Chasing Charli (Alaska Blizzard Book 6)

by Kat Mizera

  “Hello, ladies.”

  “How hard would it be for you to help Tara get a green card?” Laurel asked him.

  Gage glanced at Tara. “You want to move to the U.S.?”

  “I would love to,” she admitted. “But it’s complicated, and even though my brother is wonderful and probably would do it, I don’t expect him to support me so I’d need a job.”

  “Well, if you’re serious about this, let me make a few calls and I’ll get back to you.”

  “You’re very kind,” Tara murmured. “And I’m sure Logan will be grateful because I’ve asked him to marry me a dozen times since I got here. I think I’m wearing him down…”

  Everyone laughed and Gage headed over to some of the guys.

  “What would you do for work?” Charli asked her.

  “I have a degree in English so I could probably be a substitute teacher. That’s common here, yes?”

  “It is.” Charli cocked her head. “Is it difficult to find work in Savonlinna?”

  “Yes and no. I can find a job, but finding one teaching English has been harder lately and, honestly, I’m just bored. I need a change and I think moving to the U.S., even just for a few years, might be good for me.”

  “I’m sure if there’s a way to figure it out,” Laurel said with a smile, “Gage will.”

  “Thank you. I’m very grateful.”

  “Our goal is for this team to be a family,” Laurel said. “And that’s what you do for family.”

  A bunch of weird emotions ripped through Charli as she listened.

  Family.

  Her own experiences were mostly negative. She’d been an only child and her parents had been overprotective and extremely religious. It was like no fun was ever allowed; everything was about chastity and rules and antiquated traditions. Life had been so drab, so strict, she’d fallen hard for the kid from the wrong side of the tracks who lived in a foster home.

  He’d been good to her, though. Even now, after the way he’d dumped her, she had fond memories. They’d been young and hormonal, but he’d never pushed her for sex and had bent over backwards to win over her parents, though they’d always hated him. He got a part-time job when he turned sixteen so he could buy a car and start saving some money. His foster family hadn’t cared about him at all, only interested in the money they got from the state every month, so as his eighteenth birthday approached, Charli had been the one encouraging him to join the military.

  How different would her life have been had she had a supportive family? Becoming a mom at seventeen wouldn’t have been ideal, but with her parents’ help, she could have done it. Finished college. Become a teacher as planned. Had a life and her little boy too.

  For the first time, she felt like she truly had a chance to start over. Even in college she’d never fully trusted Sean and she hadn’t even been surprised when he’d left her at graduation. It was different with Miikka. He was strong and reliable, not the kind of man who’d cut and run when things got tough. Maybe even the kind of man who’d be okay with not having kids or maybe just fostering one. Maybe.

  The school year came to a close and Charli had taken a leap of faith—the first in her adult life—by turning down the offer to teach summer school. She didn’t want to be away from Miikka and spending time with him in Finland sounded like fun. Tara wasn’t ready to go back yet, so they weren’t leaving for a few more weeks, but that gave Charli time to pack up her classroom and spend time with Miikka.

  They’d finished the master bathroom, completely redoing it, from the tile on the floor to new cabinets and even having a garden-style bathtub installed. It was so pretty, she wanted to sink into the tub all day every day, and Miikka seemed to get a kick out of watching her enjoy it.

  “Next we do the kitchen,” he said. “I think new appliances to match the dishwasher, new floors and cabinets, and your favorite—new paint.”

  She laughed. “I think you enjoy this renovation stuff more than I do.”

  “Yes. I grew up like this, with my father, and it’s fun.”

  “So…you’re moving in? Officially?”

  “If you want me. It’s like I live here already and Ryder is ready to take my place at the house if you’re sure this is what you want.”

  She nodded. “I am. I want you here with me.”

  “I want to be here too.” He pulled her close as they stood in the kitchen. Her back was to his front and he kept one arm around her waist as he pointed to the different elements in the room he wanted to change. “I think we should have someone draw up designs to change the kitchen completely so we can have a large refrigerator and ovens in the wall. Maybe even two.”

  “Double ovens?” She sighed happily. “You have no idea how much I’ve always wanted them.”

  “Yes, I think I have an idea.” He looked up. “Maybe some…upotettu valaistus?”

  “Whatever you just said, I don’t think you gave me any flash cards with those words.”

  He chuckled. “Lights in ceiling?”

  “Oh, recessed lighting? Yes, that would look pretty.”

  “What color do you want the walls?”

  “Something cheerful… Peach or maybe a pale turquoise?”

  He nodded. “And wine rack built into cabinets?”

  “Glass doors on the cabinets?” she asked, biting her lip with excitement.

  “Yes.”

  They talked and planned, making notes in a notebook and looking up a few ideas on her laptop. It was nice having someone to share these things with, to make decisions with, and to enjoy the process with. She’d been on her own so long she hadn’t realized how nice it would be to have someone in her life. In her home. Their home.

  “I was thinking,” she said slowly. “We have to talk about money.”

  He nodded. “I know what you’re going to say and I thought about this already.”

  “Okay.”

