“Woo,” I chanted and pumped my fist in the air, high as I could without pulling the controller out of the socket. Christmas day at Aunt Diana’s was a lot more relaxed then Christmas Eve at Grandma Reeves, hence me not hiding in a room.
“Congratulations, you scored a goal.” My cousin Jordon mocked me as we watched the reply of Skille score for the Avalanche.
“Hey, I don’t score often so this is exciting for me. Okay?” I smirked as Jordon shook his head at me.
“I know,” he replied as we got set for the face – off.
I bite my lip as the puck was dropped because even if I wasn’t very good with the X – Box, being more of a PlayStation person, I still got very competitive and now I just needed one more goal to tie this game up.
My thumbs flow across the controller as I tried to keep the puck away from Toews as MacKinnon skated the puck up the ice. The ring of the doorbell knocked me out of my thoughts for a second, but a second was all it took for Hossa to retrieve the puck. “Damn it,” I cursed whomever was at the door as MacKinnon chased down Toews.
“Brit,” I heard what sounded like my Aunt’s voice but I was too close to lose this one now and if Jordon scored again I knew I was screwed.
“Get him, get him, get him,” I chanted but it was no use as Toews passed the puck to Hossa and shot it past Pickard.
“Woo,” Jordon yelled and I knew he was just making fun of me.
“Brittany,” my Aunt called me again and with a roll of my eyes in Jordon’s direction before I turned to the banister that overlooked the basement.
“What’s up,” I asked, but one look in my Aunt’s direction and I knew the answer.
“You have a visitor,” she nodded to the young tattooed man next to her.
“Tyler?” My heart pounded in my chest as Tyler ran a hand though his hair and looked down at me. It’s not that I wasn’t excited to see it, but it was Christmas Night, shouldn’t he be with his family?
“Hey Brittany,” he gave a shy wave first to me, and then Jordon, who’s jaw was on the floor.
After the shock worn off I sprinted up the stairs. Tyler opened his arms with a smile, but as much as I wanted to be wrapped in his arms, I needed answers. His face fell as well as his arms as I grabbed his forearm and dragged him outside. “What are you doing here?” I whispered as I closed the door behind us.
“I wanted to see you,” he swallowed as his eyes studied my face. “Is that okay?”
“Yea,” I took a deep breath as the realization that Tyler was here to see me clicked.
“Are you okay?” His eyes softened as he looked down at me.
I nodded, “yea, it’s just I haven’t actually told my family that we are going out so the fact that you’re here may seem a little odd…”
“You haven’t told your family?”
I shook my head as I twisted the ring on my finger, “no, I wasn’t sure if we were telling our families…”
“Well I told my family so…” Tyler ran a hand though his dark hair
“You did?” I shallowed as my head snapped up to look at Tyler. I didn’t realize he was serious enough to tell his family.
“Yea, why do you think I’m here?” He chuckled, “Candace asked about you, so naturally mom started to ask questions and one thing lead to another and my mom practically packed my bags for me.”
“She did?” I laughed as I imaged Tyler’s mom going through his closet.
“Yea, she claimed that I should spend Christmas with my girlfriend.”
“Well Christmas is almost over.”
“I know, but it was the earliest flight I could get on such short notice.”
“Then I guess it will have to do.” I took Tyler’s hand in mind as I stood on my tippy toes, placing a soft kiss to his lips. “So you ready to meet my family?” I asked as I pulled away.
“I don’t think I really have a choice, do I?” Tyler smirked as placed his hands on my hips.
“Not now you don’t.” I confirmed as I ran my hands up and down his forearms. “There are probably a dozen people in there wondering what the hell Tyler Seguin is doing here or possibly just who the hell you are.”
“Not everyone,” a cocky smile covered Tyler’s face as he look down at me, “your mom and sister know who I am.”
“Yea,” I agreed with a huff, “and apparently my cousin.”

