Beneath the Ice

Alexei forced himself to leave Charlotte’s bed some time in the middle of the night. Not because he wanted to. After the way she’d melted under his mouth and tongue, he’d wanted to stay and make her do it again and again. But they hadn’t talked about him spending the night yet, and with Zoe two doors away, he didn’t want to do anything to make Charlotte uncomfortable. Although, she had seemed pretty damn comfortable with his tongue inside her.

Stop. He swallowed hard and forced all thoughts of Charlotte out of his head. He did not need to be springing an erection moments before hitting the ice for practice.

So he had left her bed the night before, and returned in the morning as had become their usual routine. Zoe helped him with breakfast, Charlotte had blushed every time he’d looked at her, and a broad sensation of utter contentment had settled in the center of Alexei’s chest before they’d both had to leave for work.

Now, as he glided out onto the ice, he wondered if he’d gone too far with Charlotte the night before. Not that she hadn’t been willing or anything like that, but every time he promised they’d talk, they didn’t just talk. It was her fault. She was far too delectable for her own good. For his own good as well.

“You all right, Alexei?” Tarik tapped his wide goalie stick against Alexei’s shin pad as they stopped skating near one of the nets.

“Yeah.” Alexei shrugged and blew out a breath. “You have a girlfriend, Tarik?”

Tarik snorted and shook his head, his black hair flopping over one eye. “Had one when I was in San Jose, but she didn’t want to move to a winter city, so that was that.”

Alexei frowned. “She broke up with you because of that?”

“So she said.” Tarik shrugged. “Whatever. Now I’m free to hook up whenever and wherever I want.”

Some guys on the team did seem to thrive on that sort of lifestyle. Alexei had never really been one of them, though he’d had his fair share of one-night stands over the years. Now, staring thirty in the face, he didn’t want that. He wanted his two redheads and a lifetime of breakfasts and dinners and everything he’d been doing with Charlotte and Zoe for the past few weeks.

“You’ve been seeing someone, haven’t you?” Tarik asked, dropping down to start stretching, his big goalie pads widening under his body.

“Yeah.” Alexei nodded. “It’s still new.”

“Well, I hope it works out for you, man.”

“Hope what works for who?” Olle skidded to a stop before them, sending ice sprinkling over Alexei’s skates.

Alexei scowled and shook his foot in Olle’s direction, making the other man snicker.

“Alexei was telling me about his woman. Or he was about to.”

Olle nodded. “Joelle says she’s great and that you would be lucky to have her.”

Alexei knew that already. In fact, he’d forgotten all about they way they’d met and how he’d hated the noise at first. How could he hate what had brought the girls into his life?

“She said Zoe is the sweetest kid, too.”

“Hold up.” Tarik rose to his feet, his eyes wide. “She’s a single mom?”

Alexei nodded. “Zoe is her daughter.”

Tarik whistled. “Wow, man. Good on you if you can work it out. Not sure I’d want that kind of baggage in my life.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what about the girl’s dad? Isn’t he in the picture? There’s got to be some tension or jealousy that goes on there.”

Alexei shook his head. “No. He’s not around.” He didn’t know why. Another reason to really sit down for a talk with Charlotte. A real talk, not him ordering her to remain silent while he spent hours devouring her sweet–

No! Alexei gave his head a sharp shake and skated away from his teammates without another word. He needed to focus on skating and passing and scoring goals instead of Charlotte and the way she’d positively melted under his mouth.

Jesus, he was so hopeless.

After practice, Alexei agreed to go to Olle and Joelle’s for lunch. He could use some advice and he knew Charlotte was still at work so there was no reason to rush home.

Joelle was happy to host him for the hour or so he spent with them, serving up an easy lunch of chicken salad and fresh fruit. They all sat and watched the snow falling as they drank coffee after and Alexei couldn’t help worrying about Charlotte driving in the snow.

“She’s lived here for years, Alexei.” Joelle grinned when he confessed the reason for his worried expression. “I’m sure she can drive in all the weather Chicago gets.”

“Leave him be.” Olle leaned over to kiss his wife’s head. “I worry the same about you.”

“All right.” Joelle patted his cheek and shoved him away. “Get off. I’m glad things are going so well with you and Charlotte, Alexei. She’s wonderful.”

Charlotte was perfect. So was Zoe. “I worry about her and Zoe all the time.”

“That’s normal.” Joelle gave him a sympathetic look. “But I don’t think you’re really worried about them driving in snow.”

Alexei blew out a breath and shook his head. “No. It’s everything. And nothing.” He rubbed one eyebrow and let out a light laugh. “I don’t make any sense, do I?”

Olle was shaking his head but Joelle grinned. “Yes, you do. It’s what happens when you start to care for someone. Or two someones, in your case.”

“I want to do everything for them.”

“I bet.” Joelle nodded. “Are you worried that Charlotte wouldn’t let you?”

He started to disagree but then nodded. “Yeah. Sort of. Charlotte has been on her own for a long time. I don’t know how she’d react if I just started buying her things.”

“Like what?” Olle leaned forward, a curious look on his face. “Like jewelry?”

“No.” Alexei frowned. “Charlotte doesn’t wear anything. Neither does Zoe. More like, if I were to pay for Zoe to play sports, or offer to buy clothes for them. Things like that.”

Joelle’s brow wrinkled as she listened. “I don’t know, Alexei. Charlotte struck me as fairly reasonable and level-headed. I don’t think she’d fly off the handle if you asked. She might not like it if you go over her head for anything.”

Alexei nodded, his mind working along the same lines. “We haven’t talked about it much.”

“Well, it’s still new, for both of you.” Joelle smiled and reached over to pat his hand. “And dating a single mother is not the same as dating anyone else.”

“Yes.” Alexei scowled. “Tarik says there’s too much baggage.”

“Baggage? Is it complicated with Zoe’s father or something?”

He shrugged. Again, he didn’t know. He really needed to get his libido under control so he could have an adult conversation with Charlotte.

As if sensing the direction of his thoughts, Olle snorted and gave him a knowing smirk. “So talk to her, man.”

“Yes, I know.” He did know. The trouble was, every time he got Charlotte alone, talking was the last thing on his mind. But he was a grown man and he could figure it out.

“Oh, when you see her later, invite her and Zoe to Thanksgiving here.” Joelle sipped her coffee. “If they don’t already have somewhere else to go, that is.”

“I don’t think so.” Alexei wasn’t sure though. It was possible she had a date for that with her friends from the store, but he would ask, as Joelle suggested. He’d love to show up to something with Charlotte on his arm. Yes, he’d bring them for sure.

