Hockey Holidays

by Toni Aleo

  “I’d better go check on the turkey,” she muttered, pulling away from her mother and the anxiety of the big meeting to come. At least cooking gave her something to do, something to distract her.

  Dinner was planned for 3:00, and everything was set. The turkey was in the oven, but it was still too early to cook much else. The potatoes were already peeled and diced, the casseroles were premade and waiting in the fridge, and the pies had all been baked the night before. The table was laid out with fourteen place settings beside the kiddie table set for her nieces and nephews. Construction paper, crayons, and scissors were set out at each of the chairs for the kids to make paper ornaments for the tree, to help keep them occupied.

  Georgiana had tried to think of everything to make the day go perfectly. She even asked Bryan about his family’s traditional recipes so that she could incorporate them into their dinner, hoping it would help him and his parents feel at home in Texas for the holiday. After all, Christmas was a really big deal for them, too.

  She could hear her brothers before she saw them. They all arrived at about the same time, and soon her house was bursting with people and noise. This was the Christmas Eve that Georgiana was used to: surrounded by organized chaos and everyone talking so loudly that she couldn’t think. The familiarity helped Georgiana relax, and she left the kitchen to greet them.

  Ian was closest. “Hey there, little sis.” He hugged her, and it was like being engulfed by another person. All her brothers were over six feet tall, and they were strong and muscular—a side effect from each playing football throughout high school and college. “Where’s Bryan?”

  “Picking up his parents from the airport.” She checked the time on her Fitbit. “They should be here . . . any second.”

  “So does that mean we’re going to get lectured on being on our ‘best behavior?’” Leo stepped over and took his turn to hug his sister.

  Georgiana then hugged Leo’s wife, Amanda. “If I thought that that would actually work, yes.” Leo was the oldest and the unofficial leader of her siblings. “Just try to be nice, okay? I want everything to go as smooth as possible.”

  There was a knock at the door, and then it opened. First Bryan appeared, carrying two suitcases, followed by two others who looked vaguely familiar. Of course they did; Bryan looked a little like both of them.

  That feeling of relaxation vanished and was immediately replaced by overwhelming anxiety.

  Bryan’s eyes were drawn to Georgiana, even despite the tall people around her. She was radiant, incandescent. She was always the first person he saw when he entered a room. He smiled at her. This was their first Christmas together. They’d already done Thanksgiving, when Bryan went over to the Piersons’ family home for dinner. But Christmas was a big deal unto itself.

  And this was the first time their families were meeting, which made it an even bigger deal. It had been way too soon to introduce each other to their families during the offseason, and then everyone’s schedules were too hectic during the season to make any plans. Hell, even their original plans for the three-day Christmas break had already been messed with. His parents missed the game on the 23rd, and now they were about to get thrown right into meeting not only his girlfriend but her whole family.

  His parents had been a little reluctant to spend their holiday in Dallas. They wanted Bryan to come home, like he had every year before. They were used to white Christmases, and they had a few—false—preconceived notions about Texans all being gun-toting oil tycoons. But once Bryan had revealed his big plan to propose to his girlfriend and asked for his grandma’s ring, his mother booked the tickets within hours.

  Carol and Perry were both college professors, and Bryan knew that they were pretty strict with their expectations. That’s why they’d insisted he’d attend college instead of trying to go straight into the pros—because he needed a backup in case the whole “hockey thing” didn’t work out. Bryan knew his mother had secretly hoped he’d give up the sport after college. They didn’t even want him to pursue hockey as a career in the first place, hoping that he’d see it as a hobby and a scholarship opportunity and choose something more academic in nature to devote his life to.

  But Bryan routinely followed his heart, wherever that might lead him, and it all started with hockey. He may not have chosen to be traded to the Comets, but he wouldn’t have otherwise met Georgiana. Funny how life works out that way sometimes; the one thing you think you really don’t want turns out to be the catalyst for getting the best thing in your life.

