Page 230 of Securing the Pucking Rebound

“No,” I cry, pulling my cell from my pocket.

I’ve got numerous messages that I’m yet to open from Bea and the girls. Calvin is the only person I’ve messaged since landing, and he didn’t say anything. I was too focused on him and my impending departure to check anything else since getting up this morning.

I open Instagram and go to a hockey gossip account I often see posts for, and there I am.

“Holy shit.”

I stare wide-eyed at an image of Calvin and me in the club last night, dancing.

We look…hell, we look hot.

Then I realize that it’s not just one image; there are multiple. I swipe through, seeing our evening laid out in front of us. Thankfully, they stop once we’re in the Uber. I’d have been mortified if they had images of my ass while I was hanging over his shoulder.

“So it’s true? You’re dating Calvin Keller?” Mom asks excitedly.

“Uh, yeah. It’s true.”

“Oh my god,” she squeals. “This is the best gift ever.”

63

SIENNA

Mom grilled me all the way home about Calvin, and I had little choice but to tell her everything.

To say that she was shocked would be an understatement.

Just like me, Mom and Dad had no idea that Calvin Keller is an older version of Vinny Smythson.

She happily told me how cute she thought we were that summer, and how sad they both were when I confessed that we lost touch.

“We always thought he would make a fantastic son-in-law, and we knew you’d love living at the ranch someday,” were some of her exact words.

Her excitement diminished a little when I explained about Calvin’s family and how they don’t support his career choice.

Both my parents looked dumbfounded by that. The concept of not supporting Garrett and me in whatever direction we choose is unfathomable.

The questions didn’t stop coming once we got home and Mom handed me a plateful of cookies to snack on.

By the time they left to pick Garrett up from the airport hours later, I was emotionally exhausted.

I made the most of having the house to myself and ran myself a bath. It would probably be the only time during my stay here. And just because I missed him already, I propped my cell up and video called Calvin, teasing him relentlessly while naked and covered in bubbles. Poor guy looked like he was in physical pain, I felt bad…kind of.

As a family, we spent the evening catching each other up on our lives, but mostly, the conversation revolved around me and my…boyfriend? Considering we haven’t had that conversation yet, I’m not sure the title is correct or not, but I wasn’t going to go into the dynamics of our relationship with my parents.

I hated waking up alone this morning. One night with Calvin in my bed again, and I’m like a junkie who needs her next fix.

The first thing I did was reach for my cell, and I couldn’t stop my smile from spreading when I found that he’d already messaged and was waiting for me to wake up.

We spent so long on video call, Garrett threatened to drag me out of bed by my feet if I didn’t get my ass up and help Mom with the meal prep, like he’d done a time or two when we were kids.

Since Mom and Dad moved back to Idaho, the Christmas Eve tradition has been to spend the evening with the rest of the small town they live in, celebrating the holidays with food everyone has made.

Part of them moving out of the city was to embrace small-town life and get involved in the wider community. They both spend their weekends during the spring helping to plant flowers and maintain the beds along Main Street, and they volunteer for all other kinds of things. Seeing them with the other townspeople, most of whom have lived here all their lives, just goes to prove that they made the right move. I’ve never seen them happier.

We spend all afternoon making sausage rolls, cheese twists, spring roll, and all kinds of sweet treats for the evening’s festivities. The kitchen is pure chaos, but Mom wouldn’t have it any other way. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Garrett, both of us in comedy aprons that Mom forces us to wear, brings such nostalgia from our childhood. It’s almost enough to make me forget the man I left behind. Almost.

By the time we’re done, we probably have enough food to feed the entire town. From charcuterie boards, pastry tarts, and mini meatballs to a whole host of dips, and of course, not forgetting the sweet treats, there’s no doubt that everyone is going to be full and happy tonight.