─────

Charlotte knew Alexei meant business when he arrived at their apartment that night. He didn’t smile, even though he wasn’t rude at all, but he didn’t greet Charlotte with a kiss or touch of any kind. For a little while, Charlotte was afraid he was going to call everything off, but then she caught him looking at her a few times, and was reassured by the barely banked heat she saw in his dark eyes.

Eventually they were alone — in a way– washing dishes while Zoe played in her room, quiet for once.

“How was your day?” she asked.

Alexei took the frying pan from her hand and started to dry it. “It was all right. Practice went well. We have a new player from the minors.”

“Really? Was someone injured?”

He nodded. “One of the defensemen. He’ll be out a few weeks.”

“Right.” Charlotte scrubbed another pan before setting it in the rack on the counter. “And you had lunch with Olle and Joelle?”

“Yes.” He turned to face her fully for a moment. “Before I forget, they have invited you and Zoe for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“Oh.” Charlotte blinked, her hands stopping in the water as she considered. She usually went to Sarah’s, even though Sarah hadn’t brought it up yet this year. “I suppose we could. Won’t there be a lot of people there?”

“A few.” Alexei nodded and started drying again. “But they have a large house.”

“And you don’t play that day?”

“No, but we have games the day before and after.”

“Okay.” Charlotte nodded. “Well, can I let you know? I think we will come but I want to talk to Sarah first. We usually spend Thanksgiving with them, if anyone.”

“Sure.”

They fell silent again as they worked, finishing the dishes. Zoe came out just as they finished up and asked for dessert.

“What would you like, zaya?” Alexei turned to the fridge and looked inside. “You have those cookies from yesterday still.”

Zoe twisted her mouth to one side, considering and then nodded. “Yeah. Cookies are good. And milk?”

“Okay. And milk.” Alexei ruffled her hair and poured her a cup of milk.

Charlotte watched the entire exchange, her chest swelling with emotion. Would she ever get used to this?

“Are you okay?” Alexei smiled as he sent Zoe off to the couch with her two cookies and cup of milk.

Charlotte didn’t overthink it. She put her arms around him and pressed her face to his chest. “I’m more than okay.”

His arms went around her, one warm hand circling in soothing rounds on her upper back. He pressed his mouth to her hair and inhaled, making Charlotte smile. They stayed that way for a while, until Zoe whined that they were ignoring her.

They all sat together on the couch and watched a few episodes of some animated show before Charlotte shuffled Zoe off to brush her teeth and change for bed. After Zoe was asleep, she rejoined Alexei on the couch, and he had his serious face on again.

“Can we talk?”

She grinned as she sat next to him with a nod. “Yes, of course. We can always talk.” She loved talking to him as much as she loved ‘talking’ to him. From the look on his face now, he meant the former, which was fine.

“I know I was an ass before when I brought it up, but can I ask about Zoe’s dad?”

Charlotte winced. “Ah, yeah. I guess. We can talk about it, if you want.”

His mouth pressed into a thin line. “I’m sorry. Is it too much?”

“No.” Charlotte blew out a breath and leaned back on the couch. “I get that you must be curious. Maybe even worried about having to deal with him. Am I right?”

He hesitated but nodded once.

“Well, he’s not around. That should be obvious by now.” Charlotte fell silent for a minute as she considered how to explain the origin of her daughter. “When I was in college, I dated a bit, went to a lot of parties, and had fun.”

“Sure. Most college kids do the same.”

She smiled and nodded. “Yeah, and I didn’t get crazy. I was smart, always got rides with sober friends, never went anywhere alone, and even dating, it was more like a lot of group dates, always with lots of people around.”

Shifting, Charlotte looked down her hands, plucking at a loose thread on her pants. “Well, at one party, I really hit it off with this guy. His name was Aidan. We talked for hours and then I went home with him. Or well, what I thought was his home.”

Alexei’s expression darkened and Charlotte realized how that must sound.

She grasped his hand and squeezed, smiling at him. “I don’t mean he took me somewhere shady. He wasn’t actually from the city. He was visiting and staying with a friend, and that’s where we went.”

“Okay.” Alexei squeezed her hand back but remained silent, patient as he let her finish her story.

“So, we had some fun that night.” Charlotte hated that her cheeks heated. “We used protection, I swear. Then, I left in the morning before he woke up. I didn’t want to be the one to get kicked out, because we both knew what it was. I actually ran into his friend, the one whose place we were at, as I left. He was nice, didn’t make fun or anything, just asked if I needed to borrow cab fare or call for a ride or anything.”

“That is nice.”

“It was.” Charlotte shrugged. “I may have had my fun, I can’t lie about that, but I was lucky that I never got taken advantage of, or never had any bad run-ins with real jerks or anything.”

She fell silent as she considered. She had been lucky, even with all her well-meaning efforts to stay safe. “Well, a few weeks later, I missed my period, and–”

“And Zoe happened.” Alexei smiled as he said her name and Charlotte couldn’t help but smile with him.

Both their gazes strayed to the child’s closed bedroom door.

“I wish I could say it was the easiest decision I made, to keep her.” Charlotte sighed and shifted, wanting to get closer to Alexei but not sure if he was open to it at the moment. A second later, he tugged her into his arms, holding her head to his shoulder. She sighed again before continuing. “But I was only nineteen. I was halfway through my freshman year. Who would decide having a kid then was a good idea?”

“No one.” Alexei’s quiet voice rumbled under her cheek and she nodded. “And your family?”

“They weren’t great. I told them over the phone and they said that we’d discuss it when I went home for the summer. By discuss it, they meant convince me to get rid of her.”

“But you didn’t want that.” He didn’t phrase it as a question.

“No. By the time I told them, I already knew. I was scared shitless but I knew I wanted to keep my child. No matter what.” She paused and closed her eyes. “Turned out, no matter what included losing my parents, my sister, my college education, and my home.”

Alexei muttered something in Russian before he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “And this… Aidan? What did he have to say when you told him?”

“Well, that was the interesting part. I only knew his name, nothing about where he actually lived or what his number was. I went back to the apartment where his friend lived, and the guy remembered me. He gave me Aidan’s number, thank goodness, and I called him right away.”

“And?”

Charlotte rubbed her cheek on his shirt for a second, gathering her thoughts before continuing. “He was a bit of a jerk about it, said there was no way of knowing he was the actual father.”

Alexei’s hold tightened and he muttered some more, making Charlotte smile.

