Beneath the Ice

All day Friday, Charlotte couldn't concentrate at work. Alexei was going to be home today, following the team's game in Nashville the night before. He might already be home, she thought as she wandered around checking with the few customers browsing the store shortly after noon. She had no idea how flights and travel time worked for the hockey players. All she knew was that she'd never looked forward to going home as she did now.

We'll talk when I get home.

About many things, he'd texted. Charlotte shivered as she recalled. She even tugged her phone out of her pocket multiple times through the day to look at their exchange again. It had been late the night before, following his game, and she devoured the words over and over again, trying and failing to read between the lines.

They'd talk. He'd promised.

"Put your phone away, Char." Sarah's tone wasn't sharp as she passed by with an armful of luxury pillows. "You'll see him soon enough."

Charlotte blushed and sighed but did put her phone back in her pocket. She walked to the back storeroom to grab some more of the pillows, helping Sarah fill the big bin near the center of the store.

"So." Sarah faced her a few minutes later across the front counter, her elbows resting on the surface and her chocolate-brown eyes sparkling. "What do you think he wants to 'talk' about when you see him?"

Charlotte swatted at her friend's hands. "Stop that. It will only be talk because Zoe will be with us."

"I could swing by later, pick her up for a sleepover?"

For a second, Charlotte considered that. But she didn't know what talk Alexei intended to have, not really, no matter how much her hormones hoped for one thing specifically. "No. It's fine."

"You sure? You might change your mind once you see him. How many days has it been since you cuddled in bed?"

"God, I wish I'd never told you about that."

"Who else would you tell?" Sarah snickered at Charlotte's embarrassment. "For the record, my dear, I think it's great."

"You think what's great?"

"If he's into you. If you start to see each other properly. I think it's great. You deserve to have some fun."

Charlotte might agree but no matter how she felt about it, there was Alexei's thoughts to consider. Maybe he didn't feel a thing and their talk was going to be how to move forward with the noise levels.

"I don't know if he's going to suggest we see each other, Sarah. I mean, really, let's be honest. What hot, eligible, single man is going to seek a relationship with a frumpy single mom?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "We could take care of the frumpy any time you want. Why you insist on dressing like an excommunicated nun, I'll never understand."

Charlotte frowned and touched the collar of her button-down shirt. "I didn't think I was that bad." She dressed in clothes that she mostly purchased from the consignment shop down the block from her apartment, when she bought anything at all. She was lucky enough to fit into a large portion of her wardrobe from years before her family had cut her off. So maybe her fashion sense was a little dated but its not like she had a ton of disposable income to waste on current trends.

"It's not bad, per se." Sarah looked her up and down and waved a hand in dismissal. "But no matter. Alexei has clearly seen the way you dress and still crawled into bed with you on Sunday, so I'm guessing he's fine with it."

Cue the blushing. Damn her fair skin. "Sarah--"

"Look, all I'll say is this: give him a chance to talk before you shut him out, okay? Maybe he's interested, maybe not. Just don't jump to any conclusions. Some men, the really good ones, wouldn't overlook a single mom. Some guys are man enough to step up when no one else is."

Like Alexei had on Friday night, coming when Zoe had 'called', no questions asked. Charlotte turned as a customer approached and both ladies got back to work.

Later, Charlotte was nervous all over again as she walked down the hall, Zoe's hand in hers. Her daughter was quiet, no wild tales from daycare for now. She had been more subdued since she'd been ill so maybe she just wasn't back to her old self again.

"Do you want to make some muffins when we get inside?" Charlotte jiggled Zoe's hand as she asked.

Zoe glanced up and shrugged one slender shoulder. "Okay."

"Okay?" Charlotte squeezed her fingers. "Just okay? What if we make those ginger ones you love?"

"Yeah. They're good."

At their door, Charlotte went to put her key in the lock only to see that it was already unlocked. Only a few people had a key, and only one person would be able to get into the building without buzzing, but this still didn't seem like something he'd do. Heart jumping, she twisted the knob and peered inside.

"Hello?"

"Hi." It was Alexei who answered and relief dropped over Charlotte, leaving a weird sort of elation behind.

She swung the door open to see Alexei sitting up on the couch, a book in his hands. He smiled --a real smile!-- and closed the book as she stepped inside, Zoe beside her.

