48 - Meet the Family

“Thank heavens you made it, I heard there was a storm coming!” Elise Miller exclaimed, pulling her son into a hug, “Ryan, sweetie, you look so cold, go to the kitchen and warm up.” She hugged Anna as well, “So good to see you again, Anna.”

Anna smiled, “It’s great to see you too, Mrs. Miller.”

“Please, call me Elise,” Elise told her, closing the door behind them, “You’re just in time. Dinner will be ready any minute.”

The Miller house was a modest one, filled with pictures of the family. Ryan’s different hockey career awards were displayed on the wall, along with a menagerie of the Miller boys throughout the years. A particularly cute photo of Drew and Ryan, likely before they reached double-digits, was in the midst of it all.

“Let me take your coat, dear,” Dean Miller said immediately, removing Anna’s jacket.

“Oh, actually, I-”

Ryan bit his lip as Anna’s four-month pregnant belly was revealed beneath the winter jacket. The bulk had only just disguised it, and now the secret was out. Anna’s cheeks turned bright red. Dean fell silent and Elise suppressed a gasp. They both stared at Ryan for an answer.

“I can explain.”

Anna cut in, “I am four months along. We believe it is going to be a girl.” She paused, having difficulty maintaing eye contact with Dean’s glare. “When we met before in Vancouver, I didn’t think it would be a good time to say anything, but now I can’t hide it anymore.”

“That’s for sure.” Dean mumbled.

“And Ryan, dear? What do you have to say about this?” Elise asked him.

Ryan looked from one parent to the other, “I...I’m excited. I’m almost 30, and I feel like the time is right for me to become a father.”

Dean sighed, “Yes, but, have we not taught you anything?”

Anna forlornly lifted her hand to show the ring on her finger, “We’re engaged.”

Dean looked at his eldest son sternly. Elise’s eyes seemed to water. At the opportune moment, Drew came bounding down the stairs and entered the scene.

“Oh, well,” Drew crossed his arms, “You finally told them?”

Dean pointed at Drew, “He knows about this?”

“Please, don’t blame Ryan,” Anna said quickly, “If anything, he is taking responsibility here. Most men would flee, but Ryan chose to stay, and I’m choosing to stay.” She swallowed. “I want this.”

Elise started to cry. Dean eyed her, “You do?”

Anna nodded, “Yes.” She looked at Ryan and took his hand. “God, yes.”

“This is just a bit of a shock,” Dean said slowly, “I mean, we didn’t even know Ryan had a girlfriend until we met you at the hospital. He never once mentioned you.”

“I know this seems so backwards, Dad,” Ryan cut in, “But you always said that you can’t live life by a plan; you have to plan it as it comes at you. So that’s what I’m doing. Anna has moved to Buffalo, we are seeing a doctor regularly and preparing for this baby.”

“Well then,” Dean pulled Anna into a hug, “Welcome to the family.”

Drew rolled his eyes, “You’re kidding me, Dad.”

“Drew, it’s Christmas,” Dean replied, “Show a little respect for your new sister-in-law.”

Elise smiled, “I’m going to be a grandma.”

“Yeah Mom, you are.” Ryan said with a small grin.

“A what?”

A younger boy and girl walked into the entryway, eyeing Anna with suspicion. Both were in their teen years; one looking 15 and the other around 18. She saw that one looked like Ryan, while the other more or less resembled Drew. Ryan smiled at them.

“Annie, this is Brynne and Bruce,” he explained, “My sister and brother.”

Brynne cocked her head at Anna, “And you are?”

“She’s my fiancee,” Ryan told her, “We’re having a baby.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be married to have kids?” Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow at his brother.

“Well, yes, but you know I prefer to do things out of order,” Ryan said, forcing a laugh, “Gee, I’m hungry, is dinner almost ready?”

Anna sighed, glad to change the subject. Elise was more than happy to bring her son into the kitchen, while Dean welcomed Anna into the family room. After removing her boots, she was stopped by Drew.

“You came clean,” he said, “Good job.”

“What is your problem?” Anna asked him, lowering her voice to a whisper.

“I’m just making sure you’re legit.”

“And that means?”“Drew, sweetie, come help me with the turkey!” Elise called from the kitchen.

Drew leaned forward until his nose was almost touching Anna’s, “I’m not done with you yet!” before fleeing to help his mother in the kitchen. To Anna’s relief, Ryan emerged, and she practically tackled him.

“Drew scares me,” she whispered as they walked into the family room.

“Come on, he’s just trying to mess with you,” Ryan said, “That, and he’s mad because he and his wife are having problems.”

Anna frowned, “What?”

Ryan sighed, “I don’t know the details, I just know she wasn’t willing to drive the short amount here with him. She’s staying at home.”

“By herself? On Christmas Eve?”

“Yeah, kind of sad, really...”

Anna pursed her lips, “It is.” She didn’t exactly get along with Drew, but she didn’t think he deserved to be without his wife on Christmas.

Dean gestured to the fireplace, “Look Anna, this is Ryan’s stocking from the time he was a little kid. His grandmother made it for him.”

Anna smiled at the tattered blue stocking, embroidered with hockey sticks crossed and Ryan’s name, “It’s sweet.”

Ryan blushed a little, “Yeah...”

Gently, she touched the small stocking, “I used to have one like this, but we lost it in the fire...”

“I thought your parents passed in a car accident,” Ryan said slowly. Dean glanced at Anna, a sudden sympathy in his eyes.

