Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

“So, are you excited?” he asked, standing up from placing the presents he’d wrapped under the tree. I looked up at him over my glasses, unable to keep from smiling at his boyish grin and eagerness.

“Yes, although it’ll be a little weird not going to Thunder Bay for Christmas this year,” I agreed. Jordan shrugged, snuggling up beside me on the couch in front of the natural gas fireplace in our apartment. We’d been together for two and a half years now, and both prior Christmases had been a full Staal family event at his parents’ home back in Canada. This year it was supposed to be just us in Pittsburgh, the hockey schedule too tight to make the trip north.

“I know, but it’ll be good, you know? Just the two of us, all cozy and warm,” he lifted an eyebrow suggestively, making me laugh and feel oh-so-sexy in my plaid pajama pants and an old T-shirt of his from when he played for Peterborough.

“Don’t get your hopes up too high hon,” I grinned back, before leaning into the kiss he pressed to my lips. A person would never know it, but Jordan was the biggest sweetheart I knew; he may act all rough and tumble around his team, but at home he was the sweetest guy I’d ever met. And even when he was being a little rowdy he always found ways to show me I was on his mind, and when I was at home and he was away or out he’d always send me a few texts and call.

“Aww come on; we couldn’t ever have any fun on Christmas at my parents!” he complained good-naturedly.

“That’s because your mom made you sleep upstairs and let me have your old room, just like everybody else had to go through,” I gently reminded him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Linda and Henry were very old-fashioned in their boys not sharing rooms with their girlfriends until they were married.

“It’s not like they don’t know we sleep together here,” he huffed, before shooting me a coy grin and then wrapping his arms around me.

“I can’t believe tomorrow’s Christmas, I mean, we were in Dallas last night. It’s just weird, you know?” he asked, staring out the window. I nodded, his chin bobbing up and down with my head.

“I know. I wish you guys didn’t have a game on Tuesday, then we could’ve made the trip to your parents, or at least stayed with one of your brothers and had some of the family together,” I sighed, running a hand through his wheat-blonde hair.

“Yeah, I know,” he shrugged, not appearing to be as bothered as I figured he should’ve been. I didn’t think on it though, he was probably excited that we were having our ‘first Christmas together’ at our place. We’d video call his parents and his brothers and my parents Christmas morning, it would be almost the same. And I’d gotten things ready today to throw in to make a scaled-down Christmas dinner for the two of us. It’d be good, just not the wonderful, buzzing affair I’d become used to at the Staals.

“Well babe, we should probably get to sleep. We wouldn’t want Santa to catch us up, would we?” he winked, making me laugh out loud.

“Oh gosh no, that’d be terrible! He might not bring your present,” I played along, letting out a shriek when he picked me up and began carrying me to our bedroom.

“Well we can’t have that Nikki! I want my presents! Come on, off to bed,” he declared, and then gently placed me on the mattress after he’d pulled back the sheets. Instead of crawling in on his side he leaned in and kissed me before laying down, being careful to support the majority of his weight on his elbows rather than on my five-foot-five-inches frame.

“Love you babe,”

“Love you Jord,” I echoed, kissing him again before he rolled us over, and fell asleep in his arms with my head on his chest.

“Wake up Aunty Nikki!” I was startled awake, and panicked a moment at the unknown voice in my room and finding Jordan wasn’t there. He slept like a rock, so I’d never woken up without him there unless he had practice in the morning.

It took a moment to realize that it was Parker jumping on my bed excitedly, and I wondered how he’d got here.

“Hi Parker, how are you?” I asked, and he struggled to crawl to me through the mess of blankets and give me a hug.

“Come on Aunty Nikki! I wanna open presents!” he said, tugging on my hand.

“Just a second, okay?” I asked, throwing on a fitted Penguins hoodie and running the brush through my hair; it was a good thing I’d showered last night. Linda and my mom expected a lot of pictures from our first Christmas alone, and I knew Jordan was prone to waking up early to open his gifts, so I wanted to be able to be ready at a moments’ notice.

“Come on!” he tugged at my hand, and when I reached our living room my jaw dropped. Eric, Tanya, Levi, Jared, Marc and Lindsay were all there, and I turned towards the kitchen, seeing Jordan standing there watching me with a lazy grin.

“B-but… how…? What…?” I asked, still shocked as I stood frozen in the middle of our apartment, not sure what to say.

“Merry Christmas Nik,” Jared grinned, getting up and hugging me.

“Merry Christmas Jay, but how did you get here?”

“A plane, duh,” he rolled his eyes, making his brothers chuckle while Tanya and Lindsay took my side and swatted at their husbands.

“I knew you were a little put out at not going to my parents for Christmas, so I brought them home to you. Except mom and dad,” he pointed out, as if I hadn’t already noticed.

