Tending Tara (Alaska Blizzard Book 8)

by Kat Mizera

  “Yeah. Let me think about food.” Donovan pulled into the garage since they didn’t live far from Miikka and Charli. They got out and went inside, settling in the living room. “I should have spoken to my mom and gotten the two of you together on the phone,” he said after a moment. “That’s my bad. I was a little uncomfortable about lying to them, and I didn’t even consider the logistics of the holidays and what it’s going to mean for you. Tomorrow’s the twenty-second, and we have back-to-back games against Seattle tomorrow and the day after, which means I’ll be busy with hockey while you’ll be with my parents and trying to finalize plans for Christmas. I’m sorry—this was thoughtless of me.”

  “It’s not your fault. I wasn’t sure what I should be asking or doing and now it’s here. We’re navigating uncomfortable waters and should have talked about it.”

  They looked at each other guiltily but then he held out his hand and she crawled onto his lap, resting her head against his shoulder.

  “I’ll talk to my mom as soon as we pick them up at the airport,” he said, stroking her hair. “If you don’t want to drive them to the game, I can—”

  “Don’t be silly,” she interrupted, lifting her head to look at him. “Of course, I’ll drive them to the game. I have to get to know them, right?”

  “Yeah, but it’s unfair for me to throw you together before you even have a chance to meet.”

  “It’s going to be fine,” she said. “I’ll talk to your mother about Christmas Eve, and we’ll go from there. Don’t worry about any of that, you just focus on hockey.”

  He kissed her forehead, his lips lingering on her skin as one hand slid beneath her shirt and gently caressed her lower back.

  “I want to take you upstairs,” he murmured. “But I also want to take you right here.”

  “You already have me,” she said softly. “So you can take me anywhere.”

  He was falling hard and fast and out of control. He didn’t know whether he wanted to speed up, slow down, or do something else, because it was terrifying. He’d vowed he would take a long time before he ever got married again, despite wanting to be in a relationship, but this was too much. He was already married again, but it wasn’t a real marriage. That would have been okay if not for the fact that it felt like a real marriage, like Tara was everything he’d ever wanted. The problem was that he had no idea if she was on board for that or what her plans were once she got the damn visa. There was no way in hell he was letting himself fall in love with her if she was going to take the visa and run. He’d already lived through that and wasn’t willing to go through it again. This time, no matter how hard it was, he was hanging on to his heart. Or at least the little bit he hadn’t already given her.

  26

  Waiting for Donovan’s parents to come out of the security area was nerve-racking. Probably because they were lying about their relationship and she wanted them to like her. Plus, they were going to be together for the next two weeks whether they did or not. She’d told Donovan she was excited to meet them, but that was mostly a lie. There had to be a reason they didn’t talk often or that he’d been afraid to tell his mother that his girlfriend had moved in, but she didn’t know what it was.

  Maybe they were still close to his ex? She probably should have asked about that, but sometimes it felt like they walked on eggshells around each other. Not in the day-to-day stuff, and certainly not in the bedroom, but when it came to emotions and anything to do with the marriage itself, they avoided those topics like the damn plague. It made no sense because they generally got along wonderfully. Of course, anything going on was her fault, getting him to marry her for a visa she didn’t want.

  Well, she wanted a visa, but not the kind she’d gotten. The one she’d gotten was so she was allowed to live in the United States as the wife of an American and a professional athlete. It didn’t allow her to work, and though Donovan had the team’s legal department looking into it, she didn’t know what to do now. If it came through, she’d be able to work and they could either stay the way they were or live separate lives, though she didn’t think he’d want to. But if the visa didn’t come through, then what? Then he’d been trapped into a loveless marriage and she was hopelessly in love with a husband who didn’t want to be married.

