Summer on Firefly Lake

by Jen Gilroy

  “Aw, angel.” Nick’s expression changed, uncertainty wiped away, and all the love he’d kept hidden showed in the blue-gray tenderness of his eyes. “I’ve never wanted you to be anyone but you. It may have taken me a lot of years to figure out, but you’ve always been one hell of a woman. You’re the woman for me, and if you’ll give me a chance, I want to be your man. I promise I’ll always do my best for you and Naomi and Emma. I want us all to be a family, my family. It’ll take time, but I’ll figure out the stepdad thing. And if I start to go wrong, you’ll steer me straight.”

  Hope bloomed in Mia’s heart, as well as all the love for Nick she’d buried but never lost. “You believe me when I say I don’t want another baby?”

  “Mom told me what happened at Emma’s birth. I’ve also heard enough about babies from Sean. Lexie’s great, but you and I don’t have to have one. I like sleep too much. And other things.” He gave her his bad-boy grin, and Mia knew exactly what those other things were.

  “I love you, Nick, and I’ll love you for as long as I live.”

  The office door banged open, and Kylie evaded Gabrielle’s grasp. “Is this the part where you kiss her?”

  “No, it’s where I kiss him.” Mia leaned in and wrapped her arms around the man who’d helped her figure out who she was.

  And who she wanted to become, together.

  Epilogue

  December, seven weeks later

  Nick stood in the front hall of Mia’s house. Snowdrifts were already piled deep, but inside it was warm and cozy. A home, despite the scattered construction debris. Three backpacks were at the bottom of the stairs, together with a flute case, a Play-Doh horse, and a pair of purple swimming goggles.

  “Girls?” he called. “If you don’t get a move on, you’ll miss the school bus.”

  “Not a chance.” Kylie came out of the kitchen, with Pixie beside her, followed by Harley, Nick’s rescue collie, and Chanel, Mia’s kitten. “There’s no way the driver will leave without Naomi.”

  “What are you talking about? Bert Stevens is sixty, at least.” Nick handed her the swimming goggles, which she wedged into her backpack.

  “His nephew isn’t.” Kylie grabbed her coat from the hook beside the front door with her name on it. “Mr. Stevens has to have a hip replacement so Jordan’s filling in. He’s twenty-one and sex in a parka.”

  “Jordan Stevens is a grown man.”

  “Don’t get all weird.” Kylie heaved the heavy backpack onto her shoulders, and Nick winced. “The only guy Naomi notices is Ty.”

  Which he and Mia also worried about—the teens were too serious about each other too young.

  “Girls?” he called again.

  Emma slid down the banister and vaulted off.

  “You’re lucky my mom isn’t here to see you do that.” Nick ruffled her hair. “Whenever she caught me or my sisters sliding on the banister at Harbor House, we got a time-out.”

  “That’s why you let me do it. You know how much fun it is.” Emma gave Nick the sweet smile that got him every time. “When’s Grandma Gabby coming home again?”

  “On Saturday, so she has time to get ready for the holidays and the wedding. She’s sure excited about your mom and me getting married on New Year’s Eve and being a real grandma to you girls.” When he’d spoken to her the previous night, his mom had sounded happier than ever, full of her trip to Arizona with Ward.

  Mia and Naomi came down the stairs side by side, and Nick caught his breath. He still couldn’t quite believe Mia would soon be his wife and this would be their life.

  “You’re here early this morning.” Mia wore a pair of sexy red heels with slim black pants and a white shirt. Simple and elegant like always.

  Nick gave her his hand for the last few steps. Not because she needed it, but because he liked touching her. “The contractor wants to get an early start so the crew can finish Kylie’s bedroom, my home office, and the family room by the end of next week.” The addition to Mia’s house, where he’d move after the wedding.

  Mia bumped her hip against his, a fleeting gesture because of the girls. “Pixie, stop it.”

  Nick grabbed the Maltese while Mia took the kitten and nuzzled its face. “Pixie’s a girl and she likes shoes.” When his mom and Ward weren’t around, Pixie was part of his life and the family he cherished every moment of every day.

