Ever After

by Kat Mizera

  Relief surged through him. She wanted to have sex again, which meant he hadn’t sucked. At least not much. “Late nights are in our future,” he said after a minute. “Like when everyone else is asleep.”

  “We can also go back to my parents’ house sometimes, because they’re going back on the road in a couple weeks and my siblings are at school during the day.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he said, pressing a light kiss on the top of her head.

  “We need to sleep,” she said softly. “I have to take care of babies all day tomorrow.”

  “I’ll help,” he said, tightening his hold.

  “Tonight was awesome,” she said as she drifted off.

  “You’re awesome,” he whispered back.

  8

  They got home the next morning and found Toli rocking AJ in the chair in the family room. The rest of the house was quiet and Toli looked up with a smile, speaking quietly as he asked them if they’d had a good time.

  “Your son knows the words to all the music in the Rocky Horror Picture Show,” Sasha grinned. “We might be soul mates.”

  “This is how I learned English,” Toli chuckled. “When I first came to the U.S., my roommate owned the movie and would watch it over and over. I used to play it when Anton was a baby too, to practice my English. I guess it caught on.”

  “It’s Mom’s favorite too.” Anton nodded.

  “Where are the boys?” Sasha asked, looking around.

  “Alex is at school, Andy’s watching a movie with Tessa.”

  “You want me to take AJ?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “With the last round of the playoffs starting, I’m not going to have a lot of time with him. You two go do whatever, enjoy some down time. Starting tomorrow, the final round of the western conference starts so I won’t be thinking about anything but hockey.”

  “You wanna go for a swim?” Anton asked her.

  “Sure.” Hand in hand, they ran up the stairs to change.

  The final round of the playoffs was insane, and after a tough loss in game five, Assistant Coach Yvon Gagner had a heart attack. There was a scramble to bring in a new coach while he recovered and when they got to the arena for game seven, everyone was whispering about it.

  “The interim coach is Jared Wylde and, oh my god.” Tiff fanned herself. “He’s freakin’ hot.”

  “Who is he?” Sasha asked, frowning.

  “He used to play, was a real hot-shot about fifteen years ago, but he had some issues with fighting—both on and off the ice. Then about ten years ago he was in a motorcycle accident. Broke both legs, one arm… it was bad. He dropped off the radar for a while but now he coaches at a college in Boston. I don’t remember which one. Still a hot-head, but apparently really good at what he does.”

  “He’s gorgeous,” Chelsea Baldwin joined in the conversation. She was dating one of the Sidewinders named Nate Calloway. “Nate knows him from when he went to school in Boston, said he’s pretty intense, but a good guy.”

  “Interesting,” Tiff mused. “That’s the opposite of what I’ve heard.”

  “Nate says he keeps his inner circle really small, and keeps most people at a distance. He doesn’t know the details, but it sounds like Jared somehow got screwed over when he got hurt.”

  “You think this is a trial run to see if they want to keep him since Coach Barnett is most likely going to retire?” Tessa asked thoughtfully. They all knew the team’s head coach was thinking about retiring after this season.

  “I think it’s likely,” Tiff nodded.

  Sasha lost interest in the conversation as Anton and Raina joined them.

  The boys were too young for games like this, but Raina loved hockey and came to as many games as Tessa would allow. She talked a mile a minute, keeping Anton’s attention solely on her, but he glanced over the little girl’s head at Sasha, giving her a wink before focusing back on his sister’s non-stop diatribe.

  “He’s adorable,” Casey whispered to Sasha. She’d just arrived and dropped into the seat next to her.

  “Shh,” Sasha whispered, her cheeks flaming.

  “Are you going to introduce me?”

  “Um, yeah.”

  Sasha made introductions and was glad her mother didn’t do anything to embarrass her. Anton seemed to like her and Raina turned her attention to Casey now, asking four hundred questions about playing guitar and what it was like to be a rock star.

  “I hope your mom likes kids,” Anton whispered to Sasha.

  “She does.” Sasha smiled shyly as he leaned in to brush his lips across hers.

  “That’s it, baby!” Tessa was on her feet, screaming when Toli scored a goal.

