“We’re having chili, right?” Gabe asked as he dried his hands.
“Yes. We’ve had it in the slow cookers for a few hours now. Your dad insisted we make a larger batch than we usually do.”
“It smells wonderful,” Gabe said as he began to move the block of cheese across the grater. “Dad’s probably right that we need more. We had hardly any leftovers last year, if I recall correctly.”
“You’re right.” She shrugged as she smiled. “But it’s better to have too much than too little. If we do have leftovers, we’ll be eating chili for awhile.”
“Did you need me, Mama?” Dalton asked as he came into the kitchen.
“Yes. How about you mix up a couple batches of brownies?”
“Okay.” Dalton turned to the cupboard and began to pull ingredients out.
“Do you make brownies a lot, Dal?”
His brother turned and scowled at him with a flick of his head to keep his hair off his face. “Don’t call me that.”
“What? Dal?”
“I’m not a doll.” The young teen swung back to the cupboard to pull out a few more things. “And yes. Brownies are my specialty.”
“Really?” Gabe watched as Dalton began to measure out ingredients into the bowl their mom had placed on the counter. “No recipe?”
“Nope. It’s all up here.” Dalton tapped his temple. “I’ve made it often enough that I don’t need the recipe anymore.”
Gabe felt a sense of regret that he was missing a lot of his younger siblings’ growing up years. As much as he loved the adventures he went on, there was no question that it came with a few sacrifices. But he did try to make it home for the major holidays and any significant events. Which was more than he could say for Kenton. He rarely made it home once a year, if that.
By the time Gabe had finished his job with the cheese—which had been significant since they had a lot of people coming—Dalton was putting the first pan of brownies in the oven. Tristan—who still lived at home—came into the kitchen with Danica to offer a hand as well. Their dad had been out working on the ice rink he’d made as he did each year. Well, each year that it was cold enough before Christmas. There had been a couple years where it had been too warm in the run-up to Christmas to have a rink ready for Boxing Day.
The cold snap they’d had right before Christmas had broken, and the weather that day was promising to be a bit more mild. Not above freezing, but not in the deep freeze either. He had been afraid that if it was too cold, Maya would back out. When he’d texted her earlier, she’d still been planning to come, so he was happy about that.
“So you have someone coming out today, Gabe?” Sometimes it was uncanny how his mom seemed to be able to read his mind.
“Yes. Maya is coming.” Gabe was sure she already knew exactly who he’d invited, but she seemed to delight in making them have to actually tell her if they hadn’t already volunteered the information.
“She seems like a nice young woman. I know Bennett and Makayla speak highly of her and how she’s stepped in for Grace.”
Though Gabe was glad she was doing such a good job for the company, that was kind of the least of what he cared about when it came to Maya. “She is nice. A bit reserved though, so don’t be surprised if she doesn’t chat a lot.”
“I’m sure you’ll do your best to make her feel at home,” his mom said with a wink at him. “And we’ll try our best not to embarrass you too much.”
“Well, see, if you drag out any embarrassing photos or such, I’ll just claim it’s Mitch. One of the benefits of having an identical twin.”
“Maybe it’s one of you together,” Dalton offered. “Then what are you going to say?”
“That I’m whichever twin is being the least awkward or embarrassing in the picture.”
His mom gave him a shake of her head as she took the bowl of cheese from him. “Well, since you’ve never brought a woman home before, I think we should probably do our best to not scare her off.”
“I would appreciate that,” Gabe said, and he really would. He got the feeling that while Maya was okay spending time with him alone or with the others at work, she was a little shy about spending it with his family in a social situation where there weren’t a bunch of other people around. She hadn’t hesitated to go to the Christmas party or the dinner theater with him, but invites to spend time with just his family had—up until Boxing Day—been refused.
