Bound by Love and Rivalry: Auston Matthews

Chapter 16

Christmas time

Our cozy living room was bathed in the soft glow of fairy lights, their warm hues danced across the walls. We began decorating our first Christmas tree together. The ambiance of soft Christmas music in the back with the flicker of the tv with frosty snowman playing.

Auston had given me creative liberties with the tree and I chose soft pastel colors to keep things bright even though it was a little different then a traditional tree. We placed each ornament one by one and I fixed Auston's terrible placement every few times. We got to the end and stepped back to admire all of our hard work.

"First Christmas in our new home," Auston mused, his voice filled with a blend of nostalgia and excitement

I smiled, "it's perfect"

Auston's eyes sparkled as he looked at me, "wait right here"

He disappeared into our bedroom, leaving me surrounded by the glow of the tree. Moments later, he returned with a small box in hand. Opening it, he revealed a delicate ornament with our initials on it.

Together we placed it on the tree then stood back again, our tree was complete. I hugged Auston and he kissed the top of my head.

As we stood back and admired our hard work one more time, I saw the expression on Auston's face shift. "Hey I forgot to tell you... my parents are coming into town for Christmas"

A mixture of excitement and nervousness settled in my stomach. Meeting his parents was a big step.

"They are really excited to meet you" Austin continued, his eyes earnest

My nerves must have been evident in my expression because Auston gently grabbed my hand and gave it a small squeeze. "They are going to love you, just like I do."

I nodded, grateful for his reassurance. Meeting his parents was going to be nerve wrecking, but I was excited and it was going to be nice to have the house filled for the holidays.

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In the days leading up to Auston's family's arrival, I dove into a flurry of activity, determined to make our home as welcoming as possible. The day had come and our halls were echoing with holiday music that Auston was blasting. And the air carried the rich aroma of freshly baked cookies, as I made batches and batches of them for Auston's family.

Despite everything being perfectly in place and the house was ready for guests, nervous energy still hung above me like mistletoe. I was snapped out of my thoughts when the doorbell chimed and echoed through the house and Auston, a whirlwind of excitement, practically sprinted down the stairs.

"I got it," he announced, his smile almost infectious I couldn't help but let out a slight giggle

As I made my way out of the kitchen, the door swung open. Auston hugged each member of his family and then introduced me to them.

His moms warm embrace enveloped me. Our entryway was filled with laughter and animated chatter as greetings were exchanged, the air quickly transforming into one familial warmth.

Our time at the house didn't last too long, because we had to go to the family skate down at the arena. When we got to the event, the laughter and joy of the families filled the surroundings. Seeing all of the players' kids bundled up as they clumsily glided across the ice brought a smile to my face.

In the midst of everything, I slip away to catch up with Steph. We talked about how things were going and how it was having the families home with us for the holidays, and our conversation turned to Auston, who unexpectedly glided by, hand and hand with one of Patrick Marleau's kids.