Six Weeks Later

---

After a big win against the Swedish team, Dani wasn’t thinking about anything but hockey and winning a gold medal. They’d been here in Seattle for a week now, and this last win meant they would play for the gold against whoever won in the Canada versus Russia game. She and Hailey were heading in that direction to watch when Coach Saunders caught up to them.

“Can I tag along with you guys?” she muttered, keeping her head down.

“Sure, Coach. What’s up?”

“My ex-husband is here and… I just don’t want to see him.”

“How long have you been divorced?” Hailey asked.

“Legally divorced just two years but separated for nearly ten.”

“You were separated eight years before you actually got divorced?”

She nodded. “It’s a long story, but despite our differences, there was a lot of love between us. We just couldn’t make it work.”

“I’m just going to stay single,” Hailey said. “All these people with broken hearts make me kind of jittery.”

“What about Kane?” Dani teased her. “You two still texting and stuff?”

“Yeah, but he’s in Alaska and I’m going home to Massachusetts soon. We haven’t even been able to find a time to meet, much less anything else. He’s sweet, though, so it’s been fun.”

“Sweet and fun can be a deadly mixture,” Dani murmured.

“Mommy!” The loud cry came from somewhere and though Dani didn’t typically react when someone called out mommy, Niko’s shrill voice was distinct. She turned, catching sight of him with an older woman, someone who looked vaguely familiar. Had Sergei hired a new nanny?

Niko broke away from the woman and ran to Dani, all but vaulting himself the last few feet into her arms.

“Hey, kiddo.” She hugged him tightly, assuming Sergei was nearby and cursing her traitorous heart for betraying her by starting to beat faster.

“Hello.” The older woman approached her, her blue eyes curious.

“Hi. I’m sorry he ran like that. I didn’t know he was coming…”

“You are Danielle?”

“Yes.” Dani was curious about how familiar the woman looked.

“I am Anastasia. Petrov.” Her English was slow and halting but distinct. “The mother of Sergei.”

“The mother…” Dani almost gaped at her. Sergei had said his mother would probably never be allowed to visit the United States, yet here she was.

“This is my grandmama,” Niko said proudly. “We comed to watch you win the gold medallions.”

“Gold medals,” Dani chuckled, blowing a raspberry on his neck and making him squeal with laughter.

“You will walk with me?” Anastasia asked quietly.

Dani briefly glanced at Hailey, but nodded. “Um, yes, of course. I’ll meet you guys over at the arena, okay?”

“We’ll save you a seat,” Hailey called back.

Niko walked between Dani and his grandmother, holding each of their hands.

“Sergei said you weren’t able to come to the U.S.,” Dani said as they walked.

“My husband and I cannot travel together, but alone, I come. Is not easy for me, but I want to see my grandchildren. I will also go to the Las Vegas.”

“But you came to Seattle first?” Dani was confused.

“I come to Seattle because Sergei tells me there is woman he loves. I must meet you, yes?”

“What did Sergei tell you?” Dani asked. “We’re not together anymore.”

“Yes, but you love him? You love Sergei?”

When Dani hesitated, Niko tugged on her hand. “Don’t you love us anymore, Mommy?”

“Of course I love you, sweetie, but your daddy and I play hockey in different cities.”

“Niko needs both mama and papa,” Anastasia said. “If you love Sergei, you must find the way.”

“I tried,” Dani said softly, so Niko wouldn’t hear everything. “But he sent me away.”

“He is…” She murmured something in Russian that Dani couldn’t quite decipher. “He had much guilt with loss of wife. He is afraid you will be hurt also.”

“I didn’t need him to protect me,” Dani sighed. “I only need him to love me.”

“You will talk, everything will be okay.” Anastasia nodded as if it were a done deal.

“Mrs. Petrov, I—”

“Mama,” she corrected smoothly, her blue eyes guileless. “Mrs. Petrov is dead long time.”

