“Sorry that took us so long.” Lacy plops down in a vacant chair as the kids run toward the swing set. “We would have been out here sooner except I was arguing with them over why they couldn’t wear footy pajamas in ninety-degree weather.”

  “You’re such a buzzkill, Mom,” I joke making her shake her head in amusement. “No but seriously, it’s fine. Hot dogs are coming off right now.”

  I use my new tongs to pull them off the grill and pop them right into the waiting buns.

  “Um…” Lacy scrunches her nose.

  I look down at the food, feeling like I’m missing something. “What?”

  She grabs another plate and holds it out in front of her. “You might as well put them next to the bun, not inside them.”

  Wait, what? “They don’t eat hot dogs and buns? I thought that was a staple of childhood nutrition.”

  “Oh they’ll eat them. Just not together,” Lacy clarifies, then adds, “And the ketchup goes on the bun, not the hot dog.”

  “Why?”

  “Because they’re three?”

  “Kids are weird, man,” I say with a shake of my head.

  “You haven’t even learned the half of it yet.”

  Once the plates are ready with hot dogs and ketchup buns, Lacy calls them over to eat. It only takes minimal encouragement, and as soon as they sit, I see why. They’re starving. Probably from exerting so much energy trying to stay alive in the pool.

  I dig into my burger, not at all interested in having what the kids are eating again. I’ve been doing that too much lately. I need to get back on track and a giant dose of real protein is exactly what I need.

  “No, Kody, no!” Lacy suddenly yells and reaches over the table to grab an open beer out of his hand.

  “Where did he get that,” I ask, trying not to laugh at the fact that Kody almost had his first serving of Coors Light.

  Lacy shrugs. “There are beer cans and bottles everywhere. It’s not hard for them to get into it right now. Why do you think I’m watching them like a hawk?”

  “Oh.” That’s my only response. I guess I didn’t notice, but a quick look around confirms she’s right.

  “I thirsty,” Kody whines.

  “I know, baby. I’ll grab you a drink.”

  Lacy runs inside and comes back with a couple juice boxes, making quick work of shoving the straws in and placing them on the table. Then she tucks into her food again.

  Suddenly I feel someone kick me under the table. Assuming it’s one of the kids, I look down only to see Lacy’s foot connecting with my leg.

  I furrow my brow and take another bite. “What?” I ask around my food.

  She gestures across the way where Maksim is sitting on one of the loungers. Somehow, that asshole was able to find himself two dates for today’s event, unless these are the twins he was talking about the other day. I guess they’ve all loosened up from heat and the booze. At least I assume that’s why they’ve started a three-way make out session.

  I roll my eyes and continue shoveling food in my face. Lacy kicks me again.

  “What?”

  “You gonna stop him?”

  “Oh don’t worry,” I reassure her. “He’s not an exhibitionist. Just likes to make out for a while.”

  Lacy pauses, a tortilla chip halfway to her mouth. “But we have kids sitting here.”

  I gesture to the kids in question who are smiling at each other like ketchup buns are the best thing they’ve ever tasted. “Their backs are to them.”

  “Tucker, seriously?”

  Lacy’s starting to get really irritated but I can’t figure out why. No one is falling down drunk, and the only nudity was accidental. No one is acting creepy around the kids or offering them candy to go off into a dark corner. From where I’m sitting, this is about as family friendly as it gets.

  “I don’t understand what the big deal is, Lacy.”

  “They’re three,” she says forcefully. “They see everything and then model all that behavior. You really want them to pretend to make out with each other because they saw it on their back patio once?”

  I go completely still as I digest what she’s saying. “You think that’ll happen?”

  “My little sister and her best friend were pretending to be in the movie Tangled when they were four. My mom about lost her mind when she walked in on them practicing the kissing scene. And that was on television. Yes, yes I think ours will try something they see in live action.”

  I guess that makes sense. “Huh. I never knew that. Hey, Ivanov!”

  Maks tears his lips away from the woman I now refer to as Date One to answer me. “’Sup?”

  “Knock it off. I got kids, man.”

  To their credit, Date One and Date Two pull away looking a little sheepish. Maks, on the other hand, looks more frustrated than anything.

  “There you go,” I say with a nod at Lacy. “Problem solved.”

  Just then another partygoer runs by screaming, being playfully chased by Roger Shuto. We watch as he catches her, and wraps his arms around her, grabbing a handful of boob and squeezing, while she laughs.

  Lacy drops her burger back on her plate and stands up. “That’s it. We’re done here.”

  “There wasn’t even any skin.”

  “Nope. I’m not exposing them to all this just because you don’t see the big deal.” She gathers not only her plate, but the kids’ as well. “Come on guys, I’ve got some cookies inside and a new movie.”

  Sutton and Kody jump up at the word “cookies”, ready to follow her anywhere. But I’m starting to get irked. This is a family party. We should all be hanging out, enjoying our friends.

  I follow her inside, bringing the kids drinks with me.

  “Come on, Lacy. This is a little over the top. We’re just trying to have a nice, fun Thanksgiving before being away for a week.”