  “Since she all of a sudden likes shoes so much, why won’t she chew on the ones I got her for that purpose?” Mia eyed him over the bundle of black and white fluff in her arms.

  “Why chew on discount sneakers when designer’s on offer?” He gave her a teasing grin.

  “Pixie’s gotten into bad habits. We should never have left her with Charlie and Sean when we went to the cabin to celebrate our engagement. Shadow influenced her.” A smile hovered around Mia’s full lips.

  “Wasn’t the weekend worth it?” Nick would’ve taken her anywhere, but Mia had chosen his mémère’s cabin, where they’d spent an idyllic two days alone making love and planning the rest of their lives together.

  Mia colored and stepped back. “Emma, don’t forget your lunch.” She waved the pink bag by its strap.

  “You won’t forget to come to my swimming showcase after school, will you? I can almost do the front crawl.” Kylie paused on the doorstep, and her green eyes held only a hint of the wary expression of old.

  “Of course I won’t,” Nick said. “I wouldn’t miss seeing you swim for anything.”

  “All the other kids’ dads are coming.” Kylie gave him a shy smile. “I said mine was too.”

  “Kylie.” Nick’s heart almost stopped. He set Pixie on the floor and pulled the girl into a hug. “I’ll always be there for you.”

  Kylie pulled Mia into the hug, then Naomi and Emma. “’Cause we’re a family.”

  “We are.” Mia’s breath warmed his cheek.

  “You’re taking me to my first pony club meeting, aren’t you?” Emma’s voice came from the middle of the huddle. “My dad can’t make it that weekend.”

  “I sure am.” Above Emma’s head, Nick’s gaze met Mia’s in wordless sympathy.

  “And my band concert,” Naomi added. “Dad can’t make that either.”

  “Already in my calendar.” Nick took a deep breath. “Don’t forget that after the wedding you’ll spend a few days in a hotel in Boston with your dad. He’s a busy guy flying all over the world. I’m sure he’d be here if he could.”

  Even though Nick wasn’t sure of any such thing, he could afford to be generous. He had what Jay didn’t know he was missing, what his own dad had turned his back on and realized too late that he’d lost.

  “Thank you,” Mia whispered, and her beautiful eyes glistened.

  “No problem,” he mouthed back.

  A horn sounded outside, and Pixie and Harley barked in unison as they skidded to the front door.

  “Jordan stopped right in front of the house this morning.” Kylie poked Naomi’s ribs. “A two-minute walk to the corner would be way too cold for a delicate Southern flower like you.”

  Naomi’s face reddened. “I’m not a—”

  “Kylie, you remember what I said about teasing…Pixie, no, Harley…” Mia hopped on one foot as both dogs went after her shoes.

  “Sorry,” Kylie shouted as the door slammed behind the three girls.

  “Some mornings it’s like air traffic control around here.” Mia tucked her shoes under one arm and wiggled her toes as the kitten leaped toward the stairs.

  Nick hung his coat on Kylie’s empty hook. “You don’t have any regrets, do you?”

  He looked at the pictures they’d hung on the staircase wall. Framed school photos of Naomi and Emma and Kylie. One of him and Mia after Lexie’s baptism, where the photographer had caught them leaning into each other, two people in love who weren’t afraid to show it. There was also a picture of Kylie and her mom and brother because, although they’d worked out a long-term fostering arrangement, Kylie’s birth family would always be part of he
r life.

  “Not one.” The sweetness of Mia’s smile warmed him. “I’m a lucky woman.”

  “I’m sure a lucky man.” He pulled her close and nudged Pixie and Harley aside. “I love you, Mia, with all my heart, and the day you become my wife will be the happiest one of my life.”

  “Not only because you won’t have to live with your mom and Luc any longer? Between your mom’s fussing over you, and those extra workout sessions Luc’s roped you into, it must be tough.” Her brown eyes teased him.

  “I’m staying in Harbor House the weeks I don’t work in New York because we both agreed we needed to set a good example for the girls.”

  “I know.” Her voice went husky. “I love you, too. You’re sure you’re okay with all of us living here and not Harbor House? Your mom was so keen on you taking over the place.”

