“Hockey players,” she said. “I live with hockey players.”
He gave her a small smile. “Right. Sounds like you. Always did like being surrounded by chaos.”
A moment passed again and it struck me that this had to be the most awkward brother-sister interaction I’d ever encountered. Drew would never be so stiff with me. And the confidence that Sam usually radiated with ease seemed to be completely gone now, her shoulders hunched slightly.
Jordan’s smile dropped and he shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “Look, Sam. I know this is unexpected. I should have called first.”
“Yes, you should have.”
He huffed out a weak laugh. “Would you have answered?”
Drew and I made eye contact, both of us clearly thinking the same thing—something was obviously going on here that none of us were aware of.
When Sam didn’t answer him, Jordan continued. “We really want you home this year. And I figured if I showed up in person, you couldn’t just”—he gave her a look and a small smile—”escape to Aunt Lauren’s.”
Wait. Sam hadn’t been going home? Hadn’t she saidearlier that her mom had all these fun Christmas traditions that she was excited about? What the hell was going on?
Had Sam lied to us about her family?
She still didn’t say anything and Jordan’s smile fell. “Sam,” he said, his voice taking on a gentler tone. “It’s time to come home.”
“Why now?”
Pain seemed to streak briefly across his face. “We thought…” He trailed off and then shook his head. “We thought eventually you’d be ready to come back on your own. But it’s been five years, Sammy. And I’m tired of waiting.”
Did he just sayfive years?
I exchanged a glance with Liam, and from his furrowed brow, I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. Sam had never once mentioned not going home. She’d made it sound like she spent holidays with her family every year.
Where the hell had Sam been going every time she said she was going home?
“I miss you,” Jordan continued. “We all do. And I know things are complicated. But I’m not leaving Montana without you. So you can either get on that plane with me tomorrow, or I can camp out on your porch until you change your mind.” He glanced at the worn welcome mat beneath his feet. “Fair warning, I’m not above guilt-tripping you with how cold it is out here.”
A laugh escaped Sam’s throat. “You’re such an asshole.”
His smile grew again. “I learned from the best.”
Nowthatdefinitely seemed like siblings. But just as quickly as the teasing had come, it seemed to evaporate, and tension filled the air. Gordy glanced at Sam from where he stood next to her before looking back at Jordan, his gazenarrowed like he was also trying to get a better grasp on all the context we were clearly missing.
“Jordan, I can’t?—”
“You can,” he said. “You just don’t want to. And I get it, okay? I do. But you can’t keep avoiding us forever.”
“It’s worked out so far,” she muttered.
“Sammy.”
“Don’t ‘Sammy’ me.”
“Then don’t make me be the annoying older brother who drags you home kicking and screaming.” He raised an eyebrow. “Because I will. You know I will.”
“Maybe we could continue this inside?” Gordy’s voice cut in, low and calm. “It’s cold.”
Jordan glanced at Gordy and then back at Sam as if seeking her permission.
She stepped aside. “Yeah. Come in, I guess.”
Jordan walked inside, looking around the hockey house with the expression of a man who’d expected something very different from his sister’s life. Sam finally turned around and didn’t make any attempt to hide her eye roll when she saw us all hovering in the hallway watching the scene unfold.