  They had a lot of fun, the sex was amazing, and he’d never said anything about a time limit on the marriage, but how long could she hold him to the agreement if she wasn’t going to be able to stay in the U.S. without him? It had nothing to do with the fact that she didn’t want to be without him, but the closer they got, the more she wanted, and she was starting to feel a little guilty about what they were doing. Not that she’d lied or anything, but they’d assumed she would get a visa or green card, start working toward citizenship, and everything would be okay. No one said anything about feelings. No one said anything about her becoming his kept wife, taking care of his home and even his parents, while he played hockey.

  This was suddenly—overwhelmingly—real.

  “Oh, shit.” Donovan’s voice was low, and Tara snapped out of her reverie to see what was going on.

  “What is it?” she whispered.

  “My sister and her dickhead of a boyfriend came too. Fuck.”

  “You didn’t know?”

  He shook his head. “No. My mom and I definitely are going to have words later. I’m sure this has something to do with them wanting to check you out.”

  “It’s okay. Breathe. I’ve got this.” She had no idea if she had anything, but she wasn’t going to let his family upset him because of her. Especially not a few hours before a game. If she had to take one for the team, so to speak, she would. More than that, she’d take one for Donovan. Because she loved him. And mostly because this was her fault.

  “Well, this is a surprise,” Donovan said, reaching out to hug a middle-aged couple. “You should have told me Peyton and Troy were coming. We don’t even have a bed made up in the spare room.”

  “Oh, we’ll figure it out.” His mom smiled broadly, showing a lot of bright white teeth as she fixed her stare on Tara. “You must be Tara.”

  “Yes. Hello. So nice to meet you.” Tara grinned right back, unwilling to let them see how nervous she was.

  “I’m Gina, and this is my husband, Earl. That’s my daughter Peyton and her fiancé, Troy.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Tara politely shook their hands. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “Well, funny,” Peyton said, her lips tightening a little. “Donovan never mentioned you until about a week ago.”

  “Probably my fault.” Tara slid her hand into Donovan’s. “I’ve wanted to keep things quiet so Donovan can focus on hockey.”

  “We have to get going,” Donovan said abruptly. “I have to be at the arena in two hours. Let’s get you guys home so I can rest a little before I go.”

  Tara didn’t dare look at Donovan as they walked. Peyton was watching Tara suspiciously, his mother was smiling a little too much, and Troy was one of those men Tara avoided as much as possible. Slicked-back dark hair, eyes a little too close together, and an arrogant air about him, as if he knew everything about everybody. Much like a lawyer you saw on TV, the ones no one liked.

  “We’re looking forward to the game tonight,” Earl said. “We haven’t seen you play yet this season. Except on TV, of course.”

  “I didn’t get tickets for Peyton and Troy,” he responded. “You may not be able to sit together at this point, but I’ll do my best.”

  “Oh, we can sit anywhere,” Peyton said.

  “Well, we don’t want to sit in the nosebleeds,” Troy said, contradicting her. “We’d like to sit with the other friends and family members.”

  “Like I said.” Donovan leveled a glare at him. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Are you mad that we didn’t tell you we were coming?” Peyton asked, linking her arm through Donovan’s and subtly nudging Tara out of the way.

  “Not mad, but there’s nothing but a mattress in the second sp
are room, and we made plans for the holiday, so it would have been nice to know we were going to have two extra people.”

  “What plans did you make, darling?” his mother asked. “I hope we’re not having a party or anything?”

  “We’re not having a party,” he said. “But we are having a family gathering with us and Tara’s family, who are here from Finland.”

  “Oh, that’s right.” Gina glanced back at Tara. “You’re from Finland. Helsinki?”

  “No, a town farther north called Savonlinna.”

  “Never heard of it,” Troy said dismissively.

  “Actually…” Earl rubbed his chin. “That’s where Olavinlinna Castle is, right?”

  “Yes.” Tara nodded.

  “I believe it’s the northernmost medieval castle that’s still standing.”

  “That’s right.” Tara was impressed. How did he know that? Olavinlinna Castle wasn’t usually on people’s radar when it came to European castles.

  “It was built to protect the region from Russian attacks back in the fourteen or fifteen hundreds,” Earl continued.