  “Harbor House is still her home, and we all need our space.” He and Mia most of all. They’d figured out the love, now they needed to figure out the marriage. “Maybe someday we’ll live there, if we both want to, but not now. Besides, I couldn’t be the one to put Luc out on the street, could I?”

  “No.” Mia laughed then sobered. “You’re a good dad.”

  “You heard what Kylie said?”

  “I did. You don’t have to father a child to be a dad.” The love in her voice winded him and maybe always would. “And you don’t need a good dad to be one yourself.”

  “You helped me see that.” Like she’d helped him see a lot of things but, most of all, she’d helped him see himself. “Brian’s trying.” Like Nick had tried, and in time, the two of them might edge closer into an acquaintanceship, if not a father-son relationship. One-handed, he picked up the two motorcycle helmets from the hall table. “I forgot to put these away. No more biking for us until spring.”

  Mia looked at him from under her lashes. “Later.”

  “Oh?” He raised his eyebrows.

  Mia took the helmets and set them back on the table. “Just how soon will the contractor be here? The fifth graders have a field trip without me, so I don’t have to be at school for at least an hour. This house is empty of kids for a change, and I’ve already finished my lesson prep.” She trailed a hand across his chest and lower, her touch slow and deliberate.

  He sucked in a breath. “I like the way you think, Mia Gibbs.”

  “Soon to be Mia Gibbs-McGuire.” She gave him a saucy smile.

  He pulled her toward him, and she slipped into his arms, into his kiss, and even further into his heart.

  Right where she was meant to be.

  Former NHL star Luc Simard has experienced some hard knocks. After his wife’s death and a career-ending injury, he’s back home in Firefly Lake, coaching and rebuilding his life. But when Cat McGuire—and her daughter who lives and breathes hockey—moves to town, Luc can’t deny he’s intrigued.

  But is this hometown hero ready to risk his heart again?

  Turn the page to find out,

  in a free preview of

  Back Home at Firefly Lake!

  Chapter One

  Next.” The high-pitched, perky voice came from the woman behind the arena’s reception desk.

  Cat McGuire moved forward and wrinkled her nose. The pungent cocktail of stale beer, sweat, and hockey equipment invaded her senses. “Hi. I’m here to register my daughter for hockey.” She glanced at twelve-year-old Amy beside her. Under the harsh, fluorescent light, Amy’s dark-blond hair was limp and colorless, and above her Pittsburgh Penguins jersey her expression was sulky.

  “Firefly Lake doesn’t have any hockey teams for girls.” The woman had long, highlighted brown hair and shiny pink lips and wore a too-tight white sweater.

  “But when I called before Christmas the man I spoke to said we could register today in person.” Cat dug her nails into her damp palms. “I told him Amy was a girl.”

  “That would’ve been the skate sharpening guy. He always gets mixed up. It doesn’t matter, though, because girl or boy, this registration is only for kids five and under. The main hockey registration closed in September.” She shuffled papers, brisk and officious. “No exceptions, not even for you.” As the woman looked her up and down, faint recognition tugged at the edge of Cat’s consciousness.

  “Not even…” Cat stopped. “Stephanie?”

  Stephanie Larocque, the girl Cat had envied and hated from kindergarten on, nodded and tossed her hair over her shoulders like she’d done in high school. “I heard you were back in town.”

  Cat didn’t need to ask how. Although she’d been in Firefly Lake less than twenty-four hours, it was a small town and news traveled with the efficiency of a bush telegraph in the Australian outback.

  “Then you also know I wasn’t here in September.” Cat tried to keep her voice even. She was an adult, Stephanie was too, and their school days were long behind them. “Are there any other options? Amy loves hockey.”

  “No.” Stephanie gave her best cheerleader smile. “Rules are rules.”

  “Mom.” Amy’s voice was a whine mixed with an anguished wail. “It’s bad enough you made me move to Vermont, but if I can’t play hockey I’ll die.”

  Cat’s heart pounded. She had to fix this—and fast. “Sweetie, we’ll work something out, I—”

  “I can’t have any kid dying on my watch.” The voice was deep, male, and familiar. “Hey, Cat.”

