by Kat Mizera
“No,” Sara protested. “That’s not how this works. I work for you because you both have important jobs.”
“Honey, it’s a job. You’re family. What are you talking about? I know you’re upset and this is scary, but we’ve been there for each other through a lot and that’s not going to change. Whatever happens, we’ll be there for each other.”
“You can’t risk your job for me.”
Dani smiled. “My job isn’t at risk. We had a major fucking earthquake. That’s not like my babysitter calling out sick or something. And anyway, everyone knows you, and you’re not a slacker. This is a temporary setback. In a month or two, you’ll be back to normal.”
“What about the house? If you guys have to move in with Kane and Hailey—”
“Stop worrying. We don’t know anything yet. The pipes are easy to fix, and I’m sure the gas company will send someone out right away. We’ll have to wait to see about structural damage, but we’ll be right down the street at Kane and Hailey’s.”
“What about me? They don’t have room for me too.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so scared.”
“I know.” Dani leaned over and hugged her. “But that’s what besties are for—to take care of each other when things get rough. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“My insurance isn’t going to cover this kind of thing,” Sara said. “I have some money put away, but it could be thousands and—”
“Sergei and I promised you when you took the job as our nanny that we’d take care of you if anything happened. And we will. I wish you wouldn’t worry.”
“Hey, there.” A tall, good-looking man who appeared to be in his thirties came in. “I’m Dr. Sullivan, the orthopedic surgeon on staff here.”
Sara and Dani both stared at him.
Damn, he was hot. Since when were doctors this hot?
“Hi.” Dani gathered her wits more quickly than Sara did and got to her feet, reaching out a hand. “I’m Danielle Petrov. Sara’s a little overwhelmed right now.”
“We all are,” he said gently. “So, I took a look at your X-rays.”
“How bad?” Sara asked in a voice that was barely audible.
“It’s really not bad. We’re going to fix you right up.” He described the surgery and explained that it would help her leg heal properly so she wouldn’t have problems in the future.
“Can you operate today?”
“It’ll be tomorrow,” he said. “But we’ll get you into surgery first thing. I know this is painful, so hang in there for me a little longer and I’ll get you fixed up.”
“Will I be able to play hockey again?” she blurted out.
He paused, startled. “Hockey?”
“I’ve played my whole life. Won two college championships. It’s a big part of my life.”
“Really? Where’d you play?” He leaned against the counter and asked a dozen questions, effectively distracting her from her worries once she started talking about the sport she loved.
“So?” Sara asked after a few minutes. “Will I? Be able to play, I mean?”
Dr. Sullivan hesitated. “Barring unforeseen circumstances, there’s no reason you won’t be able to do everything you did before.”
“Thank you.”
He squeezed her shoulder, nodded at Dani, and left the room.
“He’s hot,” Dani whispered.
Sara groaned. “And I must look like death warmed over.”
“After surgery, we’ll make sure you get cleaned up,” Dani promised.
“Why do I just want to cry?”
“Because we just had a massive fucking earthquake that almost squished you, and you’re a little emotional. But it’s okay. I’m going to sit here with you until you feel better.”
“Thanks, girlfriend.”
“Like I keep telling you, that’s what besties are for.”
5
Aaron spent several hours with Dr. Harjo at the veterinary clinic, helping him make some semblance of order out of the chaos that had ensued after the earthquake, feeding the animals and getting them set up for the night. He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but Dr. Harjo had started giving him directions the moment he arrived, and Aaron somehow hadn’t had it in him to refuse. None of the other employees showed up, and he hadn’t wanted to just walk out and leave the guy alone. He told him what had happened to Sara, and Dr. Harjo promised to check in on her tomorrow.
“I don’t know what to do with Merlin,” Dr. Harjo said, scratching his head. “Only reason we took him is because Sara said she would find him a home, but I’m not really set up for big birds like that.”
“Sara said his owner died?”
Dr. Harjo nodded. “These birds are usually with you for life and you put them in your will. Somehow that didn’t happen this time.”
“How old is he?” Aaron asked.
“About twenty.”
“How long do they live?”
“They can live for fifty years, sometimes more.”
“Holy shit.”
“It gets pretty chilly at night for a bird like him, and with the power out, it might be too cold. Do you think you could take him home with you? Just for a couple of days until I get this place back up and running?”
Aaron just stared at him. “I live in an apartment. If he starts screaming or whatever, I’ll get evicted. Also, once the season starts, I’ll be traveling. What will I do with him?”
“Just for a couple of days, Aaron. I have my hands full trying to contact all the owners and get all of their pets out of here.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“Go fuck yourself!” Merlin added to the conversation, and Aaron scowled.
“That’s not nice,” he chided.
“Tweet, tweet, motherfucker.”
“He curses a lot,” Aaron pointed out needlessly.
“Yeah, but he’s a pretty loving bird for a macaw who just lost his owner. Look, take the cage and I’ll give you a bag of his food. I promise, I’ll start looking for a home for him immediately. I’m taking half a dozen pets home with me as it is, for people who are out of town… Can you do me this favor, Aaron?”