  It was only after Bryan first spotted Georgiana in her living room that he noticed who else was there—and it was literally the entire Pierson clan. Even though Bryan had met them all previously, it still was overwhelming to be in the presence of all those people, especially when Georgiana’s older brothers were taller than he was.

  Everyone stood around expectantly. Bryan set his parents’ suitcases down to the left of the door, and he gestured for his parents to walk past him. All eyes were on them, assessing the strangers.

  “Hi, Bryan,” Georgiana said, pushing through the crowd to get to him. She kissed him on the cheek, displaying a bit of modesty in front of everyone.

  “Hey.” It was time for the big introductions. “Georgiana, I’d like to introduce you to my parents. Mom, Dad, this is Georgiana.”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Comstock, such a pleasure. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for so long now.”

  Bryan watched as Georgiana began to open her arms to greet them with an embrace, but his mom thrust a hand forward to initiate a handshake. He could see the microexpression that flashed across her face, the moment of disappointment and rejection that she felt, but she recovered quickly and shook hands with first his mom and then his dad.

  “A pleasure,” Carol said. “Bryan’s told us so much about you.”

  Yeah, he’d told his parents a lot about how much he loved her and why, but he left off the details of their first few encounters and when they actually started to date. Bryan shared a lot with his parents, but there were some things they never needed to know.

  “All good things, I hope.” It was a cheesy line, born out of nervousness rather than her usual charm. Bryan had never seen her so anxious before, about anything. She was always so confident. This was a new experience for him.

  “Of course,” his dad said. “And please, call me Perry.”

  “And I’d like to introduce you to my family.” Georgiana waved at her parents for them to approach. “This is my father, Leonard Pierson, and my mother, Rebecca.” Another round of handshakes.

  “And these are my brothers and their families. This is Leonard Junior, the oldest. We call him Leo. And his wife, Amanda. Their kids are . . . . Where are the little crumb snatchers?”

  “Outside, in the backyard, looking for the football,” Leo answered. “We play a game after dinner every year. It’s tradition.” More handshakes.

  “And this is Daniel, the second oldest, and his wife, Emma, with their one-year-old daughter, Bella.” Handshakes all around.

  “And this is Ian, the third of us. And . . . wait, where’s Carrie? I thought she was coming?”

  Ian shrugged. “This is the first Christmas her sister’s back from Austria, so she didn’t want to miss it. She said she’ll come next year.”

  Georgiana nodded and moved on to her final brother. “And this is Aidan.”

  He reached out a hand to the Comstocks. “Nice to meet you. Merry Christmas.”

  Just then, Leo’s three kids burst into the room, holding the football they’d found. They were all shrieking and chasing each other, bobbing and weaving through the obstacle course of adults.

  “Hey, take it outside.” Leo’s booming voice echoed, and his kids obeyed without complaint.

  “I have crafts for them,” Georgiana told him. “To keep them occupied.”

  “We can do that later, once they’ve calmed down. We should probably let them burn off all this energy.” Leo smiled at the Comstocks. “You know
kids at Christmas.”

  “You know what, I should probably go keep an eye on them,” Amanda said, removing her arm from around Leo’s waist. “Make sure they don’t terrorize the neighborhood.”

  Once Amanda left, Georgiana turned back to the Comstocks. “You must be exhausted from your travels. Bryan, why don’t you take their bags up to the guest room and show them where they’ll be staying?”

  “Oh, we’re not staying with you, Bry?” his mother asked.

  Georgiana’s face twitched again. Bryan hadn’t told them what the living arrangements were going to be—and his mom made it sound like she didn’t want to stay at Georgiana’s. “There’s much more room here than at my place,” he explained, grabbing their bags. “My condo isn’t really suitable for guests.”

  His parents exchanged glances but said nothing, and neither did Georgiana. Instead, the Comstocks followed Bryan past the Pierson clan, through the living room, and up the stairs to the guest room.