  Anton and Sasha broke apart guiltily but then got to their feet with the others, cheering and whistling.

  “You two should not be kissing during a hockey game,” Raina said to them, pursing her lips in disapproval.

  “Sorry.” Anton tried to look contrite but was barely containing his laughter.

  “She’s really going to cramp our style,” Sasha said under her breath.

  “We have all summer to figure it out.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “Me too.” Their eyes met and they grinned just as the buzzer went off, indicating another goal had been scored.

  “Your dad is on fire,” Sasha grinned.

  Anton put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. “That’s my Dad!”

  Sasha leaned against his side. This was going to be one hell of a summer.

  If you enjoyed EVER AFTER, please consider leaving a review at the retailer of your choice—it means the world to me. And check out the excerpt from JARED, the next book in the Sidewinders series, on the next page.

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  www.KatMizera.com

  Excerpt from Jared (Unedited, subject to change)

  Chapter One

  With less than two minutes left in the period, a familiar tingle of excitement raced up Jared Wylde’s spine. He hadn’t expected to get so invested this quickly, but ten days could feel like a lifetime with something like this. Ten short days since he’d gotten the phone call to step in as an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Sidewinders hockey team and now they were ninety seconds away from winning the Stanley Cup. They were up by two goals, so they had to hang on a little longer.

  “That’s it, boys,” he murmured under his breath, watching team captain Cody Armstrong take a pass from Jamie Teller and skate it down the ice, away from their goalie. He waited a few seconds, changing direction and passing it back to Jamie, who skated behind the opposing team’s goalie and passed to Toli Petrov.

  “One minute.” Head Coach Brad Barnett exchanged a glance with Jared.

  This was it. They were all leaning forward, undoubtedly holding their breath along with everyone on the bench and in the stands. Winning any game at home was awesome, but winning a Stanley Cup at home was a whole other level of excitement.

  The guys on the bench started tapping their sticks as the clock counted down and a vague sense of sadness washed over him just as it struck zero and the Sidewinders practically vaulted onto the ice. They’d done it. They’d won a second championship in just six years in existence as a team. Despite his personal demons, he allowed himself to be swept up in hugs and high fives, and eventually made his way onto the ice with the rest of the coaching staff.

  “Couldn’t have done it without you, Jared.” Brad clapped him on the back.

  “The team practically did it on their own,” Jared grinned. “But I appreciate you saying that.”

  The roar of the crowd was deafening and Jared took a deep breath as he pushed away memories of another championship, another time, almost exactly a decade ago. It had been the night of his life, in more ways than one. Until it turned into a nightmare.

  “We’re having people over to the house,” Brad was saying to him as the on-ice celebration started to wind down. Their eyes me
t and Jared cocked his head.

  “Not willing to let history repeat itself?” he asked dryly.

  “That’s not the reason, but why tempt fate? Anyway, it’s going to be a good time. I’ve got ten cases of champagne and everyone’s bringing friends… I’m sure there’ll be plenty of mischief for you to get into.”

  “I don’t do mischief much these days,” Jared laughed. “But since I’m staying with you, I’m going to be there one way one or another.”

  Pulling up to the big, sprawling mansion on the brand-new Harley-Davidson motorcycle he’d bought two weeks ago, he stowed his helmet and stuck his keys in his pocket. Though he’d been staying here since he’d arrived in Las Vegas, he was still surprised Brad and Andra had picked a home that was so big. They were in their late fifties, with no children living with them. How much house did one couple need?

  He’d just lifted his hand to open the door when it flew open and a woman came out, all but bouncing off his chest as she ran into him. She jumped back in surprise, her hand flying to her chest.

  “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” she burst out, her eyes widening.

  “Hey, no problem.” He reached out a hand to steady her and found himself staring into a pair of stunning green eyes.

  “Go on in,” she said, giving him a half-smile. “Sorry again.” She hurried down the front steps toward the street and opened the trunk of a sweet convertible Mercedes parked on the curb. She grabbed two big bags and nearly toppled over when she tried to close the trunk again.

  Damn, who the hell was she and was she coming back in?