---

“Okay, what are we doing,” Tyler questioned after the dishes were all in the dishwasher, desserts were out, introductions were made and it was clarified that I was in fact going out with Tyler we found ourselves gathered around Aunt Diana’s dining room table.
“Well sir you arrived just in time for some good old family gambling.” I gave Tyler, who sat to my right, a side – eyed smirk as I tossed two dollars into the jar in the middle of the table and retrieved 4 quarters. “Here,” I placed 3 quarters on the table in front of him.
“So what are we playing?” Tyler shuffled the quarters in front of him.
“LCR.”
“LCR?” Tyler turned to me, one questioning eyebrow raised.
“Yea, we start with three quarters,” I told him as I laid my three quarters in front of me, “and you roll 3 dice. A dot means you keep your quarter, an ‘L’, and your new favorite letter, means you pass your quarter to the person on your left,” I smiled as I pointed to myself,” an ‘R’ means you pass one to the person on your right. If you lose a quarter to the left or right you can get it back, if the person next to you rolls an ‘L’ or an ‘R’. The last letter you can get is a ‘C’ which means you lose your quarter to the center. Lose you quarter to the center and it’s gone. Last person with a quarter wins. Got it?”
Tyler nodded as he laid his quarters out in front of him.
“And fair warning, you shouldn’t believe anything I say during this game.”
“Okay.”
“Alright,” Aunt Diana smiled as she took her seat at the table across from us, between my grandma and my Uncle Wade. “Everybody ready?”
There was a chores of ‘yeas’ and ‘let’s do this’ from around the table.

---

About 20 minutes and several inappropriate tight grabs later there were only 3 quarters left in play. One being passed between Tyler, Jordon and I, another one being passed between my grandma, my mom, and my aunt, and the last one that seemed to be glued in front of one of my cousins, Taylor.
“You know Jordon you’re my favorite cousin,” I smiled at Jordon as he shook one of the die in his hand.
With a roll of his eyes he released the die and it rolled across the table. “Yea,” I cheered at the die landed on ‘R’. “I love you Jordon,” I smiled as I reached my arm across the table, covered the quarter in front of Jordon and slid it in front of me.
“I get what you mean when you said I shouldn’t believe anything you say well playing this game,” Tyler whispered in my ear. “Can’t really believe anything that any one says.”
“No, you really can’t.” I glanced at Tyler who has been at the mercy of several lies since we’ve started this game, minus the exception of Breanna who actually wasn’t lying, at least not to Tyler. I focused back on the game just in time to see that Taylor lost her quarter to Breanna.
A huge smile covered Breanna face and it was hard to tell if it was because she got a quarter or because of what Tyler was saying. Yet I had to give him credit because whatever he said it seemed to work, which meant it was my turn.
“You know Tyler,” I grinned at him as I wrapped my hand around his bicep. “You are like the hottest guy in the NHL.”
“Hotter then Landeskog,” Tyler smirked as he shook the die.
“I’ll let you know after you roll.”
He shook his head as he released the die and it rolled in front of me, a dot.
“No, you’ll always be never number 3, behind Landeskog and Benn.” I told him as I picked up the die and gave it a quick shake before I released it. I groaned as it landed on ‘R’.
“You know you are the best girlfriend ever,” Tyler leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek as he retrieved his coin from in front of me.
“Shut up,” I crossed my arms over my chest as I tried not to smile. So instead of looking at Tyler I watched as grandma picked up the die. Now everyone was getting in on the badgering with only three quarters left. One in front of grandma and two in front of Tyler.
The whole table fell silent as grandma released the die because everyone knew that if it landed on the ‘C’ then the game was over and Tyler would win.
“Grandma,” there were a bunch of groans from around the table when the die landed on ‘C’ and grandma tossed her quarter into the middle.
“So I won,” Tyler questioned as my family started to prepare for the next round or got up to get more food.
“Yea, but since you won with my quarters so technically I won.” I smiled as I retrieved the bowl of coins in the center of the table.
“Okay, whatever.” Tyler laughed as he took the bowl from me. “We can share,” he smiled in that way of his and I knew if we weren’t surrounded by people he probably would have kissed me.
“Fine,” I sighed as I retrieved three coins from the bowl.

Notes