Page 10 of Merry Pucking Christmas

Well, that explains Olivia’s panic. She’s loved Savannah Hale for years. “Savannah Hale is getting married?”

“Yes!” Olivia throws her hands up as she starts to pace the kitchen. “She’s been dating that football player and they’re eloping. Here!” Her voice ends in a squeak. “They want privacy and a perfect Christmas wedding, so she’s sent her sister here to make sure everything is planned perfectly.”

“But didn’t they just contact you about this wedding?”

Her eyes go wide, and she nods. “Yes. And I had to sign all these non-disclosure agreements and I couldn’t even tell you who the bride in case your phone was hacked. Or my phone, or my email.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Seriously?”

Olivia pauses. “Savannah Hale is a big deal, Owen. I’ve loved her forever. How am I not going to just fangirl over her the entire time? What if something goes wrong?”

I put my hands on her arms and peer down at her. “Nothing is going to go wrong. You have made this place amazing, and Savannah Hale is just another bride.”

“She is not.” Olivia closes her eyes. “I can’t do this without Mom.”

Our parents are on the adventure of a lifetime, travelling around the world. The last text I got was a picture of my mom and dad floating in one of the blue holes in Vanuatu. “You can. They deserve this trip, Liv.” When my mom was going through chemotherapy for her breast cancer, my dad kept filling out all these vision boards for her on all the places they would go when she beat it. I put some of my signing bonus aside and when my mom was given a clean bill of health, Olivia and I threw them a party and handed them new backpacks for their dream trip.

Her eyes snap open. “I know that, but I miss them. I miss you.”

Liv and my parents came to every single home game in Toronto. “I miss you too, Liver.”

She sniffles. “I hate that nickname, Onion.”

We’d been Liver and Onion to each other for as long as I can remember. Our parents hated it. I nudge her. “Hey, maybe the guys should start calling me that instead of Gingerbread Man, because if I lose my speed, I’m going to stink.”

Olivia straightens. “Oh, shit. I haven’t even asked how your knee was. Is it bad? How do you know your speed is affected? I thought you weren’t allowed on the ice right now.”

I fold my arms across my chest. “It actually doesn’t feel too bad, so maybe Coach and my trainer weren’t wrong after all,” I say begrudgingly. “But I won’t know how much of an impact it’s had until I’m back on the ice.”

“It’s better you don’t push it until it’s properly healed, and I’m glad you’re here. Mom would be the one planning all the fun Christmas activities for the guests and showing Serena how magical it is here at Christmas. I can’t do any of that because I’m too busy prepping all the stuff for the actual event. So I really need you to run the itinerary with her and keep her entertained so she’s not looking over my shoulder while I do all the other stuff. It’s already stressful hosting a wedding, but now I’m hosting the secret wedding of my number one favorite singer, ever.” Her voice rises at the end, and she looks at me imploringly. “Please, Owen. Take her to all the fun Christmas stuff and keep her out of my hair.”

I don’t want to tell Olivia that Serena might not want to hang out with me right now but another part of me is relieved that I have an excuse to be with her. I thought there was a real connection between us and to be honest, I usually don’t have a problem with women wanting to stick around.

Although that was before I got sent to play hockey in a city that doesn’t even have snow, let alone know most players by their names and stats. Add in my injury and maybe the writing is on the wall.

I pause.Nah.That can’t be it. I can’t remember the last time sex was that good and there’s no way it wasn’t good for her. Not with the way she moaned my name and dug her nails into my back. Her disappearing act is just one more intriguing thing about her and I’m going to use every second of this wedding planning to make sure she ends up back in my arms.

7

Serena

Itug the soft wool hat down over my ears and step out onto the front porch. Olivia is lovely and this place is magical. I swear, I felt something in my chest ease when I finally pulled up in front of this beautiful farmhouse earlier today, after an accidental tour of the town of Sugar Maple Shore. I was nearly in tears when I stopped in front of the Vanilla Bean Café and so grateful when the lovely owner, Zahra handed me a coffee and had her brother Malachi wait for me to follow him, as he was heading out to the Gingerbread Café to pick up scones to restock for the afternoon. The green and white scenery is so different from Los Angeles, not to mention the crisp, cold air. I can see why Savannah is set on her dream wedding here in this fairytale setting.

At least I was relaxed until Owen walked in, stealing all the air from the room. He seemed larger than life as he enveloped Olivia in his arms. The shock of seeing him coupled with a fierce surge of jealously that erupted out of nowhere left me shaking. This is exactly why I shouldn’t have agreed to share his hotel room. Feeling his arms around me as I lay in bed, wondering how quickly this incredible feeling would disappear in the awkwardness of the morning after had me holding my breath as I carefully scooted, inch-by-painful-inch out from the warmth of his embrace and silently gathered my things before tiptoeing out of the room just before dawn. I begged and pleaded at the gate but there were no seats available. Luckily for me, I struck up a conversation with a couple that didn’t mind spending another couple of days in Detroit and I bought their seats for a small fortune. Savannah wanted to send her private plane for me, but with those social media accounts following every flight she takes, we didn’t need anyone asking questions if she really did want to keep this wedding a secret.

“When is your luggage set to arrive?” Owen’s husky voice sounds behind me.

I hug my arms around me a little tighter. “Tomorrow, hopefully.”

“I was surprised to wake up and find you gone.”

His tone is mild, and I can’t read anything into his statement. I shrug, still looking out over the snow-covered expanse. “It was just one night.”

The heat of his body warms my back as he steps closer to me. “Wham, bam, thank you, man?”

“Oh, don’t pretend that if you had been the one to wake up first, you wouldn’t have cut and run.”

“What makes you think that?”

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