Page 27 of You Make It Feel like Christmas

Ellie laughed a little too loud. “How about we get you a cookie, Mr. Kangaroo?”

He followed his mom into the kitchen.

Nick wondered if he should apologize to Maisie’s mom or go after her but he promised Asher he’d take him outside. Scooping up a huge bite of potato, he focused on his food.

“You have to stop doing that to her, Mom,” Natalie said quietly, tossing her napkin on her plate.

“Wanting what’s best for her? She lives in a tiny little apartment and leases the space across the hall, barely a closet, for work. Is it so wrong that I want her to see that she’s more than that?”

Nick fought back the desire to protect her, to speak up for Maisie. The only other person he’d felt the need to do that for was his sister.

“Maybe she wants the same,” Jacob said, his tone strained.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Laura didn’t like having the tables turned on herself.

Jacob stood up. “It means, maybe she wants you to see that she’s more than you just described. Did you see the photos she took of her friend Hailey’s wedding? She wasn’t even the event photographer and it was her photos Page Six printed.”

Laura stood up. “I’m not saying she isn’t talented.”

“No, Mom,” Natalie said quietly, taking her husband’s hand. “You’re just telling her that her talent isn’t enough.”

Nick excused himself before things went any more sideways than they already had. He couldn’t stop thinking about Maisie. Going into the kitchen, he hoped to find her in there but wasn’t surprised when he didn’t. Asher sat at the island looking at his iPad and Ellie was cleaning up.

“Mo family, mo drama,” Ellie said.

Nick laughed. “Guess we’re lucky then, huh?”

Ellie looked up at him as he stood next to her, grabbing a towel to dry the dishes she was washing. “I feel pretty lucky.”

They worked side by side for a few minutes but he knew his sister well, even if he didn’t get to see her as much as he wanted.

“What’s going on?”

She looked up at him, strands of her blond hair getting in her eyes. She blew them out. “I don’t want you to get mad. It’s not a big deal and I dealt with it so it’s done.”

Nick’s fingers tightened on the dishcloth. “What?”

“When I was closing up the lot tonight, there were a couple of photographers. One of them asked some questions. I told them no comment and that my land was private property. They were smart enough to stay outside the fence. But, just so you know, if you go into town again before you leave. Hard to stay under the radar even in a town this size when you’re showboating as a celebrity goat. ”

Nick laughed at the ridiculousness of the statement. “My publicist thought it was fantastic. Gives people something to talk about other than my game or my injury.”

She bumped his hip. “Plus, Hester dropped off your cookies as a thank-you. I don’t think I’ve ever had more cookies in my house.”

“I love cookies,” Asher said from behind them. “We gotta save some for Santa.”

“We will, honey.” Asher went back to laughing at something on the screen and Nick felt his sister’s gaze.

When he looked down, a surge of affection swamped him.

“You need to watch yourself,” she said quietly.

Nick’s lips tightened. “What’s that mean?”

She tilted her head toward the dining area. “Colt’s protective of Jacob’s sisters. Which makes sense. He’s protective of me too.”

Smoothing the cloth, he measured his words carefully.

“There’s something about her, El. I don’t know what it’ll become but I’m not walking away.”

Ellie grinned up at him like he’d just given her a beautiful present. “When you want something and it matters, do you ever?”

She had a point. And he had a promise to keep before he went to find Maisie.

“You want to go grab your helmet, Ash?”

Asher looked up from the screen, yawned. “I wanna watch a movie.”

“Okay. Maybe I’ll go wrap some presents.” Partial truths. He had things to wrap but if he got distracted unwrapping Maisie…

“We got you a fun present, Uncle Nick. It’s—”

“A secret,” Ellie said over her son.

Asher’s cheeks went red. “I know.”

Nick kissed his sister’s cheek then walked to his nephew and ruffled his hair. “Close call, buddy.”

“Nick.”

Looking back at Ellie from the bottom of the stairs, he waited.

“I love you.”

“Me, too.”

Upstairs, he opened the door to his bedroom and stepped in. His heart jumped; a little hop inside of his chest. Maisie sat on his floor in the middle of a wrapping command station.

“You take your wrapping seriously,” he said, closing the door behind him.

She gave him a soft smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Hope it’s okay I brought my stuff in here. I thought you might need help wrapping yours.”

Nick put his hands on his hips and gave her a teasingly affronted look. “That seems sexist.”

Her laughter made him happy. “It wasn’t meant to. Jake’s the best wrapper I know. It was more because you’re a hockey player.”

It was his turn to laugh and as he did, he closed the distance between them.

