Page 33 of Personal Foul (The San Diego Storm #3)

Carson

T he road twisted around the mountain to the home I’d spent every Christmas in since I was ten.

We only had three days off before the team headed to Nevada, but I really wanted this for Colin.

We had to go back on the twenty-sixth for his interview the next day, but I was glad we’d come when Colin couldn’t tear himself away from the window.

Giving him something money couldn’t buy with an experience he’d never had made me unbelievably happy.

It was the perfect gift for someone who could buy anything he wanted.

When we pulled into the driveway on Monday evening, his eyes widened at the house decorated for Christmas.

White lights hung from the eaves while the surrounding balsam firs were dressed in colored lights and falling snow.

Smoke drifted from the chimney as the house glowed in warm light. It was postcard-worthy.

“This place is like every Christmas movie I’ve never watched.”

I grinned at his statement. Bella barked in agreement from the backseat.

Bringing our clasped hands to my mouth, I kissed his hand. I was so fucking gone for him.

“Welcome to the St. James family Christmas.”

When his eyes met mine, it confirmed yet again what I’d known for a long time. He was everything I’d been waiting to find.

“I love you so hard for all of this,” he said, leaning over to kiss me.

The front door of the house opened, interrupting our moment. My mother stepped out onto the porch, wrapped in a thick cardigan, waving for us to come in.

“Let’s go. She couldn’t wait for us to get here.”

Grinning from ear to ear, he got out and bounded up the stairs to wrap my mother in a big hug. She kissed him on the cheeks, then looked him over before turning her attention to where I was unbuckling Bella from her harness.

“There ya go, girl. Go see grandma.”

Bella leaped from the backseat, then bound up the steps to my mother before bypassing her to go inside to find my father, who finally joined my mother on the porch.

With Allister’s carrier in hand, I closed the door and met them on the steps. I could see this very scene in my head one day, but with kids.

“Thank you, babe. I’ll grab the other things.”

He went back to the SUV while I bent down to hug my parents. “Thank you for doing all of this. He’s been talking about it all weekend.”

My dad chuckled as he ushered us into the house. “Did you think you could stop her?”

My mother swatted at him as she waited by the door for Colin. “I enjoyed doing it. It was like having you all over again. One call to Margo for the outdoor lighting and wa-la.”

She waved her hand as if it had been simple. It hadn’t. But once Colin stepped inside and got a look at the undecorated twelve-foot Christmas tree in front of the wall of floor-to-ceiling glass, I’d never been more thankful. I wish I could have caught it on my phone.

We watched as he set our bags down next to Allister and looked around.

“We waited for you boys to get here to decorate the tree. We thought it might be more fun to watch you two do it and less work on us.”

Colin turned and looked at her. “Decorators at your service.”

I squatted down to unzip Allister’s carrier. He was happy to get out and immediately went to wind himself through my mother’s legs, which prompted her to pick him up.

“Hello, sweet boy, I have missed you.”

While she cooed at him, and my dad rubbed Bella, we got him set up with his bowls and litter box. I guess this was a preview of what it was like to have children.

Just as she’d requested, after dinner, Colin and I went into the attic and brought down the ornaments while my dad brought in the ladder. Bella sat by the fire on her luxury dog bed with Allister stretched across the top of the sofa. It was everything and not enough.

“That might be the biggest Christmas tree I’ve ever seen. And the smell of the fire and the aroma of cinnamon. Just like what Christmas should smell like.”

My mother looked sheepish. “I might have cheated just a smidge with oil warmers.”

Colin laughed, but obviously didn’t care. “It’s still wonderful.”

My mother went to the stack of boxes and pulled out the embarrassing one, then handed it to him. “These are my favorite ones. So be very careful.”

Opening the box, Colin inspected the assortment of macaroni ornaments with my pictures in the middle. Ornaments made of white painted popsicle sticks, styrofoam cups, paper plates, and one out of a clamshell. All covered in a boatload of glitter.

His mouth fell open as his eyes widened like he’d found treasure. I knew he was going to rib me. “Did you make these in elementary school?”

I raised a brow. “No. I made them in high school. Christmas ornaments 101.”

Colin burst out laughing at my quip, which lit his face up in pure happiness. I couldn’t hold back and leaned over to kiss him.

“I was considering a career in art before I found football.”

His eyes widened. “Good thing you’re athletic.”