  He had no idea, but she was probably going to hurt herself trying to carry everything, so he bounded back down to the street and closed the trunk for her. “Can I carry something for you?” he asked politely.

  “Oh, um, yes. Thank you.” She handed him what appeared to be a soft-sided cooler and he was surprised at how heavy it was.

  “It’s full of vodka-infused red velvet cupcakes,” she said, “so try to keep it right side up if you can.”

  “Sure thing.” He smiled to himself as he walked back into the house. Vodka-infused cupcakes sounded like the opposite of what you’d serve a bunch of hockey players, but he was impressed nonetheless.

  Andra met them at the door, smiling widely. “Thanks, Jared. Would you put that on the kitchen counter please? Renee, do you have anything else?”

  “There’s a full tray of brownies on the seat,” the green-eyed woman responded. “But I’ll grab those in just a minute. “You have to stop feeding me,” Andra was protesting as Jared got into the kitchen and their voices faded out.

  Renee. He’d have to remember that.

  It wasn’t until the house was full and she’d had a few drinks that Renee DeSantos wondered who the hot guy was that helped her carry in the desserts she’d baked. She’d been anxious to get everything ready before the team arrived and hadn’t expected someone to be coming in as she’d been running out. She wished she’d taken a few minutes to talk to him, but there hadn’t been time and he’d been so good-looking she’d been momentarily gobsmacked. And that never happened.

  Now, drink in hand as she mingled, she had a chance to think about him. Could he be the new assistant coach everyone had been talking about? She’d been out of town at a conference and a writing retreat for the last two weeks and hadn’t had a chance to meet him, but Andra had mentioned him. When one of the team’s assistant coaches, Yvon Gagner, had a heart attack just under two weeks ago during the third round of the playoffs before the championship series began, they’d needed someone to fill in immediately. That’s all she knew, but she intended to find out more, so she went in search of Andra.

  As always, she was in the kitchen, and Renee asked what she could do to help.

  “Not a thing. You baked all these wonderful desserts so I’m just going to set them out on the dining room table. I’m sure the boys will want to indulge.”

  “Champagne and cupcakes,” Renee mused. “Yum.”

  “Speaking of yummy, I saw the way you looked at our new assistant coach.” Andra’s eyes twinkled. “I need to have the two of you over for dinner.”

  “Is he single?”

  “He is. I don’t know that he’s open to a relationship at this time, but you don’t know until you try.”

  “I can’t imagine a one-nighter would be a bad thing with a guy that looks like him.”

  “A smart, beautiful woman like you should aspire for more than a casual fuck,” Andra said gently, moving toward the dining room.

  Renee watched her go, wondering if she had a point. Hadn’t she mourned her husband long enough? She’d been alone a long time but had never really been lonely. In addition to a daughter she adored, she was lucky enough to have had the best girlfriends over the years. It wasn’t always enough, but she’d had her share of sex, men, and dates.

  Her thoughts shifted as Jared came into the house and refilled his glass of champagne. Their eyes met across the room and she smiled, inclining her head in acknowledgement. He smiled back and seemed to be assessing her carefully. He’d just taken a step in her direction when the door opened. A few more guys on the team arrived, and he was pulled the other way.

  She sighed with disappointment but headed into the room to refill her glass of champagne. Hopefully, they’d have an opportunity to talk later.

  “Who’s ready for shots?” Brad called out, coming out of the kitchen with a tray full of small plastic cups filled with an amber-colored liquid. “Fireball on the left, tequila on the right.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Renee caught Jared moving toward Brad so she did the same, arriving just as he did. They exchanged another long, interesting look as Brad turned to her questioningly.

  “Fireball for me,” she said, taking one off the tray.

  “I’m down with Fireball.” Jared took one as well.

  “To champions,” Renee said lightly, raising the shot glass.

  “I’ll drink to that.” Jared winked and they both emptied their glasses.

  Renee swallowed and smacked her lips. “Nectar of the gods.”

  “Nothing better than a woman who enjoys a good shot of whisky.”

  “I’ll drink to that.” Renee plucked two more shots off the tray and handed one to him.

  “To women who drink whisky.”

  “And the men who appreciate us.”