All Chapters of Babysitting The Hockey's Star Niece For Christmas : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

12 Chapters

Season Not Greetings

Lauren stepped into her tiny apartment which she was lucky to have at 21 according to her mother.She shrugged off the biting December wind. The faint reminder that Christmas would be here soon. She grimaced and kicked off her boots. Of course, she was not ready for it. She hated this time of year. Even her fortress of solitude wasn’t immune to the cheer-infected season. Every twinkling light, every saccharine carol, every fake "Merry Christmas" grin all hit like a sucker punch.Her world had stopped spinning three years ago, but somehow, everyone else was still jingling all the way. She didn’t need any reminders of what she’d lost. The anniversary was just a weeks away, and the last thing she wanted was to pretend that holiday cheer was a thing.Throwing her bag onto the couch, she peeled off her scarf and sank into her well-worn armchair. No tree. No lights. No stockings hung by the chimney with care—not that she had a chimney. This was her home, free of holiday nonsense. The annive

Unwanted Company

Lauren stared at Larry, still clutching the spatula like some kind of weird defense weapon. He just stood there, his arms crossed, his smirk so damn smug it was making her blood boil.“Okay, you’re here. Why?” she asked, her voice tight, not sure if she was more annoyed or freaked out.Larry raised an eyebrow, as if surprised by her irritation. “It’s called coming home, sweetheart. You know, when you, like, return to your own house after being gone for a while.”Lauren rolled her eyes, mentally counting to ten. “Right. I forgot that grown men with egos the size of a stadium still need to come home to their parents’ place.”His smirk faltered for a second, then came back stronger. “That’s cute. You don’t even know me.”“Oh, I know exactly what you are,” she shot back, finally lowering the poker, though not by much. “You’re a hockey player. That tells me everything I need to know.”Larry chuckled, the sound dark and low. “I can’t tell if you’re mad because of hockey, or because I’m just

Hating Game

By day two, Lauren had resigned herself to Larry’s presence like an annoying, uninvited guest who wouldn’t leave. Every morning, he was there, stealing her food or making sarcastic comments about everything including the way she folded the towels.It was exhausting.“You know, you could at least pretend to enjoy your time here with me,” Larry remarked as she sipped her coffee. “I mean, look at me. I’m here, being all fun and charming and stuff.”Lauren glared at him over the rim of her mug. “You really glorify your existence, don’t you?”Larry leaned against the counter, arms crossed, his smirk still firmly in place. “What can I say? When you’ve got it, you’ve got it.”“Yeah, well, you’ve definitely got something. Like your ugly face,” Lauren muttered.He raised an eyebrow. “Careful, Grinch. You’re starting to sound like you like my face a lot.”Lauren choked on her coffee, coughing as she set the mug down. “In what world? You’re like a human mosquito, buzzing around, getting in my fa

Annoying Fun

Lauren plopped onto the couch, her legs curling under her as she scrolled through her phone. Babysitting Sophie wasn’t bad. She was a sweet kid who mostly entertained herself. Right now, Sophie was busy lining up her collection of dolls like they were having some kind of tea party. It was peaceful, quiet, even... until the front door burst open.“Knock, knock!” Larry’s voice boomed through the house, shattering the calm.Lauren groaned, not bothering to look up. “Ever heard of knocking before you come in?”“It’s my house,” he shot back, his grin practically audible.“It’s Margaret’s house,” Lauren corrected, setting her phone down. “And you’re just an uninvited guest.”Larry wandered into the living room, carrying a grocery bag. “Oh, come on, Grinch. I come bearing gifts.”Sophie’s head popped up. “What did you bring, Uncle Larry?”Larry crouched down to her level, pulling out a box of cookies and a small bag of chocolates. “Snacks and ice cream for my favorite girls.”Sophie clapped

Hate to Admit

Lauren stretched out on the couch, her eyes glued to a cheesy Christmas rom-com she had begrudgingly turned on for background noise. Sophie was playing quietly with her dolls on the floor. For once, peace had settled in their little corner of the house. Lauren dared to let out a contented sigh."You're really just gonna sit there and watch this?" a familiar voice broke the tranquility.Larry leaned casually against the doorway, arms crossed, his stupidly perfect smirk making an appearance. He looked like he just stepped out of an advert, sweatpants slung low, hoodie slightly unzipped to reveal a fitted black shirt beneath."Do you always barge into rooms uninvited?" Lauren shot back, muting the TV. "Some of us are trying to keep a kid entertained."Larry glanced at Sophie, who was now fully focused on their exchange, her little head swiveling back and forth like she was watching a tennis match."Entertained? You call that entertainment?" Larry pointed at the screen. "No wonder she's b

