by Kat Mizera
“Good idea, Dad.”
“We’ll call you after breakfast,” Miikka said, “and you can let us know what you decide.”
“Right.”
Everyone said good night and went up to bed except Tara and Donovan. She had a handful of gifts she’d purchased and wrapped for Miikka and Charli, her parents, and several things for Leon. She also had Donovan’s gift and something for Gage and Laurel. Donovan had said not to get anything for his parents, and obviously they had nothing for Peyton and Troy since they hadn’t known they were coming, but it was still a little weird.
“Christmas is going to be awkward,” she told him as they cleaned up the kitchen and stacked the gifts by the fireplace.
“Nah. My parents know I’m sending them to Aruba for a long weekend in February so there’s nothing to be wrapped, and I always give Peyton money. I’ll be damned if I buy Troy a gift, so it’s all good.”
“What about our gifts to each other?” she asked softly. “Do we open ours in front of everyone? In Finland, Santa comes on Christmas Eve and that’s when we exchange gifts. We had to explain to Leon about different cultures and traditions, which he’s actually very excited about, and I was kind of hoping to see it. Do you think we could get up early and go over to Miikka and Charli’s first thing? Just for a little while so I can be with Leon?”
His eyes softened, and he leaned over to lightly rub his nose against hers. “It’s our first Christmas together, so yeah, why not? I think the traditions will probably change when and if Peyton and I have kids, where the focus is on them and stuff. But for some reason, we stopped doing a lot of formal gift-giving after I left home, so I don’t think anyone will mind if we leave for a little while. My mom might want to come with us, but I’m happy to leave Troy and Peyton at home.
“In our family, we always put a lot of care and thought into the gifts we give each other, even when we had very little money. Now, of course, Miikka spoils all of us, but it’s never been about how much money we spend but how much love we put in it. Which is why I don’t want to miss it.”
“I think that’s wonderful,” he said quietly, one shoulder pressed against the wall as he waited for her to finish what she was doing. “Does Leon still believe in Santa Claus?”
“No, I don’t think so—the kids in school talk—but he plays along for the gifts.”
“Is he going to like the autographed stick?”
“My gut says yes. Miikka and Charli got him a huge basket of all the new Blizzard gear. Everything from yet another jersey, this year’s hoodie and T-shirt, socks, even a calendar to hang in his room. Miikka says it’ll help him learn the months of the year in English, but regardless, he’s going to be inundated with hockey stuff, which he loves.”
“Okay, so what time do you think we need to be there?”
Tara grimaced. “Probably by eight? I’ll text Miikka to tell him we’re coming so he’ll keep Leon in check until we arrive.”
“Perfect.” He kissed her and reached for her hand. “Now let’s go to bed.”
They were up at seven the next morning, quickly showering and getting dressed so they could get to Miikka and Charli’s house before Leon lost his mind. According to the text she’d just gotten from Miikka, Leon was already pacing, but was being a good sport about waiting since he wanted Tara to be there, too.
When they got downstairs, Gina and Earl were having coffee, and Donovan explained that they were going to Miikka’s for a little while to open gifts. Tara was surprised when they graciously accepted their offer to go, too.
“I just need my coat,” Gina said, smiling.
“I’m ready. We’re not going outside so I don’t need a coat.” Earl was reaching for his shoes.
They got to Miikka and Charli’s ten minutes later, and a wave of nostalgia washed over Tara as they pulled up. Miikka had decorated the outside of the house with lights and a huge blow-up Christmas tree that took up half the front yard. The lights were all on, and they could hear laughter coming from the house before they even got to the front door.
“It’s been a long time since we celebrated like this,” Gina murmured, a wistful tone in her voice.
“Perhaps it’s time to start new traditions,” Donovan replied, knocking twice and then opening the front door.
“Welcome!” Miikka called out, grinning. “Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas!” A chorus of voices went through the house until Leon’s much louder one said, “Can we open now?”
There was a flurry of activity as he opened one gift after another, and despite the obvious overabundance of gifts, he was gracious and excited about each one, pausing to thank all of them individually.
“Leon, we didn’t know we were going to meet you this year,” Gina said, “so I didn’t have time to get you a real gift, but we did pick this up for you so you could choose something for yourself.” She handed him a small box and inside was a gift card to a local video game store.
He seemed to have lost all sense of his English and went off in a torrent of Finnish, thanking her profusely before throwing his arms around her and hugging her tightly.
There was more gift-giving, now among the adults, and Tara was curious about what Donovan had gotten her. There was nothing left under the tree or in the stockings hung by the fireplace, and Donovan had a cagey look on his face. Since he didn’t seem in any hurry to give her anything, Tara gave him her gift, and he opened the small package curiously.
“Oh, wow.” He smiled. “This is great. I don’t know if I can get away, but I’ve wanted to see this show for a while.”
“I know,” she said quickly. “But Miikka helped me choose a time that was the closest we could get to gauging when you might be able to get away for a few hours. If not, I’ll go alone or maybe with one of the other WAGs if I can put together a trip.”
“It’s wonderful.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Their eyes met for a moment and then he got up, holding out his hand. “Your gift is outside.”
