Page 65 of Icebreaker
I laughed and shook my head. "It's not nearly as bad as Quinn makes it out to be. It's an acquired taste."
"Like Vegemite?" Moose wrinkled his nose.
"Not quite, but you're on the right track. You've got the idea."
Moose flopped down on the couch with a goofy little smile on his face. "You Swedes are a wild crew. I talked to Sven a little about food for today. What else do you have in store for us, Axel? Reindeer wrestling? Sauna sweats?"
I laughed harder and elbowed him in the side. "And you've got a lot of room to talk, Mr. 'I once spent a holiday in a yurt.'"
Quinn blinked hard. "You did what? I think I missed this story."
Moose grinned, and he appeared to be looking far into the distance. "I can't believe I didn't share this with you during all our years as Spartans." He shrugged. "Well, does it make you feel better if I tell you it was an Airbnb yurt in Indiana with my aunt and uncle?"
It was Quinn's turn to roll his eyes. "Not nearly as exciting as it would be if you'd been in Mongolia on the steppe."
As I wrapped an arm around Quinn, a wave of contentment and belonging washed over me. I couldn't remember the last time I felt so comfortable at Christmas. The peace seeped deep into my bones.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. It was much easier to hear than Moose's flailing knock. While I headed for the door, Quinn followed Moose to the kitchen, where they debated the best way to spike the eggnog.
I found Dad and my sister, Maja, when I opened the door. She'd arrived in town two days earlier, but it was the first I'd seen her. She stayed at Dad's apartment while I finished up last-minute cooking, shopping, and a hockey game.
Maja wrapped her arms around my neck. "Merry Christmas, Axel. I'm so happy to see you. It's our first Christmas together in so long.
I chuckled and returned her hug enthusiastically. "Merry Christmas, Maja-moja." It was a playful little nickname I gave her when she was a young child.
She shook her head. "I can't believe you still remember that."
"Forget it? How could I? You'll always be my little Maja-moja." I tapped her on the end of her nose.
"And, you know, there's somebody else here, too." Dad spoke up from behind bags of groceries and wrapped gift boxes. "Please don't use up all the hugs. I must set all this down, and then you can give your old man a proper hello."
I helped relieve him of most of the festive items. "Merry Christmas, Dad." I leaned in and kissed his cheek.
"Merry Christmas, Axel." He wrapped an arm around my waist. "It's good to see you after such a short car ride across the city."
When we all stepped inside, Moose and Quinn emerged from the kitchen. A whitish mustache on Moose meant they'd dipped into the eggnog while considering spiking it.
Quinn hurried over to wrap my relatives in hugs. "Sven! Maja! Welcome to our little Christmas celebration. I'm so glad you're here."
Dad grinned. "Merry Christmas, Quinn. Something smells delicious." He held his nose up in the air and sniffed.
"That would be Axel's work on appetizers. He worked hard last night, and he's been heating things in the oven this morning."
I lowered my head. "It's nothing special. I just remembered a couple of old family recipes."
Maja chuckled. "That's my overly modest big brother. He's a culinary genius like Dad."
Axel redirected the conversation. "I think what we're all waiting for you is the magic Dad will do in the kitchen."
A rugged smile lit up Sven's face. He had a well-worn recipe book in his hand. "I've brought some of the best secretingredients for traditional Swedish holiday food, and something I bet most of you don't know…I'll have an eager assistant in the kitchen." He gestured toward Moose.
My jaw dropped. "Oh, now this I've got to see. Moose does stir up adventure in the kitchen."
"Hey, I'll have you know I'm an excellent sous chef, or at least I do my best." Moose rubbed his fists on his chest. "If I do well, Sven promised to teach me the secrets of making a perfect Jansson's temptation."
While Moose started to unpack the groceries with Dad, the rest of us headed for the living room with a bottle of Aquavit and some shot glasses. Quinn gripped my free hand.
He leaned in close to my ear. "I'm so glad everybody's here."
