Page 22 of He Has Santa (Boston Brawlers Hockey)
CHAPTER10
JUNIE
The doorbell rings at three o’clock on the dot, and I almost run to the bathroom to throw up, but when Nicky scrambles to the door, still dressed in her uniform from Sacred Heart School, I rally and dash ahead of her. My fear of making a wrong move, saying the wrong thing has me brittle. Mom comes up behind me, and we reach the door together. Great. He’ll think we’re all crazy, just a little too eager.
“Take a breath, Junie,” Mom says under her breath. She lays a hand on my shoulder and gives me a squeeze. I do as she says, grateful for the moral support.
“I’ll get it, Mommy.” Nicky has the patience of a six-year-old. None at all. She yanks the door open and squeals when she sees Logan. I think she has the right idea because he looks delicious. When he steps inside, I realize he smells even more delicious.
“Uncle Logan!” Nicky throws herself into his arms, and he gamely stoops to pick her up with one hand. On his other hand, he has a bag. He hands this to my mother and greets her with a solid smile as we all move inside.
Lastly, he looks at me, gives me a wink, and says, “You look like a dream, Junie.” It was an old line of his, one I hadn’t thought of in a long time, but now that he said it, the memories and feelings flood back, warming me right up to my cheeks in a blush. So not my style, but that’s what he does to me.
“You look too good to be true.” It was always my comeback. He smiles, and his eyes flicker with remembrance.
“What did you bring me?” Nicky asks, sliding from Logan’s arms. She follows my mother into the living room. Dad stands and shakes Logan’s hand.
“It’s been a while, young man. Glad you joined the Brawlers. How’s it feels being back and playing for a championship team?”
“It’s what I’ve always wanted.” Logan turns to me and adds, “Among other things.”
Mom pulls a bottle of wine and a box of chocolate-covered strawberries from the bag, and Nicky begs her to open the strawberries, and I tell her she can have one. The air is tense, and Nicky is the only one unaffected by the weight of the past six years, blissfully unaware of the history between us all. For the moment.
That’s about to change. My gut tumbles around, telling me how I feel about that prospect.
“Look, there’s one more thing in the bottom of the bag,” Mom says. She pulls out an official-looking Brawler’s jersey with Logan’s name and number on it. Nicky jumps up, a strawberry stuffed in her mouth, and gives a muffled squeal of delight. We put the jersey on her, and I can’t believe I need to hold back tears for the second time in two days. This time I’m determined to buck up.
Then Nicky rushes Logan and hugs him fiercely as he bends to hug her back.
“Thank you so much, Uncle Logan. This is the best present ever.”
That’s when I need to go into a rapid blinking mode in a desperate move not to cry. But at least these tears are the good kind—if there is such a thing.
“Let me put these strawberries in the fridge and put the wine away,” Mom says.
“I’ll come with you, and we can have a glass of that wine,” Dad says. And just like that, Mom and Dad disappear, leaving Nicky and me with Logan and the task of telling her that he’s her long-lost father.
“How was school today?” Logan asks. I take a seat on the couch and gesture for Logan to join me
“Fun. Like always. I got five gold stars, and I sit in front of the class.”
“Is that right?”
Nicky nods her head, standing there in her plaid jumper looking from one of us to the other.
“Is something wrong?”
“Why would you ask that?” I say, feigning calm.
“You look serious, Mommy. And you too, Uncle—”
“That’s what we need to talk to you about,” Logan says, cutting her off before she can call him her uncle yet again. I breathe a sigh of relief because every time she says it, I cringe, and I can’t even imagine how it’s cutting him.
“About what?” She looks unsure now and comes around the coffee table. I hold out my arms and take her onto my lap.
“No worries, honey. It is something serious, but in a good way,” I say. My soft words soothe me as much as they do her. She always makes me better than I am, stronger than I think.
“You remember that letter you wrote to Santa?” Logan says as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. Nicky nods and then gasps when she sees that he has the letter.