  “This is it, your home away from home,” Bryan said, placing their suitcases on the queen bed in their room. “The bathroom’s right across the hall, and it’s all yours since Georgiana’s room has an ensuite bathroom. Why don’t you freshen up and then meet us back downstairs when you’re ready?”

  Bryan could tell that his parents’ heads were swimming. They’d just met a bunch of strangers—strangers who were soon going to be family. He knew his parents well, and he knew they’d need a few minutes on their own to adjust before getting ready to mingle.

  He didn’t forget about his big plan. “And you brought the ring, right?”

  Chapter Two

  Carol tossed her sweater on the bed. It was so much warmer in Dallas than she’d anticipated, and she’d overdressed—and over packed. At 50-something degrees outside, the weather was practically tropical.

  She wasn’t as prepared as she thought she’d be for this occasion. Maybe she didn’t know what to expect in the first place. Georgiana seemed sweet, but Carol didn’t know anything about her, other than what her son had told her. She’d met her for half a second, and now she was handing over her mother’s ring to her son to give to her.

  It was a lot to process all at once, and the finality of knowing her son was going to propose to someone, that she wouldn’t be the most important woman in his life anymore, was hard to accept.

  The ring was in her purse. Carol reached into her bag, her fingers wrapping around the velvet box. Her heart skipped. And then she looked up at her son’s face. He was beaming and hopeful.

  She would never let her boy down. “Of course I did, honey.” She opened the box before handing it over, looking at the solitaire. According to family lore, her father had worked two jobs during the Great Depression to be able to afford it. It was a special, prized family heirloom that Nana had promised to Bryan, so that he could give it to the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

  Carol wasn’t ready for that day. Not yet.

  “Here it is.” But she couldn’t hand it over to him without asking one more question. “And you’re sure about this, Bryan? You’re sure she’s the one?”

  “I’m so sure,” he reassured her, looking between his mom and dad. “I’m more sure of this than anything. I mean, you met her, she’s great, right?”

  Perry smiled. “She’s very kind and welcoming, especially to let us stay with her. We’re looking forward to getting to know her.”

  “You’re going to love her, just like I do.” Bryan reached out for the ring box. “I’m going to wait ‘til after dinner. She’s a little nervous about everything, so I’m going to go down and check on her.” He slipped the box in his jeans pocket and then hugged and kissed his mom. “See you in a few.”

  Bryan hurried out of the room, ready to see how Georgiana really was, beyond the front he knew she was putting on in front of everyone. She didn’t have to be so nervous; everyone always loved her, and his parents would be no different.

  He did a proper job of greeting Leonard and Rebecca and saying hello to the brothers and wives before navigating into the kitchen. Georgiana was in there, alone, tapping her fingers on the counter.

  “Hey, babe.” He approached her and wrapped his arms around her middle before pushing her hair aside and kissing her neck. “Smells good in here.”

  “So what did they say? About me? Did they say anything?”

  Bryan chuckled. “Yes, they did. They said how nice you were and how excited they are to get to know you. It’s going great, so don’t worry.”

  “I can’t not worry. I’m as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs! There’s a lot riding on this dinner.”

  “Do you think they’ll only love you if your turkey is moist?”

  Georgiana shuddered. “You know I hate that word.”

  He laughed again. “I know. I’m just trying to distract you from worrying.” He kissed her shoulder. “Is it working?”

  “A little.” She rested her arms on his shoulders, her fingers playing with the hair curling at the nape of his neck. He needed a haircut. “This is just really important to me, that this goes well. That your parents like me, that dinner is good—”

  “What does dinner have to do with them liking you?”

  She sighed. “Duh, that I’m a good cook, that I can take care of you and feed you. Mothers always worry about stuff like that.”