He kept glancing at whatever clock was closest to see how much longer it would be until Maya arrived. When she’d asked what time she should be there, Gabe had been tempted to give her a time earlier than when everyone else would be arriving, but then he’d realized that it might make her feel uncomfortable, and that was the last thing he wanted. His goal was to get her comfortable with being around his family, and having her there ahead of time would most likely achieve the opposite.
Ethan and Makayla were the first to arrive, followed shortly after by Mitch and Bennett. In years past, Grace would also have been there, but this year, with her baby still in intensive care, she had decided to spend the day at the hospital instead. Gabe could hardly blame her for that, but seeing the sadness in Bennett’s eyes was hard to take. Though Bennett was present at all the events he needed to be at, anyone with eyes could see that his heart wasn’t in it. His heart—broken though it might have been—was with Grace and, from what he’d heard, her baby.
The first non-family members to arrive were Tennyson and Forrest though Erin and James weren’t far behind. It was shortly after their arrival that Gabe caught sight of Maya’s car pulling into the parking area that had been cleared of snow earlier that day. He abandoned his conversation with Tennyson and Forrest and headed for the front door, pulling it open just as Maya reached the top step of the wide porch that ran all around the house.
She wore a light pink beanie on her head that matched the scarf around her neck and the gloves on her hands. She had on a thick black jacket that would be perfect for when they were outside later on and fitted jeans that disappeared into knee-high boots. She carried a bag over one shoulder that looked like it was big enough to hold a pair of skates. But what she wore that drew him in more than ever was her smile.
Gabe stepped back to let her into the house. Before he could stop himself, he pulled her into a hug, relishing the feel of her in his arms, the scent of her shampoo a tantalizing bouquet.
“I’m so glad you made it,” Gabe said as he stepped back from her.
Maya’s smile grew as she took off her jacket. “Your parents have a nice place here.”
“Yep. They had to build a place big enough for all us kids.” Gabe took her jacket and hung it up in the closet while Maya slid her boots off. “Only four live here full-time now. I’m not sure what they’ll do with all the space once the last of the kids leave home.”
Maya looked around as they walked further into the house. “They could have a bed and breakfast.”
“That’s definitely a possibility.” Gabe took her hand and led her into the living room where the others had gathered. “Come meet more of the gang.”
As he was introducing her, Noella and Finn arrived, and conversation increased. Gabe settled Maya in a seat on the couch next to Erin.
“Did you bring dessert?” he asked Erin as he pulled an ottoman over to sit on in front of the two women. He turned to Maya and said, “Erin and Noella own a bakery in the city, and Erin is the head baker. She always brings the most amazing things to our gatherings.”
“I did bring a few cupcakes. I tried out a couple new flavors over the Christmas season that were really well received, so I brought a few dozen out for you all to try.”
“I should warn you that Dalton made some brownies, so you’ll have to tell him how good they are when you try them.” Gabe grinned. “He’s apparently been making them a lot. He didn’t even need a recipe.”
Erin’s blue eyes lit up as she smiled. “That’s terrific. Is he interested in baking? If so, he could come by the bakery one da
y to do some work with me. I’m always happy to try and cultivate the interest of the next generation.”
“Not sure if he has any interest beyond brownies, but you could always ask him. I know he already keeps busy with his music and videos.”
“I’ll talk to him and see.” Erin turned her gaze to Maya. “So you’re the one whose captured Gabe’s attention.”
Gabe grinned as Maya’s cheeks flushed. “I guess you could say that. I didn’t even know that Mitch had a twin brother, so the first day he came into the office, I was a bit surprised at the change in Mitch.”
Erin laughed. “Yeah, Gabe is definitely more outgoing, but Mitch is a sweetheart in his own quiet way.”
Maya nodded. “He always had time to answer any questions I had when I first started. He never made me feel like I was inconveniencing him or anything like that. Everyone has been great at the office, actually. I’ve been so fortunate.”
“Well, from what I hear, the company is fortunate to have you,” Gabe said, unable to keep from smiling. “Makayla sings your praises frequently.”