  “I believe it was begun in 1475,” Tara agreed.

  They continued talking about the castle as they waited for their luggage to arrive, and Tara was grateful for Earl’s attempt to soothe ruffled feathers. Because Donovan hadn’t said a word the whole time. She knew him well enough to be familiar with the tension in his shoulders and the tightness in his face. He’d told her he didn’t like Troy, but she hadn’t realized how much it bled over to his relationship with his sister. His mom was trying to pretend nothing was wrong, his dad was playing peacemaker, and Peyton seemed oblivious.

  “Castles are dumb,” Troy interjected at one point. “Why would anyone want to walk around a dilapidated old building that’s a thousand years old? There’s tons of modern beauty—why don’t we appreciate that?”

  “You can’t appreciate the present until you’ve learned and digested the past,” Tara replied before she could stop herself.

  She saw a flicker of a smile on Donovan’s and Earl’s faces, while his mother seemed surprised and Peyton scowled.

  “There’s our bags.” Earl reached for one, and Donovan grabbed another. Troy was on his phone, pretending he didn’t even notice the bags until Peyton nudged him and he grudgingly grabbed her bag off the belt.

  Earl and Tara did most of the talking on the drive to the house and she was grateful that at least his father was trying to ease the tension.

  “Is anyone hungry?” she asked as they went into the house.

  “I could eat,” Troy said, looking around, his gaze landing on Tara. “What are you cooking?”

  “She’s not cooking anything,” Donovan said. “We picked up lunch meat, cheese and crackers, fruit, and salad. You can help yourself to any of that.”

  “Go on and nap,” Tara said to him, putting a gentle hand on his bicep. “I’ll make sure everyone gets settled and fed.”

  “You’re not going to be able to move the mattress in the second guest room by yourself,” he muttered.

  “Son, go rest.” Earl met his son’s eyes with a faint nod. “I’ll help with anything like that. Don’t worry about us. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up after the game.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” Donovan gave his father a tight smile before leaning over to brush his lips across Tara’s cheek. “Thank you,” he breathed in her ear.

  Tara watched him go and took a metaphorical deep breath. She could and would do this.

  “So, shall I set out some food?” she asked pleasantly.

  Troy grunted and pulled out his phone again while Gina followed Tara into the kitchen.

  “What can I do?” she asked.

  “Nothing. I’ve got it. I’m happy to chat while I work, though.”

  “Well, we can chat and work together.” Gina reached out a hand as Tara pulled a large bowl of mixed fruit out of the refrigerator.

  “You’ll have to excuse my daughter,” Gina said after a moment. “She’s protective of her big brother.”

  Tara nodded. “I understand. It’s no problem.”

  “Troy takes a little getting used to, but he’s a good guy deep down.”

  I doubt it, Tara thought, though she continued to smile pleasantly. “My youngest brother Leon takes a bit of getting used to as well. He never stops talking.”

  “How old is he?”

  “Nine.” Tara smiled and Gina smiled back.

  “Well, yes, at that age, I imagine he’s full of energy. Is it a second marriage for one of your parents?”

  “No. Mom had trouble getting pregnant after she had Miikka, and then Leon came out of nowhere. He’s delightful, if not a bit loud.”

  “I would have liked to have one more,” Gina mused, “but we were so busy in those days, my husband working two jobs and me working outside the home as well, we figured it wouldn’t be fair to have more children we couldn’t spend time with.”

  “I think about that, too, but I also would hate that I spent the time to get my degree and not use it.”

  “What is your degree in?”

  “It’s in English, so I’d like to focus on teaching English as a second language, but I’m not sure what direction to go yet.”

  “I think it’ll be difficult to get teaching jobs if you marry Donovan. As a professional athlete, he’s bound to get traded, and he’s been trying for the last year. What will you do if that happens?”

  Tara froze for a moment. She hadn’t realized Donovan was still actively trying to get traded. With everything going on, she hadn’t thought about his desire to be the starting goalie in a long time. “I guess… I hadn’t thought about that part of it,” she said after a moment. “We’ve been focused on spending time together and really getting to know each other. We’re both a bit gun-shy after our previous relationships.”