“What?” She frowned in confusion.
“Come on.” He tugged her hand and opened the front door.
Tara looked out, unsure what she was supposed to see and then gasped.
“Oh my god, Donovan…” She turned to him and then burst into tears.
29
Donovan hadn’t thought she would cry, but he pulled her close and kissed the top of her head, lightly stroking her back.
“Don’t you like it?” he asked softly.
“It’s, it’s… it’s too much!” She burst out, swiping at her eyes. “How could you buy me a car?”
“Because you need one, and I wanted to. Come on, let’s go look at it.”
He tugged her by the hand even though it was cold and they weren’t wearing coats. He pressed the key fob into her hand and she absently opened the doors. It was a bright red Jeep Grand Cherokee, and he’d made sure it had all the bells and whistles. Navigation system, seat warmers, satellite radio, everything he could think of. If he was going to buy her something special for Christmas, it had to be magnificent and over-the-top.
“Is this yours, Tara?” Leon came bounding outside, his eyes wide with awe. “Can I ride in it? It’s beautiful!”
Tara nodded, still somewhat emotional, though she was smiling now. “Yes, of course.”
“Leon, wait until she’s had a chance to see it first,” Tara’s mom said gently, holding him by the arm.
Donovan got into the passenger seat while Tara got behind the wheel, and her eyes filled with tears again as she looked at him. “Donovan, this is… I’ve never had a car before. It’s beyond generous… I don’t even know what to say.”
“That you like it. That it makes you happy. That you’re happy.”
“I’m so happy…” she whispered. “Everything you do, from that day you first held my hand to us getting married to this amazing gift—it’s wonderful. My life is better than anything I ever dreamed of back in Finland
and I love living here. Thank you.” She threw herself at him and kissed him, passionately, as if their families weren’t watching and Leon didn’t mutter, “Yok!” Yuck.
They pulled apart reluctantly and Donovan stared into her eyes. “You’re very, very welcome. Merry Christmas, baby.”
They got out of the car and everyone else took turns sitting in it, looking at it, and Donovan slid an arm around her shoulders as they watched.
“They’re more excited than you are,” he whispered to her.
“Not possible.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I love the life we have here, Donovan. If I can get the visa that allows me to formally accept that coaching job, my life would be absolutely perfect.”
Something inside of him squeezed painfully, his chest and stomach at war for which hurt more. His first wife hadn’t wanted to come to Alaska; his new one didn’t want to leave. What the hell was he going to do if he got traded?
Tara drove the new SUV home with Leon in the back and her mother riding shotgun. Donovan followed in his SUV with Gina and Earl.
“Tara was pretty emotional over her gift,” Gina said. “I think she really likes it.”
“I hope so. She needed a car, and I figured what better time than Christmas?”
“Is the ring next?” Gina teased.
Donovan’s hands tightened on the wheel. He really hated lying to his parents. They made him crazy sometimes, but they’d always been there for him. The problem was that they were just now starting to warm up to Tara and if he told them about the visa situation it might change their minds.
“You never know,” he said finally. “Everything happened pretty fast once we got past the friends stage.” That, at least, was the truth.
“When you know, you know,” Earl said. “And you seem to know a lot with this one.”
“I thought I knew with Jane, too,” I muttered.
“You were too young,” Gina reasoned. “I mean, your father and I were the same age when we met, but you were on the verge of a huge career and you had to marry her or leave her behind. If you’d dated a while longer, probably another year, you would have seen that you were growing apart.”
“Well, hindsight is twenty-twenty,” he said.
“Living together is a good way to get to know each other,” Gina said thoughtfully. “And to be honest, you seem happy when you’re with her. Do you love her, Donovan?”
Donovan’s chest tightened a little. It seemed to happen a lot where Tara was concerned. “I think I do,” he said slowly. “And it scares the shit out of me.”
“She’s not Jane,” Earl said gently. “Don’t compare them.”
“Believe me, there’s no comparison. I just don’t quite trust my gut with women now, and I don’t want to screw up again.”
“You’re twenty-seven,” Gina said. “Most people don’t have their lives figured out yet, and you’re ahead of the game since you have a successful career and make excellent money. The rest will come. If Tara’s the right woman for you, you’ll know soon enough.”
Donovan pulled into the garage and motioned for Tara to take the spot next to his. He’d cleaned it out last week, knowing he had a surprise for her. She’d thrown him for a loop last night by saying she wanted to go to Miikka’s in the morning, but since the car was at Miikka’s house, it hadn’t been a big deal for Miikka to move it down the street until they were ready. Once they were inside, Miikka snuck out and pulled it back into the driveway and Tara had been none the wiser.
They walked inside and Donovan was surprised to see Peyton and Troy dressed and with a suitcase in the foyer.
“We’re going to ride out the storm at a hotel downtown,” Troy said. “I’m not comfortable staying overnight with strangers, especially if we’re all bunched together.”
Donovan opted not to respond and waited for his mother’s reaction.
“You’re going to spend Christmas at a hotel?” she asked.
“We thought it would be easier,” Peyton said quickly. “And assuming the storm isn’t too bad, we’ll be home in the morning.”
