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“Oh, I wasn’t,” Nick sighed.

Matt quietly stepped aside, hoping to stay out of the fire. From the crowd of Nick’s relatives, Matt spotted his other two sisters approaching. Nicole was next in age, followed a year later by Emily. Both were more sedate than their elder sister, though Matt didn’t think that was saying much. They resembled twins, even swapping the same hairstyle and clothes now and then. Their grins were wide as they approached, squeezing him tight as they waited for their other sister and mother to stop harassing their brother long enough to get a word in.

Once Nicole and Emily squeezed their way in and greeted Nick, the rest of the family began to crowd in. Matt didn’timmediately recognize anyone else and remembered Nick had said Christmas would be a larger gathering than before.

“Where’s Dad?” Nick finally asked, still sticking out among the crowd of people swarming him.

“Oh,” Kimberly said, waving a hand. “He’s at the lodge. Said he wanted to get a head start with everything and make sure the boiler is working right. It’s been getting tricky the past couple of years.”

Nick frowned. “He still hasn’t replaced that thing? It’s as old as he is.”

Kimberly snorted. “I told him much the same, but you know your father. Until the damn thing blows us all sky-high, he’s not replacing it.”

Matt raised a brow, not willing to risk the attention by asking if the boiler was going to blow up. The rest of the team would be pissed if they got themselves blown up by an ancient boiler after everything they’d been through.

As if summoned, Nick appeared at his side, squeezing his elbow. Matt glanced up, flashing a grateful smile and nodding to tell his friend he was alright. Huge crowds weren’t his thing, especially when he knew that, eventually, he would have to deal with some of these strangers. But for Nick and his family, Matt would be okay.

“Then let’s go make sure he hasn’t blown himself up,” Nick said to the crowd.

“Well, I hope you boys are in for a nice car ride,” Kimberly said brightly.

At that, Matt looked around the crowd and felt his stomach sink. God, would he be stuck for hours in a vehicle full of people he didn’t know? Nick’s family or not, the idea filled him with dread.

Nicole saved him, hooking her arm through his. “You will be riding with Em and me. Nick gets to suffer through a car ride with Mom and Mar.”

Nick snorted as Maria scowled at their younger sister, releasing his hold on Matt’s elbow to let Nicole take over for him. “Well, no time like the present. Let’s get this show on the road.”

Matt groaned. “Don’t.”

Nicole pulled him toward the door. “C’mon, we’ll get you some nice junk food on the way where Mom can’t see us.”

Emily appeared on his other side. “And you can pretend to fall asleep, so you don’t have to talk to anyone.”

Matt laughed softly. “I knew you two were my favorite Engel siblings.”

“Pretty sure Nick still has that title,” Nicole quipped as they stepped out into the cold.

Well, Matt couldn’t argue with that.

NICK

After hours on the plane, Nick hadn’t been looking forward to spending time in a car. The view became increasingly hilly, then rocky, and then, with each passing mile, indistinguishable from the mountain range they were approaching. Eventually, snow appeared as they hit the stretch of road that would take them to the lodge.

He wouldn’t argue with the company, though, even if he did wish Matt had been in the car with him. Nick understood the logic behind Emily and Nicole’s decision, though. Of all the siblings, they were best suited for traveling with Matt. Unlike Maria and their mother, those two would give Matt space.

Maria and his mother hadn’t let up talking since they’d left the airport. First, the barrage of questions about his life since he’d last seen them. Then, questions about how the rest of the team was doing. Finally, the conversation had been about their lives and the gossip and information they’d accrued.

Nick had been content to let them talk, filling the silence. Like his father, Nick was happy to let someone else do most of the talking. He’d always been fond of listening, content to plop down in the corner of a gathering or a bar and take it all in. It wasthe same principle for those he cared about, though the fondness was stronger.

“So, how’s Matt been?” his sister asked, looking in the rearview mirror to catch his eyes.

Despite his protests that he could drive, Maria and his mother shoved him into the back seat and told him to make himself comfortable. Another debate erupted when it came time for the two women to decide who was driving. Nick had been content to sit in the back seat and listen to the familiar sounds of home as they finally settled on Maria driving.

Nick shrugged. “Matt is Matt.”

“You’re horrible at this,” Maria informed him.

“I never said I was good at gossip.”