She tried to busy herself with work, but it was hard to focus. Her mind shifted between the blissful memories of that morning and the previous night, and uncertainty as to what the future held. The first thoughts were the far better ones, for sure, and Meryl found herself lapsing into a daydream about how she and Nik had greeted the day. The knock on the her door jolted her back to reality. “Come in,” she called.
The door pushed open and Nik stood there. His face was as handsome as ever, with no signs of bruises or forming black eyes, and he didn’t appear angry. In fact, he was smiling. “Did you miss me?” he asked.
Meryl’s heart fluttered slightly, the way it always seemed to whenever he was near. “More than you know.”
“It’s a good thing I’m here, then.” Nik closed the door behind him and walked toward her, pulling her into a kiss. “I missed you too.”
Meryl wanted to get lost in his touch, his scent, his embrace, but this time she couldn’t. Not until she knew what happened. “You seem happy,” she said.
“I’m always happy when I’m with you,” Nik replied.
“Me, yes.” A smile tugged at her lips. “But my father...”
“Ah, that. You are right. He’s not as pretty as you.”
Meryl laughed. “I should hope not.”
“He is actually quite, um, domineering I think is the word. He likes to get his way, and does not like to be challenged,” Nik said. “You were right about that.”
“He’s a controlling asshole,” Meryl corrected, and Nik nodded.
“That’s another way of putting it.”
“The only way, I think.” She sighed. “So what happened?”
Nik rounded the corner and sat in a chair facing her desk. “He knows about us and the hotel last night.”
“I figured as much.” Meryl rolled her eyes. “I got careless, used my real name.”
“So you frequently have to sneak around?”
“I wouldn’t say ‘frequently,’ exactly.” Meryl hedged. “Only when he might not approve of what I’m doing.”
“Like seeing me,” Nik said. “Fraternizing.”
“Yes, that.” Meryl officially hated the word.
“Then you should be happy to hear that I believe your father and I have come to an understanding.”
Meryl wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. “Excuse me, what did you say?”
“I think we have an understanding,” Nik repeated. “He confronted me about my relationship with you, and I didn’t deny it. In fact, I told him I intended to continue it.” He smiled. “And I think he gave us his blessing.”
Chapter Fourteen
The break passed quickly, too quickly, and it was back to the grind, but at least not back on the road. Instead, after the busy slate of away games, the Generals were fortunate to have a four-game homestand to begin the second half of the season. It got off to a great start with Nik scoring two goals in a win over San Jose, a performance that had his teammates both congratulating him and teasing him at the same time.
“Clearly, dating the owner’s daughter has had a positive impact on your game,” Beck said. “Too bad Mr. Johnson doesn’t have more daughters, so some of the other guys might improve theirs too.” He shot a sideways glance in the direction of Ryder Carrigan, their second-line left winger who happened to be in a scoring slump.
“Oh, funny guy,” Ryder muttered. “At least we have Brantov getting lucky, both on and off the ice.” He gave Nik a slap on the back.
“Thanks, man. I think,” Nik said. He took his toiletry kit from his locker and headed to the shower, ready to put an end to the discussion of his and Meryl’s relationship. He didn’t mind a little good-natured ribbing, and his relationship with Meryl was no longer a secret, but that didn’t mean Nik wanted it to be the primary locker room conversation, either. Instead, he wanted to get out of there. He now fully understood Colton’s hurry after every game.
When his phone rang as he left the arena, Nik assumed it was Meryl and tapped at the screen to answer without looking at the display. “Hello, beautiful. I am on my way.”
“Thanks for the compliment,” a male voice replied. “But you’re not exactly my type.”
Not Meryl. No, instead it was Nik’s agent. “Sorry, Kyle,” he said with a chuckle. “I thought you were someone else.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured that,” the agent replied. At least Kyle had a sense of humor.
“Did you call to congratulate me on my game?” Nik asked.
“No. I called to ask you for your ten-team trade list.”
Any joking mood quickly faded. Nik stopped in his tracks only a few feet from his car. “My what?”
“Did I stutter? A list of the ten teams you’ll accept a trade to,” Kyle answered. “I got a call from Johnson earlier. He says he’s entertaining offers. Specifically, he wants to know if you’re interested in Edmonton.”
Edmonton. They’d just been there and there was a foot of snow on the ground. Meanwhile, in San Antonio, Nik could walk around in late January without even a coat. No, he was most definitely not interested in Edmonton. He wasn’t interested in any other city. San Antonio was becoming home now. “No. Edmonton is not on the list. Nothing is.”
“Nik...”
“What? A no-trade clause means exactly that. I do not want to be traded.” Unfortunately, with a limited no-trade clause, he might not have a choice. “Where the hell did this discussion even come from?” Nik wanted to know. “I’m playing great right now.”
“You sure are, which is why your value’s high. Johnson seems ready to cut his ties with you while you’re on a hot streak and he wants to get the best return he can. I think he wants to close a deal,” Kyle said.
“But why? I was supposed to be a cornerstone of the franchise for years to come,” Nik protested.