  She drops the plates on the counter and whirls around to face me, fire in her eyes. “This isn’t Thanksgiving. We’re eating burgers.”

  “They’re turkey burgers.”

  “Are you serious right now?”

  “I don’t understand why you’re angry.”

  She looks away and takes a second to get her breathing under control. “When you said you wanted to have a housewarming party, I thought you meant some of your teammates coming over and hanging out, meeting me and the kids and having a nice time.”

  “And they are.”

  “No, you are having a nice time. I feel like the girl who accidentally got invited because she happens to be the prom queen’s cousin.”

  I put my hand under my chin and bat my eyelashes, trying to break up the tension. “Am I the prom queen?”

  She pushes off the counter and walks right past me, watching the kids race down the hall to Sutton’s bedroom. “This isn’t funny, Tucker. No one except Nick has spoken two words to me or the kids, it’s not like you’ve introduced us to anyone, there’s booze everywhere that Kody keeps trying to drink, and the beginnings of an orgy are happening right there on the back patio.”

  I throw my hands in the air and then place them on my hips. “What do you want me to do? Kick everyone out?”

  “Yes. Or maybe just put a few boundaries up about what happens in the house where we’re raising your daughter.”

  “These are grown men, Lacy. I’m not giving them a list of rules.”

  “Then maybe you guys need to party somewhere else.”

  My eyes narrow. I won’t let up on this. These are my teammates. My friends. We’re finally gelling on the ice and I don’t want to lose the camaraderie we’re building. “I’m not kicking them out of my house.”

  “Then it looks like you can have your ‘family Thanksgiving,’” she says with air quotes, “without your family.”

  The back door slides open with an unnecessary bang and Maks comes strolling in, one arm over each of his dates. Their hands are running up and down his bare abs as they smile up at him seductively.

  “Sorry to interrupt.” He’s not sorry and we all know it. “Do you have somewhere that we can get some, uh… privacy? Sherry here has something she needs to show me. Something about a talent she has with her tongue.”

  Lacy crosses her arms and glowers at me. “Would you like to offer up your bed, my bed, or your daughter’s bed?”

  “Don’t worry,” Maks interjects. “I’m very clean and always make the bed afterwards.”

  Looking me straight in the eye, Lacy says, “Ours are taken. I guess it’s your bed that’s going to get all the action.”

  Then she storms off down the hall, leaving me to deal with Maks and his continual lack of boundaries.

  Guess I can get rid of the apron now. There’s no way I’m getting that kiss today.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  LACY

  The kids were sad to see Tucker leave for another extended road trip, but they were the only ones. I’m happy to have the space.

  After the debacle that was our Thanksgiving party, I need the time to get my nerves under control and figure out how we’re going to make this work. I knew learning to co-parent was going to be difficult, but I had no idea how little Tucker actually knows about raising kids.

  He has no sense of how to keep them safe and healthy. Even worse, as much as he loves them, it’s like he hasn’t figured out how to make them a priority. He’s still stuck in some of his bachelor ways and that is a huge problem.

  I will give him credit for having the love part down. He seems to enjoy pre-bedtime snuggles and is always willing to get down on the floor and play with the kids. And my biggest pet peeve that probably isn’t doing as much damage as I fear—he spoils them. If Sutton said she wanted a pony, I guarantee Mr. Ed would be hanging out in our backyard by morning.

  That’s how we ended up with this huge, white Christmas tree set up next to the fireplace that is unusable because it’s too hot outside. One of the kids, I’m not sure which one, brought up Santa last night and the conversation spiraled into making sure they have a house decorated in as much Christmas spirit as possible.

  I woke up after Tucker had left, and this monstrosity was already here, boxes of decorations scattered around the room for us to use. The kids are delighted. Me, not so much.

  “You are such a sourpuss,” Ellie says as she drags another box over so we can open it and see what treasure is inside.

  I don’t bother reaching for it, knowing she’s leaving for work in a few minutes and I’ll end up doing the whole thing. Might as well rest up.

  “I am not. I’m just not a huge decorator and you’re leaving. I’m not excited to do this all by myself.”

  “You’re not by yourself. You have them.” She gestures to the kids who are decorating each other with tinsel. “Okay so maybe you’ll end up doing this by yourself.”

  “We’re going to find tinsel everywhere for months, aren’t we?”

  Ellie tries to rip open the box but only gets about halfway before the world’s most indestructible tape stops her progress. “It’s worth it for that moment, right there.” She gestures her head as she continues to struggle.

  I sigh. “I suppose you’re right.”

  Finally abandoning the box, which still isn’t open, Ellie settles in next to me and puts her feet up on the coffee table. “What a difference a year can make, huh? Last year we had that tiny, beat up old tree reminiscent of Charlie Brown’s Christmas, and this year,” she waves her hand in the general direction of the very full fake fir tree. “This is what we get to gather around.”

  “Seems like a lot of things have changed over the last year. Really everything has. Not that it’s bad. It’s just… fast.”

  “I can’t believe you finally quit your job,” she muses. “Took you long enough.”

