Babysitting The Hockey's Star Niece For Christmas 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 1 - 챕터 10

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

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

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

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

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