“They did,” Anna shrugged, not liking the attention, “I lived in a foster home for some time, and the attic where we stored our Christmas things caught fire during an electrical surge. The house always had bad wiring.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Ryan laced his hand with hers, “That’s terrible. I can’t imagine losing things that mean so much.”

“Yes, but, they’re just material items,” Anna told him, “Memories are what live on, you know.”

Brynne, who had been observing Anna from her father’s easy chair, piped up, “So, you’re gonna have a baby, right?”

Anna turned, “Yes...”

“Is it a boy or a girl?”

Ryan chuckled, “Well, the doctors are saying it’s a girl, and Anna thinks so too.”

Brynne smiled, “You’re lucky. My mom and dad had three accidents before they got what they wanted.”

Ryan sent her a glare and she grinned at him, “What? It’s true.”

Anna laughed, “I like her.”

Elise popped into the living room, “Dinner’s ready, everyone!”

Ryan put an arm around Anna, “You’re going to love this. Mom makes the best Christmas ham.”

Just as he said, the dinner was wonderful, but Anna’s hormones were driving her crazy. Every time Ryan’s arm brushed up against hers, or even when she accidentally bumped against his leg, she got chills. She crossed her legs nervously, knowing her body was going to collapse under his touch.

“...so that was when he told me he wanted to be a goalie,” Dean said, pouring his wife a glass of wine, “Hasn’t change since then.”

Anna grinned, “Hasn’t changed at all by the sound of it.”

Drew, who sat across from Anna, passed the potatoes to Brynne, “So tell us, Anna, how did you meet Ryan?”

The table fell silent. Ryan gave Drew an angry stare. He knew the story all too well, and was not about to ruin the evening with it. Gently, he took Anna’s hand under the table.

“We met in Pittsburgh,” Ryan began calmly, “Right, dear?”

Anna nodded slowly, “Er, yes. I used to work for the Penguins. Well, at the time I did.”

“She was the one who helped prevent my second ankle injury,” Ryan continued, “She’s an excellent medic.”

Anna blushed a bit, “Don’t be silly! I was just doing my job.”

“After seeing each other for over a year, we had been meaning to move in together, but because of the distance, we couldn’t-”

“So, when I fell pregnant, it was actually a blessing in disguise,” Anna said, catching on to Ryan’s lead, “I finally moved to Buffalo and we have never been happier. This baby has made everything even better.”

Situation avoided. Anna: 1, Drew: 0.

“You must have known that kid who passed recently,” Dean said, “Talbot, was his name?”

Of course it had to come to Max Talbot. Anna felt very still. She looked down at her plate, unable to speak. It had been a month, but she still wasn’t ready to talk about him.

“Max was Anna’s best friend,” Ryan told his father, “They were very close.”

“I’m sorry,” Dean apologized, “You must be devastated.”

Anna nodded a bit, “He was the one who encouraged me to be with Ryan.”

Elise smiled, “How sweet. From what I hear he was a very nice young man. That poor goaltender is having a most difficult time with him being gone.”

Flower. Anna had been meaning to call him and make sure he was ok, but couldn’t. A few times Veronique had answered the phone, but even then Anna could hardly speak. Everything was so messed up between them.

Sensing the tight atmosphere, Bruce changed the subject, “Gary said he might get the band a gig at the Friday bar on Thursday.”



Mentally thanking Bruce, Anna looked from one end of the table to the other. She couldn’t think of a time when she’d felt so welcome, so blessed by a family she hardly knew. Actually, she could: Christmas in Quebec.

“It’s no big deal, they’ll love you!”

“Max, this is seriously weird. Everyone is going to think we’re dating.”

“So? Just say you’re a lesbian.”

“And make things even stranger? Yeah, no thanks. I don’t even know how to say ‘lesbian’ in French...”

A snowball hit Max in the back of the head just before they reached the sidewalk to the front door. He whirled around and saw a familiar face, snarling at the other Frenchman who hurled the snowball. Screaming at each other in half-English, half-French, an all out snowball fight had begun.

“Arette, Marc!” A dark-haired woman cut in, “S’il vous plait!”

“Anna,” Max said breathlessly, “This is Marc-Andre Fleury, the crazy French bastard.”

“You are the crazy bastard!” Marc-Andre argued, flashy pearly whites unlike anything Anna had ever seen before, “Joyeaux Noel, Anna. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Why haven’t I met you? I’ve seen you before,” Anna exclaimed.

“I have been injured for some time and required ‘special attention’,” Marc said tiredly, “But hopefully after December I will be back again!”

Anna looked questionably at Veronique, “He has always been stubborn, but fair. I’m Veronique, by the way, Marc’s girlfriend.”

“From the time they were sixteen,” Max said, making kissy faces, “SO CUTE!”

Marc swore at him in French, ensuing another snowball fight. The girls ran for cover by the garage, laughing at the two ‘boys’ playing in the snow.

“You are Max’s girlfriend?” Veronique asked non-chalantly.

“Actually, I’m just the Penguin’s new medic,” Anna explained, “Max has kind of taken me under his wing. I’m glad to have him, he’s like a big brother to me.”

“You sure about that? He invited you to his parents’ house for Christmas Eve dinner!”

Anna smiled, “He only did that because he knew I don’t have anywhere to go for Christmas.”

Veronique’s face fell, “I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“No, it’s fine,” Anna insisted, “I’m fine.”

That was how Anna had always been. Telling herself she was fine, when in reality, she was far from it. Quietly, she hoped the Millers wouldn’t find out.

Thankfully, her secret was safe with Ryan.