Chasing Charli - Kat Mizera Page 0,54

pool.”

“He’s very rich. It’s indoor and outdoor, half and half. His house is amazing.”

“I can’t wait to see it.”

“We can go whenever you’re ready.”

“Let me grab the cupcakes I baked.” She brushed past him and went downstairs to the kitchen, pulling a plastic carrier-type thing out of a cabinet. She’d made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and then used some fancy tool to create a simplified version of the Blizzard logo on each one. He’d eaten three of them last night when she’d made them and they were as delicious as they were pretty.

She filled two carriers with cupcakes and he brought them out to his truck. She climbed in and he handed them to her before getting into the driver’s side.

“Are you nervous?” he asked her as he drove towards Gage’s house.

“About what? Meeting your boss and the rest of the team?”

“That and us probably getting a lot of questions because we’re a couple now.”

“Is that a thing? New couples getting the third degree?”

“I think so, yes.”

“Oh. Well, we don’t have anything to hide, do we?”

“No.” He reached across the seat for her hand and she squeezed it.

“Holy shit, is this his house?” Charli’s eyes widened as Miikka drove through the gate, which was open today.

“Yes. Pretty great, right?”

“Wow.” She stared at the expansive estate as he parked the truck and got out to grab the cupcake carriers.

“Wait until you see the inside,” he said.

“Miikka!” Gage was the first person they saw when they got inside and Miikka hugged his boss.

“Hey, boss.” He pulled Charli forward. “Gage, this is my girlfriend, Char-lot. Char-lot, this is the owner of the Blizzard, Gage Caldwell.”

“Nice to meet you.” Gage smiled down at her.

“Likewise. And my friends call me Charli. Miikka’s the only one who calls me Charlotte.”

“Charli it is.” He turned and called to his wife. “Honey, have you met Miikka’s girlfriend? This is Charli. Charli, my wife, Laurel.”

“Also my head coach,” Miikka stage-whispered. “You must be nice to her so I don’t have to skate laps.”

“Got it.” Charli laughed as she shook Laurel’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Miikka talks about you all the time.”

“I’ll bet he does.” Laurel pretended to give him side-eye and then they both chuckled.

“Where’s Matthew?” he demanded, referring to Gage and Laurel’s infant son.

“He’s being passed around, I believe,” Laurel said, gazing towards the back of the house. “Last I saw, Dani had him.”

“My turn,” Miikka grumbled.

“Well, you can fight Dani for him,” Laurel said with a smile.

He grimaced. “Dani is badass,” he said. “I don’t think I can fight her. Also, Sergei is scary.”

“These are for everyone,” Charli said, holding up the cupcakes.

“Red velvet?” Gage asked, eyeing the container.

“What’s the blue stuff?” Laurel asked, squinting.

“The Blizzard logo. Sort of. I hand drew them.”

“You hand drew them?” Gage opened one of the carriers, picked up a cupcake and examined it. “You’re hired. Can you make me five dozen of these for my next staff meeting?”

“Sure.” Charli smiled.

“I’ll pay you, of course.”

“Let me know when you need them.”

“There he is!” Miikka started walking towards Dani, who was carrying Matthew.

“Oh, he’s going to make a great dad someday,” Laurel chuckled.

22

Charli watched Miikka run and scoop the baby out of Dani’s arms, loving the easy banter between the two of them.

“Hey!” Dani protested, swatting at him.

“Too slow!” He laughed, dancing out of her way with the baby in his arms.

“What do you do, Charli?” Laurel asked her, shaking her head as Dani pretended to chase Miikka around the room.

“I teach kindergarten. I’m Niko’s teacher this year.”

“Oh, that’s awesome.”

“I think being the only female head coach in the NHL is incredibly cool,” Charli told her.

“I’ll leave you ladies to chat and take these outside,” Gage said, holding both cupcake carriers.

“Thanks, honey.” Laurel watched him go with a smile and she and Charli started walking further into the house. “I hate that I had to leave the team for maternity leave. The baby wasn’t planned but neither was me coaching full-time. I was only going to coach them through the playoffs last season. Somehow, I wound up coming back and now it looks like it’s going to be full-time.”

“That’s going to be hard, isn’t it?” I asked her. “With a baby at home?”

“Yes and no. Gage has the freedom to be a stay-at-home dad and since we have the private jet, he and the baby can follow me on the road for the longer trips. He wants another baby too, so I’m going to give it a year and