Hockey Holidays Read online

  He had a girlfriend. A nice girlfriend, she reminded herself. Alex deserved to find happiness.

  “Dr. Terraza, Henry is back in his room. I’ve updated his file,” Callie said, and all thoughts of makeup and hair care, and Alex—and his girlfriend—faded away.

  She had a job to do.

  “Great. I have to look in on Camilla first. She just started that new clinical trial.” A trial that might’ve saved Grace. She bit the inside of her cheek. She had to focus on her patients, and on finding the best treatment course for each kid that came through the door. As much as she wished Grace were still here, these kids were, and focusing on the past wouldn’t help her be the best doctor she could be.

  She poked her head into Camilla’s room. Anna, Camilla’s mother, gave her a bright smile but Maggie saw the pain behind it.

  “How are we doing today?” Maggie asked, pulling up Camilla’s chart on her tablet.

  “Hi, Dr. Maggie. A little sore, and my tummy hurts,” Camilla said, rubbing her belly.

  “She’s even more tired with this new medication, and she doesn’t want to eat a lot,” Anna said, holding her daughter’s hand. She only had smiles for the little girl, but when Camilla looked away, there was fear in her mother’s gaze.

  “Tiredness is normal with this trial. You should take naps when you need them, but make sure you’re moving around every day and getting some exercise, even if it’s just walking down the hall here, or around your house when you get home. Your stomach pain should fade soon, but if you still feel this way in a few days, I want you to let me know.”

  “Do you think I will be back home for Christmas, Dr. Maggie?” Camilla asked.

  “Hopefully if all goes well, you’ll just be here for the week or two and then you’ll be home in plenty of time for Christmas,” Maggie said, lightly squeezing her hand.

  She finished up with Camilla and moved down the hall to check on the rest of her patients. She wished every kid in this hospital could go home for the holidays, and she would do everything she could to help them celebrate this year—and hopefully, many years to come—at home.

  “Westie brought Santa,” a child’s voice called out as Maggie made her way to the nurses’ station.

  “And Santa’s friends,” Ruth, one of the nurses whispered. “Who knew elf boots could be so hot.”

  “Right. Rudolph can jingle my bell any night he wants,” Dr. Avery Gordon said, wiggling her eyebrows for good measure.

  “But keep your hands off Westie. He belongs to Maggie,” Callie chimed in.

  “Wait. What?” Avery asked.

  “I’m never telling you anything,” Maggie bit out, but Callie just shrugged.

  “Spill. How do you know him?” Avery asked.

  “We grew up together and dated in high school. It’s no big deal. We’re just friends now,” she said, turning away from her gossipy co-workers. Her gaze crashed right into Alex, his smile broad, his lips full, and her mouth watered. Freaking watered.

  Yep, she definitely wasn’t on the nice list this year.

  “Yeah, friends,” Callie said. Maggie didn’t need to turn around to see her friend’s smirk. Brat.

  Alex stopped at the nurses’ station next to her, and she stiffened. His soft chuckle rolled over her. Bastard.

  He greeted every nurse and doctor individually, and it drove home how invested he was in his program.

  “The kids are excited. Someone let it slip that you were coming,” Callie said.

  “No problem,” Alex said before he turned to Maggie. “Dr. Terraza, did you want to join us?”

  “What? No. You guys have fun.”

  That gleam in his eyes was pure trouble. She broke eye contact with him before she could do anything she’d regret.

  Girlfriend.

  She moved away from him, skirting along the edge of the nurses’ station.

  “Look at all the presents,” a child’s voice cut through her thoughts, and she looked down the hall to see a few kids poking their heads out of their rooms. She’d seen the list of patients the guys planned to visit. It was almost the entire floor, barring the few kids that were too sick to see visitors. She could only imagine how many presents they had for all four floors.

  “You didn’t try to hide today, Mags,” Alex said, nudging her shoulder so she’d look at him again.

  She gasped. Crap. When had he sidled up next to her? “Don’t you have presents to give out?” she asked, pinching his side.

  “Hey, you know I’m ticklish there,” he said. That damn twinkle in his eyes needed to go the hell away.

  Now she was thinking about way too many tickle fights that had ended with her gasping on top of him and all of their clothes missing. She shook her head.

  “Yeah, fond memories,” he whispered close to her ear.

  “Stop it. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I wasn’t trying to hide from you.”

  “Sure, you weren’t,” he said, tweaking her nose before he headed down the hallway with his teammates.

  “Yeah, friends my ass,” Callie said, sidling up next to Maggie.

  “Zip it, you. Thanks for outing me just now.”

  “Ahh, they would’ve found out eventually. Especially with the way he can’t stop looking at you.”

  She would not look up at him. She. Would. Not.

  “I have to check on a few patients,” she said, heading down the hallway.

  “Sure, you do. I’ll save you a cookie,” Callie called out.

  She wanted to say that she spent the next hour focused on her job, but after checking on two of her patients, she found herself standing just inside the door of Henry’s room, watching him painstakingly open his gift as he told Alex that Baz was his new favorite player. Alex claimed to be heartbroken and then threatened to sing holiday songs.

  The guys joined in on a few songs, including Olaf’s favorite. She couldn’t stop her smile as Alex’s tone-deaf voice rang out and Henry covered his ears.

  “This is why Baz is my new favorite,” Henry said, and Alex leaned over to give Henry a hug.

  “It’s okay. I’ll forgive you for now, but you’ll be back. It’s only because you have the same smile with all those missing teeth.”

  Alex looked up and caught her gaze. The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile, and it did nothing to tamp down her buzzing nerves. Good thing he wasn’t Santa, or she might’ve climbed into his lap.

  He has a girlfriend. A. Nice. Girlfriend.

  She ducked out of the room.

  “Maggie, wait.” His voice was too close, and she spun around.

  “Can we talk?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea right now, Alex. What about the kids?”

  “The guys have it covered. I need to talk to you.”

  She hesitated to tell him no. There was something in his voice: nerves, excitement. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it probably would lead her to say things she shouldn’t. Do things she shouldn’t.

  “Alex,” she started, but he’d already nudged her into an empty hospital room.

  “Alex. What are you doing?” she asked as he crowded into her, pulling the door shut behind him.

  “What I’ve wanted to do since I saw you in my suite. Hell, since forever,” he said, snaking his arm around her waist and settling her into his body.

  “Alex, we can’t. You have a girlfriend,” she said, her hands on his chest to shove him away. Alex was not the cheating type.

  “She was never my girlfriend. We went on a few dates and we’re just friends. She knows all about you, and she said I never looked at her the way I look at you. Anyone can see that.”

  “Alex,” she started, getting caught up in his eyes. Dammit. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

  “Stop ignoring this, Maggie. Can I kiss you now?”

  He leaned in, and heaven help her, she shifted closer, her eyes locked on his lips. Lips she remembered nibbling on in the back of his SUV before graduation.

  He pulled her closer