Page 57 of Playboy Husband
MAISIE
Thanksgiving morning came with the scent of crisp air, popcorn, and the faint tang of ice. The rink was packed, parents bundled up in coats and kids clanging cowbells and blowing horns. The atmosphere was festive, but this was also the championship game and it was a real nail-biter.
My stomach was twisted into knots the entire time, but when the buzzer sounded and Brody’s team exploded into cheers, I thought my heart might burst right out of my chest. They’d won.
My sweet boy was on the team that had taken the championship title. Callum had spent the game next to the boards with Gage, and Brody skated right into his arms like he’d done it a hundred times before.
As I watched, Callum laughed, scooping him up off the ice and spinning him in a full circle while Brody pumped his fists in the air. It was almost too much. The sight of the man I loved holding the boy I loved, both of them radiant.
Along with Callum’s entire family, I raced down to the edge of the rink. Sterling, Harrison, Jameson, Laney, and Sadie all pressed in close, their voices booming with cheers. My mom and CC were crying, Harlan and my dad beamed with pride.
The boys pounded on the glass like maniacs and Brody waved at them from Callum’s shoulders like he was on top of the world. When they skated over to us, they waved us onto the ice. The next moment, there we were, slipping and laughing, clinging to each other for balance.
Someone wrangled a photographer and the man came over with his camera raised. “Okay, everybody, get in!”
Even in our unbalanced chaos, we managed to form a loose circle. Brody was on Callum’s shoulders and I was tucked against his side, my mom and CC holding hands. The Westwood brothers crowded around, Harrison shouting a cheer that made everybody laugh.
The flash went off, freezing the joyful moment in time. I already knew I wouldn’t need a picture to remember this, though. It was already etched into me, my whole life feeling like sunshine wrapped up in laughter, family, and love.
Callum finally let Brody down from his shoulders before we made our way off the ice. He reached for my hand, wrapped his fingers around mine, and grinned. “Your first Thanksgiving as a Westwood. Are you ready for dinner?”
I laughed, widening my eyes at him. “That depends. What exactly does Thanksgiving as a Westwood entail?”
“That’s the question on my mind, too.” Laney appeared beside me, her hand on her massively swollen baby bump as she carefully navigated her way off the ice with Sterling. “I guess we’re about to find out.”
I would’ve expected to feel nervous about spending the holiday with his family, but the truth was, I was looking forward to it. They’d been so welcoming, and after everything we’d already all been through together, I felt like one of them.
At this point, everyone knew the truth about Callum and Brody.
To my surprise, even Harlan and CC had been ecstatic, neither of them angry or judging me for not telling him earlier.
CC had been disappointed to have missed out on so much of his life, but that only made her seem more determined to be as much a part of it as she could now.
She’d been taking him out for all sorts of activities, he was already calling her Grandma, and their bond was growing closer by the day.
Harlan had been a little more reserved, but according to my dad, he’d approached him to offer to reimburse them—and me—for just about every expense Brody had ever had.
Dad had refused, but Harlan sure seemed to be trying to make up for it now, spoiling his grandson rotten.
I didn’t even try to stop him. He wasn’t going as overboard as I might’ve thought.
It wasn’t like he’d bought Brody a yacht of his very own or anything quite as ludicrous as that, and it was my fault that they’d had to wait so long to spoil him at all, so I was trying to remain gracious about it.
Back at the Westwood mansion, Thanksgiving turned out to be chaotic and extravagant, but also warm and cozy.
The dining table groaned under the weight of turkey, pies, and enough sides to feed an army.
Caterers swarmed around, refilling glasses while football played on the big screen. Laughter carried down the halls.
CC kept sneaking glances at me over her wine glass, a very particular gleam in her eyes. Sadie eventually leaned in, flashing me an amused smirk. “She’s just waiting.”
“Waiting for what?” I asked.
Sadie chuckled and pointed at her growing stomach. “For the news that there’s another one on the way.”
I nearly choked on my mashed potatoes. “What?”
Laney, heavily pregnant and radiant, fanned herself with a napkin and gave me a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry. Once this baby arrives, she’ll be too busy fussing over me to keep hounding you. That should buy you at least a little bit of time.”
They laughed, but my cheeks were still on fire. I stole a glance at Callum though, his head tipped back in laughter and Brody leaning into him like it was the most natural thing in the world. Although he hadn’t said anything about it, I knew he was waiting for that news, too.
So was I, frankly.
After our wedding night, I’d thought maybe we would be making the announcement by now, but no such luck. Guess we’ll just have to keep trying.
My cheeks burned a little more at the thought, but I would never complain about the trying. God, it’s been amazing being a newlywed with a man like Callum as my husband.
CC didn’t ask what the girls were giggling about, nor did she come right out and ask when they could expect another grandchild. Because it seemed tonight wasn’t about me and Callum. It was about Harrison.
“Tell me, Harry,” Harlan drawled over dessert, leaning back in his chair with a glass of scotch dangling from his fingers. “What exactly are your plans?”
Harrison groaned, dragging a hand across his face. “My plans for what?”
“Marriage,” Harlan said, grinning like a shark. “Don’t look so surprised. Everyone’s wondering about it now that you’re the last man standing.”
“I’m still a kid,” Harrison protested, laughing and waving a napkin at his dad. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Twenty-four isn’t a kid,” Harlan shot back. “Hell, when I was your age, I’d already taken over the company and Sterling was on his way.”
“Wow, that’s really setting the bar high for me.
” Harrison rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth tugged upward, betraying his amusement.
“I’ll get married when I’m good and ready.
Which will be never if you harass me about it.
Sterling’s taking over the company and you’ve already got three grandbabies on the way. You’re good for now.”
The table rippled with laughter and CC clucked her tongue, muttering something about boys. I let the noise wash over me, catching Callum’s gaze across the table. He was already looking at me when I moved my eyes to his, that half-smile on his face.
I thought about the newspaper ad that had started all of this for us—his silly, reckless gamble that had changed my life. We’d cut it out, framed it, and hung it in the hallway at home.
Well, home for now.
After Sadie’s surprise gift and since we were actively trying for another baby, we had decided it was time. By Christmas, we would be moving into Callum’s manor on the estate, a place where Brody and our new dog could run until their legs gave out.
Our future was waiting just beyond these walls, and if Harrison’s grumbling was any indication, his was about to begin too.