"Grumpy!" Zoe dropped Charlotte's hand and bolted across the apartment, throwing herself at the big man.

He chuckled as he caught her, lifting her onto his lap, where she promptly snugged herself right against his chest, her face pressing to his neck. "Hello,

zaya

. How are you?"

"I thought you'd never come back."

His eyes shot to Charlotte's face as she closed the door and set her things down.

"I told you every time you asked, Zoe. He was always coming back today."

Zoe lifted her head and clamped her palms on either side of Alexei's face, startling him. His eyes wide, he watched her as she leaned so close their noses touched, her little face screwed up in a serious frown.

"Will you always come back?"

Charlotte's heart squeezed, guilt flooding her. There was that terrible-mom feeling again. She was failing Zoe at every turn. Clearly she wasn't giving Zoe everything she needed that she was so anxious about their upstairs neighbor going away.

"

Zaya

." Alexei rubbed her back and his eyes went soft at Zoe's question. "I will always come back for you." His gaze lifted to encompass Charlotte, all the warmth and something stronger hitting her square in the chest. "For both of you."

Was this it? Was this the talk they were due? Charlotte swallowed around a suddenly dry throat, her mind scattered.

"How did you get in here?" She managed to get out a moment later, then felt stupid immediately. He didn't say anything about it though.

His expression turned sheepish and he jerked his chin at the coffee table as Zoe released his face. "I still had the spare key I took last weekend."

"Oh." Charlotte eyed the key, her gaze lifting to his, then down again. "Um. You might as well keep it."

"Okay."

Don't look at him again. Focus on something else. Anything.

"Would you like some coffee or tea?"

"Sure. Tea, please."

"I'll make it!" Zoe launched herself off his lap and hurried across to the kitchen to drag a chair up to the counter. "I can make it myself."

Charlotte supervised as her daughter filled the electric kettle with water and put it on the base. Then they grabbed mugs and dropped tea bags in each, one for all three of them.

"You're drinking tea too?" Alexei had joined them and leaned against the counter. He pointed to Zoe's unicorn mug and the tea bag inside.

"It's special tea." She beamed up at him. "Mommy says it's for active little girls."

Charlotte bit her lip, hiding a smile. She pointed to the box of decaffeinated berry tea in the cupboard and Alexei nodded.

"Can I try some when it's ready?" he asked.

Zoe nodded. "Yeah. I can share."

"I bet you can."

"We're going to make muffins. Will you help?" Zoe's little face was lit up now, more animated than she'd been all week.

Charlotte's heart skipped around in her chest as she watched Alexei and her daughter talk. He was so patient with her, so gentle, so matter-of-fact. Some people thought you needed to talk down to children, give them baby-talk, or treat them like they're not smart enough to carry on a conversation. Alexei spoke to Zoe without any inflection, didn't dumb down his words, and conversed with her as he would with any adult.

Well, almost any. She wondered what Alexei was like around his teammates. She imagined it was much the same as now, maybe with a few more expletives added in.

As she smiled at the thought, his eyes lifted to hers and she froze at the heat she saw reflected back at her. For a long moment, she couldn't breathe, couldn't move. She was caught and let the heat wash over her.

Talk, indeed. She was ready for any kind of talk he wanted to have.

"Mommy?"

Charlotte started at the sound of Zoe's voice. She looked at Zoe and managed a smile. "Yes, sweetie?"

"The muffins?" Zoe's exasperation let Charlotte know she must have been lost in Alexei's gaze for far longer than she thought.

"Right! Yes, let's get all the ingredients out."

Zoe jumped off the chair, landing on the floor with a thud, which made her glance at Alexei again.

He was grinning. Full-on, cheek-to-cheek, eyes sparkling grin. Good Lord, he had dimples. "That's the noise, isn't it?"

Charlotte laughed and nodded. "One of the many, yes."

He slid along the counter while Zoe dug through the pantry, tugging out containers of flour and sugar. Charlotte didn't watch her daughter. Instead, she watched Alexei slide closer to her, one of his big hands coming up to brush her hair from her face. He cupped her chin in his hand and leaned over her, his head and shoulders blocking out the entire world.

"Hi."

Her lower lip trembled but she managed a smile. "Hi."

His thumb brushed along the line of her jaw, something flashing in his eyes. "You're feeling better?"