“And that’s incredible coming from Makayla,” Erin said.
“Hey now,” Makayla said as she dropped down on the couch next to Maya. “Are you saying I’m difficult to please?”
Erin and Gabe exchanged glances before they both nodded, and Gabe said, “I think that’s what we’re saying, yes.”
Makayla frowned as she took in his response but then nodded and grinned. “Yeah, I can be difficult. It’s a wonder Ethan puts up with me.”
“Ethan definitely deserves a medal for that,” Gabe said.
“I think the ice is ready, everyone.” His dad’s voice interrupted their conversation. “And we’ve got a fire going as well, so grab your gear and head out.”
Conversation picked up as people got up and began to gather up jackets and bags. Gabe carried Maya’s bag after helping her into her jacket. He’d grabbed his from the closet by the back door, and then they left the house. Bennett and Tristan were already on the ice with Dalton, music drifting from the speakers that were mounted at the back of the house.
“This is incredible,” Maya said as Gabe led her to the fire beside the rink. There were log benches set up around the rink, and they sat down side by side.
“Do you want to skate?” Gabe asked, hoping that she would.
“Sure. I haven’t skated since I was about thirteen, so hopefully, I don’t end up falling more than skating.”
Gabe tugged off his boots and pulled on his skates, making quick work of the laces. When he was done, he moved to kneel in front of Maya, not caring that the knees of his jeans were pressed into the snow. “Let me help you lace up.”
“Uh…okay.” It had taken Maya a little longer to get her boots off and her skates out of her bag, so she’d only just pulled one on.
Gabe worked the laces from the toes, tugging them firmly as he proceeded. “How does that feel? Too tight? Too loose?”
“Perfect.”
At the tone of her voice, Gabe looked up to find her watching him, a small smile on her face. His chest got tight, and the air seemed to be squeezed from his lungs, leaving him breathless. He had to look away in order to catch his breath as he picked up her other skate and slid it onto her foot. Once again, he worked the laces quickly.
“How about that foot?”
“It’s good,” Maya said as she placed the blades with skate protectors on them flat on the ground and wiggled them side to side. “They both feel perfect. I don’t think I ever laced skates quite that well.”
“I’ve had lots of practice.” Gabe got to his feet and held out his hand. “Let’s go give them a try.” He pulled Maya to her feet. “I probably should have asked before you put your skates on…but did you get them sharpened?”
Maya nodded. “When you first asked me last week, I bought myself a pair of skates and had them sharpened.”
“Even though you didn’t know for sure that you were going to come?” Gabe arched a brow at her. “Or did you know all along and just wanted to keep me guessing?”
Maya laughed. “Well, I think I knew I’d come. Just had to sort things out with my mom.”
Most the others were on the ice when they got there, but there was plenty of room. The rink his dad made each year was a work of art. Though not arena size, it was close enough that they had gotten good practice on it over the years, and there was lots of room for people to skate without running into each other. Even though Kenton was the only one who had been good enough to play hockey professionally, all of them—including the girls—had learned how to play.
He spotted Sammi with her boyfriend Jayden as they skated by. He had his arm around her waist, and their strokes were synchronized. Sammi smiled up at Jayden, laughing at something he said. Gabe was glad to see her happy again. She’d had a long-term boyfriend in high school, but the guy had dumped her just before graduation. Since then, she’d focused on getting her nursing degree and finding work. Now it seemed she had the job she wanted and a man who made her happy. It was about time.
Maybe it was about time for him too.
10
After removing their skate guards, Gabe stepped onto the ice then reached back to take Maya’s hand and help her. She seemed reticent to let go of the boards, but at his coaxing, she gripped his hand tightly and allowed him to guide her onto the ice. They stuck close to the outside of the rink so that others on the ice could easily pass them.
After a couple of laps around the rink, Maya had seemed to find her legs and was taking more confident strokes. Gabe still held her hand, enjoying how tightly she gripped his in return. Once it seemed she wasn’t scared of falling, Gabe pivoted on his skates in front of her so that he could skate backward.
