Page 89 of Breaking the Pucking Rules (LA Vipers #1)

This past year has been incredible.

Kodie and Sutton have given me a life I never thought I could have.

The love, the laughter, the endless hockey talk and happiness.

It’s been everything I was only ever able to dream about.

No. Actually, it’s better.

Sure, not everything has been easy.

Loving and living with a not only professional hockey player but also a father and his daughter has been challenging.

At times, it feels like we’re all being pulled in different directions, when all we really want is to be together.

But once all our obligations are over, and we do finally find ourselves under the same roof once again, everything settles back into place.

For a few months after I officially moved in last Christmas, Kathleen stayed in the pool house, but as we settled into a routine and I found my footing with school runs and all the other things Sutton needed while Kodie was on the road, she started looking for a place of her own.

She hasn’t gone far. She’s only down the road, and for one reason or another, she’s still here almost every day. But it’s given her the space and the life that she deserves. Although this morning, she’s right down the hall. My dad is too.

Warmth spreads through me as I think about spending the whole day as a family.

The door creaks as it always does when Sutton steps into the room.

I remember last year fondly as she tiptoed around the bed to get to Kodie, beyond excited to tell him about Santa’s visit.

But this year, her steps slow sooner, and when I crack an eye open, she’s standing right in front of me .

Her eyes find mine in the darkness, and her already beaming smile grows wider.

“He’s been,” she whispers excitedly. “He’s been.”

My heart swells in my chest. Watching this little girl grow and learn is such a privilege. She amazes me every day with her kindness, her compassion, and her love.

“Oh yeah? Has he left you lots?” I ask.

She nods. “Daddy? You need to wake up.”

Kodie chuckles behind me.

“Daddy, are you pretending to be asleep?” Sutton chastises.

Suddenly, he releases the death grip he had on my waist and sits up, dragging the sheets away from me.

“Are you kidding? It’s Christmas morning. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up.”

Bullshit. He was snoring only a few minutes ago.

I keep that little nugget to myself, though.

“Have you?” she asks suspiciously with her hands on her hips.

“Go and wake Gran and James, then get your stocking. We’ll meet you downstairs.”

Kodie hasn’t finished talking before Sutton spins on her heels and races toward the door.

“Don’t start without us,” I call as she disappears.

The second she’s gone, the door swinging closed behind her, Kodie rolls over, pressing the weight of his body against mine.

I groan, loving the way we line up as he trails kisses across my jaw and down my neck. A shudder rips through me as I drag my legs from beneath him and wrap them around his waist.

“Oh god,” I moan when he grinds his morning wood against me.

“You keep forgetting, baby. It’s Kodie. Kodie Rivers.”

I chuckle. I swear, there isn’t a week that goes by where he doesn’t remind me of this. Whether he’s here or on the road, it’s a constant, mostly because I love to tease him mercilessly.

“Mmm, yeah. I sleep in Kodie motherfucking Rivers’ bed every night.”

“Every motherfucking night,” he groans as the sound of Sutton making her way downstairs floats around us.

His kisses continue, ensuring my temperature continues to rise.

But as much as I need him, we don’t have time.

“Kodie,” I whimper, my hand skating down his side, loving the goosebumps that erupt from my touch.

“Better,” he teases as his lips close in on mine.

“We need to get up.”

“One taste, baby. Just one?—”

His tongue sweeps into my mouth, teasing my own into action. My hold on him tightens as I quickly forget about what we should be doing and focus entirely on him.

My man.

My everything.

“Daddy. Casey. You’d better not be asleep again,” Sutton warns as the house begins to wake up around us.

“We’re coming,” I call back, trying and failing to shove the ginormous man off me.

“I can assure you, we are not.”

A giggle erupts and I finally manage to slip away.

“Come on, your girl is waiting,” I say, righting my Santa pajamas.

Behind me, the sheets rustle before Kodie stands to full height. Unable to stop myself, I spin around, getting my fill of him and his tented red Santa pants.

“Our girl.”

“W-what?” I stutter, my brain barely functioning.

It’s not fair; it’s too early, and he looks like that.

“Sutton. She’s our girl.”

My lips open and close, but I don’t find any words.

Kodie steps closer, wrapping his arms around my waist and holding my eyes as he gazes down at me.

“You’re incredible with her, and she loves you so much.”

My eyes burn and my nose itches. “I love her too.”