“Yeah, you were. Past tense. Then you started screwing the owner's daughter, and you became expendable. In fact, he seems quite anxious to get you out of town. He said he wasn’t going through the same thing again, whatever that means,” Kyle said. “I don’t know. Maybe he thinks you’re a threat to her virtue.”
Nik couldn’t tell if that was supposed to be a joke, and he didn’t care. “I’ll call you back a little later, Kyle. There is something else I need to do first.” He ended the call and unlocked the car. Before he said something he might regret, Nik needed to talk to Meryl.
***
Meryl watched the game from the TV in her office, rather than the owner’s box, not out of choice but necessity. There was too much work to do, not to multitask, especially with the new term at Trinity underway. Already, she second-guessed her decision not to take the semester off, but one lesson her father instilled in her that she always followed was that success was earned by hard work.
There was another reason, though, for being absent from the game. Watching in person stressed her out too much these days. So she passed the time by attempting to work while watching the game on TV. Thankfully, this game was relatively stress free.
She expected Nik to be in a good mood when he met her after the game at their favorite restaurant. Instead, his mouth was set in a thin line and his eyes lacked their usual sparkle. He also didn’t greet her with a kiss, which was never a good sign. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
“You tell me. I got a call from my agent after the game. He wanted to know if I would accept a trade to Edmonton.”
“What?” Meryl exclaimed. “I hope you said no.”
“Of course I said no, but that doesn’t mean it’s over. Apparently, your father said something about ‘not going through this again,’ in regards to you.” Nik eyed her across the table, his expression still tense. “Do you have any idea what that is about, what he means?”
Unfortunately, Meryl knew all too well. The son of a bitch was at it again. Operation destroy Meryl’s life was in full force. She tried to quell her anger before replying. More important than her feelings about her father were Nik’s feelings for her. Would he think
less of her when he knew the whole story? “Can you promise me you won’t hate me?” she asked.
“I will never hate you,” Nik answered without hesitation. “I promise. I just need to know what is going on.”
Of course he did. He deserved the truth. It was something Meryl should have told him a long time ago. She took a drink of water and exhaled. “I told you my father set strict rules about me fraternizing with the players. It’s because I had a relationship with a player before, back when my father owned the Renegades soccer team.”
“The guy in the photograph on your fireplace?” Nik asked. “He had his arm around you. You said you were more than friends.”
“We were, yes.” Meryl nodded. “His name is Jensen Dawes. He was a star forward on the soccer team, and I developed a huge crush on him. He was older, and very sexy,” she explained. “And after my mother died, I was hurting. I craved attention, and I sure didn’t get it from my father.”
“But you got it from this soccer player? Jensen?”
“Yes. For a while, he was everything I wanted. He was kind and sensitive, he treated me like a princess.” Meryl couldn’t help but smiling as she recalled the early days with Jensen. “He was a big-time athlete with money and he took me to elaborate places.” She sighed. “Looking back, I was probably a little star struck, but he fulfilled a need for me. He gave me something I craved.” She sighed. “And then my father found out.”
“He was angry,” Nik surmised.
“No, he was furious,” Meryl corrected. She looked down at the table, not wanting to meet his eyes. “Especially when I ended up pregnant.”
“You had a baby?”
Meryl tried to decipher his tone. Was he shocked? Incredulous? Angry? No, not angry. He at least didn’t sound angry. “No. I lost the baby.” Her voice was soft, but devoid of emotion. She’d already shed her tears for the lost child many times over. Although Meryl would never, ever forget, by this point she was cried out. “I think it was too much stress after losing Jensen.”
“Did he leave you?” Nik wanted to know.
Meryl thought about that. She didn’t want to think so, but indirectly, she knew he had. “I guess you could say that. When my father traded him to Memphis, he didn’t even put up a fight. And I never heard from him again.” She looked across the table at Nik. “So my father won that round. Is he going to win again? Are you going to walk out of my life too?”
It was an agonizing wait before Nik answered. “Did you mean it, when you said you loved me?”
This time, Meryl didn’t have to hesitate. “Yes. I meant it with all my heart. I thought I loved Jensen, and maybe I did, in a way. But I was young and infatuated, and maybe star struck,” she explained. “This is different. It’s not infatuation. I know what I feel. I love you, Nikolai Brantov.”
“Then that is all I need to know. I will not leave you, Meryl,” he promised. “I know what we need to do.”
“What’s that?” Meryl asked.
“Just trust me. I have a plan.”
***
The plan involved in placing a lot of trust in his agent, and a little bit of a bluff, but with Meryl’s full support, he confronted her father. “My agent tells me you’re considering trade offers for me,” Nik began. “And you wonder which teams I am interested in.”
If Richard Johnson was shocked, he didn’t show it. His expression didn’t change. “A good businessman always has to think about his assets and how best to utilize them,” he explained. “You’re an asset, Nik, especially the way you’re playing right now.”
“Thank you for the compliment. I feel as if I am settling in nicely here now,” Nik said. “It would be a shame if I have to leave to play in the KHL.”
“I beg your pardon?” Mr. Johnson’s eyes widened.