“To be fair, I was having a lot of fun that year. But, I knew it was him, because I hadn’t gone out much around the same time and definitely hadn’t hooked up with anyone else before or after for several weeks. Still, I understood where he was coming from.

“I used every bit of my savings to pay for a paternity test when the time came and then for a lawyer to draft an agreement in which Aidan agreed to give up all current and future parental rights. He didn’t want to be a father and I didn’t want him to be able to change his mind later, and disrupt Zoe’s life.”

Alexei was silent as he listened, his lips brushing over her hair now and then.

“My family was less understanding when I told them my decision about everything. They said without the father’s child support, how was I expected to live? Because they weren’t going to give me a dime. They refused to let me live with them and refused to pay for college any longer.” She shrugged one shoulder. “That was their choice, but I can’t lie, it hurt.”

“Of course it did.” Alexei sighed and squeezed his hold tighter for a second. “They’re your family.”

“Yeah. Old news now. I always let them know where I’ve been living, and make sure they have my number, if they ever decide to reach out, but other than a once yearly call at Christmas, I don’t talk to them. It’s just me and Zoe, and honestly, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

She sat up and looked into Alexei’s eyes, sure that her own expression was fierce. “Sure, it’s been hard. I had many days where I thought I’d made a huge mistake and ruined both mine and Zoe’s life forever. I had to live in a women’s shelter when I first came to Chicago after she was born, and it wasn’t easy. None of it’s been easy.”

Alexei’s eyes were soft as he watched her. He lifted one hand to run his fingers through her hair. “But you did it.”

She nodded, her lower lip trembling. “I did. I still am. So if you’ve asked me about all this because you think I’m going to start asking for money or–”

Alexei cut her off, pressing his fingers to her lips, his dark brows drawing together in a fierce scowl. “I don’t care if you ask for money or not. I didn’t ask about your past because I think you have any expectations of me.”

She frowned and he dropped his hand. “So why were you asking? To find out if you want to deal with me and my past at all?”

He shook his head and one corner of his mouth lifted. “I don’t care about your past. I wanted to know for Zoe’s sake, mostly, and if we’d be dealing with visits to her biological father in the future.”

Charlotte swallowed hard and tried to think of something to say but she was stuck on his use of the word ‘we’. And ‘future’.

“There’s nothing you could have told me that would make me not want you, Charlotte.” He slid his hand around her neck and tugged her close enough that his next exhalation tickled her lips. “You or Zoe. I want to be with you.”

Charlotte shivered, heat flooding her. “So. You’re my boyfriend?”

He smiled then, those dimples popping out at last. “Yes, and you’re my woman, and Zoe is my girl.” He paused and tilted his head one way, his fingers flexing on the back of her neck. “If you want to be.”

Honesty, Charlotte. Be honest and don’t assume anything. Charlotte let out a shaky breath and nodded once. “Yes, Alexei. I would like that.”

He kissed her then, light and quick. “Good. Now, when is Zoe’s birthday?”

Charlotte let out a breathless laugh at the sudden change in subject. “December twelfth, she’ll be four. And when is yours?”

“My birthday is in January.” He leaned closer to her, lifting his eyebrows. “I’ll be thirty.”

She couldn’t help it. A gasp of surprise escaped her. “You’re thirty?”

“Almost. And you must be twenty-three?”

“Twenty-four.” Charlotte swallowed as she considered their age difference. But if he didn’t care, then she’d convince herself that she didn’t care either. “But only just twenty-four. My birthday is in October.”

“Missed it.” Alexei pulled a face. “Next year, we’ll do something special.”

“Next year?”

He nodded. “But for Zoe’s birthday, we’ll plan something fun.”

“I don’t usually do much. Make her favorite dinner and cake.”

“There are lots of teammates who have kids. We could have a proper party. And Zoe must have friends at daycare.”

Charlotte nodded as she thought about it, reeling a little bit from all these sudden plans he was making. First Thanksgiving? Now Zoe’s birthday? And hers, next year? She cleared her throat and pushed away from Alexei.

“Yeah. We, um, we could do that.” She paced to the kitchen and opened the fridge, staring inside for a long minute before grabbing the jug of water. “A birthday party. Sure. Maybe a few kids. I can handle that.”

“Charlotte?”

She turned to see Alexei standing at the end of the counter, a concerned expression on his face. “Would you like some water? I’m thirsty. Are you thirsty?” She turned away again, going to the cupboard with all her glasses.

There were quick footsteps behind her and then Alexei was reaching up, staying her hands as she reached for cups.

“Charlotte, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. What could be wrong?” She let out a laugh that was borderline hysterical. “I mean, birthdays and Christmas and next year–” Another laugh and she shook her head, burying her face in her hands. “What could possibly be wrong with all that?”

“Charlotte, look at me.” Alexei’s strong hands landed on her shoulders and turned her, tugging gently on her wrists until she lifted her face. “I’m sorry if I went too far. We don’t have to plan anything for Zoe’s birthday. Or mine. Or yours.”

“That’s not it.”

Alexei blew out a breath and drew her into his arms, hugging her tight. “Then what? Do you want to spend Thanksgiving with Sarah?”

“No. I mean, yes, I’ve always done that, but that’s not it.”

“Then what?”

Charlotte sighed and pressed her hands to his chest until she could look him in the face. “I just– don’t you think this is moving a little fast?”

“Is it?” He lifted one shoulder and shook his head. “I don’t think so. I want to be with you.”

Her heart skipped a beat and Charlotte bit her lip. At her continued silence, Alexei sighed and ran his hand over her head, smoothing the loose waves from her face.

“We can take a step back, if you want.”

“What?” Charlotte gaped at him. “You want to break up with me now?”

He chuckled and tugged her against his chest. “Of course not. But you are obviously concerned about things and I don’t want to push you. We can spend more time together, or less. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“I don’t want to spend less time together.” As she said the words, she realized how true they were. Why she’d freaked out a minute ago, she didn’t know. Letting out a shaky breath, she put her arms around his middle and squeezed. As much as she could, anyway. The man was a slab of marble. All the muscles… she recalled how he’d looked that one day in the hall, and she could touch him now. Him and all his muscles.

“Okay. We will spend more time together then.” He dropped a kiss on her head and took a step back. “But I won’t mention birthdays again, I promise.”

She smiled. “Well, we’ll have to talk about Zoe’s at least. Your idea was good but we can’t have a party like that here. There’s not enough space.”

Alexei nodded. “You’re right. We’ll figure something out.” Another quick kiss and he released her, heading for the door. “I’ll see you in the morning, yes?”

