Ever After

by Kat Mizera

  “Hello hello!” Tessa, Tiff and Erin came in then, carrying more flowers, balloons and a bag of what looked and smelled suspiciously like donuts. Kate had already complained about the bland food they’d brought her this morning, so the girls were on top of it.

  As they began to fuss over Kate and the babies, Ken motioned for Karl to follow him into the hall. Karl looked at his father curiously.

  “What’s up?”

  “I want to take your mother out to dinner tonight, but I need to make sure you’re okay with this.”

  Karl raised his eyebrows. “She’s a grown woman. Who she goes out with is none of my business.”

  “You know damn well this is different.”

  “Look, if you and Mom are going to start something up again, I don’t have a problem with it.” He paused. “I just don’t want you to hurt her. If you’re not interested in something serious, don’t start.”

  Ken shook his head. “I’ve been waiting for a chance like this for almost thirty years—I’m not going to hurt her. If anything, I’m afraid she’s going back to your father.”

  Karl chuckled. “As much of a dick as he’s been? I doubt it.”

  “When you’re married to someone a long time, it’s hard not to feel like you owe them something. Trust me on that.”

  “Maybe,” he said. “But I don’t think she ever got over you, and it seems like you feel the same way.”

  “No doubt about that,” he said. “Now if we can just figure out how to make it work.”

  “One day at a time,” Karl smiled.

  His father smiled back.

  Dante got off the plane in Las Vegas feeling exhausted. He’d played four games in a row and then got on a plane and flew across the country. He only had today off and would be on another plane tomorrow so he could be in Texas for a game the following day. But he had to see Kate now that she was awake; seeing her in a coma had nearly killed him. She was one of his best friends in the world, and she’d been his first real friend, the kind that didn’t want anything from him. That meant something. Not to mention a quick overnight stay with his pregnant wife, whom he hated being away from.

  Karl, Ken, Emilie and Anya were with Kate when Dante and Becca arrived at the hospital early that evening. Kate’s eyes lit up when she saw Dante and immediately held out her arms. He hugged her tightly, closing his eyes against the side of her face and breathing in the scent of her hair.

  “It’s so good to see you,” he whispered.

  “You too.” She smiled, looking at him intently.

  “Can we go get the babies?” Emilie asked with a grin.

  Kate laughed. “We just put them back, but you can take Dante to go visit.”

  “I’ve already seen them,” Dante said with a smile. “I want to visit with you for a while first. I leave again tomorrow, so I don’t have much time.”

  “Can’t you get traded to a west coast team?” Kate joked. “It would make my life so much easier.” She regretted the words as soon as she saw the shadow that crossed his face.

  Noting the frustration on Dante’s face, Karl quickly pulled his mother forward as a distraction. “Mom, this is Dante Lamonte—baseball player extraordinaire.”

  “I’m so pleased to meet you,” Anya said, coming around to hug him. “I’ve heard so much about you from everyone!”

  “Mama, let’s go see the babies and bring them back here,” Emilie said, reaching for her mother’s hand and effectively changing the subject.

  “I’ll go too,” Ken said, following them out.

  “Do I need to leave?” Karl asked, arching an eyebrow.

  Kate glanced at him. “Would you mind, babe? Dante seems—”

  “No, it’s okay,” Dante held up a hand. “We don’t have secrets from Karl.”

  “You and Kate can have a private conversation,” Karl said amiably, smiling at his wife as he bent to kiss her.

  “I want to go see the babies anyway—they probably want to talk shop.” Becca winked and blew her husband a kiss before reaching for Karl’s arm.

  “Don’t upset her,” Karl called over his shoulder to Dante.

  “Never!” Dante waved him off.

  “You want to tell me what’s wrong?” Kate looked up at him as soon as they were alone.

  “Becca is unhappy,” Dante said quietly. “I’ve been trying to get traded since last season”

  “No one wants you?”

  “New York keeps offering me ridiculous amounts of money to stay, and frankly, I think I’m going to retire soon.”