  That is an understatement. The minute Tucker presented me with the child support papers, I knew my options had opened up and I wasn’t sure what to do with that. Not only did it seem too good to be true, but I was so deeply intrenched in the panic of going without, it took a while to realize we’re not living paycheck-to-paycheck anymore. We’re not even living child support check to child support check. With just the last two payments, I’ve set aside enough to pay for a year’s worth of rent and utilities in a good apartment in a decent neighborhood. And my next payment should be here by next week.

  It's mind boggling.

  But it also made me finally wrap my brain around the fact that I’m now in a position to reach for my dreams and I need to take advantage of that. To show Sutton how to take opportunities you’ve been given and run with them. To work smarter, not harder.

  I’m working on that last one. The guilt I feel when Ellie goes to work is still there. But slowly I’m coming to recognize that by taking advantage of my opportunity, I’ve been able to give her breathing room, too. Remembering that helps keep the remorse at bay.

  “I just need to figure out what I want to do now.” I wrap a strand of hair around my finger and check out my split ends as the kids throw tinsel on the tree instead of each other. “I’m trying to allow myself time to rest and get my head on straight, but I’m not used to sitting around. I need to figure something out soon.”

  “So no idea about school yet?”

  “I might have an idea. I just need to weigh the pros and cons first.”

  Ellie pats my thigh and pushes up from the couch. “That’s your assignment for tonight. Registration for next semester starts soon, so you need to make a decision.”

  “Yes, Mom,” I joke but of course Ellie runs with it.

  “Good girl.” Reaching down, she kisses both kids on the top of the head. “I have to go to work but I’ll be back later, okay?”

  “Awww,” Kody pouts but isn’t too distressed. Not that he ever is, but that tree is a huge distraction for him. He and Sutton give his mom a quick hug around the legs and back to the tinsel they go. That one big silver blob at the front of the tree is going to look amazing.

  Ellie grabs her keys, kisses me on the top of the head too, and calls, “See ya,” over her shoulder as she heads toward the garage where her car is parked.

  Yes, she gets her own space, but with a five-car garage, there’s room. The kids aren’t the only ones who are spoiled.

  Taking a deep breath, I force a burst of energy through me. “Okay guys.” I stand up and begin looking through the boxes. “Let’s see what kind of decorations we have.”

  I’m not sure where everything came from, but every box is full of Christmas balls and icicles and ribbon, all in shades of silver and blue. It reminds me more of something you’d see on display at a fancy hotel than like a family tree.

  The kids get even more excited by all the shiny things and after about three seconds of hesitation, I show them how to hang some of the fancy silver balls on the branches. They pick up the instructions pretty quickly, but I have to show them how to spread things around because they seem to want to use the same branch every time. I don’t mind. It gives the tree some character. And if this is going to be a family Christmas, the tree can still be pretty, but we’re going to glam it down a little.

  I’m rifling through boxes, pulling out packages and opening what I want when the doorbell rings.

  That’s weird. I wonder if Tucker is expecting another package.

  I carefully step through the maze of decorations and packing material to go to the door.

  “Okay you heathens, you can keep putting up the silver balls, but be careful.”

  Not surprising, they ignore me.

  Finally free of bubble wrap and box dividers, I don’t bother to peek out the window before swinging the door wide open.

  Standing in front of me, is the last person I expected to see.

  “Muriel?”

  My heart starts beating fast, my breathing picking up.

  Could it be? Is it really my baby sister standing in front of me?

  She smiles tentatively, tears shining in her eyes. “Hi Lacy.”

  I launch myself into her arms, crying and stroking her hair as we cling to each other. She looks the same as I remember, with her long dark blond hair and crystal brown eyes, but any last remnants of baby fat have fallen off. She feels different than the last time I hugged her too, no longer a lanky teenager but a woman.

  We stay like that for who knows how long before I finally pull away, wiping the tears off my cheeks while they continue streaming down hers.

  “Are you really here?” I look her up and down, still not convinced she’s not an apparition. “I mean you are. But how did you get here? How did you track me down?”

  She wipes at her eyes, and I marvel at how much they look like mine. I’d forgotten. “I went to your last known address and asked around. It didn’t take long for someone to spill that they saw you leaving with this hockey star. Your neighbors may have kept to themselves at that apartment, but they knew a whole lot of gossip.”

  I huff out a watery laugh and sniffle. “Come in, come in.” I pull her inside, keeping one hand on her arm so I don’t have to stop touching her. We spent eighteen years sharing a bedroom. Having her here feels like reattaching a part of me. “The kids and I are decorating the tree. Badly, but we’re making some progress.”

  Muriel stops and looks at me, eyes wide. “She’s here? My niece? I get to meet her?”

  The gravity of this moment hits me full force. This will be the first time someone in my biological family meets my daughter. And she came here willingly to do so.

  I pull my sister close again, still unable to believe that this is happening. “Of course you do. Sutton’s going to love you.” I grab her hands and tug her with me. “Come on.”

  The living room looks exactly like I left it—in complete and utter chaos. But the kids are giggling and almost all the silver balls are hanging on the lower portion of the tree, so progress.

  “Hey kids. Sutton. Kody.” It takes a few times of saying their names before they finally stop ignoring me. “Look who’s here.”