He sank down onto the floor, not even trying to cross his legs because that was a useless endeavor. Instead, he picked up a roll of wrapping paper and looked at it.

“You got themed wrapping paper?” There were Grinches all over it.

Her next smile got a little closer to her eyes. “That one’s for your presents.”

He wondered if she was joking or if she’d really gotten him a present. He’d found something in the store they went to and texted Colt to grab it for him while he was in there.

Colton had sent him back a text asking if he should question why Nick was buying Maisie a present. That’s when Maisie had found him in the alley.

Nick dropped the paper and reached out, placed his hands on her hips, and yanked her into his lap.

“You’re my present and it definitely doesn’t need to be wrapped,” he whispered just before he curled his hand around the back of her neck and brought her face closer, their foreheads touching. He’d never liked just being near someone so much.

Maisie’s lips grazed his softly and just that gentle touch was enough to ignite his desire for this woman.

Both of his hands shifted up into her hair, tugging her closer so their mouths could fuse in a way that quieted his brain.

All he heard was their labored breathing, her sweet sighs, that little hitch in her breath, and the low groan that left her when he moved one hand down over the gentle curve of her breast.

Paper crumpled as his legs relaxed and she moved to straddle his hips.

The knock on the door had him pulling back abruptly. Maisie leaned away, slipped off his lap, and went back to her own space.

“Uncle Nick. Mom says I can have a sleepover in your room. I’m gonna get my stuff.”

Nick groaned and dropped his head. Another knock sounded. “Can I come in?” Colt.

“Can I say no?” Nick called, not hiding his frustration.

“Why would you say that?” The sarcasm was thick but Colton ignored it.

The door opened and Colt strolled in, his gaze amused.

Maisie grinned up. “Hey. You’re lucky there were no presents out.” She looked at Nick and he could still see the haze in her eyes. “Maybe I should clean this up.”

“Since Asher’s sleeping in my room, I’ll get him to wrap Ellie’s present.” He turned to look at Colt. “Though, I’m rethinking buying you one.”

Maisie leaned forward and Nick inhaled the scent of fruit and something just so absolutely Maisie it made him wish he could snap his fingers and they’d have the house to themselves.

Colton’s smile widened. “That seems unnecessary. I just thought I’d accompany Asher up. Make sure he didn’t walk in on…” Colt trailed off, lips twitching. “Any surprises.”

Maisie’s cheeks pinkened as she clumsily got to her feet, endearing her even more to Nick. “Subtle, big brother-in-law.”

She went up on her tiptoes and kissed Colt’s cheek. “Now I don’t feel so bad for keeping Jake on the phone a few weeks ago when you clearly had other plans.”

Jesus. Nick did not need to know these things about anyone other than himself. And Maisie. Him and Maisie.

Colton tugged a lock of Maisie’s hair. “I knew that was intentional, brat.”

Maisie looked back over her shoulder. “I’ll grab my wrapping stuff later, Nick.

Enjoy your sleepover.” She sent him a wink that went straight to his gut.

Colt tucked his hands in his pockets. Cool, calm, and collected.

And, if Nick was reading him right, a little concerned despite his attempts at humor.

Nick sighed, ran his hands through his hair. “You going to warn me off?”

Colton’s head reared back in surprise. “Why would I do that?”

Nick shoved his hands in his pockets. “Because I’m a hockey player, she’s basically your little sister, you’re married to her brother. I don’t exactly have the best relationship résumé.”

Colton walked closer, clapped a hand on Nick’s shoulder.

“Maisie is special. She deserves someone who sees her, who gets her and makes her smile without trying to change her. You’re right, there’s lots of strings tangling this whole group together, but trust me when I say, you don’t get to choose who’s going to own your heart.

Sometimes they sneak right in and grab hold before you can stop them. All you can do is take care of theirs.”

The words made Nick’s throat feel too tight. “You trust me to do that?”

Colton shook his head, dropped his hand. “I’d trust you with my life.”

Well, that was unexpected.

“Then why the hell did you use my nephew to coc—”

Colt’s loud laugh cut him off. “Though I’m definitely not sorry for it, I really was just following him up here and saw Maisie’s room was empty.” Asher came running back in with a Star Wars sleeping bag and a baby Yoda stuffy.

“Ready,” he said, heading right for the bed. “We can watch a movie now.”

“Yeah, bud, we can.” Nick shook his head, ignored his friend’s laughter, and settled in for a movie he knew he wouldn’t pay one second of attention to. Not with the world’s sexiest distraction one door away.