They knew each other fairly well since Sara worked here and Aaron used to stop by a lot, so he didn’t feel like he could do anything but nod. “Yes, okay. I’ll take him.”
An hour later, Merlin and his cage were set up on the dining room table in Aaron’s eat-in kitchen. The cage was huge and the kitchen was small, but Merlin seemed to settle in immediately, fluffing up and lifting one of his legs, which according to the internet was a sign he was relaxing or getting ready to sleep.
“I’m going out for a while, okay?” he said to the big bird. “I have to go check on Sara. Please don’t scream while I’m gone.”
Merlin opened one eye. “Night night.”
“Night night, buddy.” Aaron walked out shaking his head and questioning his sanity. How the fuck had he wound up with a big-ass red macaw that cussed like a sailor and would most likely stab him in his sleep?
He drove to the hospital on autopilot, realizing it was almost seven o’clock and he hadn’t eaten anything since this morning. He was tired, hungry, and worried about Sara. Especially since he wasn’t sure she wanted to see him. He really needed to fix what they’d broken when they slept together, but he didn’t know how. This wasn’t the time for a serious conversation like that, and he wouldn’t know how to explain his reaction anyway.
He always fucked up with women, even with the good ones. Especially the good ones. Which was why he planned to stay single for a long time.
His phone rang and he frowned at the unfamiliar number. Because of the extenuating circumstances today, and worried that it might be one of his teammates using someone else’s phone, he answered.
“Hello. This is a collect call from the Union City Penitentiary. Press one to accept charges…”
Aaron groaned.
Joyce. His ex-wife.
She was in prison for the attempted murder of the pub
licist he’d hired a couple of years ago to help him fix his public image after a few bar fights. He didn’t want to accept the call but if he didn’t, she would just keep calling back, so he reluctantly pushed the number one.
“Aaron, are you okay?” she demanded. “I heard about the earthquake.”
“I’m fine. Thanks.”
“I’m really glad.”
There was an uncomfortable pause. “What is it, Joyce?” he asked after a moment. “Do you need money?”
“I could use a little in my account. You know, for a few extra things like tampons and soda.”
He sighed. “Yeah, I’ll send you a couple hundred. But you have to stop calling, okay? I have to go.” He disconnected and put the phone down, resting his head back against the seat. He hated sending her money, but he also hated saying no. She would have money if he’d sold the house for a profit. Of course, she shouldn’t have tried to kill his poor publicist, either.
Bad decisions, he thought, were the norm for him when it came to women.
He got out of his Jeep and headed inside, running into Dani in the lobby.
“Hey, how’s Sara?”
“She’s finally in a room and sleeping now. I was just going to call you and see if you could give me a ride home.”
“Of course. I wanted to check on Sara first, but…”
“She’s asleep and they’re going to do surgery tomorrow at seven. You should come back then. They’ve cancelled camp for tomorrow until they can verify that the ice is safe. A lot of the guys had damage to their homes or cars so Laurel gave everyone a day to make sure their families are safe.”
“Okay, then let’s go.” He turned around, heading back to his Jeep. He was going to take Dani home, grab some takeout and go to bed. He was wiped.
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine!”
What the fuck was that? Aaron rolled over and squinted at the clock. Seven o’clock.
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine!”
Jesus Christ.
Merlin.
Why the hell was he up so early?
“You are my sunshine—”
“I’m coming!” he yelled, dragging himself out of bed. He used the bathroom and pulled on a pair of sweats before padding into the kitchen. Merlin looked at him and whistled.
“Why are you awake?” he asked the bird, opening the cage.
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.” Merlin climbed out and got on Aaron’s arm.
“Dude, how about you hang out on my shoulder? I need two hands to make breakfast.” He gently guided him to his shoulder. Merlin hesitated at first and then took a tentative step. “That’s a good boy,” he encouraged gently. “Just like that. Great. Now, how about breakfast?”
Aaron whistled as he fried a couple of eggs with tomatoes, feta cheese and oregano. He put a piece of turkey sausage in the microwave and stuck a pod in the Keurig machine to make coffee. Merlin seemed content to just hang out while he made breakfast, and Aaron didn’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. He couldn’t take on a responsibility like this with his travel schedule, and from what he’d read online last night, they tended to bond to one person and get upset when that person was gone. Merlin had already lost someone, so getting attached to Aaron and then losing him on a regular basis would probably be bad. He didn’t know what to do about it, though.
“You like tomatoes?” he asked, holding up a piece. Merlin delicately plucked it from his fingers, chewed it, then shook his head and sent it flying into the sink.
“Good aim,” Aaron chuckled. “I guess tomatoes aren’t your thing. I don’t think I’m supposed to give you eggs and cheese. What about a carrot? I think I have some.” He dug around in the refrigerator, got out a carrot stick, broke off a piece and handed it to the bird. Merlin made a chirpy little sound that was nothing like his regular sounds, and dug in happily. Aaron put him on the perch above his cage and sat down to eat breakfast.
