After their late-late-night snack, exhaustion finally caught up with Liam. He barely remembered getting back into bed. Outside of a brief goodnight kiss he hadn’t been able to resist, he’d kept his hands to himself.

The same couldn’t be said for Joey. The boy was an octopus in his sleep. When the insistent ringing of the phone woke Liam, Joey had his arm wrapped around Liam’s waist, and his head burrowed into Liam’s side.

Light streamed in through the windows, and Liam could hear people moving around in the house. What the hell time was it?

He glanced at the time as he answered the phone. Eight thirteen a.m. Holy hell. The kids had let him sleep in. It was a Christmas miracle.

The phone rang again, and Liam squinted at it, trying to make the name make sense. Why would Hal Simard, General Manager of the Thunder, be calling him so early on Christmas morning? Or at all, really?

“Hello?” Liam said cautiously, trying not to wake up Joey.

“Joyeux Noël, Liam!” Hal boomed. Hal was a very large, very loud, French-Canadian former hockey player. He was also one of the nicest guys Liam had ever worked for.

“Merry Christmas, to you, too, Mr. Simard. How are you?”

“I am very well, thank you! And please, call me Hal.”

Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. “What can I do for you?” Liam asked.

“I won’t keep you. I just had dinner with a friend yesterday here in Montreal, and I heard some interesting rumors. You know Joey Luciano, the Rangers center, correct? You were boyhood friends or some such.”

Liam stole a look at Joey who had rolled onto his stomach and wedged his head under the pillow. “Yeah. I know him.”

“I’m hearing that they may be thinking of trading him.”

Shit. Had Joey heard that? “Hold on a second, Mr. Simard.” Reluctantly, Liam slid out of bed. From underneath the pillow, Joey moaned in protest. Liam patted the pillow. “I gotta take this,” he whispered.

“Just another second, Mr. Simard.” He shoved his feet into sweatpants and t-shirt and went out into the hall on a search for privacy. The door to Nonno Lollo’s room was ajar, and he couldn’t hear anyone moving around.

“Hello?” he called, knocking gently on the door. He was going to need so much therapy if he saw Brigit or Enzo naked, let alone engaged in any kind of activity. Thankfully, the room was empty. He closed the door behind him.

“Sorry,” he said into the phone. “I had to find some privacy. The house is full of family.”

“As it should be for the holidays.”

“So, what are you hearing about Joey?” Please let it be nothing. Though the chances of Simard calling about nothing were slim to none.

“Nothing definite. Just that the GM has been sending out feelers about finding a place for him if things don’t change a little. Seems like he is a man who very much likes the women and the nightlife, no?”

Aw, shit. “Well, I don’t think it’s all that bad,” Liam said. He remembered Joey’s face in the attic last night and repeated the words Joey had spoken. “There’s more to him than that.”

“Of course, of course. And he is a handsome young man with a lot of money living in one of the greatest cities in the world. It’s natural.”

“He’s a great player,” Liam reminded him.

“Yes, he is.” Instantly Simard sounded more like the billionaire businessman he was. “That is why I am so interested. It think we have a great team this year.”

“I do, too, sir.”

“But I think Lowery’s departure left us a little weak in the offense.”

He wasn’t wrong. Liam and Head Coach Williams had discussed their offensive situation just the other week. There were some promising guys on their A team, but they really could use a superstar. “If we could get someone as strong as Joey…” Damn it. It would be good for the team. Great even.

“Exactly. And I thought that since you know him, almost like a little brother, yes? You could maybe keep him in line. You live with your brother Patrick, defense on the Hawks if I’m recalling correctly.” The Hawks were the Thunder development team.

“Yes, sir. I do.”

“So, there would be two of you to keep an eye on Mr. Luciano. Perfect.”

“Perfect,” Liam echoed.

“Well, it is just a thought. It may never happen. I just wanted to run it by you while I was thinking of it. Go back to your family! And Merry Christmas again. We’ll talk more after the holiday.”

“Merry Christmas to you, too, sir.” Liam hung up, then let out a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair.

“Everything okay?” Joey asked from behind him.

Liam leaped a foot off the ground, hand over his heart. He hadn’t heard the door open, or Joey come in.

Joey laughed, heartless bastard that he was. “Sorry, did I scare you?” He shut the door quietly.

“A bell. Seriously. We’re getting you one.” Liam prayed Joey hadn’t heard anything. Trading rumors were not the kind of things he wanted to be leaked.

Joey walked into the room. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. No. Kind of. It was Simard.”

Joey’s eyebrows rise. “The GM? What’s up?” He walked closer to Liam, sliding his arms around Liam’s waist.

“Oh, just some front office stuff. You know how it is.”

“Do you have to leave?” Joey tilted his head up to look at Liam.

Liam kind of loved the way the top of Joey’s head just reached Liam’s nose. It was, God help him, cute. “I have to leave today anyway.”

And not a moment too soon. Waking up with Joey wrapped around him felt too good. He wasn’t anywhere near ready to think about what that meant. The sooner they had three thousand miles between them, the better.

“You’re not leaving before breakfast and presents, are you?” Joey asked wistfully.

Liam kissed him gently on the forehead. “My mother would draw and quarter me if I tried that.”

“Yeah, she would. So would I.”

“Like you could take me, shrimp.”

Joey’s jaw dropped and laughing silently he pushed Liam away. “You are gonna pay for that, old man. I’m going to eat all the bacon.” He gave Liam the finger, turned, and ran out the room with a whoop.

“Uncle Joey!” Liam heard the kids yell as Joey stampeded down the stairs.

Oh, it was definitely time to leave. He prayed the trade never happened. He did not need that complication in his life.