Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother (Maya Scott) novel Chapter 274

Episode 9

Episode 9

ALLISON’S POV

It’s been close to a year since I saw Katy in person. We’ve FaceTimed over two hundred times in those months, so when she called to say she was spending Christmas with us, I was more than

overjoyed.

Justin and I prepped the house, though there wasn’t much to do. We have enough rooms for everyone, and Justin has been teasing me relentlessly about how excited I am. Which, fair. I am

very excited.

The kids too. Justin Jnr hasn’t stopped talking about seeing Mason and showing him every single one of his toys. I just hope they don’t destroy anything, because let’s be honest, Mason is a lot. Katy doesn’t know what to do with all his energy and neither does anyone else. He wears everyone

out in the absolute best way.

“No running, okay?” I repeat, looking down at Justin Jnr and Harry, both waiting with me at the

door for Katy’s arrival.

They nod, eyes still fixed ahead.

We wait for another few minutes, the cold nipping at my cheeks, my breath coming out in small

white clouds. Harry shifts his weight from foot to foot and Justin Jnr has his neck craned so far toward the gate I’m genuinely worried about him.

Then the gate slides open.

Two cars roll in slowly, tires crunching over the thin layer of snow that had settled on the driveway

overnight.

“They’re here!!” Justin Jnr screeches.

“Yes, they’re…”

“Auntie!!” He yells.

Even though I specifically told them not to run less than minutes ago, he sprints off, Harry right on

his heels, neither of them caring even slightly about the snow or the cold or me.

“Justin, I said no running!” I call after them, but they’re already there, throwing themselves at Katy and nearly knocking her clean into the car door.

“Oh my-” Katy laughs, her arms flying out to catch her balance. She wraps them both up anyway,

squeezing hard, her chin dropping to the top of Justin Jnr’s head.

Episode 9

“Auntie Allie!!”

+25 Points

Mason hits me first, his arms locked around my waist so hard I take a full step back. Hudson

barrels in right after him, latching onto my other side.

“Okay… okay, hi-hi-” I’m laughing too, grabbing their puffy winter jackets just to stay upright.

Veronica reaches me last and the boys part for her without being asked. She stops at my feet,

small in her red coat, and tilts her head up to look at me, raising both mittened hands.

“Come here, baby.” I scoop her up immediately, settling her against my side. She immediately

tucks her face into my neck and my chest blooms with warmth.

“She missed you the most,” Mason announces very seriously.

I smile, pressing my cheek to the top of her head. She’s an exact copy of Katy and it’s a little

unnerving how much. I talk to her more than the boys anyway. Mason and Hudson are Justin

people through and through, for very obvious reasons.

“Where’s uncle?” Hudson asks, already scanning. “Is he napping?”

Yeah. He’s their favorite.

Across the driveway, Katy is trying to survive Justin and Harry simultaneously.

“They’re feral,” I tell her.

“Mine too,” she calls back, prying Harry’s fingers off her sleeve. And when she manages to detach

them from her, they attack their next target, Braydon, sticking to him like glue.

With a big stupid grin, Katy walks toward me, and I mirror her. I set Veronica down and close the

remaining distance in two steps, and then her arms are around me and mine are around her and

honestly everything else just stops.

She smells like her same perfume and that one detail alone almost undoes me.

“I missed you,” she says into my shoulder.

“I missed you too.” I pull her tighter. “FaceTime is a scam.”

She laughs, and we sway a little, neither of us in any hurry to let go. A whole year of two hundred

calls and it still wasn’t enough. Nothing beats this. Nothing beats actual her.

Something tugs sharply at my pants.

I look down and Mason is staring at me, his eyes wide. Katy and I step apart.

“Auntie Allie.” He tugs again. “Do you have a tiger?”

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I blink and look at Katy. Her face is completely straight but her eyes are screaming as she gives me

a subtle nod.

I look back at Mason.

“Yes,” I say. “In the back.”

Color drains from his face and he takes one full step backward, finds Hudson, and grabs his sleeve

without a word.

I’m about to completely lose it when the front door swings open.

“KATY.”

Justin’s voice booms across the porch and Katy barely has time to turn around before he sweeps

her up off the ground entirely.

“Justin-“She’s half laughing, half gasping.

“How are you? Let me look at you.” He sets her down, hands on her shoulders and scanning her face. “You look good. You sleeping? You eating?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.”

“You look tired.”

She smacks him. “We talk on FaceTime. Why are you acting like I’m brand new?”

“Coz I missed you.” He says, pulling her in to kiss her forehead.

When he finally lets go of her, he moves down the line. He picks Hudson first, tossing him over his

shoulder while Hudson shrieks with delight. Then Mason, who forgets about the tiger long enough

to demand Justin race him later. Then Veronica, who gets the gentlest of the three, Justin

crouching down to her level, talking soft, and making her giggle with whatever he says into her ear.

I watch him and I swear, he is so cute with kids. Every single time.

He straightens up, exchanges one of those handshake-hug things with Braydon, and they fall into

easy conversation immediately, unloading bags from the trunk.

“You good?” Katy appears at my elbow.

“Always, but I do have a lot to tell you.” I glance at her. “Come on, let’s get everyone inside.”

We gather the kids and start herding them toward the door, Veronica finding my hand again and

holding it.

“Hey.” I lean toward Katy and drop my voice. “Why is he asking about a tiger?”

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“I told him if he breaks anything in your house, I’d feed him to your tiger.” She answers immediately.

I stop walking. “Woman.”

“He broke a vase, a lamp and my favorite mug in the same week, Allison.”

I burst into laughter, shaking my head while she fights a smile and loses.

“You’re terrible,” I manage.

“I’m a mother of three.” She holds the door open. “Same thing.”

There’s something extremely beautiful about watching kids play, lost in their own bubble and just

happy.

I keep staring at them-Justin Jnr and Mason deep in some negotiation involving action figures that seems very high stakes for them. Harry is explaining the rules of something to Hudson and

Veronica is sitting cross-legged between them all, quietly organizing the toys. Their voices overlap,

giggles erupting every few seconds, and the whole room just hums with it.

They look like siblings. Technically they are cousins so that’s close enough.

I lean against the dining table, my arms folded, while Katy is beside me, a mug cradled in both

hands.

I think about freshman year. I remember moving in with two suitcases and a desk fan and having

absolutely no idea what I was doing. I think about how I never once looked at Katy back then and

thought she could be family. I never predicted any of this or how much life would bring me.

My mum doesn’t even believe in fate. She’s the most practical woman alive but even she said all of

this is fate. It was meant to be.

“Aren’t they cute?” Katy’s voice pulls me back and she’s smiling. “Sometimes it feels unreal that this

is my life. The kids, the company, everything I wanted.” She glances at me. “Do you feel the same?”

I look across the room. Justin is on the couch with Braydon, both of them holding wine glasses as

they talk and laugh.

I exhale slowly.

“Sometimes I think I don’t deserve it,” I admit. “Any of it.”

She smacks my arm and I wince.

“Justin literally brags about you every single time we talk. Every time. You are basically his entire personality, Allison.” She sighs and leans her head on my shoulder. “Your kids are cute and good

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