“Show off,” Maya said with a grin as she reached to take his other hand.
Holding both her hands, Gabe began to stroke in time to the music. They were still playing Christmas music because…why not? As Michael Buble sang Winter Wonderland, they made their way around the ice. Maya smiled up at Gabe, her joy at being able to skate, and not just fall all over the place, clear on her face.
“Your brother is amazing,” Maya said, her gaze following Dalton as he skated past.
“If he were any older, I might be jealous of him,” Gabe said with a laugh.
Maya looked back at him and smiled. “Well, I think you’re pretty amazing too.”
Gabe felt something shift inside him as he gazed down at Maya. The joy and happiness on her face did so much for him. “I think you’re amazingly amazing as well.”
“But seriously. Is there anything your brother doesn’t know how to do?”
“Well, he absolutely won’t touch a hockey stick. Much to my dad’s chagrin. When my dad told him he had to learn to skate, Dalton insisted on figure skating lessons instead of hockey. I think it’s all tied to his artistic, musical nature. He has talent in spades with his music, and figure skating allowed him to express himself artistically.”
“Did he compete?”
“Nah. He didn’t want to do it professionally. It was more like my dad wanted him to participate in a sport, and figure skating was the only one that worked for him. And now he can skate circles around the rest of us.” Gabe laughed as Dalton approached them again and turned to skate backward beside Gabe for a few strokes. “Literally. Tristan also didn’t want to play hockey, but he wasn’t vocal enough with his objections, so he played…badly.”
“I heard that,” Tristan said as he skated by them.
“And yet you’re not disputing it,” Gabe called out.
“This is true!” Tristan spun to skate backward and gave them a grin, looking more relaxed than he usually did at the office.
They skated for awhile, enjoying the music and the good-natured jokes from the other skaters, before Mitch showed up on the ice with a hockey stick and a puck and began to skate with it, moving the puck back and forth in front of him as he glided over the ice.
“Is that a sign that it
’s time for a hockey game?” Maya asked. “Hopefully I can just be a spectator for that because I’m not sure I could skate that well without a hand to hold.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t work too well for hockey. And don’t worry, the ladies usually just cheer us on. Sammi has played with us on occasion, but I have a feeling she’ll be happy playing cheerleader today.”
At the entrance to the rink, Gabe helped Maya put on her skate guards and then leave the ice. She joined the other ladies who were leaning against the boards that surrounded the rink as his dad handed out hockey sticks to the guys who remained on the ice.
“You gonna play today, Dalton?” Gabe asked as his little brother came to a stop in a spray of ice by the entrance.
Dalton gave him a look, eyebrows raised. “Nope. Maybe once I hit my growth spurt and can hold my own with you guys. I have no desire to get squished. I’m going to go help Mom with the food.”
Gabe grabbed a stick and began to skate around the ice at a faster speed than when he’d been with Maya. He skated by Mitch and snagged the puck from him, talking a bit of smack as he stroked away. His dad called out the teams and tossed jerseys to each of them. Dark blue for one team and red for the other. The guys took off their jackets, leaving them along the boards before pulling on the heavy jerseys. Between the long sleeve jerseys and the exercise they’d be getting, there was no worry about getting cold.
His dad came onto the ice with a puck and a whistle and skated to the center of the rink. Each group got together to determine who their goalie would be and then those guys donned the goalie protective gear. Mitch was the goalie on Gabe’s team while Forrest took the position for the other team. Once the goalies were in place, his dad dropped the puck at center ice, and the game began.
Maya had never watched much hockey, and certainly never that close up. She found that she enjoyed cheering loudly for Gabe and his team. Gabe’s youngest sister was manning a flip scoreboard on the opposite side of the rink which indicated that—for the moment—his team was winning.
The Love of Her Life: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 3) Page 12