  “You won’t want me to pay your bills and then also the renovation, so what if I do not pay any bills in the house, but pay for all the renovations? Then, when we sell, we take all the profit and put into a new house, where of course I’ll pay the mortgage.”

  She swallowed. This was a little overwhelming, and part of her wanted to say no, they would split everything, but that was ridiculous. In the end, while they were doing renovations at least, him paying half of all the bills would be less than half the renovations, so she was getting the better end of the deal. He wanted to do everything at once and while it was exciting, it made everything real.

  “Let’s see how expensive the renovations get,” she said, “but yes, that sounds like a good way to do it.”

  “So I can tell Ryder he can move into my house and take over the rent and everything?”

  “Yes.”

  He leaned in and kissed her. “Then I need to pack.”

  “Do you have a lot of stuff?”

  “Not a lot, but some things. I need my juicer.”

  “That sounds like something I’ll enjoy playing with.”

  “I have something else for you to play with,” he murmured, sliding a hand under her blouse.

  Before things could progress, his phone rang and he pulled it out long enough to show her Tara’s name on the screen. “Let me make sure she’s okay,” he said. “Hello?” He put her on speakerphone. “Everything okay?”

  “Yes. I just heard from Gage. He said something about an H-2B nonimmigrant visa. On paper, I would be his nanny, but in reality, I would be free to do whatever I wanted. We thought we could try it for one year, to see if I really want to stay here. If I do, then we could think about applying for a regular green card or something.”

  “That’s great,” Miikka said. “Why don’t you sound excited?”

  “Because I was talking to Logan about staying here, and he said you’re probably moving in with Charli. I’m not sure what that means for me. I can’t live with you and Charli—that wouldn’t be fair to you guys as a new couple—and I won’t have a real job to pay the rent here.�
��

  “The house has four bedrooms,” Miikka said. “I could give Logan money for you to stay there. I don’t mind. But do you really want to live with Logan and Ryder? Is that comfortable for you?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Gage said I should go over to the house and talk with him, see if this is something I’m sure I want. Will you and Charli come with me?”

  “Of course. When do you want to go?”

  “Now?”

  23

  They picked up Tara and pulled into Gage and Laurel’s driveway less than an hour later. Charli hadn’t seemed upset that their evening was interrupted and Miikka was glad to figure this out. There was definitely something going on with Tara if she wanted to leave Finland long-term, but he figured she would talk about it when she was ready, and he just wanted her to be happy. He needed to make sure she was okay, though, and that she was in a situation where she wouldn’t have to rely on him for money. He knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t be happy with him supporting her, so they had to figure out the details.

  “Hi, guys.” Laurel came to the door holding Matt in one arm.

  She looked younger, softer, with a baby on her hip and it amazed him how different she was at home versus on the ice with the team. It made sense, of course, but seeing it personally like this reminded him how lonely his life had been with nothing but hockey in it. Now that he had Charli, those longings had all but disappeared, and it somehow made him more sure of himself.

  “Let’s sit outside,” Laurel said. “Gage is out there having a cocktail and I thought it would be pleasant.”

  “Sounds great.”

  They padded along behind her, back to the expansive patio where Gage and Laurel often entertained. A housekeeper brought them all drinks and Gage took Matt from Laurel as they caught up on the last few days.

  “So, getting you a green card isn’t impossible,” Gage said to Tara, “but we can get you an H-2B visa. That’s specifically for a nanny, though, and my lawyer said I’d have to actually pay you.”

  Tara’s face fell. “Oh, well, that wouldn’t work.”

  “Actually, it might,” he said slowly. “I spoke with both Kane and Hailey, and Dani and Sergei, and frankly, between our families, we could use a floating nanny. We have nannies, but Amy needs a day off now and then, and while Sara can usually take care of Niko, Dani and Sergei just found out they’re expecting, so in about six months, they’re going to need more help than Sara can offer. Laurel and I have both full-time and part-time nannies, so we wouldn’t need you at all in the summer, but once hockey season starts, we’ll need help as well. I think between our three families, we could keep you busy but with a flexible schedule so you have time to do the things you want to do as well.”

  Tara glanced at Miikka. “Is this okay with you?”

  He shook his head. “It has nothing to do with me as long as you’re happy and this is what you want.”

  “The biggest issue is health insurance,” Tara said, “since it’s not the same here in the U.S. I’m healthy, but from what I understand, one broken arm could cost tens of thousands of dollars.”

  Gage nodded. “Yes, and while I would absolutely take care of anything like that in an emergency, I think we’d all feel safer if you had both health and car insurance. I have extra cars, and you can just use one of those whenever you have to go somewhere. You can also live here. I’ll pay your salary and work out the details with Kane and Sergei. If you think this is acceptable, I’ll have my attorney get the ball rolling.”

  Tara looked at Miikka. “You won’t mind having me around all the time?”

  “You’re a dumbass,” he said in Finnish. “What’s wrong with you? Of course I won’t mind having you around!”

  She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You’re the best.”

  “So that’s a yes?” Gage asked, his eyes twinkling.

  “Yes.”