"Oh, yes. I'm great." So long as he continued to look at her like that, his touch so soft and warm, she would never not be great. When had this happened? When she'd slept through last Saturday? Had that been the moment everything changed?

"Can I spend the night with you?"

Her cheeks warmed as she processed his words. The night? The whole night? With her? Or was something lost in translation, and he meant the evening, with both her and Zoe?

As if sensing her confusion, Alexei slipped his hand behind her head, still holding her in place. "I'd like to have dinner with both of you."

Ah.

Okay. She gave a jerky nod. "I-- I'd like that. I'm sure Zoe would, too."

His eyes darted back and forth between hers, his lips parting as if he had more to say. Zoe chose that moment to climb back onto the chair beside them, slamming the little carton of molasses on the counter.

"Mommy!" She sounded panicked. "I think the molasses turned to rock!"

Charlotte jerked out of Alexei's hold at Zoe's appearance and she turned to her daughter. She lifted the carton of molasses and jiggled it. It was fairly solid, but she turned to the taps over the sink, starting the hot and letting it run. "We might be able to save it."

Zoe watched with worried eyes as Charlotte filled the sink with scalding hot water and set the carton in the middle of it.

"And if not, I'll run to the store for more," Alexei said.

Zoe lifted her face to look at him. "Can I go with you?"

"Of course. You'll have to carry it."

She nodded, all seriousness. "Okay."

Charlotte and Alexei shared a smile over her head. It turned far hotter in seconds, and Charlotte had to look away before she melted into a puddle.

"Well, let's get everything out and see if we need anything else from the store."

Zoe nodded and climbed down from the chair. Charlotte and Alexei followed her to the pantry, digging out all the other ingredients they'd need for ginger muffins. Charlotte pushed Alexei's eyes and the way he'd held her head out of her mind.

Muffins now. Talk later.

─────

In the end, they did need to run to the store for molasses. Alexei and Zoe went alone, Zoe chattering the whole way. Alexei didn't mind. In all his time playing hockey professionally, all the road trips he'd taken, this was the first time he'd ever had something, or someone, to look forward to after all the games were done. Two someones.

He recalled the way Charlotte had all but melted before his eyes when he'd greeted her in the kitchen earlier. His body let him know in no uncertain terms that they were long overdue for a talk.

But he was a grown man in control of his urges. Mostly. He made ginger muffins with Zoe and Charlotte, planned and helped make dinner -- tortellini and meat sauce -- and then watched a cartoon movie on the couch with them.

Once Zoe started to drift off against him, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to bed. She didn't stir once and he smiled as he ran his hand over her hair, smoothing the waves. She looked so innocent, and silent, all tucked in bed. He found he didn't mind the noise so much when he was there to share it with her.

Out in the living room, Charlotte was tapping on her phone, yawning as she did.

"She's out cold." Alexei crossed back to the couch and sat beside her, slinging one arm across the back of the cushions.

Charlotte looked up, clicking her phone off. "That's good."

"And you? Are you tired?"

She shrugged and leaned forward, setting her phone on the coffee table. "I'm all right. It wasn't too busy at work."

"Work." He huffed out a laugh. In spite of how much he wanted her, they really didn't know a lot about each other's lives. "What do you do for work?"

She smiled as she settled back again, drawing one leg up to hug to her chest. "We've never talked about our lives, have we?"

They hadn't had a chance. Most of their conversations had been rather focused on something else. He shook his head, shifting to be more comfortable, facing her a bit more head-on. "Tell me."

"Well, I work in a store called Heart and Home. We sell everything home-related. Bed linens, towels, bed sheets, bath items, and living room décor. Candles, curtains, knick knacks, all that kind of stuff, but it's not big chain store product. It's all more unique in design, and higher quality than what you'd find elsewhere."

He nodded. "Maybe I'll come visit one day. I don't have much in my place."

"You could. There's lots to choose from."

"And you like working there?"

She smiled. "Yeah, and the people are why. Ursula, she's the owner, she hired me with zero experience when I had a baby to take care of almost four years ago. She's always been accommodating and willing to work with my schedule."

"That's great." And it must be, for a single mother working and living alone with a child. To have any kindness would mean everything.

"Sarah works there too. She's my best friend. We get along so well, have since we met."