  “Are you divorced, too?”

  “No, but I was in a seven-year relationship that ended badly, so neither of us were looking for something serious.”

  “Love doesn’t usually follow a timeline,” Gina said, putting a bag of rolls on the table.

  “No, it definitely doesn’t.” Tara swallowed. She called out to everyone to come eat but she barely tasted any food herself.

  How had she not known Donovan was still trying to get traded? And what would happen to her if he did?

  27

  Donovan was far too pissed off to rest. Instead, he paced for a while, tried to read, and eventually wandered back downstairs. Everyone was in the kitchen sitting at the island eating except Tara. She was washing dishes and serving people like some kind of servant, and he got pissed off all over again. His sister was being a bitch, his mother was pretending everything was okay, and his father was caught in the middle, as usual. This happened a lot in his family, and no matter how much he loved them, he was usually relieved once they were gone.

  He felt a little guilty thinking it, but there was a reason he only saw them a few times a year. And frankly, if he never saw Troy again, it would be too soon. He couldn’t understand what Peyton saw in him. He’d once briefly entertained the notion of having one of his single teammates seduce her to show her there was so much more out there than Troy, but then he came to his senses. There was something creepy about getting your sister laid, even if you had the best intentions.

  “Couldn’t sleep?” his mother asked.

  “Restless. It’s the last game before the holidays, and Aaron may be back after Christmas, so I want to be at the top of my game.”

  “Man, doesn’t that make your job easier?” Troy asked. “Why would you want to work harder for the same money? My ass would be on the bench, taking my big paychecks straight to the bank.”

  Donovan scowled. “Well, I guess if you take no pride in yourself or your job, that’s what you would do. I try to be the best I can be, to earn every cent of those paychecks.”

  “Whatever, man.” Troy laughed. “One puck to the head could put you on disability for life—why would you wa
nt to risk that?”

  Tara gasped and Peyton frowned at him. “Troy! That’s a terrible thing to say.”

  “But it’s true. We see head injuries in pro athletes all the time. He should be glad he sits on the bench most of the time.”

  “Jesus Christ.” Donovan ran a frustrated hand through his already unruly hair and glanced at his father, who was shaking his head a little.

  “Troy, someday you’re going to have to learn to use a filter,” Gina said lightly. “Anyway, what time do you leave, Donovan?”

  “I’m going to head out now,” he responded. “You guys can come up around five since it’s a six o’clock game.”

  “Thank god. I need a drink.” Troy got up and ambled over to the refrigerator, opening it and peering inside. “Don’t you have any beer in here?”

  “Not at the moment,” Tara said. “We’ll make a run to the liquor store tomorrow.”

  “Fuck.” Troy shut the door and walked out of the room.

  Donovan wanted to follow him but opted not to get himself any more pissed off than he already was. Instead, he went back upstairs to get his bag. He felt rather than heard movement behind him and glanced over his shoulder at Tara. She slid her arms around him from behind.

  “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I feel like this is my fault.”

  “It’s not. Troy has always been an asshole, and Peyton is too afraid to stand up to him. My parents think it’s great that she’s marrying an up-and-coming hotshot attorney who’s going to take care of her, but I think they’re starting to see what a prick he is.”

  “I know, but I feel like everything is amplified because of me.”

  “Yeah, I’m going to nip that in the bud as soon as I get a minute alone with my mom.” He covered her hands with his and leaned into her warmth.

  “Don’t think about any of that, just focus on the game, okay? I’m fine. I have pretty thick skin.”

  “But you’re my wife,” he growled under his breath. “They can’t treat you like some random hook-up.”

  “But they don’t know I’m your wife. Really, it’s okay. Your father is wonderful, and your mom is trying. Peyton is probably going to be problematic, but Troy is less than nothing to me. I honestly couldn’t care less about what he thinks or says.”