Page 42

Grant

"How did we get here before you guys?" Cami asks from the booth that Gunnar and she have claimed.

"Brookie dragged us to two different thrift stores after we stopped for Starbucks!" Adam smiles. "I found another Troll,everyone meet Mixie." He then holds up the troll for everyone to see.

Cami's eyes widen at the topic of shopping ignoring Adams Troll. "Find anything good?"

"Yes! Someone donated a load of vintage stuff." She smiles at me as I let her slide in first, fighting my impulse to touch her as I settle in next to her.

Hiding this is becoming increasingly difficult. I've never been particularly interested in being touchy with girls whom I'm hooking up with, but something about Brooke just makes me want to be as close to her as possible.

"The December and January drop is almost full." She leans back, and I hold my hand up for her to high-five, which she does, smiling.

We place our orders before we discuss winter break plans.

"Back home for me." I take a long sip of my coffee. I've decided to ask Brooke to join me, but the time hasn't been right yet.

"Heading to my grandma's." Gunnar nods. "Adam is near to her, so we are sharing the drive."

"I could have been on a Caribbean cruise, but my parents didn't want to pay for all my siblings, so since I can't pay my way, I'm being welcomed in by the McDonald clan." Cami smiles at Bear.

"And Brooke." Bear nods at her. "You're coming with us."

Well, shit.

"What? No, Bear, I'm okay, just staying here." She's shaking her head at him, but she must know by now none of us would have let that happen.

"We agreed you'd get shared about on the holidays. I get Christmas this year." He smiles. He's beaten me to it, and I can't even be mad because, well, it's Bear.

"Is there any point in fighting this?" She looks at all of us, and we shake our heads, laughing.

"Okay then, I guess I'm also heading to the McDonald Clan." She announces, and I nudge her, smiling. She turns and smiles back. I'm happy if she's happy, that's all that matters.

The server brings our food over, and we dig in.

"I've been thinking," Gunnar announces mid-meal. "What if we come back early and throw a New Year's Eve party?"

"In," Adam says immediately.

"I'm game if you two are. I only need to hang around for the post-Christmas walks," Bear mumbles as he shovels pancakes in.

"Walks?" Brooke hisses at me. "As in multiple walks after Christmas."

I can't help but laugh; she must enjoy a Christmas like my family, where we don't move and watch movies, and she hits me on the shoulder.

"I can head back early," I confirm, rubbing my arm jokingly. "We haven't thrown a party in a while." Adam grabs Gunnar's shoulders and shakes them. "Look at you! Diving straight back into college life, I'm so proud." He jokingly wipes a tear from his eye, and Gunnar shoves him off, laughing.

"I know you guys not throwing many parties, is my fault." Gunnar looks down, getting serious. "I'm sorry. I know you were just trying to help."

"We just wanted you happy, bud," I say. "Sorry if that made it harder for you."

Gunnar told us last night that the more he stayed in, the more suspicious she was of the rest of us being party animals and bad influences, but if he went out, it was ten times worse.

He didn't want to keep fighting with her, so he tried to keep her as happy as possible to minimise the fights.

The messages to Cami weren't even flirty, but he sent her one asking if he had upset her after the game, and he thinks Sasha saw it, thinking there was more to it.

She had cheated on him twice last year, and he found out right before they left for college, which explains the ridiculous number of phone calls and his being glued to his phone. He thought he could work past it, not wanting to throw a five-year relationship away, but enough was just enough.

"I've told Sasha it's completely over, and when I head back home next, we can give each other our stuff back." He takes a long sip of his coffee. "I've also had to delete all my socials and email, I need to redo them."

"I'm sorry, Gunnar," Brooke says, reaching over and touching his arm. "That must have been such an invasion of your privacy."

"I just can't believe she did that to me. I mean, she's the one who cheated." He shakes his head. "Not that I would, but surely it should be me checking up on her."

"You would never do that to anyone." Adam shakes his head, saying what we are all thinking.

"I just want to move forward; no more being on my phone and focus on my last two years of hockey." He chucks his arm around Adam. "Thanks for not just giving up on me."

"Not a chance you're getting rid of us that easily." I grin at him and he returns it.

It's good to see my buddy happy again, even if it's not under the best circumstances.