  “You are?” Kate looked surprised. “But you’re still breaking records. Why would you want to retire?”

  “Because Becca needs me and I need her.”

  She frowned. “Do you want to retire?”

  “No, but I love her, and we’re going to have a baby… I don’t want to miss any of that.”

  “The baby’s coming in the off-season. You won’t be playing in January.”

  “No, but spring training starts in February, meaning the baby will be a month old and I’ll leave.”

  “That’s part of loving an athlete. I live the same life.”

  “It’s different for us. You’re based where Karl is—he comes home to you. When I go home, she’s on the other side of the country. She works a lot of hours and doesn’t have a lot of time to do anything else. And I have to be focused on baseball, which means I’m not focused on her.”

  “What about the club?” She was referring to the sex club Becca owned.

  He shrugged. “We have an excellent management team. It’s extremely profitable and will continue to make us a lot of money when I retire.”

  “Not everything is about money.”

  He smiled. “No, it’s not. I have more than we’ll ever need, but eventually one of us is going to have to compromise. I want her to quit so she can be in New York when I’m not on the road, but she loves her job and she loves her life in Vegas.”

  “If you tell her how much it means to you, she’ll quit. She’s thinking about it anyway—she can’t work full-time with a new baby. I mean, she could, but both of you have jobs that require travel and I know she doesn’t want to leave a newborn with a nanny all the time.”

  “For sure.” He sighed. “Damn, it’s good to be able to talk to you again. I was scared, querida.” Sweetheart. He looked tired, as if her accident had weighed him down. “I had no idea how much your friendship meant to me until you were suddenly not there.” He paused, realizing he was getting choked up. “Anyway… I’m really glad you’re okay.”

  “Me too.” She squeezed his hand. “Just promise me you won’t make any major decisions until I’m back on my feet again.”

  “I promise.”

  Kate desperately wanted to go home, but the doctors were still running tests to make sure there was no permanent damage and everything was healing correctly. Karl wasn’t going back to hockey until she was allowed to go home and guilt settled in as they watched the Sidewinders struggle against Nashville. She wanted him to go as much as he probably wanted to, but he refused to leave her and she didn’t have the energy to fight with him. Besides, she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t glad to have him with her, guilt or no guilt. This was such a special time, their first few days with the new babies, and being together made it that much better.

  Having Ken and Anya, Emilie and all their friends around was nice too. The team was busy, of course, but they came in and out to check on them and make sure they didn’t need anything. It was a little depressing their friends were better to her than her own family, but she talked to her father and sister every day, even if they hadn’t felt a need to come see her or the babies. She’d all but given up on her mother, though she’d sent flowers and gifts for the twins. It wasn’t the same as being here, though.

  “What are you thinking about?” Tessa asked late one morning as they chatted while Karl went to work out, something he needed to do to be ready in case he had to play in a few days.

  “My mothe
r,” Kate sighed.

  “Don’t worry about her,” Tessa said gently. “It’s not like this is new—she’s never been touchy-feely.”

  “She’d been better, though,” Kate said sadly. “After I got pregnant she was in touch more, and threw me that amazing shower… even Lulu didn’t come.” Lulu was her sister.

  “Don’t feel bad.” Tessa patted her stomach. “I’m ready to pop and my sister isn’t coming—that’s why we have each other!”

  “Amen to that.” Kate narrowed her eyes slightly. “No offense, but you look like shit. Are you feeling okay?”

  Tessa bit her lip. “I think I’m having contractions.”

  “What?” Kate sat straight up in bed. “Are you serious?”

  “Toli’s in Nashville,” Tessa said softly. “I’m not having this baby until he gets back, so don’t say anything to anyone.”

  “Tessa!” Kate glared at her. “That’s not how this works and you know it.”

  “I’m not having him without Toli. Period.” Tessa folded her arms, the glint in her eyes telling Kate she wasn’t kidding.