She still hates Christmas

The next morning, Lauren woke up to an unusual silence. The sun peeked through the curtains, glaring directly into her face. She groaned, burying herself under the blanket to escape its accusing brightness.Something felt off.No Sophie screaming for pancakes. No Larry barging into her room with that insufferable smirk and a sarcastic remark ready to go. Suspicious.Lauren sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she tried to make sense of the eerie quiet. Usually, mornings in the house were chaotic at best, downright maddening at worst.Padding out of the bedroom, she walked into the living room and froze. There was Sophie, sitting cross-legged on the couch, her tablet balanced on her knees. Her sweet, too-innocent smile set every alarm bell in Lauren’s head ringing.“Morning, Sophie,” Lauren greeted, her voice wary. “Where’s your partner-in-crime?”Sophie didn’t even glance up. “Uncle Larry went to hockey practice.” Her voice was unusually chipper. “But he left a surprise for you.

Cancel December?

Lauren glanced at the clock. It was almost noon, and she was still in her pajamas, lounging on the couch with a cup of coffee. Sophie was perched next to her, flipping through channels like a tiny tyrant with the remote, looking for a channel that Lauren would like hate.“Nothing’s on,” Sophie whined, her nose scrunching in annoyance.“Maybe because you’ve scrolled past like ten channels five times,” Lauren said, taking a sip of coffee."Because they don't have cartoon," Sophie argued.“Don’t you have work or something?” Larry’s voice interrupted as he strolled into the room, his hair damp from a shower.Lauren raised a brow. “Don’t you have a life or something?”Larry smirked. “Touché.”Sophie threw the remote onto the cushion. “I’m bored now.”“You’re always bored,” Lauren said, rolling her eyes.“Well, maybe if someone would take me to the park...”“Hard pass,” Lauren interrupted, already seeing where this was going. “You’re not dragging me outside today.”“Why not?” Larry asked, g

The Christmas Eve

Lauren sat on the couch, staring at the soft glow of the Christmas lights twinkling against the window. She hated this time of year. It was like the universe was mocking her, wrapping her pain in bright colors and cheerful carols.Her tea sat untouched on the table. It had gone cold, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.“Lauren, come look at the snowman I made!” Sophie’s excited voice called from outside.Lauren forced a smile, standing and peeking out the window.“Lauren?” Sophie’s voice yanked her back to the present.Lauren blinked, her breath catching. She hadn’t even noticed the tears streaming down her face.Sophie stood in the doorway, her small frame silhouetted by the lights from outside. “Are you okay?”Lauren quickly wiped her cheeks, forcing a smile. “Yeah, sweetheart. I’m fine. Just… tired. Your snowman looks amazing, Soph! You’re a pro!” she called back, her voice a little too high-pitched, even to her own ears.Sophie didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t push. “Do y

Too broken to Merry

Lauren sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the photo she couldn’t bring herself to put away. It was dog-eared and faded now, but Lewis’s smile still burned as brightly as ever. She traced her finger over his face, her chest tightening.The world had moved on. People talked about healing and "letting go," but for her, time felt frozen, trapped in that single moment.The accident had shattered her. The months afterward had nearly destroyed her.The first month after Lewis died was a fog. Lauren barely left her bed, let alone her house. Every noise outside felt like an intrusion, every attempt to comfort her felt like salt in a wound.“Lauren, sweetheart,” her mom’s voice filtered through the haze of her thoughts, but Lauren didn’t turn around. She was curled up in the corner of the couch, staring at the TV that wasn’t even on.Her mom hesitated, then sat down next to her, holding out a plate of food. “You need to eat something.”“I’m not hungry,” Lauren murmured, her voice hollow.“Y

Not merry memories

Lauren sat in the cramped therapy office, her arms crossed so tightly across her chest it was a miracle she could still breathe. She stared out the window, pretending the woman across from her wasn’t waiting for an answer.Dr. Patel, her therapist, smiled gently from the chair opposite her. “How are you feeling today, Lauren?”“How do you think I’m feeling?” she muttered, not meeting her gaze.“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking,” Dr. Patel said, her voice calm but persistent.Lauren rolled her eyes. “I’m fine.”Dr. Patel set her pen down deliberately. “Fine isn’t a feeling, Lauren. Let’s try again. Are you angry? Sad? Anxious?”“Then I don’t know. Take your pick. Angry? Tired? Over it? All of the above?” Lauren muttered.“That’s okay. Let’s talk about it, then. What’s been on your mind lately?”Lauren’s head snapped toward her. “What’s always on my mind? You know what it is. We’ve been doing this for months.”Dr. Patel’s expression softened. “Grief doesn’t have a timeline. It’s oka

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