“You– you’re leaving?”

He looked up from slipping his shoes on and cocked a dark eyebrow at her. “Shouldn’t I? It’s late.”

“Well, yes. It is late, I suppose.” She glanced at the clock over the stove and back at Alexei as he straightened.

“Do you want me to stay? We haven’t talked about that before.”

Charlotte’s cheeks flamed and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. Letting out a breath, she moved closer to him. “No, we haven’t, but I would be okay with it. If you wanted to. Sometimes.”

“Sometimes.” He reached out for her hands, drawing them up to his lips. All the while, he kept his gaze on her face, barely banked fire glowing in his golden-brown eyes. “I’m sorry I left last night.”

Charlotte looked, unable to keep from remembering every moment in her bed before she’d fallen asleep. “I understand why you did. I think, um, I think Zoe would be fine if you stayed though. Sometimes.”

“Sometimes.” Alexei tugged until she was in the circle of his arms, his hard chest under her cheek. “She is used to seeing me every morning already.”

“Yes. She is.”

They stood like that for a few minutes, not speaking. Charlotte’s body started to relax, from her shoulders to her feet.

“I will stay, sometimes.” Alexei lifted her chin with one hand and brushed his lips over hers. “But not tonight.”

Charlotte was okay with that. She was exhausted after their talk tonight anyway, and her emotions had bounced around a lot in the past hour. Besides, she told herself, if Alexei was planning things for her birthday next year, they were obviously in no rush. Never mind how much she wanted everything this heat between them promised.

“Good night, Alexei.”

He kissed her, long and slow, teasing her lips, and giving her bottom lip a gentle bite before he drew away.

“Good night, lyubov.”

One more quick, hard kiss, and he was gone.

─────

Alexei: I forgot to ask this morning, do you have plans on Monday?

Charlotte: The usual, sleeping in, grocery shopping, laundry… why? You want a piece of this glamorous life?

Alexei: Always, but I’m wondering if you’d like tickets to the game that night. For you and Zoe. And Sarah or another friend if you want.

Charlotte: Really? I think Zoe would love that. I’ll check with Sarah. Can I get back to you later?

Alexei: Of course.

Charlotte: Thank you, Alexei.

─────

Sarah was busy on Monday but Zoe was beyond excited to go to Alexei’s game. Even more when they made their way to the ice level seats. Zoe stared around them with her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. To be fair, Charlotte was a bit in awe as well. She’d attended sporting events over the years, high school football, the occasional baseball game or anything else when tickets came up. She had been to one or two hockey games as well, though they’d always been the less expensive seats, never this.

“Here we are, munchkin.” Charlotte patted her daughter’s head, turning Zoe towards their seats.

Zoe clambered up into hers and faced the ice, resting on her knees. Charlotte reached over and unzipped Zoe’s jacket, pulling it off while Zoe continued to take in the sights. She exclaimed at the lights, the banners hanging overhead, and the video playing on the giant screen hanging over center ice.

“Where’s Grumpy? I can’t see him, Mommy.”

Charlotte chuckled and patted Zoe on the back. “None of the players are out on the ice yet, sweetie. I’m sure he’ll come say ‘hello’ when they’re ready.”

Alexei hadn’t said anything about it, but Charlotte suspected he’d chosen these seats for them because they were so visible. So long as the Blackhawks were playing at this end of the ice, anyway.

Even as she made herself comfortable, Charlotte looked up to find the players from both teams filing out onto the ice in front of them.

“There, Zoe. Look.”

Zoe was on her feet a second later, hands and face pressed right up to the plexiglass separating them from the ice. “I can’t see him, Mommy.”

Charlotte grinned and tugged her phone out to take some pictures. Zoe’s first game was a milestone, for sure. As she did that, the players started to circle the ice in front of them. Several swooped past without a second glance, then Alexei’s big form approached, a rare grin on his face.

“Grumpy!” Zoe screeched and pounded on the glass.

He slid to a stop before Zoe and pressed his fist to the glass. She grinned and ‘bumped’ her fist back against his.

“Do you like your seats?” His voice was muffled through the glass and with the noise of the crowd around them.

“They’re awesome! I can see everything!”

“I have to go warm up but I’ll come see you before I go, okay?”

Zoe nodded and waved as he shifted back on his skates. He glanced over at Charlotte and gave her a look. He said nothing, didn’t wink or anything, but Charlotte’s skin warmed from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. As he skated away, she let out a shaky breath.

“Yay!” Zoe hollered and pounded on the glass a bit more, making a few of the surrounding fans laugh.

Charlotte sighed and tugged on her daughter’s arm. “Come on, sweetie. Sit back down. You can get up again when Alexei comes back.”

Zoe wriggled back into her seat without protest and watched as the players skated more laps, stretched, and started some puck handling. She stayed on her knees the whole time, her little hands clenched hard around the seat armrests and her eyes wide as she took everything in. Several of the other players waved as they came by and Zoe waved back. Charlotte shook her head with a smile and took more pictures, happy to have a fun night out for once.

Alexei did return as promised before all the players left the ice following their warm-ups. Zoe jumped back to the ground and smacked her hands on the glass.

“You’re the best player ever!”

Alexei laughed, the sound carrying, and warming Charlotte’s heart through-and-through. “You think so?”

“Yes!”

“The game hasn’t even started yet. Just wait and see, you might change your mind.”

Zoe scowled and shook her head, her braid swinging behind her. “No. Only you, Grumpy.”

He bent low, his smile still there on his face. “I won’t be able to say ‘hi’ during the game, okay?”

She nodded, her expression solemn. “Can I still cheer loud?”

Those nearby that could hear the conversation laughed, making Charlotte blush but Zoe was in her own little world with her Grumpy.

“You’d better. I’ll still hear you, zaya.”

Zoe nodded and offered her little fists up against the glass again. He bumped them, then his gaze shifted as he did the same for the other fans lined up along the glass. He skated back, waving and smiling at a few more people in the lower crowd, and before he turned away, his eyes landed on Charlotte.

Again, he gave her a look, but it was enough. Anything more and she could not be held responsible for her actions. As it was, she bit her lip and sat on her hands to keep from trying to scale the glass divider.

He drifted across the ice with the last of his straggling teammates and they all disappeared down the tunnel.

Zoe climbed back into her seat and Charlotte pulled her close. “Let’s take a picture, sweetie.”

With a grin, Zoe tucked her head under Charlotte’s and she angled the phone to get both of them in the screen.

