A Very Blizzard Christmas (Alaska Blizzard Book 7) Read online

  A Very Blizzard Christmas

  An Alaska Blizzard Novella

  Kat Mizera

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Excerpt from TORE (Sidewinders: Generations, Book 2) Unedited and subject to change

  Also by Kat Mizera

  1

  The last game before Thanksgiving was always exciting because everyone knew there was a day off coming up. It was different tonight, though, and as Danielle Petrov stood behind the bench, she rested her hands on her aching back. Nine months pregnant and already past her due date, she was so ready to give birth it wasn’t even funny.

  As an assistant trainer for the Alaska Blizzard, she kept busy enough not to think about the aches and pains of pregnancy too much, but something was different tonight. Her body was definitely trying to tell her something and she leaned against the wall, determined to focus on the game. Her husband Sergei played for the Blizzard and he was just coming back to the bench after a long shift on the ice, so she avoided his eyes because though they tried not to communicate much during games, he knew her well enough that he would notice she was in pain.

  Whether or not she was in labor, she wasn’t sure, but the pressure in her abdomen was starting to get annoying. She had a high tolerance for pain, and she’d dealt with Braxton-Hicks pains the last few weeks with no issues. But whatever this was had a different feel and she glanced up at the clock anxiously.

  Two minutes left and the Blizzard were up 2-0. If they could hold on for two more minutes, she could let someone know what was going on. Or what she thought was going on. She’d never had a baby before, so she wasn’t completely sure how this was supposed to go. She’d read the books, taken the classes, and asked her doctor a thousand questions, but now that it was happening, she was more nervous than she’d thought she’d be.

  And tomorrow was Thanksgiving.

  Crap.

  “You okay, Dani?” One of the assistant coaches, Drake Riser, glanced at her worriedly. “You don’t look so good.”

  She put a finger to her lips. “Ninety seconds, then we’ll deal with it.”

  He looked like he might protest but then nodded. “Okay.”

  Luckily, the game ended without incident and Dani made her way down the tunnel toward her office. She desperately needed to sit down and catch her breath but intense pain shot through her mid-section and she nearly doubled over, grabbing the wall for support.

  “Dani!” Head coach Laurel Caldwell hurried to her side. “Is it the baby? Are you okay?”

  “Oh, God, not here,” Dani muttered.

  But it was too late. The guys were coming down the tunnel and someone called to Sergei. The burly Russian defenseman was instantly at her side, tossing his gloves down as he reached for her.

  “Babe?” His eyes searched hers as she finally straightened up.

  “I think—” She looked down and grimaced. “My water just broke.”

  “How long have you been in labor?” he asked quietly, a smile playing on his lips. He knew her well enough to suspect it had been a while.

  “Since this afternoon.” She smiled back.

  “Do I have time to shower or do we need to go right now?”

  “Go shower. I’m going to text Sara and let her know what’s going on.” Sara was her best friend and usually brought Dani and Sergei’s son Niko to the games.

  “All right. Let’s get you to your office and then I’ll shower.”

  He kept an arm around her as they made their way toward the hallway where the team’s locker room and her office were both located.

  “I’m fine,” she said when they got to the main hallway. “Go get cleaned up. I’ll get in touch with Sara and we’ll be ready to go by the time you’ve showered.”

  Sergei smiled, leaning over to kiss her. “Ten minutes, okay?”

  “I’m fine. Go.”

  Dani got to her office before she had another contraction and sank into her chair. She wanted to shower too, and change clothes, but figured there was no point since they were probably heading straight to the hospital. She pulled out her phone and texted Sara. Niko was Sergei’s son from his first marriage, but he was like Dani’s own child, and she worried about how jealous he’d been since they’d told him he was going to be a big brother.

  DANI: I think it’s time.

  SARA: OMG! Are you okay? Are you headed to the hospital? Should I meet you there?

  DANI: I’m fine. Sergei’s showering and I’m resting in my office. Will you take Niko home with you? It might be a long night.

  SARA: Of course. He’s gonna be pissed, though.

  DANI: I know. We’ll come down to the family lounge once Sergei’s dressed, so we can talk to him.

  SARA: Okay. I won’t go anywhere until you get here.

  Friends and family usually waited for the players after the game in the lounge and everyone dispersed from there. Niko loved waiting for her and Sergei to come get him after games but tonight would be different. She and Sergei had worked hard to help him get excited about the new baby, but he’d been less than impressed. After being an only child for so long, as well as losing his biological mother, he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of having to share his parents. Dani had thought he’d come around by now but it hadn’t happened.

  She put her head down on the desk and clenched her fists as another contraction ripped through her. She had a funny feeling this baby was coming sooner rather than later.

  “Babe?” Sergei was suddenly there, crouching beside her, one hand on her back.

  She hadn’t even heard him come in, she’d been so focused on the pain, and she took a breath.

  “The baby’s coming,” she whispered. “We have to see Niko right now and then get out of here.”

  “Okay.” He helped her stand up and they made their way to the elevator that would take them up a level.

