by Kat Mizera
Miikka said something to Tara, she responded, and then he turned to Aaron in confusion. “Maybe me.”
“Maybe you what? Want to rent it?”
“Me and Logan,” he said, nodding. “Great place.”
“Okay, well, we’ll talk about it once I’ve figured out how much I’ll need to charge and stuff.” He turned and looked around. “Guys, the place is a mess. Really, you don’t have to do this.”
“Sit down,” Hailey said, ignoring him. “You want your eggs over easy or scrambled?”
“Either.” He shrugged.
“Okay, let’s knock out the kitchen,” Whitney said to Tara. “This room has to be set up.”
The guys started unpacking boxes and putting things away.
“The new stuff needs to be cleaned first,” Whitney said, as they pulled the food processor out of its original box.
The women seemed to be taking charge and Aaron watched in resigned silence as his friends put his kitchen together. The one Sara was supposed to be cooking in.
He turned to Sergei, lowering his voice as he asked, “Dani’s still pissed at me, huh?”
Sergei nodded. “Oh, yeah. That’s not going away any time soon, unfortunately.”
“Hopefully, I’ll never need stitches on the bench,” he said.
Sergei grimaced. “I’d stay far away from her if that ever happens.”
“How’s Sara?” he asked after a moment.
Sergei paused and then blew out a breath. “Sorry, man, I’m not allowed to tell you. My wife and I had to come to a compromise about my relationship with you versus her relationship with you. While I’m not thrilled with what you did to Sara, because she’s my friend too, I know how a guy’s mind works and I get why you did what you did.”
“You do?” Aaron blinked.
“Well, yeah. We get scared when we meet the right one. Dani scared the shit out of me. I couldn’t wait to get away from all those feelings and emotions and shit. Until she was gone, of course.”
“Well, that’s not exactly what happened, but I just wanted to know how school was going.”
School was a mostly safe subject because Sergei responded right away. “Apparently, it’s intense and she’s studying like twenty hours a day.”
There wasn’t much to say to that, so he dug into the dish of bacon and eggs Whitney put in front of him.
They worked in companionable silence the rest of the day, stopping to eat lunch, and then getting back at it. Aaron had no choice but to help, since he looked like an ass sitting there watching them put his house together. It wasn’t until they tried to hang the framed jersey that he balked, shaking his head.
“I don’t know where that’s going yet,” he said. “Just put it in the den and I’ll figure out where it goes later.”
“You sure, man?” Sergei asked him.
“Just leave that one alone. Please.”
“Okay.” They moved on to something else and Aaron disappeared into the garage to break down boxes for the recycling truck that would be coming at some point.
“Hey.” Jake followed him out a few minutes later, a weird look on his face.
“Hey.” Aaron looked up. Jake had some papers in his hand.
“What is this?” he asked slowly.
“What?”
“I found a stack of bills and was going to put them on your desk in the den and then this fell out.” He handed him a folded piece of paper.
Aaron froze. He knew exactly what that was. “Just throw it all on the desk. I’ll get to it while we’re on the break, make sure the bills are paid.”
“Dude, knock it off. Why do you have this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Stop it. This is me.” Jake leaned against the Jeep. “This was mixed in with paid bills, which means you saw it because you’re anal about paying everything on time. And I happen to know for a fact that Sara didn’t tell anyone about this until after you’d broken up.”
“So?”
“You found it, didn’t you?” Jake was shaking his head. “You saw that she’d been invited to this program and you broke up with her because you knew she wouldn’t go otherwise. Jesus fucking Christ, I knew it. Dude, do you—”
“Stop!” Aaron yanked the paper from him and crumpled it in a little ball, throwing it into the recycling bin. “You don’t know anything. Just go back inside and leave it alone.”
“No.” Jake took a step toward him. “She’s fucking miserable, man. She’s not—”
“She’ll get past the broken heart with school keeping her busy.”
“Would you fucking listen to me? She’s miserable. Like, completely, one hundred percent, not enjoying school. She hates being back in Minneapolis. She hates living with her parents. She doesn’t even like her classes.”
“She will.”
“She won’t. You took everything that was important to her. Her friends, her jobs, her home… Don’t you see what you’ve done? You forced her to do something she didn’t want to do anymore. She was done with that dream. She…” He stopped talking and stared at Aaron. “Are you listening? You didn’t give her what she wanted; you did the opposite.”
Aaron turned back to the pile of boxes. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, he does.” At some point, Sergei had come out to the garage. “Did you really do this on purpose? Did you even talk to her about what she wanted?”
“She didn’t talk to me,” he protested, throwing up his hands. “She didn’t tell me about it because she was afraid I’d break up with her if she moved back to Minnesota.”
“She didn’t talk to you because you guys were busy,” Jake said.
“She didn’t talk to you about it because she didn’t want to go,” Sergei said. “She’d done a lot of soul-searching when you guys started to get serious and she realized that she loved you more than vet school, or becoming a doctor, or anything else. She was going to tell you about it after we got back from the road trip right after Christmas.”
“Becoming a vet is all she’s talked about for two years,” Aaron ground out, his voice breaking a little.
