Page 115 of Bleacher Report
After all these years, after all the times she said she couldn’t bear to touch it— she chose now?
Now she changes everything.
I rub a hand over the back of my neck, unsettled, before setting down the bags and heading back downstairs.
I hear my mother's voice float through the house as I hit the bottom of the stairs. "Peyton, what does your family usually do for Christmas?"
“Nothing crazy or out of the ordinary. We used to drive around on Christmas Eve to see Christmas lights, my mom buys store-bought gingerbread houses that we’d decorate as kids, and before my dad passed away, he’d read usThe Night Before Christmas.”
“Oh…I’m so sorry to hear that, dear.”
“Thank you. Are these pictures of Hunter?”
Crossing the living room, I catch sight of Peyton again.
She’s standing in front of the refrigerator, grinning as my mom ties an apron around Peyton’s waist.
Peyton’s head tilts as she studies the pictures of a younger me on the fridge.
I don’t even realize I’m holding my breath until she turns and spots me watching her.
A smile.
A giggle shakes her shoulders.
“What’s this one?” she asks, pointing to a photo.
“Aww that one…” my mom says. “That’s his T-ball team picture. He was three.”
“He looks so happy here,” Peyton points out.
“He was. The photographer told him to give him the kind of stare down he would give a pitcher if he was at bat, but Hunter’s always been a fun-loving kid. He couldn’t frown to save his life when he was that little.”
“And this one?” she asks, pointing to another photo of me with a trophy in my hand. The first one I ever won with my hockey team. After that, I was hooked.
“He made the traveling hockey team across town when he was six. It was a sacrifice to get him there with having to manage the salon as well, but now seeing how far he’s come, it was worth it. Though, sometimes I wish I wouldn’t have taken him away from the team he was on.”
“Really? He said it was a great opportunity to get better,” she says, and I lean in to listen too. She’s never mentioned it to me.
“I didn’t realize how pivotal Coach Murphy was for Hunter. Having a man step in for him like that. I didn’t know that’s what changed Hunter’s drive.”
“You didn’t know about Coach Murphy?” she asks.
“Not until your show,” she says, tightening the bow around Peyton’s waist and then patting her on the shoulder to tell her that she’s done with the strings. “As far as I know, you’re the first person he ever told.”
Peyton spins around to look at her, her mouth gaping a little, her eyebrows pulled together.
My mother smiles and then spins back towards the sink as if she’s proud of herself to surprise Peyton.
“You have an effect on my son, Peyton. One that no one else seems to have.”
“I don’t know about that…he’s incredibly strong-willed. It’s hard to imagine that anyone affects him unless he allows it,” she says, and I bite back a chuckle.
“That’s not his natural disposition. He’s the kind of kid who’s never met a stranger—everyone he meets is his friend—a complete chatterbox. The world did a number on him but give him time. He’s softening when it comes to you. I can hear it in his voice ever since he started dating you.”
I clear my throat and take the few steps into the kitchen, pretending I didn’t hear anything.
“Ma, what’s up with my room? You changed everything. You got rid of my old bed?”