  “Mommy!” Niko came barreling down the hall in their direction and Dani winced as he threw himself at her.

  “Easy, buddy.” Sergei caught him in the air, hugging him before setting him down. “Mommy doesn’t feel good.”

  “Are you sick?” Niko asked, staring up at her.

  Dani smiled, shaking her head. “The baby’s coming soon, honey,” she said, reaching out a hand.

  “Tonight?” His eyes widened. “Already?”

  “We’re going to the hospital to find out for sure,” she replied, “but yes, I think so. So you’re going home with Auntie Sara and then—”

  “Nyet!” He shook his head vehemently as he said the word “no” in Russian, which was Sergei’s native tongue. “I want to go with you.”

  “They don’t allow children in the room where we give birth,” she said. She felt bad about lying to him, but she and Sergei had decided they wanted it to be just the two of them for the birth. Doctors and nurses would be there of course, but they didn’t want any other family members. This was private and emotional for them, and she felt strongly that Niko was too young to watch her screaming in pain, which she assumed would happen at some point.

  “I’m not going.” He sat down on the floor and folded his arms across his chest.

  Sergei scowled but Dani put a gentle hand on his arm as she used her husband’s strong legs to balance herself so she could squat down. “Niko.” She gently lifted his chin, staring into his bright blue eyes. “You know how much we love you. That will never change.”

  His lower lip came out a little.
“You’ll be too busy for me and babies are loud. The twins cry all the time.” Their friends Kane and Hailey Hatcher had twin toddlers and they spent a lot of time together.

  “I know, but this is our baby.” She pulled him to her chest. “And you’re the baby of my heart, remember? You’re my special baby, and you always will be.”

  His eyes puddled with tears and he threw himself into her arms. “I don’t want you to love the new baby more than me!”

  “Oh, honey, that will never happen.” She hugged him tightly, stroking his hair. “I’ll love all my babies equally.” She kissed the top of his head. “Now go give Daddy a hug and then be a good boy for Auntie Sara. In the morning when you wake up, you’ll either have a baby brother or I’ll be coming home because it was another false alarm.”

  He sighed, looking into her face. “You promise?”

  “I promise.”

  “Okay.” He turned to his father, gave him a quick hug, and then ran off to find Sara.

  “You’re so patient with him,” Sergei said softly, helping her stand up again. “I just wanted to spank him and tell him to go see Sara.”

  “I know, but this is scary for him. Remember, he already lost one mom, and even though he doesn’t remember it, we honor her by talking about her all the time, so there has to be a part of him that’s nervous. Like what if he loses me too?”

  Sergei frowned. “You think we should, uh, stop talking about Tatiana?”

  She shook her head. “No. I think it’s wonderful and we’re doing the right things, but this is an adjustment so we’re going to need extra patience.”

  “I know, but he’s so damn stubborn.”

  “Sounds like someone I know.” Her eyes twinkled as she looked at him.

  “Yeah, yeah.” He looked around. “We should get going.”

  “Oh, shit.” She fell against his chest, holding on to his shirt for dear life.

  “Another contraction?”

  She nodded.

  “We’re leaving as soon as it passes.” He wrapped one arm around her as she buried her face in his muscular chest, and his other hand roamed over her taut belly.

  “This baby is definitely coming,” she said when she could breathe again.

  “Let’s go!”

  2

  Sergei didn’t like watching Dani suffer through labor, but it went a lot faster than he’d been expecting. The doctor had said first babies were often late and took a long time to come out, but Maxim Zachary Petrov was born less than two hours after they got to the hospital. Holding him in his arms as the doctors finished up with Dani, he stared down at a thick shock of white-blonde hair and a tiny button nose. He was perfect, just as Nikolai had been, and for a moment he was taken back in time.

  He’d missed Niko’s birth by about an hour. He’d been on a road trip when Tatiana had gone into labor and she’d delivered quickly as well. Trained as a physician, she hadn’t been intimidated by childbirth at all, and when he’d arrived, she was sitting up in bed reading, the baby cradled in one arm, a medical brief in the hand of her other arm. She’d smiled at him, told him he was late, and handed him his son. It seemed as if she was glad it was over. She hadn’t liked pregnancy and told him she didn’t know if she wanted to have anymore.

  Dani hadn’t liked pregnancy either, but she was strong, healthy and athletic, and their general plan was to have one more. Of course, that might change after today. He glanced over at her. She had her eyes closed and seemed to be relaxing, a faint smile on her lips.

  Staring at her, Sergei smiled too. He’d loved his late wife, but he was absolutely head over heels in love with Dani. From their first, somewhat contentious, meeting, she’d stirred feelings in him he’d never imagined. Three-and-a-half years later, he loved her more than anything other than his son. And now she’d given him another beautiful, sweet blessing, one that was fast asleep in his arms.

  “Did you call our parents?” she asked, bring him back to the present.

  “We’ll call everyone in a few,” he replied. “I just kind of want to enjoy this for a little while.”

  “Okay.”

  He stayed by her side as they moved her and the baby to a private room and a nurse went to order dinner for Dani, who’d proclaimed she was starving. It was almost midnight, after all, and she probably hadn’t eaten since late afternoon.