“They’re leaving on a fancy cruise,” Tanya proudly announced, so I guessed it had been a gift from the eldest Staal brothers’ family.

“Wow, this is amazing!” I gushed, leaning heavily into Jordan’s hug and then pressing a kiss to his lips.

“Merry Christmas babe,”

“Aunty Nikki! Uncle Jordan! Can we open presents now? Please?” Parker begged, and laughing we each took one of his hands and walked with him to the living room, where he helped sort the gifts – giving them to everyone – and then tore into his presents.

“Whoa, buddy you missed one!” Jordan grinned at his nephew, pulling one out from a spot hidden between the fireplace and the tree.

“Ooh!” Parker eagerly reached for it, but the look his parents gave him had him sheepishly asking his uncle to ‘please pass him his present’.

“Hmm… who had this color of wrapping paper? I don’t see any others like it…” Jordan asked, and I hid a smile as he helped Parker look through the gifts, and then gasp when he found one in the same paper with Levi’s name on it.

“I wonder who it could be from?” Marc asked aloud, and moments later Parker exploded with excitement when he pieced it together.

“SANTA!” he squealed, tearing the wrapping paper off and revealing a pair of brand-new Bauer skates, a few hockey ‘learn to read’ picture books, and a mini Hurricanes Jersey with his name on it and his dad’s hockey number.

“Wow, just what I wanted! See dad! He gave me what I asked for in my letter!” he said, and Eric laughed, his eyes sparkling at his son’s enthusiasm.

“I told you Santa knew what to get you, good thing you’ve been good all year,” he said, and Parker was too excited to do anything else but talk about Santa as we all opened our gifts, Tanya and Lindsay snapping pictures at every opportunity.

“Oh, I should put that ham in the oven,” I said, just remembering it as I got up and went into the kitchen.

“I’ll help!” Lindsay immediately offered. She helped me get out the other things I’d prepared yesterday and then I realized I wouldn’t have enough food for everybody.

“Oh no I—”

“Relax; we brought food,” she said, pointing to the plastic bags sitting on the counter that I hadn’t noticed before I let out a sigh of relief before we got to work while the boys visited and entertained Parker and Tanya kept Levi happy.

“I can’t wait for that,” Lindsay sighed, watching the rest of the family interact with Parker. It was no secret Marc and Lindsay weren’t planning on waiting to start a family.

“I know what you mean; they’re just so adorable, and all the boys are so good with kids,” I nodded, keeping my head down and trying not to sound emotional about it.

“Oops! We missed one!” I heard Jordan announce, and Lindsay bounded into the living room to see what was up.

“Nikki come here! It’s just one left,” Jordan called, and I did so, seeing wide smiles on everyone’s faces.

“Who’s it for?” I asked, sitting down on the couch.

“You,” Jordan said, and as he turned around to face me he sunk down to one knee, and immediately I went into shock. I hadn’t expected this, not a big, in front of everybody thing. Jordan wasn’t like that, he was more of a black sheep where it came to ‘traditional’ things like this; he did things his own way. And since Marc had proposed only a few years ago in a similar fashion never in a million years had I expected the same from Jordan. To be honest I was beginning to think a proposal wasn't going to happen, and had myself talked into being okay with being the 'longtime girlfriend', like Vero was. That was less complicated, I'd told myself, more Jordan's style.

“Nikki, you know I love you, and you know nothing makes me happier than waking up and seeing you there beside me or coming home to you and getting to hold you in my arms. You make me the happiest man alive, and there’s nobody I’d rather spend the rest of my life with than you. So would you do me the honor of marrying me?” he asked, and I felt the hot tears come to my eyes.

“Yes,” I whispered, unable to force the words out at any kind of volume. I saw worry on his features and realized I hadn’t said it loud enough for him to hear.

“Yes!” I said louder, and his face lit up before he flung himself at me to hug me and smother me with kisses. When we finally pulled apart, he gently slid the silver band with black and white diamonds – as close to Penguins colors as he could probably get – onto my finger.

“When your ring went missing for a few days I took it so they could fit this one for you,” was his sheepish explanation.

“Jordan this is, this is amazing,” I couldn’t keep the tears from rolling down my cheeks as the rest of our family cheered and clapped before hugging us.

“Daddy, daddy what’s going on?” Parker asked, tugging at both his dad’s and his Uncle Marc’s sleeves.

“Uncle Jordy just asked Aunt Nikki to marry him,” Marc gently explained.

“So they’re gonna be a mommy and daddy too?” he asked, looking expectantly at us. I let out a giggle, and Jordan chuckled before looking at me.

“Hopefully,” he allowed, before kissing me again.

“Merry Christmas babe,” he whispered against my ear, making my beaming smile stretch across my face. Talk about the best Christmas ever.