The ice cleaner and some of the videos playing on the big screen kept Zoe’s attention for the next twenty minutes. Charlotte snapped a few more pictures of Zoe enjoying the new experience and sent the picture of the two of them to Sarah, who responded with a thumbs up emoji.

Then the game started and Zoe did indeed cheer as loud as she could. She also complained when she couldn’t see Alexei, and startled the first few times the players slammed into the boards near them. The first time it happened, she scrambled into Charlotte’s lap, her fist at her mouth and her little brow wrinkled.

“It’s okay, sweetie. No one’s hurt, see?” Charlotte pointed out how the players continued to move with ease after any contact with the boards, or each other.

She couldn’t deny that it was loud and jarring when they slammed into the boards right in front of them. But they both got used to it as the game wore on, that and the noise of the crowd around them. The cheering and excitement was infectious, and Charlotte cheered along with Zoe and everyone else when the Blackhawks scored.

Charlotte took Zoe up to the concourse for a snack and drink before the first period ended, not wanting to get stuck in any long line-ups. When they returned, Zoe laughed at the antics of the mascot, a big red-tailed hawk, named Wings, during the intermission show.

During the second period, there wasn’t as much action right in front of their seats and Zoe started to yawn and lean against Charlotte in between sightings of Alexei. Charlotte had let Alexei know that they’d probably leave the game early. He agreed that Zoe wouldn’t be able to stay up all the way through. So as the second period came to an end, Charlotte bundled Zoe up and they left the arena.

As expected, Zoe fell fast asleep on the drive home and Charlotte had a heck of a time getting her daughter’s dead weight up to their apartment. She wasn’t a big kid, but Charlotte wasn’t exactly a weight lifter so it was a challenge all around. She managed and collapsed onto the couch with a groan after tucking Zoe into bed.

She turned on the game, only to find the third period nearly over, and the score at 3-2 for Chicago. She watched the rest of it, yawning and rubbing her eyes. It might be a long day at work tomorrow, but it would be worth it for all the fun they had.

A little while after the game ended, Charlotte sat up on the couch at the sound of a key in her lock. She smiled as Alexei stepped inside and locked the door behind him. He kicked his shoes off and hurried to her, sweeping her right up into his arms and planting a kiss on her that curled her toes. She barely had a moment to admire his broad shoulders in the white button-down shirt and tailored black pants from his game-day attire.

“Hi.”

He rubbed his nose alongside hers and hummed what might have been a similar greeting before sealing his lips on hers again.

Charlotte let him steer the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as he settled back on the couch. In seconds, she was sprawled across his chest, his fingers tangled in her hair and their hearts beating double time together.

He drew back after another minute and rubbed his thumb down her flushed cheek. “Did you enjoy the game?”

“I did.” She smiled and reached over for her phone on the coffee table. “Look at the pictures I got.”

Alexei’s smile came out in full force and Charlotte stared at him as he flipped through the pictures of Zoe enjoying her first NHL game. He chuckled at a few and forwarded a couple of the shots to himself before setting the phone back on the table.

“I’m glad you had fun. I’ll get tickets for you any time you want.”

“I think we’d both love that.” Charlotte snuggled up against him, setting her cheek on his chest. “Though, not all the time. The late nights won’t be good for either of us.”

He murmured in agreement, one hand sliding through her hair and the other rubbing in long, slow strokes up and down her back. The longer they lay there, quiet and warm, the longer his strokes became, until he was grasping handfuls of her ass and dragging her up for his kisses. She obliged, arching and offering her mouth to his.

Minutes, or hours, later, Charlotte found herself under him instead, and one of his hands had slipped beneath her shirt to rest on her bare skin. She shuddered when he rubbed his thumb over her lowest rib and lifted his head. Both of them were panting and she was pretty sure she knew what the hard weight was pressing against her thigh.

“I should go.” His voice was hoarse and his eyes so dark.

She groaned and tried to tug him down for more kisses. God, she’d never get enough of his kisses.

“Lyubov…” He matched her groan and dipped his head to cover her mouth, his tongue tangling with hers.

She opened under him, angling her chin up and drawing him down. He was much too strong for her and pulled back, settling all the way at the other end of the couch. He scrubbed his hands over his face and gave her a hot look before standing up.

“Alexei?”

He held a hand out to her and she took it, standing on weak legs as he pulled her up. He wrapped her in a hug and she knew he wasn’t unaffected by the way his heart raced under her cheek.

“I’ll see you in the morning, yes?”

She sighed and wrapped her arms tight around his middle before following him to the door. Her body was humming with everything they’d done already and with the need she still had for him. She shifted from foot-to-foot, wringing her hands together as she watched him slip his shoes on once more.

“You don’t have to go,” she blurted as he straightened.

He reached for her and she tilted her head back to look into his eyes as he tucked her close to his chest. “I know, but it’s okay, lyubov. I’ll be here in the morning.”

Charlotte licked her lips and put her hands behind his neck, rubbing her fingers through the ends of his hair. “But, I want you to stay. I’m asking you to.”

His eyes darted between hers, his lips parting as if he was going to say something. Instead, he spun her around and pressed her to the door. She sucked in a breath at the contact and stared up as Alexei loomed over her.

“I could stay.” His hands slid under her shirt again, squeezing and grazing higher over her stomach to her ribs. “All night. This is what you want?”

His accent thickened, his voice going deeper, the longer they stood there, breathing each other’s air and not moving.

“I’ll be next to you in bed, touching you. Will you touch me, lyubov?”

Charlotte swallowed and nodded, her head jerking at the quick motion. He lifted one hand from under her shirt and cupped her chin, his long fingers stretching along both sides of her jaw.

“Can you be quiet?”

She bit her lip and nodded again. “Kiss me, please.”

He did, brushing his lips once over hers. Not enough. Not nearly enough. She made a noise again and a laugh washed over her lips before he kissed her.

“You can’t be quiet, can you?”

“I could, I swear.” And now she was begging. She didn’t even care, just like she hadn’t cared about the shape of her body the last time he’d told her to be quiet. “Please, Alexei.” She ran her hands over his chest to the front of his pants. She fumbled with his belt buckle, running her lips over his jaw, scratching herself on the stubble there. “I can be quiet. Please, please stay. I need you.”

This time, it was him who made a sound. A deep, low rumbling growl as her hand slid into his pants. Both of them groaned aloud as she cupped him over the cotton of his underwear.

Then their eyes met and she bit her lip at the look in his eyes. His lips twitched and he gave his head a quick shake to one side. Then a giggle escaped her and he pressed his forehead to hers as he covered her mouth with one hand. His body shook with silent laughter, which only made Charlotte want to laugh harder.