"She sounded nice when I spoke to her last week. Hopefully I can meet her in person one day."

Charlotte's cheeks turned a pretty pink. "Yeah, hopefully. I don't know where I'd be without her or Ursula. They've been like family to me ever since-- Well, for a long time."

He knew there was more to her story but he didn't want to push her. Clearly not having Zoe's dad in the picture was a sore spot, and it was obvious she had no close family to lend a hand either.

They fell silent for a moment, her looking down at the table, him watching her. Staring at those perfect freckles.

"What about you?"

He blinked at her question. "What about me?"

"Yeah. How did you get into hockey? Where did you live in Russia?"

"I was born in Novosibirsk. Do you know where that is?"

She shook her head. "No, geography was never my strong suit."

He smiled and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He brought up the maps application to show her. "Here. It's a big city, though not as big as Moscow."

She nodded as he set the phone down beside hers. "Do you visit often?"

"Never. I haven't been back since I left to play hockey in North America." He counted in his head. "Fifteen years ago. I applied for citizenship here a few years ago."

Her eyes widened. "Wow. Don't you ever want to visit your family? They must miss you after all this time."

He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. It was getting long. He needed a cut, or so he thought until he saw the way Charlotte nibbled her lower lip, watching his fingers move through the longer locks.

"I don't have family there."

She blinked, her attention shifting back to him and their conversation. "What?"

"My parents died when I was little and I have no brothers or sisters. I was raised in an orphanage." He held his hand up between them. "Or, what do you call it here? Foster care?"

"Well, sure. I don't know for sure--" She'd certainly never had to deal with that part of the world. "But, Alexei, I'm so sorry."

He shrugged again. It was old news to him. "It's okay. Was a long time ago."

"But you have no one? No grandparents? Aunts? Uncles?"

He shook his head. "Don't you?"

She blinked and huffed out a breath. "Oh, they're out there, it's just that no one wants to talk to me since I was knocked up at age nineteen and had to drop out of college to raise Zoe because I refused to give her up."

Alexei leaned closer to her, picking up one hand in his and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. He smiled when her breathing hitched at his touch.

"You are incredible."

Her face turned red all over at his words and he smiled wider.

"I don't-- I'm not--" She shook her head, words escaping her.

"You are."

"But you are too." She leaned closer to him as well, the brilliant aquamarine of her eyes capturing him in this dim, quiet living room. "Growing up alone like you did, coming here all on your own. That must have been terrifying."

"It was." Or at least, he supposed it was. It had all been so long ago since he came to Canada first, and lived with a host family while he played major junior hockey there until he was drafted. "I managed. I did a lot on my own to pass the time."

"No friends? Even once you were in hockey?"

"Some. I am still fine doing my own things. Reading, yoga."

Her eyebrows lifted. "You do yoga?"

"Yes. It's good for the body, helps me focus."

"Wow. I'm learning so much about you tonight, Alexei."

He let go of her hand and slid his fingers through her hair. She'd pulled it all out of her braid and it hung loose over her shoulders. Her breath caught again as he shifted closer, sifting his fingers through her hair, again and again.

They fell silent as he did it, her eyes drifting closed and he watched her face, the way her soft lips parted, the blush that stayed in her cheeks.

"Alexei--"

He smiled at the breathless quality of her voice. "Hmm?"

Her eyes fluttered open, her pupils large and shining. His body answered with a less than subtle surge of heat to his groin.

"You wanted to talk tonight?"

"We are talking."

"This is what you wanted to talk about? Our families, or lack thereof?"

Well, no. He'd wanted to talk about the two of them. How much he didn't want to spend any more time alone. Not when he could be right where he was, putting Zoe to bed after dinner and a movie, or sitting on the couch with Charlotte, touching her like he was now, sliding his hand down her neck to that fluttering pulse point under her chin.

Fast? Yes. Wrong, not at all.

"I wanted to talk, yes. About all of that."

"Okay."

Alexei wondered if she realized she was leaning into him, into his hold, her face turned up as she sank against his chest. He opened his arms and hauled her closer, his arms going around her properly. Her warmth sank into his skin and he wanted to lick her all over, see if she was just as warm and soft everywhere.

"Charlotte." He put his hands on either side of her head, tilting it back. "

Krasotka

."

Her eyelids lifted again. "What does that mean?"

"Beautiful girl."