When he was done, he cleaned up the kitchen, put everything in the dishwasher, and went to take a shower. Merlin seemed content so he hurriedly got dressed and ready to head to the hospital. It was still fairly early, not quite nine o’clock, so hopefully Sara would be out of surgery soon and he could sit with her. There was still no word on the state of the ice at the arena, and until they knew about that, Laurel had suspended training camp. There were tons of non-ice activities to make up for it, but allowing everyone time to get their families and any damage taken care of was the right thing to do, even though according to the news, the city had fared pretty well. There had been a lot of injuries, but no deaths reported yet, and most downtown buildings hadn’t sustained any serious damage. They were still assessing, just to be safe, and that made sense, but it looked like Anchorage had escaped a major disaster.
He drove to the hospital on autopilot after locking up Merlin and promising to be home soon. He was a little nervous as he walked up to Sara’s room, wondering how she was and if she’d be glad to see him or not. He’d picked up flowers in the gift shop because she liked them and had once complained that guys never bought her flowers, not even her ex-fiancé. He’d remembered that, for some reason, and had made a mental note to do it sometime. This seemed like the right time.
“Hey.” Dani looked up from the magazine she was thumbing through. “She’s still sleeping.”
“Hey.” He hugged her and set the flowers on the counter.
“She’ll like those,” Dani said softly, glancing at him curiously.
“What?” he asked wryly.
“Nothing. I was just saying that bringing her favorite flowers was sweet.”
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I can be sweet. I mean, she just had surgery. Should I not be sweet?”
“You should be sweet all the time, not just now.”
He sighed. What was he supposed to say to that?
Dani gave him a smile and got to her feet. “Okay, are you going to stay with her for a while? The doctor said she’ll sleep for now but they’ll have her up for physical therapy this afternoon, and we’ve got a bunch of stuff going on at the house. I should probably be with Niko since Sergei is dealing with the house stuff.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Aaron sank into a chair.
“All right. See you later. Text me if you have to leave or she throws you out or something.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he muttered as she left.
He looked over at the bed and something subtle rumbled deep in his chest. She was so…beautiful. Even now, with no makeup, a bandage on her forehead, and her hair a mess, she was gorgeous to him. The smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks gave her a girlish look, but those full, red lips were all woman. And damn, they’d felt amazing around his cock. He’d fouled everything up the night they’d been together, but not because it hadn’t been good. Hell, it was because it had been good. So good he’d never wanted it to end. Better than any sex he’d ever had, with so much intimacy between them it had been hard to handle.
And he didn’t handle emotions well at all.
He sucked at emotions. Which was why he’d panicked when he’d gotten his senses back and realized the woman in his arms wasn’t just some casual lay. He couldn’t fuck it up with Sara—he wouldn’t—which meant walking away before they got any more emotionally invested.
“Aaron?” Sara’s voice was a raspy croak and he jumped to his feet, reaching out to smooth her hair back and gently touch her face.
“Hey. How are you feeling?”
“Groggy.”
“Anesthesia is still wearing off. Just rest.”
“Where’s Dani?”
“She’s dealing with all the stuff going on at their house.”
“And you got suckered into babysitting me?”
“I didn’t get suckered into anything. Where else would I be?”
“I don’t know. Not with me, though.”
“Okay, look, you want to do this now? Fine.” He took a breath. “You�
��re drugged and half-asleep and probably not going to remember it, but here goes. I’m sorry. I fucked up. I acted like a scared sixteen-year-old who has no idea how to behave after getting laid in the back seat of his car. I owed you more than the disrespect I showed you after we made love. But you know better than anyone that I suck at relationships and you mean too much to me to make you the next in my long list of failures.”
She stared up at him, blinking rapidly, as if struggling to stay awake. “But—”
“But nothing. I behaved badly and I hope you can forgive me. I miss you and want to go back to being best friends again. I understand if you can’t, or won’t, but I’d like to try. You’re important to me and I would hate not having you in my life at all.”
6
Sara stared up at him in confusion. She was definitely tired and drugged up, but she was still cognizant of what he was saying. And it shocked the shit out of her. She’d never expected him to be so raw—or brutally honest—about what had happened between them. She’d tried so many times to get him to talk about that night and he’d made excuse after excuse until he’d started avoiding her. At that point, she’d been pissed and stopped trying. She was never going to chase after a man, especially not one who’d been her best friend until a few months ago.
“Wait.” She reached out a hand. “Can you get me some water?”
He grabbed the cup beside the bed and held the straw to her mouth. She swallowed gratefully and then closed her eyes for a second, trying to gather her thoughts. “I didn’t expect anything,” she finally whispered. “Except respect. That was the only expectation I had after what we did. I never thought you would treat me like some trashy one-night stand. That’s the part that upset me. I mean, I’m leaving next year anyway, so I knew it wasn’t going to be anything more, but I didn’t think you’d jump away from me like I had cooties.”
“That’s not—” he began.
“I’ve applied to veterinary schools all over the U.S. I have to believe I’ll get accepted because if I get turned down by all of them, I might roll up in a ball and die—and that means a year from now I’ll be in Minnesota or somewhere else that’s not Anchorage.”