We carefully spread them out while my mother dictated where they should be hung. I wanted to tell her she was welcome to help, but she and my dad were snuggled up on the sofa, obviously taking great delight in watching us go up and down the ladder.

The tree was covered with all kinds of ornaments. Ones for every pet we’d owned and places we’d been. It was an eclectic mix of my family’s history. And I loved it.

“Put these on next, boys.”

Colin sat down on the ottoman and opened the box. “Are these more baby ornaments?”

“No,” she said. “Every year, we add a few ornaments that represent our year. That’s why there are so many, and we need a giant tree. But I’ve been collecting those since January,” she said.

I picked up the Super Bowl ornament, then handed him a familiar-looking box.

He took it and looked at it carefully. “You have a cat?”

“No,” my mother laughed. “That’s Allister.”

His eyes went wide for the millionth time. “You’re adding my cat to your tree?”

“Yes. Right up there with Bella. There’s another one in there.”

I picked up the rugby ball and handed it to him. It was shaped like a rugby ball on one side, but a football on the other. “That’s your ornament, Colin.”

He looked at the ornament for a moment, then went over to hug her. “Thank you for including me.”

She hugged him. “Thank you for making Carson an even better man.”

When we crawled into bed later that night, we opened the draperies and watched the snow fall outside. We were curled around one another after the long day that started with an early practice and a three-hour flight.

“It’s so quiet here with the snowfall. I miss the sound of our ocean,” he murmured.

Our ocean —as if it belonged to only us.

“You’re turning into a romantic.”

He shrugged. “Never thought I was capable of that. Guess you proved me wrong.”

I kissed his neck. “I think it was always there. You just need me to show it.”

He was quiet for a moment, then spoke softly. “This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

“I think so, too.” I kissed the side of his face, then drifted off to sleep.

We spent Christmas Eve doing all the usual Christmas Eve things. My mother had talked Colin into helping her make homemade eggnog.

“I don’t know how to cook,” he announced. “Unless ramen noodles count.”

“They don’t,” she said, handing him the carton of eggs.

His eyes widened in horror as he looked at me, making me laugh.

My dad tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to follow him into his office.

“Close the door, please,” he asked as he sat behind his desk. He pulled out a file folder and held it up.

“What’s that?”

“Five months ago, I hired a forensic accountant to go through his accounts. These are the copies of the records of what he found. Or maybe what he didn’t find.”

“Is it bad?”

His normally soft expression hardened. “If all of that is correct, he’s misappropriated quite a bit of money from him. That is above and beyond his 10% commission.”

I wanted to kill that asshole. “What do we do now? How do we prove he’s the one who withdrew the money?”

My father sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “Richard will handle it when he’s finished. He deals with a lot of financial crime. He’ll turn it over to the authorities.”

“He didn’t deserve that, Dad. He trusted that guy to take care of his finances.”

“I agree. No one does.”

He stood up from his desk and placed the folder back in the drawer.

“I’ve been waiting to share it with him, but I didn’t want to ruin his holiday.”

“Yeah, he’s loving all this.”

“I can tell. Let’s go see what they’re up to, shall we? Your mother has planned a special meal for dinner.”

“No ham this year?”

My father smiled and put his hand on my shoulder. “No, this year she made Chicken Parmesan. It really bothered her that Colin had no one to make it for him. You know how she is.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I do. She’s going to spoil him and make him impossible to live with. When we get home, he’ll expect me to do these things for him.”

My dad chuckled. “You don’t already?”

He had a point. “You’re right. I do.”

“You are just like your mother, Carson. And that’s a wonderful thing to be.”

“What is that heavenly smell coming from the kitchen?” he asked, waking from a nap on the sofa.

I grinned, knowing exactly what it was, but wanted him to be surprised

“I guess we’d better go see.”

We peeled ourselves from the sofa and padded into the kitchen. My father was uncorking a bottle of red wine while my mother put an enormous pile of garlic bread into a basket.

“What deliciousness do you have to further wreck my body tonight?”

My mother smiled adoringly up at him as she took the entrée from the oven. When he saw what it was, Colin looked at her, then back at me. I smiled and shrugged.

“Is this your normal Christmas Eve dinner?”

“It is now, sweetheart. What better way to bribe you into this family than with food?”

He laughed and hugged her. His eyes were glassy, and he had no words. But my mother did.

“Get a plate and help yourself. The salad is over there, and there’s plenty of bread.”

Colin leaned down with tears in his eyes and kissed her cheek. “Best mom ever.”