I didn’t know it was possible to love two people this much. But I do. Every day, I wake with my heart so full thanks to my new family .

We may not be related by blood, but we are in every other way that matters.

“You were the best gift either of us could have asked for,” he says, his voice deep and raspy.

“Kodie,” I breathe.

“I’m serious. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to us. I can’t imagine our life, our family without you.”

“I love you so much,” I say, resting my cheek against his chest and holding him tight.

“I love you too—but we’d better move before she comes back and starts threatening us.”

With a laugh, we drag ourselves apart, clean up, and then head downstairs.

Just like last year, there are gifts everywhere, almost all of them with Sutton’s name. But it isn’t the sight of them all that really takes my breath away. It’s the house. No, the home.

And it’s only made better by the two people who come wandering in with mugs of coffee in their hands.

“Thank you,” I say, taking one from Dad and immediately lift it to my lips for a sip.

With a free hand, Dad wraps his arm around my shoulder. “Merry Christmas, Care Bear.”

“Merry Christmas, Dad.”

Mom’s decorations are everywhere, and every time I look at them, I feel a little closer to her.

She may no longer be here with us, but I also know she never left, and she never will. She’s just as much a part of this new phase of my life, and I know she’s just as proud of me as Dad is.

“Oh wow, Peanut. You weren’t lying; you really have been good this year,” Kodie laughs as we join her.

“Can I start?” she asks eagerly.

“Of course you can.”

Kodie and I sit side by side in our matching pajamas with our fingers entwined while Dad and Kathleen get themselves comfortable on the couch as she unwraps gift after gift.

She pauses after opening a new set of hair brushes and looks at me .

“Are you okay?” I ask, sensing something shifting.

“Daddy, can I?”

“Of course,” he says, his hand squeezing mine.

Okay, what is happening?

Looking over, I search Dad and Kathleen’s faces for clues, but if they know, they’re not giving anything away.

Sutton rummages around under the tree until she finds the gift she wants before shuffling to me on her knees and handing it over.

Memories slam into me of this time last year, when I was handed a key to the house and they asked me to move in.

It blew my mind in the best possible way, and I can only imagine what they’ve planned this time.

“This is for you,” Sutton says, holding the gift out toward me.

I take it give it a little shake, seeing if I can guess before I rip into the paper. Everyone watches me closely, and I glance between them all nervously.

Whatever is in here is important. I can tell by the hitch in both Kodie and Sutton’s breathing.

Inside, I find a box. And then inside the box, whatever it is is wrapped in bubbles.

But the second I slide the contents out, my breath catches.

“Sutton,” I breathe, staring down at a photo of the two of us at a Vipers game in a frame that is engraved with Mommy and Me.

Tears flood my eyes.

Kodie reaches over and squeezes my hand in support.

“Peanut, you have something you want to ask Casey, don’t you?”

Ripping my eyes from the frame, I stare at her, noting the tears in her eyes, too.

“Casey, will you…will you be my mommy?”

“Oh my god,” I cry as I place the frame to the side and gather her up in my arms, holding her as tight as I dare.

Her entire body trembles against mine, and I can’t say I’m in a much better state as I fight to suck in air through my sobs.

“Oh, Sutton, I’d love nothing more,” I tell her when I’m finally able to pull back and look into her eyes. Reaching up, I wipe away the tears on her cheeks with my thumbs. “I love you so much, sweetie.”

She mimics my move and wipes my tears too. “I love you too…Mommy.”

My heart is in pieces as she tests out the word, she has never called anyone before.

Kodie’s hand shifts on my back, reminding me that he’s here in this moment with us.

“You knew about this?” I ask weakly.

“Of course. Sutton asked me a few weeks ago how I thought you’d feel about it.”

“You two wreck me in the best kind of way,” I say, wiping my cheeks again because the tears won’t stop.

“I’ve got another matching gift here too,” Sutton explains as she pulls another wrapped box from beneath the tree and walks toward Dad.

Ripping his tear-filled eyes from me, he focuses on the little girl approaching him. “I think it’s time I got a grampa too.”

“Sutton,” he rasps, barely holding it together as she passes him an identical sized box to mine.

“What do you say, Coach. Want to be my grampa?”

Without opening the gift, Dad pulls Sutton onto him lap and holds her tight, all five of us crying the happiest of tears.

Family.

Totally worth breaking all the rules for.