  “Luc.” Cat’s head jerked up.

  Next to her, Amy sucked in a breath.

  The man who stood behind Stephanie smiled at them. The same easygoing smile Luc Simard had always given Cat, the one that had graced a thousand sports pages. He still had the same hair too, dark golden brown like maple syrup. “It’s great news about the research grant. I never thought we’d see you back living in Firefly Lake.”

  Cat hadn’t either, but desperate times called for desperate measures. If things worked out like she planned, she wouldn’t have to live here permanently. Her stomach knotted. “Life can surprise you.”

  “It sure can.” Luc’s smile slipped and his blue eyes clouded.

  Cat’s face heated. More than anyone, Luc knew how life could throw you a curve.

  “So what’s the problem?” His voice was gruff.

  “I…” Cat swallowed.

  “The problem,” Stephanie interjected, “is that Cat wants to register her daughter for hockey. I already told her we don’t have hockey for girls, but even if we did, registration for any child older than five closed in September.” Stephanie’s voice had the same smug tone as in first grade when she’d told Cat the whole class had seen her underwear. She glanced at Luc and her expression warmed. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, sugar.”

  Cat blinked. Stephanie had the same mix of Vermont and Quebec roots she did. As far as she could remember, nobody under the age of seventy had ever called anybody else sugar around here.

  “Hockey spaces fill up fast.” Luc rested one blue-jeaned leg against the desk. “I hear Amy’s a good little player.” His gaze shifted from Cat to her daughter. “Your grandma has told me lots about you.”

  “She has?” Amy’s eyes widened.

  “Absolutely, she’s real proud of you.” Luc reached over Stephanie’s head of pageant hair and scooped several sheets of paper from the desk. “The girls here are into figure skating, not hockey, but there’s nothing to say a girl who wants to play hockey can’t. Since Amy’s only turned twelve, if you give the go-ahead she can play on the boys’ team. One more kid won’t make a difference.”

  “But…but…” Stephanie stuttered. “It says right in here, no exceptions.” She waved a blue binder. “You could get me fired. I need this job and—”

  “You won’t get fired.” Luc’s gaze swiveled from Stephanie to Cat and held. “No exceptions unless at the coach’s discretion. Since Coach MacPherson fell off a ladder hanging up decorations for a New Year’s Eve party and broke his leg in three places, I’m filling in. In this case, I’m making an exception.” He quirked an eyebrow, and his smile
was sweet and way too sexy for comfort.

  “Mom?” The yearning in Amy’s voice punched Cat’s chest. “Please? You promised I could play no matter what, remember? It’s not as if there’s anything else here for me.” Her face was white, her expression strained and etched with desperation.

  Cat had promised, and she’d already taken Amy away from the only home she remembered, her team, and the hockey tournament. She drew in a breath. “There’s family here and a good school for you.” Cat had to get Amy back on track academically. And she had to give them both a better chance for stability and future financial security.

  “School’s a waste of time for me.” Amy stared at her feet, but not before Cat caught the flicker of uncertainty in her light blue eyes, as well as the fear.

  Her stomach clenched. Had she put that look in Amy’s eyes? “I guess you can play with the boys, at least for now.” She forced the words out and glanced up at Luc. “Thank you.” The backs of her eyes burned. Luc was still kind, and although he hadn’t been a real part of her life for years, he’d slipped right back in to looking out for her like he always had.

  “Mom.” This time, Amy’s voice was an excited yelp. She jumped up and down, and her winter boots squeaked on the scuffed tile. “You’re amazing. He’s amazing. This is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me. I promise you won’t regret it.”

  Cat regretted it already, but she couldn’t deny Amy something that would make her this happy and help her feel good about herself, too.

  Luc pivoted away from Stephanie with surprising grace, and Cat’s tongue got stuck to the roof of her mouth. She always forgot how big he was, and how he filled whatever space he was in and seemed to suck the air out of it—at least her air.

  “Since there’s a line of folks waiting to do whatever it is they need to do before we close, you go on and help them, and I’ll handle Amy’s registration.” He smiled again, and Cat’s heart skipped a beat.

  “I…you…” Stephanie’s face was a mottled red.