  “Did you tell him?”

  “Of course not. He’d be on the next flight home and they really need a win.”

  Kate sighed. “Tessa…”

  “I’m in a hospital,” Tessa laughed. “I’ll be fine. If anything starts to happen, I’m right here.”

  “Toli’s going to be upset if he finds out you’re laboring without him.”

  “We’ll see how the day goes. The contractions are really faint and far apart, so I don’t even know if it’s labor or just back pain and Braxton-Hicks.”

  “Ughhhh…” Kate groaned. “Girlfriend, this makes me nervous.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Tessa waved her hand impatiently. “Just don’t say anything. Promise me.”

  Kate scowled.

  “Kate Lansing Martensson, I took care of your babies the whole time you were in a coma—you owe me!”

  Kate was grateful Erin appeared at that moment. “Would you talk some sense into her?” she grunted.

  “What’s going on?” Erin demanded, her eyes wide.

  Kate filled her in and Erin turned to Tessa in annoyance. “Seriously?”

  Tessa rolled her eyes. “You guys are making too much out of this. I’m fine. Geez.”

  “Are you being stubborn?” Tiffani Marcus came in narrowing her eyes at her friend. “Do you remember what happened to me when I was stubborn?” Tiff had waited too long and wound up giving birth at home.

  “At least you waited to be stubborn when Zakk was home,” Kate pointed out.

  Tessa got to her feet shaking her head. “The baby and I are hungry, so we’re going in search of food. Don’t anyone call Toli while I’m gone. I’m serious.” She looked around at them but no one spoke. “Look, I give you my word I’ll let you know if something—” She stopped abruptly and looked down at the water pooling at her feet. “Sonofabitch.”

  “Did your water just break?” Kate demanded, staring over the edge of the bed.

  “I guess you’re in labor now,” Erin murmured.

  “Shit.” Tessa sank back into the chair.

  “I’d better go get your bag,” Tiff murmured, getting out her keys.

  “It’s in my car,” Tessa admitted. “I brought it just in case.”

  Tiff automatically dug Tessa’s keys out of her purse and disappeared out of the room.

  “Call Toli,” Kate said to her.

  “Do it,” Erin pressed when Tessa hesitated.

  Tessa sighed but picked up her phone.

  Epilogue

  When Tessa had said she wasn’t having the baby until Toli arrived, she hadn’t been kidding. She paced the halls of the hospital, refusing to stay in bed and telling her very patient doctor she was fine. Toli had left Nashville around 1:00 p.m. Las Vegas time, but it was an almost four-hour flight and he hadn’t landed yet. Kate had insisted on being put in a wheelchair so she could keep an eye on her friend, and they were a motley-looking crew roaming the halls. Karl pushed Kate in the wheelchair while Erin and Tiff walked on either side of Tessa to make sure she didn’t fall or lose her balance during a contraction.

  Tessa finally agreed to lay down around 7:00 when she announced she was starving. The hospital’s rules regarding eating while in labor were relaxed and she’d just sat down to a dish of pasta when she suddenly pushed it away.

  “What’s wrong?” Tiff asked softly, meeting her friend’s eyes.

  “I don’t know how much longer I can wait,” Tessa admitted.

  “Is the pain bad?”

  “Not terrible, but something’s changed. Five minutes ago I was starving—now I can’t think about anything but pushing.”

  “Let me see if I can find out where Toli is,” Tiff said, reaching for her phone.

  “I’m right here.” Tall and blond, Anatoli Petrov walked into the room and straight to his wife.

  “I’ll let the others know you’re here,” Tiff said, squeezing his arm and leaving them alone.

  “Thank god you’re here,” Tessa whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  “Sweetheart, why didn’t you call me earlier?” he asked softly, holding her tightly, his face buried in her hair.

  “I wanted you to play tonight.”

  “Nothing is more important than you and our son,” he said, looking into her eyes as he rested a hand on her stomach.