  “Not my mom,” Bryan corrected. “She’s less . . . domesticated? I mean, she’s not into the traditional gender roles. She made me learn how to cook and clean and do laundry, because she said it wasn’t the woman’s role, and I’d be expected to take care of myself. Not ‘rely on a woman,’ as she put it. Just like your dad didn’t want you to have to depend on a man for stuff.”

  Georgiana shook her head. “I know that, and I think that’s great. But I’m telling you, it’s still a thing. A mother wants to know her son will be in good hands.”

  Bryan reached down and cupped her ass, giving her a nice, firm squeeze. “I think you’re the one in good hands.”

  She laughed and swatted at him. “Don’t let anyone see you doing that, I don’t want your parents thinking I’m a hussy either.” Then she winked at him, to let him know that she wasn’t mad. “Save it for later tonight.”

  “You wanna have sex tonight? With my parents here?”

  She kissed him. “As long as you can be quiet, they’ll never know.”

  He kissed her back, his mouth focused on her lower lip. His voice grew husky. “Oh, I can be quiet. But I’ll be making you scream.”

  The teasing continued. “You think? I’d like to see you try.”

  “We’ll be doing way more than trying, babe.” Bryan squeezed her ass again, pulling her body against his.

  The swinging door into the kitchen flew open as Aidan burst into the room. “Oh, gross! Don’t do that in the kitchen, where the food is!”

  Georgiana’s face flushed with heat, but that didn’t stop her comeback. “You’re in my house, and I’mma do whatever I damn well please in my own kitchen.”

  “You’re my little sister, and that’s nasty.” Aidan forced himself between Bryan and Georgiana, separating them as he made his way to the fridge for a can of Coke. “I don’t wanna know what goes on in here.” He popped the tab and then sat on the counter.

  She smirked. “So I guess I shouldn’t tell you what we did on that counter?”

  “Oh, double gross.” Aidan slid off the counter and slunk toward the door. “I’m never stepping foot in your house again.”

  As soon as her brother was out of the room, Georgiana and Bryan dissolved into a fit of laughter.

  By the time Carol and Perry were freshened up and ready to face the horde of Piersons, Georgiana had to busy herself in the kitchen. The turkey was done early, so she pulled the roaster from the oven and started to warm up the casseroles. Her family had never served these things, so Georgiana had relied on Pinterest for the recipes. Green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole and corn pudding, these t
hings were unheard of to the Piersons, and Georgiana wondered if it was a northern-versus-southern kind of thing.

  But this Christmas was a time to bring people together, and that meant casseroles for the Comstocks and the family favorites for the Piersons. It was double the cooking, but it would be worth it to surprise Bryan’s parents by making them feel at home.

  And showing them that she could make Bryan’s comfort food, just like mom? That she was willing to preserve Bryan’s family’s traditions? That would surely impress Carol.

  Georgiana knew the strings to pull to get people to like her. It was more than just smiling and showing off that debutante charm. Simple gestures like these went a long way to prove that she was genuine and thoughtful—and that was the key to her personability. Her whole career was based on her ability to anticipate someone’s needs or desires, and it was an invaluable quality.

  But being trapped in the kitchen kept her away from the socializing families, and her mind wandered, wondering what was happening in the next room over. She could hear their chatter, but not enough to make out any words. And there was occasional light laughter, so that had to be a good sign that everyone was getting along. Right?

  The real test, though, came down to the gravy. Everyone knew that the gravy would make or break the entire Christmas feast. It had to be thick, flavorful, smooth, and the perfect dark, golden brown color. Georgiana had seen her mother make the gravy for years, and she even asked her to come into the kitchen to supervise the process.

  But it wasn’t a science; there was no recipe. As her mother explained, “You just eyeball it ‘til it looks right.”

  “How do I know that it’s right, though?” she asked, whisking in the slurry of flour and water to the pan drippings.

  “Mix it up and let it cook some. Then give it a taste. And then just tweak it from there as needed,” Rebecca instructed.