insisted their parents wake up before dawn because Santa had come, and the world needed to stop for that.

He slid on some sweats and his slippers and grabbed a cup of coffee from the machine in his kitchenette before venturing down the sweeping staircase to the lobby. Shrieks of joy and laughter reached the high rafters as the children of his teammates, old and new, were on their hands and knees, digging for gifts bearing their names. Lori stood in the middle of the madness, sorting presents in an ankle-length, white silk robe with Bride scrolled across the back in blue sequins. Leave it to her to try and bring semblance and order to hyped up toddlers bent on bedlam. One day she’d be playing traffic controller for their own kids. The thought warmed him from the inside out, and an unfamiliar pang of longing resonated in his chest. The thought of teaching little Coles how to skate felt better than he’d ever expected.

The parents of the giddy horde around the tree were seated a safe distance away on the leather chairs of the lobby, looking on with smiles. Dylan sat on the arm of Reese’s recliner. The goalie looked up at him with a tired but grateful grin. “Hey, man. Thanks for doing this. Mia was so excited to spend Christmas with all the other kids.”

“My pleasure. It was the least I could do, asking you all to give up your own holidays at home.”

“Are you kidding? There’s no way we’d miss your wedding. You’ve been in all of ours—” He stopped mid sentence to give a double thumbs-up to his daughter Mia, who was losing her mind over a pink and purple soccer ball. “Just like her mama.”

Reese’s wife, Kally, the Sinners sports psychologist, leaned around him and winked, pride practically radiating from her. “He tried to get Mia into hockey, but what can I say? She heard the call of the turf.”

Dylan laughed. “I don’t suppose you had any part of that.”

“Me?” The innocence on Kally’s face was tainted by the devilish gleam in her eyes that morphed into curious concern. “How’s our captain today? Any cold feet?”

You could take the girl out of the psychologist’s office, but you couldn’t take the psychologist out of the girl, not even on Christmas. “Not so much as a toe. I’m just so … grateful.”

Kally’s smile was full of pride and approval.

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