“Well, that sucks.”
“Tell me about it.” Tired of thinking about her parents, she shook off the melancholy and smiled at him. “Tell me about your family.”
“My dad died five years ago. It’s just my mom now, and she lives in Milwaukee.”
She laid her hand over his. “I’m sorry, Trick.”
“Me, too. He was a great guy. Loved hockey and always encouraged me. He put me on skates as soon as I was old enough to balance myself and I took to the ice like I’d been born there. He and I used to skate together, play hockey together, and he never missed one of my games. He either watched me on TV or he’d come to whatever games he could. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him. I miss him a lot.”
Hearing him talk about his dad made her sad, wistful, and just a wee bit jealous that he’d had that kind of relationship with a parent. “He sounds like he was a wonderful man. You should be thankful to have had a parent like him.”
“I am. My mom is pretty awesome, too. You’d like her. She’s funny and mouthy—like you.”
Stella arched a brow. “You think I’m mouthy?”
“I know you are.”
“Huh.” She got up and brewed another cup of coffee, then made her way back over to sit beside him. “Is your mom coming out here for Christmas, or are you heading to Milwaukee?”
“She’s actually going to my sister’s in Cleveland.”
“So . . . you have a sister, too. How did I not know this?”
“Because we never talked about our families before.”
That was true. She’d never wanted to dig deep into family with Trick before. That was too personal. She wasn’t sure why she was doing it now. “Younger or older?”
“Older. Brenna’s married to a great guy, Paul, and I have a five-year-old niece named Arabella.”
Stella grinned. “Cute name.”
“Yeah, she’s cute all right. She’s the princess of the family. And you’ll like this—she’s taking ballet lessons.”
“I do like that. I’ll bet she’s adorable.”
“She might have her uncle Trick wrapped around her little finger.”
Stella laughed. She could well imagine that. “So you like kids.”
He cocked his head to the side. “I love kids. Do you?”
“Very much. Though I can’t seem to convince Greta to settle down and have any. And I can’t see myself having any in the near future.”
He sipped his coffee. “Is that right? Why?”
“Well, first, my career. And second, I don’t see myself settling down any time soon.”
“I see.”
That had been a very cryptic I see. She wondered what he meant by that, though she shouldn’t care. And they were teetering on some very precarious cliffs, topic wise, discussing family and, good God, kids. She hadn’t even thought about having kids since . . .
Well. Since that last disaster of a relationship, after which she’d decided she’d never have a relationship again.
Still, she was comfortable with Trick. And that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe . . . just maybe . . .
She got up and looked around. “You need a Christmas tree.”
“I do?”
“Yes.” She pointed. “Over there.”
“Okay.”
She’d expected more of an objection. Men typically didn’t like women invading their space, making suggestions. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I’ve never had one here and I figure it’s about time, so let’s go get one today. I don’t have all the bells and whistles that go with a tree, so you’ll have to help me pick all that out, too.”
“Okay, now you’re pushing all my happy decorating buttons. Are you sure you know what you’re getting into?”
“Probably not, but let’s do it anyway. We’ll get something to eat and then do this tree thing.”
“You’re on.”
Several hours later they’d made multiple stops—first to her apartment so she could change clothes, then to eat because they were hungry. After that they’d gone to the tree lot. She and Trick had chosen a perfect medium-sized tree that was to be delivered, giving them enough time to hit the store and pick out lights and tree decorations. She’d put Trick in charge of choosing a tree topper and he’d come back with a box that he refused to show her, saying it was a surprise.
She only hoped it wasn’t a hockey player tree topper. Then again, it was his tree so she supposed he could have whatever he wanted. She was still surprised he’d gone along with the idea at all.
They got back to his place at just the right time. They’d barely put their bags down and set up the tree stand in between the entry and living room when the doorman announced the tree delivery. Two guys brought up the tree and placed it in the stand. Trick tipped them and they were off.
The tree looked great in the living room, and smelled so good. Like pine and Christmas. It was already an improvement to his apartment.
After placing some water in the stand, Stella turned to Trick. “Ready to decorate?”