Chapter Sixteen

Axel

“Jim,” Carmen called from the kitchen, “can you get the dustpan and broom? There are cookie crumbs all over the kitchen floor.”

I couldn’t help the smirk that spread across my face.

Star choked on her eggnog. I turned my head quickly and tried not to laugh as I watched her cough and splutter.

“Are you okay?” Rickie asked, concern etched on her face as she leaned forward to pat Star’s back.

Star waved her off and managed to swallow down the drink and catch her breath. “I’m good. Just… um, the cookie crumbs got the best of me.” She shot me a glare that made my grin widen.

I could feel the heat of her embarrassment radiating off her, but I was enjoying every second of it. Her reaction was priceless, and I knew she wasn’t really mad at me—just… flustered. I couldn’t resist teasing her just a little.

“Come on, Mom,” Rain called, eager for her turn. “You’re the one who said we had to play Antler Toss.”

I glanced around the room. All of us, fully rested—or, in my case, fully satisfied from earlier—were ready to play before heading off to bed.

“Start without us,” Carmen called from the kitchen. “It’s literally like someone sprinkled cookie crumbs all over the floor.”

Star cleared her throat and threw a glance my way.

I wasn’t ashamed at all. Just next time I knew we had to clean up a little better if we had some fun in the kitchen.

Ben was already positioned at one end of the living room and held his arms out like he was preparing to defend a goal. Rain stood at the other end and held three hoops in her hands, ready to toss them.

The thing was, Ben was wearing a set of inflatable antlers on his head, and Rain was supposed to be tossing the hoops to try and hook them onto his horns.

Carmen had insisted that she’d planned this game for Woods, but Woods had been fast asleep in his bed. So, naturally, the adults took it upon themselves to have all the fun.

“Just chuck the hoops at Ben and try to hook them on the antlers,” Carmen instructed, her voice carrying from the kitchen.

Rain grinned with a smirk on her face. “I like finally having a reason to chuck things at your head.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Like you really need an excuse for that.”

I chuckled under my breath.

Rain wound up and tossed the first ring, but it landed at Ben’s feet. “What the heck, babe? Fling that ring!”

She threw the second one harder, and it bounced off the inflatable antler.

Davis sat on the sidelines with his arms folded and shouted, “Height! You need to get some height on your throw!”

“Okay, okay!” Rain grumbled, clearly getting frustrated. She took another shot, this time with all her strength, but the ring hit the ceiling fan and bounced off.

“Not so much height,” Davis chuckled.

“I am not athletic, okay?” Rain grumbled and threw her hands up in the air.

Ben took the antlers off his head and tossed them in my direction. “You’re up, dude. Maybe you guys can do better than we did.”

I raised an eyebrow and looked at the ridiculous inflatable horns. I had figured that Star’s family Christmas might get a little crazy, but I hadn’t thought I’d be wearing inflatable antlers and have Star throw hoops at my face.

“Alright, alright,” I muttered and shook my head in disbelief. But I couldn’t help it. The chaos and fun—it was all infectious. I plopped the antlers onto my head and assumed Ben’s position. I could feel Star’s eyes on me as I took my stance.

“Don’t hit his face, sweetie. The man is too handsome,” Rickie called out from the side, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

Davis leaned in and offered the same piece of advice. “Height,” he said again. “Give it some oomph.”

I looked over at Star, who was standing at the other end of the room, her smile wide.

“Let’s do this,” I said and flashed her a grin.

Star rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh. “You look absolutely ridiculous. I should take a picture and share it with the guys at work,” she joked.

I swept my gaze around the room. “No one takes photos.” I focused back on the task at hand and watched as Star carefully lined up her throw. The room went quiet for a moment.

“Go on, sweetie. You’ve got this!” Rickie cheered from the sidelines.

Star pulled her arm back and tossed the first hoop toward me.

The ring missed—by a mile.

I held up my hands and feigned disappointment. “Is this what you’re working with? Come on, Star.”

She laughed, her voice filled with mock annoyance. “Shut up, Axel.”

The next hoop came faster, clipping the top of one of the inflatable antlers but fell to the floor.

“Not bad!” I called out.

“Height!” Davis barked again. “You need to get some height on your throw!”

“Give me a break,” Star muttered, but she was smiling despite herself.

She lined up the final hoop and threw it with a steady hand. This time, it sailed through the air and landed square on the left antler.

The room erupted into applause. I couldn’t help but laugh. “There we go! That’s what I’m talking about!” I cheered.

“Finally!” Ben cheered from the sidelines. “Good job, Star!”

“See? Told you I’d get it,” she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a satisfied smile.

I pulled the antlers off my head and tossed them back to Ben. “Let’s see if you guys can do better than that.”

I stepped to Star and pulled her into my arms. “Not bad, honey.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Is this how you pictured spending Christmas?” she asked with a wide smile on her lips.

“It’s better than everything I imagined, honey.”

Better than anything.