They stood there, both vibrating with suppressed laughter until they regained control of themselves. Charlotte gave him a soft smile when he lifted his head, running her fingers through his hair.

“I would like it if you stayed, Alexei.” She lifted to her toes and kissed his chin. “And we don’t have to do anything requiring silence. Lets just sleep.”

He arched a dark eyebrow but nodded once. Removing his shoes again, he followed her to her bedroom after they turned out all the lights. There, they faced each other beside her bed, smiling. Charlotte took a deep breath and lifted her shirt over her head, tossing it to the laundry basket behind her.

Keeping his eyes on hers, Alexei undid the buttons of his shirt, and pulled it off. It joined her shirt in the basket. They reached for their pants at the same time, bending to tug them off. More into the basket, socks too. Charlotte twisted her arms up to reach for the clasp at the back of her bra, but Alexei stopped her. He turned her around and pressed a kiss to her shoulder as he unclasped the strap. Another kiss, a tease with his tongue, as he slipped the straps down her arms.

Then his arms were around her middle and he was nuzzling her neck, his breath hot on her skin. Charlotte shivered, tilting her head to one side and tugging her hair away from her neck to give him more space. His arousal pressed into her backside and she wanted to press back against him. But she had said they could just sleep, and she meant it, because in all honesty, she didn’t think she could be silent. She didn’t want to be.

“Alexei.” She turned in his arms and circled his shoulders with her arms. She pressed her face to his neck and sighed when he rubbed his stubbly chin over her forehead.

“You are beautiful, lyubov moya.”

Charlotte smiled and squeezed him tighter. She had never felt as beautiful as she did now, in his arms, with those words and others gliding over her skin. She didn’t need more than this to believe him, not in this moment.

“Let’s get in bed.”

He nodded, kissed her head, and turned to pull the covers back. They climbed into bed and settled together a minute later, naked except for their underwear.

Charlotte closed her eyes and let out a breath. Behind her, Alexei shifted once or twice, his mouth on her neck, her shoulder, the warm shell of her ear. His hands roamed over her bare skin, up to her breasts, down to her lower abdomen. He teased his fingertips along the edge of her panties and she shivered when he opened his mouth on her neck, his tongue tracing hot patterns on her skin.

“Alexei.” She pressed her hand over his as two fingers slid up beneath her panties where they rested on her hip. “We can just sleep.”

“You can sleep after I do this.”

And he shoved her panties down, his hand coming up between her thighs. She gasped, her body bowing in his grasp. He chuckled, the low rumble sending shivers up and down her spine where she felt it.

“Quiet.”

Charlotte twisted, pressing her face to her pillow as his fingers parted her below. His mouth clamped onto her neck as he slid his fingers inside. He stroked her like that, his thumb rubbing in time against her clit and she clutched his arm. The muscles flexing beneath her palm, his hot breath on her skin, and the rigid length of him pressing against her, altogether it sent her spiraling towards a climax that stole her breath. Quiet? Yeah, she couldn’t have caught her breath to live through it, never mind anything more.

Her body shook as Alexei drew her back down to earth. The words in her ear were soft and spoken in Russian, but she gathered his meaning all the same. Turning, her chest heaving, she drew him down to her mouth for a kiss. It was slow, hot, and full of everything she couldn’t put into words.

“Sleep.” He held her close, turning each kiss lighter than the one before, until she obeyed with a contented sigh.

─────

When Alexei woke in the morning, he was on his back, one arm half off the bed, and the other serving as Charlotte’s pillow. He couldn’t feel anything below his bicep and it was the best morning wake-up he’d had in years. Turning his head and careful not to disturb her, he looked at her sleeping face, counting her perfect freckles.

He was on his third count and hard as a rock when her beautiful aquamarine eyes blinked open. She squinted when her gaze landed on him and then she smiled.

“Alexei.”

Fuck.

He rolled onto her, sealing their lips together. She moaned into his mouth, her legs splitting around his body. He ground his cock against her, eliciting another sleepy moan that he devoured. He shoved again, wanting in. God, he wanted to be inside her more than he wanted anything else.

Her hands were all over him an instant later, her nails scraping through his hair and over his shoulders. Her hips undulated under him and he growled into her mouth, tangling their tongues together as he thrust again and again. She gasped, he stole the sound. She moaned, he tasted that too.

Then her hands were inside his underwear, her fingers curling into his ass and drawing him against her. She met his thrusts, took his kisses like she was meant for them, and they were a panting, overheated pile of tangled limbs in seconds.

Alexei dropped his weight on her, rubbing against her in exactly the right spot. He knew it was exactly right because her nails dug into the skin of his lower back and she started to shake all over. He kept at it, so close to losing his damn mind. A moment later, he had to bury his face in the pillow under her head, his hand fumbling to cover her whimpers and moans as they both came apart.

When reality sank back in a few minutes later, he rolled to his side, his arm still cradling Charlotte’s head. They stared at each other, bodies cooling and Alexei couldn’t stop the silly grin from spreading across his face. Charlotte’s eyes, glassy from what they’d done, widened and then she pressed her face to her pillow to smother her giggles.

“Oh, my God, Alexei.” She wriggled closer to him and he chuckled as he folded her in his arms. “I can’t believe we just did that.”

He couldn’t either. He hadn’t dry humped since he was a kid. Never had it been so damn satisfying though.

“Good morning.” He kissed her nose and then her lips, his voice rough.

She shivered and kissed him back, a sweet blush blending around her freckles. He kissed those too, because he could. She opened her mouth as if to say something but they heard a door bang in the apartment, followed by the sound of running water.

With a sigh, Charlotte cupped his cheek and lifted her head to look at the clock. “That kid has an internal clock, I swear.” A moment later, her alarm started to chime and she reached over to flick it off. “Come on. You need to clean yourself up before breakfast, mister.”

He did but gave her one more thorough kiss before letting her get up. She wobbled on her feet for a moment before grabbing her discarded clothes from the night before. She tossed him his pants and shirt and he went into the bathroom while Charlotte went out to see to Zoe first.

He found them in the kitchen, Charlotte pouring a bowl of cereal for the little girl who sat patiently at the table waiting. Her face lit up when she saw Alexei come into the kitchen and scrambled to her feet on the chair, her arms reaching for him.

“Grumpy!”

Smiling, Alexei bent to give her a quick hug and dropped a kiss on her head. “Good morning, zaya. Did you have a good sleep?”