---

Sergei, Aaron and Kane arrived in Seattle just as the puck dropped for the start of the gold medal game and they listened to it via a satellite feed on Sergei’s phone as the taxi driver navigated traffic. Sergei threw some money at him and they ran through crowds to get to the arena where the game was taking place. Zakk, Toli and a handful of their friends had all arrived earlier and Toli had been texting him updates.

Dani scored the first goal.

Dani threw herself in front of a puck, keeping the Russian team from scoring when the U.S. goalie had been out of position.

Dani assisted on the second goal.

She was everywhere and he hated that he’d missed half the game, but he’d played in Dallas last night and had been on planes all day today trying to get here. She was worth it, he just hoped he wasn’t too late. His mother had said they spent a little time together last night and she liked her a lot, but that Dani didn’t seem convinced Sergei was coming for her.

He’d flown in everyone he could think of. Sara, his mother, Niko, Tessa, Rachel and some of Dani’s other girlfriends. He’d even found tickets to the sold-out gold medal game for Kane and Aaron, so they could attend with him since he needed all the moral support he could get.

“Slow down,” Kane teased as they hurried into the arena.

“It’s three to one,” Aaron said, looking up at the scoreboard just as the Russian team scored again.

“Three to two,” Sergei murmured, searching for Dani on the ice.

“There you are.” Gage approached them with a grin. “Didn’t think you were going to make it. Your girl sure looks good out there.”

Sergei took a breath. “She does.”

“Come on, let’s sit. The second period’s almost over, so they’ve got to get through one more.”

“My brother’s here,” Sergei said. “I need to find him.”

“Your brother is sitting with Dani’s brother,” Kane nudged him. “You might want to sit with us.”

Sergei shook his head. “Zakk is going to be my brother-in-law if I have anything to say about it, so we might as well bury the hatchet.”

“Don’t you think you should bury the hatchet with her before he buries his hatchet in your head?”

“I’ve got this. You guys will stay after the game, right? You won’t abandon me?”

Kane and Aaron nodded. “We got your back, man. No worries.”

“What’s going on after the game?” Gage asked in confusion.

“He bought a ring,” Kane stage-whispered.

“And he’s going to propose in front of everyone.”

Gage raised his eyebrows, glancing down towards the bench. “Well, this trip just got a lot more interesting. Let’s go.”

---

As the final seconds ticked by, Dani didn’t think about anything except keeping their lead. When the final buzzer sounded she found herself on the bottom of a pile of her teammates. They’d done it, won the gold medal, and the cheering from the crowd roared in her ears.

Hailey was tugging her to her feet and then they were all hugging again, crowded close together, laughing and crying. Coach Saunders had just come onto the ice and joined them as the crowd continued to yell, now chanting, “U-S-A-U-S-A…”

Dani spotted her parents and Zakk waving from the area behind the bench and she waved back, a huge smile on her face.

Everything happened in a blur as they waited for the medal ceremony, listening to the national anthem and then the feeling of the medal around her neck. Tears clouded her vision and for a moment everything was stupidly perfect. It wasn’t until she had a chance to scan the crowds that she remembered Sergei, and his absence nearly sucked the joy right out of her. She managed a big smile for the cameras but inside her heart constricted painfully, disappointment overwhelming her. His mother had said he was coming, but he hadn’t and now—

“Holy shit, Dani, look…” Hailey breathed in her ear.

Dani turned and her eyes widened in shock. Was Sergei skating onto the ice in her direction? He had a huge bouquet of roses and Aaron and Kane were behind him, holding armfuls of even more roses.

“Girl, he’s coming for you.” Hailey was squeezing her arm. “Oh my god, is that Kane?”

Dani still hadn’t moved, unable to do anything but stare at Sergei in utter shock.

He skated to a stop in front of her and her teammates backed away. Even the crowd seemed to grow quiet and Dani felt a rush of emotion.

“Congratulations, sweetheart.” Sergei handed her the bouquet.