“Until you, dumbass.”
“But that would be like her asking me to give up hockey…” He had to stop talking because of the roaring in his ears. Could they be right? Had she somehow changed her mind and he hadn’t known?
“No.” Sergei shook his head. “She’d changed her mind so many times, both in college and after. Then you two got together and she knew she had to figure out what she really wanted, before you got married or had kids or whatever. She’s not stupid, so she made sure she knew what she wanted. And then you turned her whole life upside down.”
Aaron blew out a breath. “You’re sure? I mean, she’s really, truly unhappy?”
“She’s on the phone with Dani every damn day. I’m positive.”
“What the fuck do I do to fix this?” he demanded. “I thought…”
“We’ll be in Minneapolis next week,” Jake said.
“She’s not going to want to see me.”
“No, but she’ll want to see Dani.”
Aaron turned and put both hands on the hood of his Jeep, trying to breathe. He didn’t know exactly how he’d gotten this so wrong, but his friends wouldn’t lie to him. Now he just had to figure out how much begging would get the woman he loved to forgive him.
36
Lab Anatomy was the hardest, most frustrating class Sara had ever taken. It lasted for hours and the reading and homework were essentially all memorization and misery. They tested dogs, cats, horses, cows, and goats. Everything took forever and she absolutely hated it. As she walked out of class on a Thursday afternoon in early February, her brain was fried and she wasn’t sure if she had time to go to the bathroom before meeting up with her study group.
Dani’s name flashed on the screen and she groaned. The Blizzard, and Dani, were in town for a game and she’d forgotten all about it. “Hey!” she said as she answered.
“Are you out of class? Can you come to the hotel? Sergei’s taking a nap so I’m totally free.”
“Dani, I can’t.” She sighed heavily. “I have study group starting in ten minutes and I’m swamped.”
“Oh, man. That sucks. I really wanted to spend a few hours together.”
“Me too, but I can’t. And I have a class at six so I won’t be able to come to the game.”
“What? No way, dude. You have to.”
“I know, I’m sorry, but I can’t. I can’t miss class.”
“But I have a surprise for you.”
“I can’t, Dani.”
“Gage has a surprise for you.”
“Gage…” Her voice trailed off. “Oh my god, he brought Ruby!”
“So you have to come to the game. And besides, I need a hug. I mean, we started baby-making again…and now I’m all stressed about it. Please, Sara? I really miss you. Besides, a few hours off will clear your head.”
Sara hesitated. “Okay. I’ll see if my mom can drop me off at the arena. What time are you getting there?”
“About five.”
“It’ll probably be closer to six, but I’ll text you when I’m outside.”
“Great. I’ll come get you.”
She disconnected and jumped when someone fell into step beside her. “Oh! Dean Winters. Hi. I didn’t see you there.”
“Hello, Sara. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you on the phone with your friend. I hope you’re going to the Blizzard game tonight.”
Sara nodded. “Yes, but don’t look at me like that. I’m not going anywhere near Aaron. The team owner flew in my dog on his private plane so I have to go get her.”
“And see your friends.”
“Yeah, I miss Dani. She’s been my best friend since the beginning of freshman year of college.”
“It’s nice to have lifelong friends like that.”
“It is. I can’t stay for the whole game, though. I have so much studying to do.”
“A night off never hurt anyone.”
Sara glanced at her. “I’m only getting about five hours of sleep a night as it is. I can’t afford any nights off.”
“Of course you can.” She smiled and continued on her way.
Walking up to the main entrance of the arena, Sara spotted Dani right away and ran right to her, hugging her tightly.
“I missed you so much!” Dani whispered.
“I missed you too.” She turned after a moment.
“Well, let’s go inside, it’s cold out here.” Dani gave her a laminated pass indicating she was a VIP and with the team, and they strolled inside like they owned the place.
“Gage isn’t here yet,” Dani said. “But Sergei wants to see you.”
Sara shook her head. “You’re not getting me down there where I might run into Aaron.”
“Look, you can’t avoid him forever. You’re not going to come be with me when I give birth?”
Sara sighed. “I can’t just leave school when you go into labor,” she protested. “But yes, of course, I’ll come meet the new baby when he or she gets here. Besides, you’ll have Sergei with you so you won’t need me.”
Dani sighed but then changed the subject and they chatted as they walked down to ice level. “You can watch warm-ups from here and then your seat is…” She paused dramatically. “With them!” Dani turned and Hailey, Whitney, and Laurel all seemed to pop up out of nowhere.
Sara squealed like a toddler on Christmas morning, throwing her arms around her friends. “Oh my god, you guys came!”
“It was a chance to see you.” Hailey grinned. “And, you know, we have this friend who owns a plane, so it’s kind of cool.”
“Where’s the baby?” Sara demanded of Laurel.
“He’s at the hotel with Gage. Gage will come up in a little while. We brought the new nanny with us so once they’re settled, he’ll join us.”
“Is he bringing Ruby to the arena?” Sara asked in confusion.
“No, he figured you could go back to the hotel with him after the game, take a peek at the baby, and then he’ll drive you and Ruby home. We have a limo while we’re here.”
