Hockey Holidays Read online

  She walked into the bathroom, stripped out of her clothes, then turned on the water for her shower and waited for it to heat up. The bathroom was smaller than she would have liked. Elexis missed having a bathtub and counter space to lay out her beauty supplies. After finishing her shower, she wrapped herself in her large fluffy bathrobe and fired up her laptop that was sitting on the coffee table, which was surrounded by her textbooks.

  Moving to Manchester shortly after her high school graduation, she knew a traditional college setting wouldn’t be for her. She didn’t like large crowds and couldn’t focus with others around her. She liked the one-on-one setting, which is why she chose to take online classes. And the plus side of it all was she could still work both jobs without them interfering with classroom time.

  As the laptop screen began to glow, Twitter popped up. Elexis smiled seeing the numerous notifications and began to scroll through the countless tweets. She replied to a few before sending one herself.

  Finished with a hot shower. #feelingfreshandclean Time to get some homework done. #workitout #getitgirl

  Continuing to scroll through the tweets, she noticed the trending topics. One stood out to her—#dateme

  Unsure of what it meant, she clicked the hashtag and the tweets loaded. Apparently, people are tweeting reasons why celebrities should date them. Some were funny. A few were sad. Several of them were disgusting and caused her to understand why people thought millennials were immature and irresponsible.

  Elexis sat there for a few more minutes, still enjoying the entertainment of the tweets when she thought about which celebrity she would like to date. None really came to mind. She couldn’t even think of a reason why anyone would date her. Probably why no one had. There were a couple of boys throughout high school who asked her out, but she declined all of them. Books and school came first in her life. Of course, hockey was right up there too.

  Glancing over at her puck, setting proudly on her nightstand next to her bed, she thought of Dag Limon. Would he date her?

  “No,” she said aloud with a chuckle, but it would be funny to tweet about it.

  I bet I would make @DagLimon02 a fantastic girlfriend because I love my Bears. I’m excellent at ordering takeout and I can read faster than he can skate. Oh, and we can go to Arby’s on our first date! #dateme

  She laughed at herself and at what she tweeted, then wondered how many RTs she’d receive because she sounded so desperate. She laughed at herself again and then closed the tab to start on her homework.

  Chapter Two

  Dag flipped the pancakes, hoping he hadn’t burnt them again. No matter how many YouTube videos he watched, his first batch of pancakes always turned out disastrous.

  “Dad, we’re hungry.” Bruce banged his fork against the kitchen table.

  “I know, I’m getting it done.” Thankfully, the pancakes were fluffy and edible. He opened the fridge, pulled out the orange juice and poured two glasses and set them on the table in front of his boys.

  “I want apple juice.” Brock eyed the glass as if it were some disgusting concoction.

  “Damn.” He muttered under his breath. He meant to get some at the store yesterday and completely forgot.

  “Oooohhh, Dad said a bad word.” Bruce pointed out.

  “Put a quarter in the jar.” Brock ordered him.

  “I will when I get a quarter.” He told them. “And you’ll have to drink the orange juice because there’s no apple juice.” He quickly plated the pancakes and brought them over to his twins.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” Brock questioned where was his father’s food.

  “Not right now. I have to clean up the kitchen before Pop-Pop gets here.” Picking up his—now cold—coffee, he took two big gulps before cleaning the griddle and wiping down the counters.

  “Is Pop-Pop mmuuufff mmmuuufff?”

  “Bruce, stop talking with your mouth full.” Dag scolded him. “Chew, swallow and then ask.”

  “He asked if Pop-Pop would be here all day?” Brock interpreted.

  “Yes, he will be. I have practice before the game tonight.” Dag began to unload the dishwasher. “He’s going to get you two off to school, pick you up, and bring you to the game tonight.” He gave them a quick overview of today’s schedule.

  “I can’t wait to see Uncle Cabel and Uncle Edgar play tonight.” Brock picked up his pancake with both hands and took a massive bite. Syrup dripped down his chin and onto his pajamas.

  This was the reason why Dag left them in their pajamas until the last possible minute. He couldn’t figure out why his twins were incredibly messy, but they truly were the worse.

  “Brock, use your fork.” He sighed, shaking his head. “And yes, your uncles will be happy to see you as well.”

  Dag didn’t have any brothers by blood, but every member of the Bears team had been family. Edgar, Cabel and a couple of others didn’t mind his sons giving them the title of uncle. In fact, he thought they enjoyed it. Especially Cabel Dirks. His role on the Bears hadn’t been just a player. He was a father figure to every one of them.

  “Aunt Greer said she would bring cookies tonight.” Bruce beamed with excitement.

  Edgar’s wife spoiled his boys to the core. Dag begged her not to, but no one goes against Greer. She’s a force to be reckoned with.

  “If she does, please be sure to thank her. The last time you didn’t and it’s rude not to.” He chided them. “I know you two know your manners.”

  “Yes, sir,” they answered in unison, slightly hanging their heads.

  The role of enforcer was one Dag embraced on the ice, but at home, it broke his heart seeing sadness on the boys’ faces, but being mother and father to them, he couldn’t let some things slide. Especially, when he wanted them to be raised with good manners and strong morals.

  He thought about the boys’ mother for a moment. He still couldn’t believe how much his life had changed over the past five years. Faith Chambers had Dag’s heart in her hand since the moment he laid eyes on her. He never believed in love at first sight until the day they were introduced. He knew she felt it as well.

  When she told him she was carrying his boys, he thought he would explode with joy. Being a father had always been a dream of his and to have twin boys…it became a dream come true. For months before the boys’ due date, Dag begged Faith to marry him. He wanted to be a family with her, but she turned him down time after time. She gave excuse after excuse, but Dag kept trying, hoping she’d eventually change her mind. The boys arrived early on a Friday evening, and Dag cried with pride when he saw his perfect sons. They were a little underweight and were taken to the NICU. Faith told Dag to go home and rest, but he couldn’t…no, he wouldn’t leave any of them. He decided to take a nap in the lobby to stay closer to the boys and to Faith.

  When he awoke, he went to check on Faith first. He wanted to try to sway her to marry him. He figured it would be the perfect time. As he walked into the room, he stopped. Nothing but an empty bed came into his view. Her clothes—gone. Her purse—gone. Everything—gone. There hadn’t been a single goodbye given to him or the boys.

  She vanished.

  For the past year, he fought hard against the family court system to have Faith’s parental rights terminated. She has never contacted either of the boys since the day she left. Dag has done it all. He almost gave up his hockey career until his father, Big Bruce, stepped in and started helping him take care of the boys because he knew the struggles of raising a child alone.

  Dag’s mother walked out on them when he had barely been out of diapers. Dag didn’t want the same for his children—he knew their pain. They occasionally asked about their mother, and Dag told them the truth every time. He didn’t know where she was or what she was doing. He hated himself because he couldn’t give them a mother they needed, but he would always be there for them. No matter what.

  “Pop-Pop!” The boys jumped from their chairs and raced to greet their grandfather with open arms as he came through the front d