She nodded and dropped back to her chair as Charlotte deposited her ready bowl in front of her. “I did and the game was so much fun.”

“Good.” Alexei walked around to Charlotte’s side and stole another kiss before grabbing something to eat for himself.

The morning passed by in a blur of Zoe’s scattered recap of the game the night before and Charlotte sliding hot glances his way. After an hour, Charlotte and Zoe were ready for daycare and work, and he dragged his ass downstairs to his own place to get ready for his team meeting later that day.

His smile throughout the meeting got him some sideways looks and he didn’t give a damn. After that night, he didn’t want to spend another night without Charlotte in his arms.

─────

The next couple weeks passed by in a fog of late night talks, more kissing, and blissful mornings of the three of them sitting around the table eating breakfast. They still didn’t do much more than kiss or touch– a lot– and Charlotte was dying for more. She had so little experience really, and none at all of a committed adult relationship. Anytime she thought about talking to Alexei about sex, she burned with embarrassment. Sarah told her to get over it, when they were at work on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

“If the man hasn’t run screaming after everything so far, he’s not going to.”

Charlotte sighed as she finished the Black Friday sign for the lamp shades. “That’s comforting, thank you.”

“Come on.” Sarah nudged her, her dark skin flushed from all the work they’d been doing that day so far, getting ready for the Black Friday sales. “You know you can talk to him about anything. He’s got to be the least judgmental guy we’ve ever known.”

Alexei and Sarah had met a few times, when he’d surprised them at the store with coffees on different days. He got along with Sarah, and had completely charmed the pants off Ursula when they’d met.

“I know he’d never judge me, but I’ve never had any kind of sex talk with anyone, Sarah.” Charlotte straightened the sign and moved on to the next one. “Not even my mom. I’m not stupid, I knew enough to use condoms, for all the good that did me, but that much I knew from sex ed, no more.”

Sarah snickered and Charlotte rolled her eyes.

“Okay, but could you have truly seen yourself sharing a sex convo with your mom. Your mom?”

Charlotte cringed. No. Her parents were small-town born and bred and so old-fashioned they hadn’t even understood her desire to go to the University of Chicago. They thought she’d get a job in their little town two hours away and find a local boy to settle down with. Never mind that her older sister, Theresa, had already gone to university herself. Last Charlotte had heard, Theresa had even married some fancy lawyer from Chicago’s high society. For some reason, their little baby was supposed to walk a different path.

“Okay, so what you need to do is have the conversation you want to have with Alexei inside your head first.”

Charlotte looked over at her friend. “In my head?”

“Yeah.” Sarah counted one stack of lamp shades, then straightened the stack. “Don’t assume what he’s going to say, just figure out exactly what you want to say. Do it a few times. Practice in the mirror if you want.”

“That’s silly.” Charlotte wouldn’t be talking to herself.

Sarah shrugged. “Fine, just do it in your head then. I’m telling you, it’ll help to sort your thoughts first.”

“What if he laughs?”

“He won’t.”

“What if–”

“Charlotte, honey, I told you: don’t assume anything.” Sarah gave her a pointed look before turning away to start on another display.

Charlotte followed after finishing the last sign for that section. “So I should practice in my head. I should think to myself, hey, Alexei, you know how we’re on third base and it’s awesome, but I want a home run?”

Sarah laughed and nodded. “If that’s how it comes out, then yeah. Although, will he understand the reference?”

“I have no idea.” Charlotte laughed with her, some of her tension easing. Sarah had a point. Alexei had been patient and understanding about everything since the day they met. Well, almost everything. Once they started spending all their time together, neither of them worried about Zoe’s noise level anymore, and that had been the only thing she’d ever seen him upset about before.

“If you’re scared to bring it up no matter what, just throw a box of condoms at him.” Sarah leaned closer. “He’ll take the lead from there, trust me.”

Charlotte giggled at the image of Alexei catching a box of condoms she threw. She bet that would be enough to get her point across, but it would also involve her buying a box of condoms and that had her blushing all over. Jeez, she really was hopeless. She’d had a kid! She should be able to handle sex talks and buying condoms, for crying out loud.

Pushing it out of her mind for now, she finished working up the Black Friday displays.

The next day, Alexei helped her pick something to wear to Olle and Joelle’s for dinner. He had on dark khaki pants and a light blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled partway up his arms. Casual, but still nice.

“Should I wear a dress?”

Zoe, perched in the middle of Charlotte’s bed behind Alexei, who sat on the edge, nodded with a smile. “Yeah, like mine!”

Charlotte had managed to wrangle Zoe into a cute purple dress with black leggings underneath, since it was full winter outside now, with snowbanks on every corner and slush on the streets.

“You don’t have to wear a dress.” Alexei glanced at Zoe. “She doesn’t have a purple one to match yours anyway.”

Zoe made a face and went back to her game on the tablet.

Charlotte slid her fingers over the few dresses she did have. She wasn’t even sure if they’d fit her. She pulled out a little black dress and eyed it.

“Try it on.”

She nodded at Alexei’s words and slipped into the bathroom to do so. It was a little snug around her butt. Other than that, it fit. It had a high V-neck and capped sleeves, and fell to her knees in a plain A-line shape. She opened the door, smiling when she glimpsed Alexei and Zoe with their heads together over the tablet. Grabbing a cardigan from the closet, she pulled it on and walked out to model for them.

“Well?” She did a twirl and Zoe applauded, making her smile.

Alexei stood up and hugged her, planting a quick kiss on her head. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She hugged him back, careful not to smear make-up on his light shirt. “Now, we should get going. No telling what traffic will be like.”

He nodded in agreement and they headed to the door to put on their winter outerwear.

Traffic turned out to be just as bad as she’d suspected and Charlotte was glad she’d allowed Zoe to bring the tablet in the car. It kept her quiet for the most part and Charlotte was content to sit with Alexei’s big hand enveloping hers as they inched through busy Chicago streets.

“You’re quiet.”

Charlotte glanced at Alexei. “Am I?”

“You’re nervous.”

It made her smile that he phrased it not as a question. “I suppose. I only know Joelle.”

“And me.” He lifted her hand to his lips for a brief kiss before the traffic light ahead turned green.

Charlotte sighed. Yes, she knew Alexei but that was perhaps what had her nerves jumping around in anticipation. This was their first real outing as a couple. They did plenty together when their schedules allowed it, but other than the odd trip to the grocery store or the park to make snowmen, they hadn’t gone ‘out.’

“There will be enough people there that you won’t have to worry.”

She let out a light laugh. “No? I should think a bigger crowd makes me more nervous.”