“Of course you do.” Sara linked her arm through Hailey’s before she realized the team had come out onto the ice for their warm-up.
Aaron was hard to miss in his goalie gear, and she saw him drop down into his warm-up stretching routine. She turned away, unwilling to watch him and finding a nearby seat to settle into where he most likely wouldn’t be able to see her. Hailey and Whitney were being silly, waving to Kane and Jake as they skated around. It was kind of funny, because they never did that at home games, but maybe they were just having fun since no one knew them here. Dani had gone back to work, of course, so she was gone, and Sara just wanted to get to their seats where she wouldn’t be so close to Aaron. Especially since he was looking in her direction now.
Then it hit her. Her friends had set her up. She glanced at Hailey and scowled, but Hailey ignored her, so she sank a little lower in her seat. She had no choice but to briefly meet his eyes, but as bile rose in her throat, she got up and ran up the steps, back toward the concourse. She thought she heard Hailey calling her name, but she was sick to her stomach and needed to get away. She found the nearest restroom and hurried to the sink, rinsing her face. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, so she looked drawn and pale and she sighed with resignation. She didn’t know what was going on or what her friends, and Aaron, were up to, but she wasn’t going to do this. He’d told her what she needed to know: He’d never loved her. At this point, everything else was moot.
She dug around in her purse and found some pink lip gloss. She dabbed it on her cheeks to give her a little color and a little more on her lips and then walked back out to the concourse. She needed a glass of wine immediately.
“You okay?” Dani appeared out of nowhere and fell into step beside her.
“Honestly, I have no idea how I am. I can’t believe you set me up like this.”
“Have a little faith in me. You’re my best friend, the person I trust with my child… Do you think I’d ever do anything to hurt you?”
“Here’s the thing.” Sara turned to her. “Right before I left, I cornered him at his apartment and asked him, flat out, if he’d ever loved me. He said no. I could forgive him anything else, but that? Well, there’s no fixing that.”
“But what if he didn’t realize he loved you until you were gone?”
Sara bit her lip. “I don’t know, but I’m not a fucking yo-yo. I can’t uproot my life every time he changes his mind. What happens if I move back, we have a fight, and he panics all over again? Or changes his mind or decides he’s not ready again? I can’t do it.”
“You really have to trust me. I promise, if you give him five minutes after the game, you’ll see why.”
“Not happening.”
“Sara.”
“Dani.”
They glared at each other.
“What’s it going to take?” Dani demanded, folding her arms across her chest.
“What?”
“What’s it going to take to make you stay after the game?”
“You can’t bribe me,” Sara said in confusion.
“Instead of a used car, a new car.”
“What? No!” Sara burst out laughing. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Custody of our first child?”
“Niko?” Sara rolled her eyes. “Like he’d ever leave you. He’d be saying ‘nyet’ all the way to the airport.” Sergei spoke his native Russian to his son and though Niko refused to speak it in general, if he was unhappy or didn’t like something, he would reply with his surliest “nyet,” or “no” in Russian. It had become a joke among the adults.
“Custody of the baby I’m not even pregnant with yet?” Dani said, her eyes twinkling.
“Knock it off. Just tell me what’s going on.”
“Please, just come down to the family lounge after the game.”
“You know he doesn
’t love me,” Sara whispered.
“It’s not true.” Dani pressed her forehead against Sara’s. “Trust me. Please. I love you. I would never, ever do anything to hurt you. Promise me you’ll come.”
“Dani…”
“Promise.”
Sara sighed. “Fine. Five minutes, then I’m gone.”
“Pinky swear.” Dani held out her pinky.
“You’re a pain in my ass.”
“Do it.”
“Jesus, why are we best friends again?” Sara wrapped her pinky around Dani’s. “Happy now?”
“Just come down to the family lounge after.” Dani hugged her and then rushed back toward the elevators that would take her down to the locker rooms.
37
Aaron was distracted as fuck. Watching Sara essentially run away from him had been excruciating. He’d known she was hurt, but to run away like that had been hard to watch. He had to play his ass off tonight so Coach Riser didn’t bench him, but it was going to be the longest game of his life.
“Breathe,” Jake said, coming up behind him. “Shake it off. Dani and the girls aren’t going to let her leave. Focus on the game because as soon as it’s over, you’re going to win back your girl. You got this.”
Aaron looked at him. “What if I don’t? Did you see her run up those steps like the floor was on fire?”
“She’s hurt and Dani didn’t prep her or anything because she wants you to work it out between you. It can’t be anything any of us say; it has to be the two of you.”
“How am I going to get to her if she leaves?”
“We have her home address. If she leaves the arena before you get a chance to talk to her, we’ll take Gage’s fucking limo to her house. Now get out there and play.”
Aaron nodded and headed down the tunnel. He’d always been able to compartmentalize and he would do it tonight. He had to. Both for her and for himself. He loved her, and he would spend the rest of his life trying to make this up to her, but it had to wait a couple of hours until the game was over. He didn’t know what he would do if she left before he could see her, but Jake’s idea of going to her house wasn’t a bad alternative if things went south.
