A Very Blizzard Christmas: Alaska Blizzard, #7

By Kat Mizera

She has a new baby with the love of her life and Christmas is almost here.
It should be the best time of her life.... right?

But when Danielle Petrov welcomes her new bundle of joy just in time for the holidays, everything isn't as magical as it should have been. She's trying to plan a surprise for their first Christmas as a family of four while dealing with a touch of postpartum depression and a six-year-old who wants nothing to do with his new sibling.

Sergei is completely smitten with his wife, his son, and the new baby, but he knows something is bothering Dani. Between being on the road with the Blizzard and trying to spend time with the kids, he's not there for her the way he wants to be.

As the holiday barrels down on them, nothing is going according to plan. Sergei is determined to salvage what he can of a complicated holiday season. Will an unexpected storm be what brings everyone together? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kat Mizera
• Release date: Jan 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798201765910

Kat Mizera

USA Today Bestselling author Kat Mizera was born in Miami Beach with a healthy dose of wanderlust. She's lived from coast to coast, and everywhere in between, but home is wherever her family is. A devoted mom and wife to her wonderful and supportive husband (Kevin) and two amazing boys (Nick and Max), Kat loves to travel the globe with her adventurous, hockey loving family. Greece is at the top of that list. She hopes to one day retire there, spending her days writing books on the beach. Kat is former freelance sports writer who now writes steamy hockey romance about her favorite fictional teams, the Las Vegas Sidewinders and the Alaska Blizzard. The library of novels she's penned also include sexy contemporary stories about baseball stars, alpha sex club owners, special forces heroes, rock stars, and royalty. Regardless of genre, her books about bad boys with hearts of gold will steal your breath, rock your world, and melt your heart.

Book preview

1

The last game before Thanksgiving was always exciting because everyone knew there was a day off coming up. It was different tonight, though, and as Danielle Petrov stood behind the bench, she rested her hands on her aching back. Nine months pregnant and already past her due date, she was so ready to give birth it wasn’t even funny.

As an assistant trainer for the Alaska Blizzard, she kept busy enough not to think about the aches and pains of pregnancy too much, but something was different tonight. Her body was definitely trying to tell her something and she leaned against the wall, determined to focus on the game. Her husband Sergei played for the Blizzard and he was just coming back to the bench after a long shift on the ice, so she avoided his eyes because though they tried not to communicate much during games, he knew her well enough that he would notice she was in pain.

Whether or not she was in labor, she wasn’t sure, but the pressure in her abdomen was starting to get annoying. She had a high tolerance for pain, and she’d dealt with Braxton-Hicks pains the last few weeks with no issues. But whatever this was had a different feel and she glanced up at the clock anxiously.

Two minutes left and the Blizzard were up 2-0. If they could hold on for two more minutes, she could let someone know what was going on. Or what she thought was going on. She’d never had a baby before, so she wasn’t completely sure how this was supposed to go. She’d read the books, taken the classes, and asked her doctor a thousand questions, but now that it was happening, she was more nervous than she’d thought she’d be.

And tomorrow was Thanksgiving.

Crap.

You okay, Dani? One of the assistant coaches, Drake Riser, glanced at her worriedly. You don’t look so good.

She put a finger to her lips. Ninety seconds, then we’ll deal with it.

He looked like he might protest but then nodded. Okay.

Luckily, the game ended without incident and Dani made her way down the tunnel toward her office. She desperately needed to sit down and catch her breath but intense pain shot through her mid-section and she nearly doubled over, grabbing the wall for support.

Dani! Head coach Laurel Caldwell hurried to her side. Is it the baby? Are you okay?

Oh, God, not here, Dani muttered.

But it was too late. The guys were coming down the tunnel and someone called to Sergei. The burly Russian defenseman was instantly at her side, tossing his gloves down as he reached for her.

Babe? His eyes searched hers as she finally straightened up.

I think— She looked down and grimaced. My water just broke.

How long have you been in labor? he asked quietly, a smile playing on his lips. He knew her well enough to suspect it had been a while.

Since this afternoon. She smiled back.

Do I have time to shower or do we need to go right now?

Go shower. I’m going to text Sara and let her know what’s going on. Sara was her best friend and usually brought Dani and Sergei’s son Niko to the games.

All right. Let’s get you to your office and then I’ll shower.

He kept an arm around her as they made their way toward the hallway where the team’s locker room and her office were both located.

I’m fine, she said when they got to the main hallway. Go get cleaned up. I’ll get in touch with Sara and we’ll be ready to go by the time you’ve showered.

Sergei smiled, leaning over to kiss her. Ten minutes, okay?

I’m fine. Go.

Dani got to her office before she had another contraction and sank into her chair. She wanted to shower too, and change clothes, but figured there was no point since they were probably heading straight to the hospital. She pulled out her phone and texted Sara. Niko was Sergei’s son from his first marriage, but he was like Dani’s own child, and she worried about how jealous he’d been since they’d told him he was going to be a big brother.

DANI: I think it’s time.

SARA: OMG! Are you okay? Are you headed to the hospital? Should I meet you there?

DANI: I’m fine. Sergei’s showering and I’m resting in my office. Will you take Niko home with you? It might be a long night.

SARA: Of course. He’s gonna be pissed, though.

DANI: I know. We’ll come down to the family lounge once Sergei’s dressed, so we can talk to him.

SARA: Okay. I won’t go anywhere until you get here.

Friends and family usually waited for the players after the game in the lounge and everyone dispersed from there. Niko loved waiting for her and Sergei to come get him after games but tonight would be different. She and Sergei had worked hard to help him get excited about the new baby, but he’d been less than impressed. After being an only child for so long, as well as losing his biological mother,