  “Do you have my phone?” she asked. “I should text Sara to let her know everything is okay and send her a picture to show Niko in the morning.”

  “Should I go get him?” Sergei asked. “I mean, I can bring him home with me and then we’ll be here first thing in the morning.”

  “Let him sleep. Just pick him up when you get up. You need to rest too.” She smiled. “It might be the last time for a while.”

  He chuckled, leaning over to kiss her. “Thank you for my son. And for loving the one you didn’t give birth to.”

  “I can’t believe we have a baby,” she whispered. “I mean, I’ve had nine months to get used to the idea, but he’s…” She gazed over to where Maxim was sleeping in the bassinet. “Perfect.”

  “He is.” Sergei reached for her hand. “How the fuck am I going to leave the three of you for the road trip this weekend?”

  Her eyes darkened slightly. “It’ll be okay. Sara will come stay with us at night and Tara is coming to help during the day. I’m sure I’ll feel fine. I already do. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” Tara Laasonen was the sister of one of Sergei’s teammates, as well as a friend.

  “I’m glad.” He leaned over and brushed a stray lock of blond hair out of her face. “I love you, Maryanne.”

  She grinned at his use of her middle name. It was a joke between them and she responded in kind. “I love you too, Wayne.”

  Sergei tossed and turned all night, anxious to get back to his wife and newborn son. He didn’t want to go on this damn road trip that was coming up in two days and he wasn’t going to practice today either. Fuck it. He was going to spend time with his family. He loved hockey, but he loved his family more, and the truth was that he was almost ready to retire. There was nothing wrong—he was strong and healthy and still playing well—but the drive was gone. He was thirty-six now and honestly hadn’t expected to play this long. These days, he was far more interested in playing pond hockey with Niko and making love to his wife on a daily basis than getting out on the ice with the Blizzard.

  With a new baby in the mix, he wasn’t interested in going anywhere that would take him away from his family. He’d missed so much of Niko’s first year because he’d been on the road. First words, first steps, so many little things that were big things in the grand scheme of life. And he didn’t want that to happen with little Max.

  He got up early and went for a run, just to burn off nervous energy and get some cardio in since he wasn’t going to play or practice for a few days. He’d already texted Coach Caldwell to let her know his plans and asked if there was any chance at all he’d be able to get out of the upcoming road trip. Probably not. It was ten days to the Midwest—Chicago, Minneapolis, Winnipeg, Calgary and Colorado. Maybe he could fly commercial and meet the team on the third or fourth day so he wouldn’t be away from Dani and the kids for the entire ten days.

  Damn. This was hard.

  Impulsively, he slowed to a walk and called his older brother, Toli.

  “Congratulations!” Toli answered on the first ring. He was an early riser and it was an hour later in Las Vegas anyway, so it was easy to get ahold of him on days like this. Sergei had texted him about the baby last night, of course, but hearing his voice was better.

  “Thanks.”

  “How’s everyone?”

  “Dani and the baby are great, I’m exhausted, and Niko is pissed at the world.”

  “Jealousy,” Toli said quietly. “It’ll be okay. He’ll adjust. You’ll see.”

  “I think I want to retire,” I blurted out.

  He chuckled. “You’ve been saying that for a couple of years now.”

/>   “No, I’m serious this time. I don’t want to miss everything. I’ll be thirty-seven in May and I think I’m done. I’ve been good with money the last few years, our house is paid off, and Dani wants to keep working, so our health insurance will be both great and free.” The Blizzard subsidized almost a hundred percent of employees’ health insurance.

  “I think you’ll be bored within a year,” Toli said, “but if you feel strongly about it, do it. Your family is the most important thing.”

  “You’re five years older than me and you still haven’t retired.”

  “I love hockey,” Toli said. “And honestly, I can’t imagine not being involved somehow. Though I think my playing days are coming to an end. Being able to play with Anton the last two years has been a dream-come-true so this might be it for me. I’m toying with the idea.” Anton was his adult son from a relationship before he met his current wife Tessa.

  “And then what? Coaching? Scouting?” Sergei knew his brother well enough to know he wouldn’t just stay home and do nothing.

  “I might take a year to give Tessa a break with everything,” he said slowly. They had four kids at home, three of whom were under the age of five. “But then maybe scouting or back office. We’ll see.”

  “I’m thinking I could coach,” Sergei said after a slight hesitation. “If Dani is traveling with the team, she’ll be gone anyway.”

  “But that negates your argument about not missing everything that happens with the kids,” Toli pointed out.

  Sergei groaned. “Fuck. I don’t know, man.” He let himself back into the house and made his way to the kitchen for a bottle of water. “I want to be with the kids, but Dani wants to keep working. And I get it—she’s twenty-six and loves her job. I would have laughed at anyone that asked me to stay home at that age.”

  “I think it’s an emotional time for you right now and you should perhaps hold off on making any life-changing decisions until you’ve been able to process the new baby and all that. And you wouldn’t leave mid-season, would you?”