Filed to story: Luci Forrester and Easton Reed: Hockey Romance Story
“Trust me, this will work out flawlessly. You know I never lead you astray. If it weren’t for me, you’d still be a blind, stay-at-home mom, not the highly sought-after Imogen Reed you are today,” she said, her confidence unwavering as our flight was called for boarding.
“Don’t forget, we already have one birthday present and one Christmas present for your daddy. And one for the uncles,” I reminded Cole as we approached the shops, his little face alight with concentration.
“I know! But Daddy needs another present. And Barrett. And Sydney?” His brow furrowed in deep thought.
“Barrett for sure. You could just make Sydney a card,” I suggested, hoping to simplify his list.
“No, I want to buy her a present. Luci, what does she like?” he asked, his earnestness melting my heart.
“She needs a new scarf. Barrett got her mittens and a hat,” I replied, recalling the cashmere set I had bought, knowing how much she enjoyed touching the soft fabric. But alas, the store was out of scarves.
“Okay. Barrett wants a Star Wars lamp,” he declared, his eyes shining with excitement.
“Yes, he does. Look at you, Coco! You’ve been diligently working on your shopping list. Now, what do you want to get for your daddy?” The gift Cole would choose for Christmas was bound to be sentimental, but what more could a son possibly give to his father?
“Daddy needs a new tie,” he said earnestly, causing me to stifle a laugh. The classic standby.
“Doesn’t Daddy have a whole bunch of ties? He wears suits to the hockey games,” I gently nudged, trying to steer him away from the obvious.
“Those are his hockey ties, Luci! They all have hockey stuff on them. He needs a nice tie for a restaurant,” he insisted, his sincerity tugging at my heartstrings.
“Alright, we can get him a tie. Anything else for him and the uncles?” I asked, squeezing his hand as we began our shopping adventure.
“We’ll look,” he replied, determination etched on his face. I decided to postpone the tie until last, but Cole was relentless.
“Which one, Coco?” I asked, gesturing toward an entire display of ties.
“What’s your favorite, Luci?” he asked, looking up at me with those big, innocent eyes.
“I… don’t know. Maybe this one,” I said, pointing to a dark green tie adorned with small silver dots.
“That one then! And he needs that spray stuff. The ones that smell good,” he added, gazing up at me, momentarily lost for words.
“Cologne? I think he should choose that himself. Some of those scents can make people sneeze,” I replied, not wanting to risk making a choice he might regret.
He nodded in disappointment, but then we stumbled upon the perfect gift for all four Reed brothers, and even Cole was satisfied with our find. When we returned home, we decided to wrap all his presents after dinner.
Baker had prepared us steaming mugs of hot chocolate to sip while we worked. As we headed to the kitchen for more tape, the sound of giggles sent a shiver down my spine. I remembered the last time I had heard that laughter-it was when I ran into Ambra.
“Vivienne, wait…” I called out, my hand shooting out to stop Cole in his tracks.
“Coco, Jedi mind tricks. Now!” He took off like a shot, sprinting away. We had practiced for moments like this. Taking a deep breath, I continued walking, muttering words of encouragement to myself.
The sound of heels clicking against the marble floor quickened my heartbeat. A woman turned the corner, her smile widening as she assessed me. I didn’t need an introduction to recognize her; she was an older version of the girl in the photos with Easton. Imogen followed closely behind. Vivienne Winters glanced over her shoulder and remarked, “Look, darling, it was meant to be. This is the little plain nanny I see.” She turned her attention toward me, flashing a dazzling smile that could light up a room. “Where is Cole?” she asked, enunciating each word as if I were incapable of understanding simple speech.
I ignored her, focusing instead on Imogen. “Where is Cole, Luci?” Imogen’s brow furrowed as she peered behind me.
“Asleep, Mrs. Reed,” I replied, trying to maintain my composure.
Vivienne scoffed, “It’s barely 6:30. Way too early for bedtime. Unless you can’t handle him.” Her eyes narrowed, dripping with condescension. “Did you tuck him in early to make your night easier? So you can be ready to go after his father? Or one of the other three?”
I straightened my shoulders, irritation bubbling within me. She waved her hand dismissively. “Oh darling, I don’t blame you. Children are simply tedious. They’ll give you frown lines and wrinkles. Of course, that is your job,” she added, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
I remained silent, knowing Imogen had made it abundantly clear that I wasn’t to share any information with anyone she hadn’t explicitly approved. “Luci, Vivienne asked a valid question. Is Cole really in bed this early?”
“Sorry, Mrs. Reed. I wasn’t aware of your guest’s identity, and our contract states no sharing of information. Yes, he is. He missed his nap today and was worn out after we walked a lot,” I explained, conveniently omitting our shopping trip.
“Isn’t she cute? Sticking to your contract,” Vivienne said, her voice dripping with mockery. I refused to let her get under my skin.
“Surprisingly, she is doing what she should,” Imogen interjected briskly. “Time to go, Vivienne. You aren’t supposed to be near him. Sorry, Luci. She was only coming in to see my charity project mock-up signs. Go back to whatever you were doing.”
I watched as she ushered Vivienne out of the hallway, bemused by how that confrontation had unfolded. It was as if she were following Easton’s instructions regarding that woman. When I returned to the kitchen, Baker was nowhere to be found as I placed our cocoa mugs in the dishwasher. I grabbed more tape and headed back to Cole’s room. He was nestled in bed, pretending to be asleep. “It’s okay, Coco. The coast is clear,” I whispered.
He frowned, and I hurried to explain, “The mean people are gone?”
“Yes, all gone. You did great. Want to help me finish wrapping these?”
“Yes! And then we have to put them under the tree!” He scrambled off the bed, and we worked together to wrap the last few gifts. “They’ll love their presents, Luci.”
“I think so too, because you put so much thought into what they would enjoy. The love behind a wrapped present is the biggest, most genuine gift of all. Did you know that?”
“No. Luci, how do you know if two people really love each other?” he asked, his curiosity piqued.
“Like you and your daddy?” I ventured, trying to gauge where he was heading with this.