Page 76 of The Christmas You Crash

“Um, yeah. But you guys see why you can’t call her that, right? She needs a different code name if we’re talking about her here.”

“Yeah, man,” Griffin slaps his thigh as he howls with laughter. “Damned right, we’ll need a different code name. Shit, you’re lucky she hasn’t ditched your ass. Most women would have your head for something like that.”

I shrug. “Lexi’s cool.” Realizing I said her name again, I scan the room for Coach or the assistant coaches. It’s just players in here right now, thank god. “I’ve never met a woman like her.”

“Oh, you’re fucked,” Logan says. He looks amused. And like he can’t quite understand why anyone would get into the situation I’m in, let alone a relationship so serious, you do something crazy, like ask your girlfriend to move in the way Maddox has.

One day, he’ll understand. And when that day comes, we’re all going to give him hell for it.

“Whatever, man. I’ll happily be fucked any day by that woman.” My double entendre is met with a few chuckles.

“Ooh, I’ve got an idea,” Griffin says, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Sexy Lexi.”

“Dude.” Navarro shakes his head. “That literally has her actual name in it.”

“Right.” Griffin frowns. His eyes unfocus as he tries to come up with another option.

“Blondie?” Logan offers.

“Nah.” It’s too generic for her. Too boring.

“Wait!” Griffin claps. “I’ve got the perfect idea. HCB. Like OTG, but this one stands for Hot Cross Buns.”

There’s a beat of silence as everyone gapes at him.

I clear my throat. “Hot Cross Buns?”

“Yeah, man. Because of her last name. It’s like that rhyme. Get it?”

“Are you sure it’s not because you think she has a nice ass?” Logan asks.

Griffin looks offended. “Dude, I don’t look at my friends’ women’s asses.” His lips twitch. “Just thought it was funny.”

“HCB?” Maddox grins. “That good with you, Hanson?”

I shrug. “I guess it’s better than Sexy Lexi.”

“All right. HCB, it is.” Maddox turns to the rest of our teammates. “Got that, guys? I don’t want to hear anyone slipping up. We don’t want to screw this up for Handsome, here.”

A chorus of agreements fill the weight room and I grin at my teammates. I’m lucky to be surrounded by guys who have each other’s backs. Most of them go back to racking their weights and working out, but Byrne, Navarro, Wright, and Graves hang around. Logan repeats his earlier question.

“So, have you told her yet?”

“Not yet. I came straight here.” And I may be putting it off. I need to figure out how to tell her. Or, more importantly, how to reassure her that things between us won’t change when I’m back on the road. After the tidbits I’ve learned about her childhood—no matter how little, at this point—I’m worried it could be an issue. It just means I’ll have to be intentional about our time apart. Lots of phone calls and FaceTime. Lots of romantic gestures. She’s going to need reassurance that I’m always thinking about her.

“It’ll be fine,” Navarro says, accurately reading my worries. “You two seem good together.”

“Who’s good together?” Coach asks as he strides into the weight room. My stomach twists, but I must not show my discomfort on my face, because Coach flashes a pleased smile. “Heard the good news, son. A week and a half, and you’ll be back on the ice where you belong.”

“Oh, hey, Coach. Yeah, I’m excited to be back.” I exchange a look with Maddox.

“Now, who’s good together? You got a girl, Hanson?” Coach waggles his eyebrows in a way he surely wouldn’t if he knew my girl was his daughter.

“Uh, yeah. It’s new,” I say. I’d rather be purposefully vague than outright lie.

Coach nods. “Women are great, as long as they’re not a distraction from what matters. Your game’s not going to suffer, is it? I’d hate to see you lose your fire over a good lay.”

Jesus Christ. What the fuck?

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