Page 53 of Just My Puck
“What—”
“You didn’t think I'd miss the chance to buy you a gift, did you?” she says, her smile widening as she hands me the gift bag.
I shake my head with a chuckle. “Good thinking, not wrapping it.”
I carefully open the bag. Inside is an ice-skating rink LEGO set, customized with a huge Raptors sticker. My chest tightens. She remembered. She went out of her way to find me this.
“Whoa.” I turn the box over, spotting something else in the bag—a pouch filled with stickers, magnets, and keychains. “This is super cool.”
She shrugs, playing it off. “Well, since they don’t actually make Raptors-branded sets, I had to improvise.”
“It’s perfect,” I say, my voice quieter than I intended. Without thinking, I pull her into a hug. It’s meant to be quick, but she doesn’t step away immediately. I savor the warmth of her against me, the way her fingers lightly press against my back before she finally lets go.
“Thank you so much,” I murmur. “We’ll build it together.”
Her eyes gleam. “You bet.”
Loweringher gaze, she starts unwrapping her own present. Her eyebrows scrunch as she examines the box. “Is it a tablet?”
“Not exactly. It’s a digital notebook.” I pause, watching for her reaction. “I figured it’d be an appropriate gift for a future bestselling author.”
She stills, glancing up at me, and I detect a hint of something unreadable in her eyes.
“Oh, you write books?” Lisa asks, leaning forward to peek at the digital notebook. “That’s fantastic.”
Aria shakes her head vigorously. “Hardly. Right now, I’m just scribbling in a notebook.”
“She’s writing a novel,” I correct, meeting her gaze again. “It’s just in the early stages. I wanted to encourage her.”
A moment stretches between us. Aria blinks, then looks down, brushing her fingers over the packaging. “Thank you,” she says softly. “I love it already. I was running out of space in my journal, and it’s not very eco-friendly.”
“Don’t forget to include my name in the acknowledgements,” I joke, throwing in a wink.
And for the first time since dinner, her smile reaches her eyes.
“Uncle C, are you coming?” Owen calls from the next room over, and everyone chuckles.
“Better go help the little manbuild this thing,” I say, stretching my arms over my head.
“As if it’s a chore,” Lisa says, rolling her eyes.
“Right?” Gaby snorts. “You’re probably more eager than him. Building stuff is your jam. You were always obsessing over model kits as a kid.”
“And he’d throw them away once they were finished because they weren’t ‘interesting’ anymore,” Mom adds with an endearing tone.
Everyone laughs. “That’s my boy,” Dad says, fist-bumping me.
“Yeah, yeah. Are we done roasting me yet?” I sigh, glancing at the door. “Can I go help my nephew like the great uncle I am?”
“You may.” Lisa nods, and I jump to my feet.
“I’ll come with you,” Dad says, clearing his throat. “You know, to supervise.”
Chuckles ripple around the room, and I lean toward Aria. “Are you going to be okay here for a little while?”
She gives me a pointed look. “Caleb, your family got me presents and fed me an amazing dinner. They’re fantastic, and frankly, I never want to leave.”
Standing up, I smile, thinking it would be pretty amazing if she followed through on that.
