Hockey Holidays Read online

  Shane blinked, waiting for the door to slam shut in his face. He must be seeing things. There was no way she could be happy to see him. No way she could be standing there, smiling at him. Maybe she didn't recognize him. Maybe she was simply too stunned to see him on the doorstep, his mouth gaping in surprise.

  But the door didn't slam closed, and her smile stayed in place. And yes, she did recognize him, he saw it in the depths of those piercing green eyes. Dark green, fringed in lush lashes. Witch's eyes that haunted his dreams at night, even now. Even after all this time.

  "Chloe." Her name tumbled from his lips, his voice strangled and a little choked. Her smile grew a little wider, the small dimple in her left cheek making a brief appearance.

  "Shane." There was no surprise in her voice, no hint of the anger or betrayal she must certainly be feeling. There was only warmth, welcoming and comforting.

  She ran a hand through her dark hair, giving him a glimpse of the green highlights scattered throughout the long strands, then stepped back and held the door wider. "Are you going to stand out there all night until you turn into a popsicle, or are you going to come inside?"

  He stepped inside, felt the years melt away as he scanned the familiar entranceway. The hand-hewn bench shoved against the wall, coats and scarves hanging from wooden pegs just above it. The small table placed just to the right of the door and the blue marble bowl filled with change, a smaller bowl in front of it holding carelessly tossed keys.

  And the pictures. So many pictures. Candid shots and formal portraits, all framed in varying shades and styles of wood, taking up nearly every inch of available wall space to his left.

  Shane pulled his gaze from the pictures, afraid to look at them too closely. Afraid he'd see the one with Wyatt and Chloe and him, back when they were teenagers. They'd been having a monster snowball battle and had called a truce long enough to come inside for hot chocolate at Mrs. Hunter's insistence—but not before she snapped the picture. The three of them had their arms draped over each other's shoulders, their faces red from the cold, their smiles as bright as the winter sun reflecting off the snow as they faced the camera.

  No, he wasn't afraid he'd see the picture—he was afraid he wouldn't see it. That it had been removed, tossed out like the garbage he'd become.

  The door closed behind him and he turned, jumping with guilt. Could Chloe tell? Maybe, maybe not. She'd always been able to see past his cocky attitude, had always been able to push past his external barriers. But that was years ago, before life had sent all three of them into a tailspin.

  "I didn't think you were going to show up."

  Her words made him pause. He frowned at her, confusion keeping him off-balance. "How did you know I was even coming?"

  "Because I called Aunt Liz to invite you. How else?"

  "Oh. I, uh..." His voice trailed off as he struggled to find the right words—any words. Chloe had called to invite him? Aunt Liz hadn't told him that. She hadn't told him much of anything, except to insist he come here tonight.

  To insist it was time for him to put the past behind him.

  Shane looked away from those piercing green eyes and finally shrugged out of the heavy coat, juggling the wrapped gift from one hand to the other as he did so. Chloe just stood there, not offering to help, watching him with a frown as he hung his coat over another one above the bench.

  She stared at him long enough that he started to squirm, long enough that he finally turned and frowned right back at her. "What?"

  "Where's your sweater?"

  Shane looked down at his outfit. Faded jeans. Expensive exotic skin boots. A dark green button-down flannel shirt. "What sweater?"

  "It's an Ugly Christmas Sweater party. You're supposed to be wearing an ugly sweater." She waved a hand in front of her, motioning to her own sweater.

  "I didn't know. Aunt Liz didn't explain that." Or had she? Shane had done his best to ignore everything she'd told him about the party tonight, positive he wasn't going to be attending. He'd forgotten how insistent Aunt Liz could be, how easily she could bend people to her will once she made up her mind.

  "Well, at least you brought a present for the white elephant gift exchange." Chloe finally took the wrapped gift from his hand, playfully shaking it like she was trying to figure out what was inside. "Besides, Mom has extra sweaters for everyone. Don't say I didn't warn you."

  A jolt of surprise—of heat and of wanting—shot through Shane when she reached down and took his hand, her slender fingers threading with his. Just like old times. Just like before, when they had been together. A couple. Inseparable.

  When he'd been certain they would always be together.

  But that had been before. Before life had changed in the blink of an eye. Before dreams had been shattered and lives irrevocably changed.

  Before he'd fucked up everything.

  Did Chloe feel the way he stiffened under her touch? Could she sense his hesitation? His confusion? If she did, she ignored it. She simply offered him another wide smile, the dimple playing hide-and-seek in her cheek as she tugged him forward.

  Leading him from the entranceway and into the large family room filled with people.

  Bringing him face-to-face with the mistakes of his past.

  Chapter Two

  Chloe tightened her fingers around Shane's, surprised at the flare of heat spreading throughout her just from that brief touch. She squelched the yearning growing deep inside her, wondered if he could feel the way her fingers trembled against his.

  Or if he simply thought his fingers were the only ones trembling.

  For the same reason hers were? From excitement and desire. From feelings long forgotten. From the memory of the way they used to walk like this, hand-in-hand. Like it was second nature, something neither one of them gave a second thought to.

  Until it was too late.

  Until they stopped touching. Stopped talking. Just...stopped.

  She tamped down the memories, calling herself a fool for letting them wash over her, even for that brief moment. She couldn't make the mistake of reading into things where Shane was concerned. And if his fingers really were trembling, it wasn't because of a brief escape into the past. At least, not their past. He was nervous, hesitant. Wasn't sure what he was doing here, why he'd come.

  Wasn't sure if he'd be welcomed.

  She had the same uncertainty as she tugged him into the family room then stood there, waiting for everyone else to notice them. Christmas music played in the background, competing for attention with the movie playing on the large flat screen television and the laughing conversation filling the large room. Family and friends sat on every available surface: chairs and sofa and loveseat, the stone hearth in front of the fireplace, even the plank wood floor. Twenty people were crammed into the normally spacious room, family and friends gathered together to celebrate the holidays. To celebrate each other.

  Only two other people knew Shane was coming tonight: her parents. Her mother had been supportive, her father cautiously indifferent. Chloe had been hesitant to tell them, afraid they'd tell her no. Afraid they wouldn't want him here. But she couldn't just surprise them, couldn't invite Shane behind their backs and risk his showing up creating tension.

  Not that she didn't expect tension—she did. Chloe might be the dreamer of the family but she still had both feet firmly planted in reality. But having her parents support her half-baked plan would help alleviate some of the tension that would surely happen. Maybe just a minuscule piece of it, but that was better than nothing.

  At least, that was her hope. The reality could be totally different.

  But it was time. Past time. More than five years had gone by. They all needed this. Her mom and dad. Her brother, Wyatt. Shane.

  And she needed it, too. Maybe just as much as her brother did. Maybe even more, but for totally different reasons. The way her fingers trembled, the way her heart raced in her chest, told her that much.

  Chloe cleared her throat, finally getting the at