  “I never want you to worry about what’s happening at home when you’re on the road.”

  “I’ll always worry about my family, no matter where I am or what I’m doing—you know that. Hockey is my job but you and our children are my life.”

  “I love you,” she said, wincing through the beginning of another contraction.

  “I love you more.”

  “Oh, shit, I think he knows you’re here!” She grunted suddenly, squeezing his hand as she tried to breathe through the pain.

  “Let’s call the nurse and get Dr. Diaz in here,” he suggested.

  All she could do was nod.

  Alexei Petrov was born just after midnight with an abundance of white peach fuzz all over his head and a lusty cry that could be heard all the way down the hall.

  “Another Sidewinders baby just came into the world,” Karl updated Kate a little while later.

  She smiled up at him, Kendall fussing softly in her arms while Kyle dozed in the bassinet. “That’s amazing. I’m so happy for them… for us… for everyone right now, I think.”

  He smiled back, leaning over to look into the face of their daughter. “Let me take her,” he said. “She’ll go to sleep if I walk with her.”

  “Who’s going to walk with her when you’re on the road and I’ve got two of them to carry?” she teased lightly, handing the baby over to him.

  “Probably you,” he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her lips. “But I’ll always come right back to help.”

  “I know you will.”

  “I love you, Kate.”

  “I love you too.” She watched him wander towards the hallway, their daughter a tiny bundle in his arms. There was no better sight in the world than that of the man she loved holding one of their children in his arms, and she fought off a wave of emotion. Life wasn’t always easy, but it was pretty damn good. It wouldn’t always feel this wonderful but she promised herself she would never forget the magic of this moment.

  The Sidewinder’s Siren

  Las Vegas Sidewinders Book 9.5

  1

  June

  There was nothing worse than going to a party with your parents. With her back against the wall of the house, knees bent, forearms resting on her knees, Lexi Rousseau stared out at the happy laughter going on around her with a scowl. The Las Vegas sun was hot enough to fry an egg on the concrete and she wished she was in the pool too. Unfortunately, taking off her shirt wasn’t an option and she just wanted to go home, where she could cool off in peace. Glancing down at her phone, she sent a text to her best friend in Minnesota, Lindsay.
<
br />   Whatcha doin’? I’m at a party with the parental figures.

  The reply came in just seconds later: Working a double, but I’m on break.

  Sorry.

  Is Zaan there?

  Yup.

  Have you talked to him?

  I’m chicken.

  Ugh.

  Gotta go—Dad’s coming.

  Lexi glanced up as her father approached. His deep blue eyes were fixed on hers with disappointment and she sighed.

  “I’m having a great time,” she said sarcastically. “Really. Go back to your friends.”

  Rob Rousseau folded his arms across his chest and shook his head. “Lexi, you’ve been sitting here by yourself for two hours,” he said. “Why don’t you spend time with us or some of the other kids…?”

  “The kids are like three years old.” She rolled her eyes.

  Rob chuckled. “I know, but you love little kids. You babysit all the time.”

  “That’s different,” she said quietly.

  “Look, I know there isn’t anyone your age,” he said. “But you’re eighteen now. There’s no reason you can’t be friendly with the wives or—”

  “As long as I’m not friendly with the guys on the team, right?” She hated arguing with her dad but the last two years had been hard and he was making her crazy, trying to push her into doing things she wasn’t comfortable with yet. Like showing off her breast-less chest.

  Rob made a face. “You’re too young for the guys on the team, and anyway, you wouldn’t want to date a hockey player. You hate moving and that’s what hockey wives do. That’s a big part of the reason your mom and I divorced—it’s not an easy life, especially at your age.”

  “Mack doesn’t seem to mind.” Lexi glanced over to where her stepmother was talking with one of the other wives.

  “Mack’s different,” Rob said gently. “This is a second marriage for both of us and my days playing hockey are almost over, but that’s not the point. Come on, why you don’t go for a swim? I’ll get in too—we can play keep away.”