She took it without thinking, her eyes falling closed as she held them against her face. The fragrant odor wafted into her nostrils like rose-flavored Epsom salts and jerked her back to reality.

Kane and Aaron were handing smaller bouquets to each of the other girls and out of the corner of her eye she saw Hailey throw her arms around Kane, but she didn’t have time to see what happened next because Sergei had just dropped to one knee in front of her and was holding something out.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, looking into her eyes. “I was scared, guilty, a million other things that were serious but not really relevant. The truth is, just like you once told me, I’m not broken when I’m with you. I’m a better man, better father, better everything with you in my life. Do you think you can forgive me, Dani?”

“I…um…” Tears had gathered in her eyes and she took an inadvertent step back. It was too much. So much emotion, too much to process at once, had her struggling to say anything at all.

“Honey…” He was patiently looking up at her. “Do you still love me?”

“I…” She looked at him, tears falling unchecked down her face. “You have to say it first.”

Everything was quiet, as if the entire arena was waiting and watching. Dani was vaguely aware of the silence, the faces of her friends and teammates, of Sergei. So solemn and contrite, his handsome face full of longing and need. He needed her. He’d come for her. It was all she’d been dreaming about for months, but now she was afraid to let herself believe it.

“I love you, Danielle Cloutier. I want you to be my wife.” Sergei’s voice held no hesitation.

She burst into tears.

“Please don’t cry. I’m here. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much. Will you marry me? It would be the greatest honor of my life.” His gaze never wavered even as the crowd began to chant.

“SAY-YES-SAY-YES-SAY-YES…” The crowd got louder when she hesitated.

“You want to marry me?” she asked at last.

“More than anything. If you want the job with the Sidewinders, we can commute for a couple of years and then I’ll retire and move anywhere you want.”

She swiped at her tears. “Fat chance, mister. You think I’m letting you live in another city with the Veronika’s of the world?”

“Veronika who?” he chuckled. “There’s been no one but you since the first time I saw you.”

A thousand responses went through Dani’s mind, but in the end only one word came out of her mouth. “Yes.”

He slid the ring on her finger and the crowd went wild.

Sergei slowly got to his feet and Dani threw herself into his arms. His lips found hers and they kissed as if starving, until the crowd started to hoot and holler all over again. Her teammates were cheering too and she pulled away reluctantly, looking up into his gorgeous face.

“Sergei, are you sure?”

“Absolutely. Can you give me a couple of years to finish my hockey career? Once I retire, I’ll follow you anywhere you want to go.”

Her eyes glistened. “Do you believe there’s anything more important than you and Niko?”

“Not more important,” he said firmly. “But equally important. I won’t have you give up your dreams for me.”

“Loving you is my dream. You and Niko are the only things that matter. Now that the Olympics is over, I don’t care about the job.”

“I do.”

“I know, but we’ll figure it out.”

“We have to talk about it. I’m serious. I want you to do what makes you happy. We can compromise on where we live, what we—”

“Stop.” She covered his mouth with her hand. “I’ll find a job in Anchorage.”

“Only if you want to. I’ve already told Mr. Caldwell I’m going to see if I can get myself traded to the Sidewinders.”

“I actually have a better solution.” Gage approached them with a grin, his hands in his pockets.

“Mr. Caldwell.” Sergei seemed surprised to see him.

“Call me Gage, will you?” Gage said as he turned to Dani. “Dani, would you like to work for the Blizzard?”

Her eyes widened. “Wh-what?”

“We don’t currently have an assistant trainer and could use one. If you want it, the job is yours. You don’t have to decide right now—”

“Yes!” Dani laughed, reaching out to hug him. “I’ve already decided—hell yes! Thank you.”

“Well, happy engagement present.” He winked and turned to go, his eyes resting on Coach Saunders. He didn’t speak until she met his gaze and blinked. “Hello, Laurel.”

“Hello, Gage.” Coach Saunders nodded curtly and then turned to the team. “All right, ladies, we need to get off the ice. We’ll have to continue the party elsewhere!”