Page 121 of The Christmas You Crash

Griffin holds his phone out for us to see. His eyes crinkle with pent-up laughter.

“Holy shit,” Logan says. “That’s just not right.”

Maddox physically recoils. “I’m not sure you two should procreate. Ow!”

Isla smacks Maddox upside the head. “That’s not how their kids would really look. Don’t be an idiot.”

“That one has six fingers on one hand,” Sebastian remarks.

“Okay, okay. Enough with the AI babies.” Ryder chuckles. “Anyway, they want to meet with us tomorrow.”

“Does that mean your job is safe?” I’m afraid to even ask. If he loses his spot on the team because of me, I’ll never forgive myself.

Strong arms wrap around me and squeeze. “I’m not worried. Not with everything he said being caught on camera. My guess is they’ll fire him to save face. Which isn’t great for the team this far into the season, but then again, maybe we’ll all play better without his toxic bullshit.”

“We’ll be fine no matter what happens,” Sebastian says confidently. “We’re a solid team. And we’ve got Coach Fry. He’s good at what he does. Good enough to take over, I think.” The goalie’s eyes land on me. “And Cross deserves to be fired after what he said and how he acted.”

I accept the words for what they are. Support. These guys could so easily hate me for throwing their season into potential chaos. But they don’t. They don’t blame me at all. They’re in my corner. In Ryder’s corner. It’s reassuring because public opinionmight be in my favor right now, but if my dad gets fired and the team struggles because of it? That favor could quickly turn to hate. And the internet is a scary place sometimes. Especially for women involved with a sports star.

“Okay!” Mira claps her hands to get everyone’s attention. “We can worry about what the big shots say tomorrow. Tonight, I say we binge on ice cream and look at all the scary baby monstrosities. We can even make our own. There are websites for that, right?”

I groan. “As long as no one nicknames our imaginary baby after a cryptid.”

fifty-four

LEXI

“Has there beenany news about your dad’s job?” Rachel stares at me expectantly through my phone’s screen. She’s checked in with me every day since things imploded.

It’s been five days of holing up in Ryder’s apartment. I haven’t even gone to campus for my classes. My professors all approved online coursework until the media attention dies down. It became very clear my first day back after the game that I couldn’t safely walk through campus alone. I was swarmed by reporters the moment I approached the building holding my classroom. Ryder hired a bodyguard to escort me to and from class, but I just couldn’t do it. All the attention has nearly given me an ulcer. So now, my bodyguard, Tom, only follows me around when I’m forced to leave Ryder’s apartment. Ryder hasn’t wanted me to go home to mine since everything went down, and I don’t want to be separated from him, either.

I tried to tell Ryder that hiring a bodyguard was overkill, but in private moments, I can admit to myself that Tom’s presence helps me feel safer. It’s strange to be the source of public curiosity like this, and I don’t enjoy having cameras shoved inmy face. All this chaos has to die down sometime, but for now, people are still very much interested in me, my relationship with my dad, and my romance with Ryder.

“Earth to Lexi,” Rachel sing-songs.

I shake my head, clearing the thoughts away. “Sorry. No news yet. I’m sure he’s got clauses in his contract about being fired, so it’s not a decision the team would make lightly.”

Though I’m looking forward to all of this being resolved, I’m also terrified of how it’s going to impact my life. Because make no mistake, itwillimpact my life either way. I’ve spent way too many sleepless hours mentally flipping through every possible outcome.

Rachel’s eyes narrow. “You holding up okay?”

“I don’t know. It’s been a lot.”

Understatement.

“Ryder still being the perfect man?”

My lips twitch up in an anemic smile. “Yeah. He’s everything, Rach. I don’t know what I’d do without him. I hope I never have to find out.”

“I’m happy for you, Lex.” Rachel sighs. Her head tilts and her eyes grow dreamy. “Maybe I need to find myself a sexy, protective hockey player.”

“Move to Minneapolis, and I’ll hook you up with one,” I say. The idea of it has my smile widening.

“You know I’m a Chicago-girlie for life. I love this city. Plus, I’ve worked my ass off to get this junior position at the firm. No way am I letting Karl get the job just so I can pursue a six-foot hottie with a perfect bubble butt.” Rachel squeezes the air, imagining a peachy behind. It’s ridiculous enough that I laugh.

“Who has a perfect bubble butt?” Ryder strides into his bedroom, where I’m sprawled on my stomach on the bed. He bends down and kisses the crown of my head. He waves at Rachel through my phone. “Hey, Rach.”

“Hi, Ryder. Lex was just trying to convince me to move to Minneapolis by enticing me with the prospect of being set up with one of your teammates.”

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