“No. A lot of people, a lot of talking, you can ignore most of them.” He gave her a crooked smile that made her stomach flip. “They’re mostly boys who talk only of games and practice and won’t bother you.”

She supposed he was right. She could handle conversation with Joelle or any other ladies that might be there, and Alexei had said that there would be a few other children, so at least Zoe wouldn’t be bored either.

A short while later, they rolled down a long driveway to a lovely house set into some trees, bare of everything except snow and ice. There were a half a dozen other cars already parked and Alexei rolled up behind the last one in the line.

They climbed out and made their way carefully up to the house. A tall man with floppy blond hair and bright blue eyes answered the door with a welcoming grin.

“Happy Thanksgiving. Come in, come in.” He stood back, holding the door and waved a hand to usher them all in.

As they walked in and started working off their winter layers, Joelle came down the hall, a wide grin on her face.

Zoe clearly remembered the woman. “Auntie Joelle!” She launched herself at Joelle’s legs, making the woman laugh as she bent to embrace the child.

“Hello, pumpkin. How are you?”

“Hungry. Is there food?”

“Zoe!” Charlotte covered her eyes and laughed with everyone else.

“Yes, there’s food, dear.” Joelle smacked a kiss on Zoe’s head and took her hand. “Come with me, and we’ll get you something.”

Charlotte watched them go and turned when Alexei introduced her to the man.

“This is Olle. Olle, this is Charlotte.”

Olle gave Charlotte a hug, even as she started to lift her hand for a simple handshake. “I’m so pleased to meet you. Joelle talked about you and Zoe so much after you met.”

“Did she? I was such a mess, I hope she didn’t tell you everything.”

Olle pulled back and patted her shoulders. “She said you guys were great fun. Now, are you hungry?”

“Not as hungry as my daughter.”

He grinned and tugged her down the hall. “Come meet everyone and we’ll get you something to drink as well. Coffee, or tea?”

“A tea would be lovely, yes.”

Alexei followed and made introductions as they reached the great room where everyone had gathered. There were two other young couples so far, and a few single guys. Charlotte was never going to remember their names, except for maybe the one guy, Adam, who winked at her, earning a dirty look from Alexei.

Charlotte laughed as he tugged her away towards the kitchen where Joelle had Charlotte sitting on the edge of the island, feeding her something that looked like a pumpkin cookie.

“Is that tasty, sweetie?” Charlotte touched her daughter’s shoulder.

Zoe didn’t even open her mouth to respond, just nodded.

“Joelle, is there anything I can help with?”

“Oh no, everything’s ready, really, except for the turkey.” Joelle smiled and handed over a steaming mug. “Here’s your tea. Cream and sugar is just over there if you want some.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m so glad to see you both fully recovered.” Joelle squeezing Zoe’s knee and making the little girl giggle.

“Oh, I should hope so.” Charlotte cupped her mug to her chest. “That was weeks ago.”

“It was a good thing Alexei was close by.” Olle glanced at the big man beside her.

“Yes.” Charlotte still got chills to think of how long she was so out of it. If Alexei hadn’t been there– but he had been, and it had changed her life in so many ways already. She looked up at him to find him staring down at her, that barely banked heat in his golden brown eyes.

“All right, you two. Simmer down.” Olle chuckled and thrust a bottle of soda at Alexei. “Here.”

They were all about to move to the other room to join everyone there, when the doorbell rang again. For the next ten minutes, the bulk of the guests arrived, several with small children in tow. It was a noisy, wild place for a while as more introductions were made and Zoe clung to Charlotte’s side in a sudden spat of shyness.

Leaning against the kitchen island, Charlotte smiled as Zoe wrapped one little arm around her thigh, her eyes big as she watched two girls and one boy around her age.

“Don’t you want to join them, sweetie?” Charlotte rubbed a hand over Zoe’s braided hair.

Zoe said nothing, but squeezed Charlotte’s leg tighter, her little fist at her mouth. In spite of her energy, she did get shy around new people on occasion. Except Alexei, anyway.

The kids didn’t let Zoe stay out of things. They noticed her and one of the girls came over at her own mother’s urging.

“I’m Katie.”

Zoe looked at her and her fist dropped. “I’m Zoe.”

A moment later, Zoe was gone, swept into the circle of kids as they became instant best friends.

Charlotte shook her head, a smile on her face. Alexei put his arm around her shoulder and leaned over her.

“So easy when they’re little, yes?”

“No kidding.”

“And you were worried she’d be bored.”

Charlotte snorted out a laugh as Zoe and the other kids shrieked and ran off for the playroom Joelle led them to.

A short while later, everyone was halfway through their meals, or their second helpings. A few of the guys were more than a little tipsy and there was a lot of laughter ringing in the big house.

Charlotte helped Joelle with clearing some of the dishes and tucking leftovers away in the fridge after some of the food furor had died down.

“I forgot to say earlier, Charlotte, but you look lovely today.” Joelle smiled as she leaned against the counter beside her.

“So do you.” Charlotte glanced at the woman, who was wearing a lacy red top over fitted black pants.

“Oh, thanks.” Joelle smoothed her hands down over her hips. “I wanted to be a little festive but I knew no one would want a big fancy affair.”

“No.” Charlotte nodded as she looked out over the kitchen island at the crowd of boisterous hockey players. Some had dressed well, in slacks and nice shirts as Alexei had done, but several had on jeans and worn-out T-shirts that had clearly seen better days. “But it’s nice that so many people came over.”

“Oh yeah. Not many people want to bother with the fuss of a big Thanksgiving dinner in the middle of the season.”

“I can understand that.” Charlotte looked around for what else needed to be put away or cleaned. She reached for the half-full bottle of wine on one end of the counter. “Did you want some? There’s not much left in here and then we can toss the bottle in the bin.”

Joelle’s cheeks turned a little pink and she shook her head. “I’m not drinking.”

Charlotte squinted at her and smiled. “Are you saying something without saying something?”

Joelle snickered and shrugged. “It’s too early to say anything about something.”

Excitement and happiness for the woman rose in Charlotte but she maintained her outward calm. “Well, then, I won’t say anything about how wonderful something is.”

They shared a look before they both burst into laughter. Charlotte tipped the wine into her own glass and lifted it towards Joelle. “Cheers to nothing!”

Another laugh and then Olle and Alexei swept into the kitchen beside them. Olle gathered his wife up in a warm hug that made Charlotte swoon as she watched. It was clear that Olle was aware of the something and she was beyond happy for them, even if she’d only known them such a short time.