“Who’s paying for the hotel?” Donovan asked, giving Troy a look. “Last I checked, you still didn’t have a job.”
“I’m taking the bar in February!” Troy snapped, his ears turning red with embarrassment.
“It’s all right,” Peyton said to her brother. “I got a bonus at work so we’re going to use that money. Besides, it’ll be a little mini-vacation within the vacation for us.”
Donovan didn’t bother to hide his irritation but merely shrugged. “Okay, sis. You do you.” He reached for the remote and turned on one of the local stations to get updates about the weather.
“Peyton, let’s go! The Uber is here.” Troy grabbed their suitcase, opened the front door, and stalked outside.
Peyton hesitated for a second and turned back to everyone. “I’m sorry,” she said softly, and then followed him outside, shutting the door behind her.
“God, I hate him,” Donovan muttered.
“I give it a month,” Earl said. “By the time they get back to Chicago and settle back into their life, she’s going to call and ask if she can come home.”
“Less if Ryder keeps going after her,” Gina mused, her lips twitching as she tried to hide her smile.
“Gross. I’m not listening to any of that.” Donovan turned to Tara. “Are we packed? Looks like the storm will be hitting around three or four so we should get over to the Caldwells’ around one?”
“I’m ready. Just need to add a few toiletries to our bag.”
“I need to throw a few things in ours as well,” Gina said.
The blizzard hit around dinnertime, but Donovan felt strangely content. Surrounded by family and friends, with good food, fires roaring in multiple fireplaces, and everyone enjoying each other’s company, it was a great way to spend Christmas. Mostly, it gave him uninterrupted time to be with Tara. Yes, they were surrounded by more than a dozen other people, but they had nowhere to be, no one expecting anything from them, and he didn’t have to do much of anything but hang out. He loved hockey more than almost anything, but sometimes it was hard to compartmentalize his personal life. Though he didn’t blame himself for the failure of his marriage, he still blamed himself for not paying enough attention to even notice she was unhappy.
He’d been sure everything would be okay, right until she’d told him she wanted a divorce. He didn’t ever want to be blindsided by something like that ever again. The interesting thing was that he didn’t think Tara would be that way. They already communicated much better than he and Jane ever had, and he trusted her.
“Why are you so serious?” she asked. It was late, and Donovan’s parents had already gone up to one of the guest rooms. Gage and Laurel had seven extra bedrooms and had disbursed them based on age and need. Donovan and Tara had offered to sleep on an air mattress in the library, since that was Tara’s favorite room, and the fireplace was going. So far, they hadn’t lost electricity, and everyone was warm and comfortable, even as the wind howled outside the windows.
They were curled up under a blanket, watching the fire as they whispered in the semi-darkness.
“Do you think you’ll have practice tomorrow?” she asked him.
“I doubt it, not with everything turning to ice. We’ll see what Coach says. Why?”
“I like having you around all day,” she said softly, trailing her fingers along his jaw.
“I like having you around all day, too.” He palmed her ass, pulling her closer to him. “It was nice spending Christmas surrounded by family and friends, wasn’t it?”
“It was. This was probably one of my favorite holidays ever. Thanks to you.” She paused. “I meant what I said earlier, when I said that I love our life here. I wish I was able to work, but that’s the only thing missing. I have friends, I volunteer for the women’s team at the college, I get to play hockey with women I enjoy playing against, and I’m close to Miikka and Charli, so I’ll be here when my first niece or
nephew is born. And it’s all thanks to you.”
He wanted to mention the possibility of being traded and get a feel for her thoughts on moving who-knows-where, but she was kissing him now and he forgot all about talking. In the back of his mind, he made a mental note to bring it up, but there was no way he was cutting her off mid-kiss, and he planned to be deep inside of her in about five minutes. Maybe less if he was lucky.
30
The end of the holiday season meant a lot of things to Tara. Her family had gone back to Finland and the Blizzard would be heading out on the road again the second week of January, but today she’d gone online to check the status of her green card and found exciting news: it had been approved. Now she could officially become the assistant coach of the team at Tudor College, and she immediately picked up the phone to call Coach Azure. Donovan was at practice, so she had to wait to tell him her news, but Coach Azure was excited enough for all of them.
He’d get the paperwork ready for her to sign this afternoon when she came to practice, and he’d introduce her as the new assistant coach instead of the hockey consultant she’d been posing as. No one knew about her visa situation, so the assumption had been it was a paid position, but now she would actually make money doing something she loved and could potentially contribute to the household. Not that Donovan would take money from her, especially considering the low salary, but it felt good to have a real job that didn’t include under the table payments for babysitting.
She was running on high all morning and was disappointed when Donovan texted to tell her Coach Caldwell had a meeting planned for after practice. She wound up leaving for the college’s practice before he got home so they didn’t see each other until dinnertime. She practically flew through the kitchen, calling to him. She hadn’t wanted to tell him the news on the phone so she could barely contain herself as she called to him.
“Donovan? Where are you?”
“Hey.” He came down the stairs looking better than a man had any right to in low-slung gray sweats, a long-sleeved white Henley and his hair tousled as if he’d been asleep.