  “If you said yes, Hailey said Amy wants to take two weeks to go visit her mother in Las Vegas. It’s summer, so they wouldn’t need you full-time, but they might need you a few days during that time so they can get some things done as well. Sound good?”

  “I don’t have any plans,” Tara said, “so I’m up for anything. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”

  “And you have no idea how much of a relief it is to have someone we trust on call should something come up,” Laurel said. “Especially come September.”

  “Thank you so much.” There was a touch of emotion in Tara’s voice.

  “Great. I’m going to have my lawyer work on this first thing tomorrow. In the meantime, who’s up for dinner?”

  The conversation turned to other things and Miikka took a minute to speak to his sister privately. “You’re sure you’re okay?” he asked. “I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.”

  She smiled. “You know me too well. I’m fine, really. Just going through something personal and I needed a new start. I’ll go home eventually, but not right now.”

  “So you’re going to stay here when I bring Charli home?”

  “I think so.” She met his eyes. “Aiti will be upset, but you’ll help me explain it to her, won’t you?” Mom.

  “How can I explain anything if I don’t know what’s going on?”

  “I just need something new. I felt like I was choking in Savonlinna. Too much of the same, everyone in my business…”

  “Something happened. Was it with Saku?” Saku was Tara’s longtime on-again, off-again boyfriend.

  She turned away. “Can we not talk about him, please?”

  “Tara.”

  “There’s something I haven’t told you.”

  “What is it?” He frowned, meeting her eyes worriedly.

  “He’s married.”

  “Really?” Miikka was surprised. He’d thought Tara and Saku would eventually settle down together.

  “To Jaana.”

  “Wh-what?” He stared at her. “You knew this all along?”

  She nodded. “I knew when I came to the U.S. last time, but you were still dealing with the breakup and I didn’t know how to tell you.”

  “He’s my friend as well,” he said quietly. “How long have they been…together?”

  “About a year. They had already slept together when you were home last summer, but she told him she didn’t know if she was ready to end it with you. And he hadn’t ended it with me, either.”

  He glanced over at where Charli was laughing with Laurel and realized he didn’t give a shit about Jaana anymore. He’d literally forgotten all about her, but hearing that she’d married his sister’s longtime boyfriend, who was also one of his friends, and that they’d been together while he’d been in Finland last summer, bothered him. It was dishonest, and he’d never given Jaana any reason to lie to him because they’d had an arrangement during hockey season. She could have told him she’d met someone.

  “This hurt you,” he said when he finally looked back at his sister.

  She nodded. “We go to all the same places; we have all the same friends… I couldn’t do it anymore, Miikka. I need a fresh start. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

  He reached out and hugged her. “I understand and I’m glad my friends could help. You don’t have to be a nanny if you don’t want to, though. We can find another way.”

  “I’ll do it for a year, to see if I like it and how it’s going. If I don’t like it, then either I’ll go home or we can find a way to get me a regular green card.”

  “Or you can marry Logan.”

  They dissolved into laughter.

  Miikka bought their tickets to Finland the next day and they were planning to stay for a month. Tara had decided to stay in Anchorage and move into Gage and Laurel’s house so she could settle into her new position as Gage sorted out her visa, leaving Charli and Miikka to plan the trip on their own. Charli was equal parts nervous and excited. She’d never traveled outside of the U.S., other than Canada, and meeting Miikka’s family was
a huge step for them. They’d jumped into this relationship at warp speed, falling in love and moving in together in two months, but she was happy and wouldn’t have changed a thing.

  They found a contractor willing to renovate the kitchen for them and worked it out so he would do the bulk of the construction while they were gone, with Logan and Ryder keeping an eye on things for them.

  “Is it cold there in the summer?” she asked him after they finalized their flights.

  “A little bit warmer than here,” he said. “Probably in the sixties most days, although we might see seventy.”

  “So mostly jeans with some capris and a few pairs of shorts?”

  “Yes.” He kissed her. “You have no idea how excited I am to bring you to Savonlinna.”

  “I can’t wait to see it.”

  “We can also visit Helsinki and maybe the Åland Islands. There’s much beauty in my country.”

  “I’m happy to go anywhere you want to take me. I just hope your parents like me. As you know, I don’t have a lot of good experiences with parents.”

  “My parents will love you as much as I do.” He took her hand. “And maybe you’ll love Finland so much you’ll want to stay at home in place of my sister.”

  She laughed. “I might love it a lot, but not more than I love you, and I want to be wherever you are.”

  “I like this.” He kissed her lightly. “Are you happy, Char-lot? With all of this, big changes in your life? Me living here? Tara moving to the U.S., which means she’s going to be around a lot?”

  “I’m very happy. The truth? Happier than I’ve ever been.”

  “Rakastan sinua.” I love you.

  “I love you too.” She playfully nudged him. “Now I have to start packing.”

  “Now?” He arched his brows. “We don’t leave for ten days!”

  She rolled her eyes. “We’re going to Europe for a month. Do you have any idea how many outfits I have to plan? And underthings and—”

  “You don’t have to wear underwear,” he said solemnly. “I give you permission.”