“Oh, that.” Nik waved his hand as in that dismissive way he’d seen Americans do, as if this were nothing and not his entire future on the line. “Kyle must not have had a chance to call you yet.”
“About what?”
“The contract offer from Dynamo in Moscow,” Nik replied. “It is for quite a bit of money, and of course I would be closer to my family.” He didn’t offer that he hoped to move his family to San Antonio. “I have to strongly consider it.”
“Even if it means breaching your NHL contract and facing those ramifications?”
Nik knew what he referred to. It was a thinly-veiled threat of a lawsuit. This was where being bold came in, and the little bluff. He hoped he could pull it off convincingly. “As I said, the offer from Dynamo is substantial. I am certain they will help me with any extra costs that might come from leaving the NHL. I think their management is quite willing to discuss a settlement with you in order to obtain my services.”
“Oh.”
Was it Nik’s imagination, or did Meryl’s father look defeated? “I don’t want to leave,” he said. “I would prefer to stay in San Antonio for many years. However, if your intent is to trade me from here, I will break my contract and return to Russia before I will accept a trade to Edmonton or Philadelphia or Buffalo or any other team you’re thinking of.”
“I see.” For the first time, the other man’s face showed a little worry. “And what about your relationship with my daughter? Do you plan to just up and leave her?”
Of course he would assume that, and probably figured it gave him leverage. It was time for Nik to play his last card. The one he hoped ensured him the winning hand. “No. I would never leave Meryl. My hope is for her to accompany me to Russia. We’ve already discussed it, and she’s agreed.” Nik smiled and folded his hands in his lap. “We would, as I said, prefer to stay here, but ultimately that will be up to you. It’s your choice.”
Mr. Johnson’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t like ultimatums, Nikolai,” he said.
“This is not an ultimatum, simply a business discussion.” Nik stood to leave. “Please, don’t feel pressured right now. I understand you will need to speak with my agent first to discuss the specifics, and he’ll be expecting your call.” It was time for Kyle to earn his money. Nik left the owner’s office confident his agent would do exactly that.
Epilogue
“There’ve been some ups and downs for the Generals this season. How would you describe your first season in the NHL?” The question came from Maya Dominguez, in her capacity as a reporter for All Sports San Antonio. It was part of a series of interviews featuring the Generals players, which Nik reluctantly agreed to participate in as a favor to Colton. With the launch of the hockey camps in a few weeks, Nik’s face was everywhere in town these days. He didn’t want to become overexposed.
“It’s been quite a ride, that’s for sure,” Nik answered. He hoped he had the expression right. He still found English awkward and difficult at times, and doubted if he’d ever feel completely comfortable with the language. Each day got a little bit better, though, and it helped having Meryl by his side. “For the most part, I’ve enjoyed it, but I still miss my family in Russia. I’m looking forward to having them join me in the summer and finding my own house.”
“So you consider San Antonio home now?” Maya asked. Even though she was no longer covering the Generals beat for All Sports San Antonio, Maya was conducting the interview series, for which Nik was grateful. She was a reporter, yes, but she also understood some of the challenges the team had faced throughout the season because she’d lived through them with Colton. Nik felt more at ease talking to Maya than any other reporter.
“Yes, I think I do,” Nik said. “Although Russia will always be home to me, and I am proud of my heritage, this city has also become my home. I look forward to playing here for many years to come and hopefully bring a championship to San Antonio.” He cast a sideways glance in Meryl’s direction, and she gave him a wink. Although things were a tense with her father after they’d both stood up to him, the situation seemed to be improving. It didn’t hurt that the Generals were only six points out of a playoff spot with three weeks left in the season and that Nik was a major
part of the team’s success. Even if Mr. Johnson wasn’t anxious to welcome Nik as his son-in-law anytime soon, at least Nik could be comfortable that he wouldn’t be asked to waive his no-trade clause, either. He could begin looking for a house as soon as the season was officially over, whenever that might be.
“And what about those chances at a championship? The team seems to be on a hot streak lately. What would a playoff berth in the inaugural season mean to the team?”
Nik considered the question carefully, not wanting to overstate the team’s chances and create lofty expectations with the fans. “It would be very significant, no question,” he said. “The fans want it and we want it, and we’ll keep pushing. There are many good teams in our conference, though, and we know it will be a difficult right. I don’t like to make predictions other than that we will do our best to win every game.”
The questions went on for a few more minutes before it was finally over. Nik exhaled as he removed the microphone clipped to his shirt.
“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Maya asked.
“No comment.” Nik doubted he’d ever like doing interviews, especially in English, but he’d survived, and hopefully wouldn’t come across as too much of an idiot. At least it was over. He anticipated the rest of the day being much better, starting with a visit to the children’s hospital and ending with some time spent with his girl.
***
Meryl watched Nik’s interview with a big smile on her face. She knew he’d agreed to the interview only with reluctance, but he’d done a great job with it. He’d really opened up over the past few months, becoming more confident with his grasp of the language, and thus was becoming a more visible part of the franchise. Although he sometimes remarked that people must be getting sick of seeing his face, Meryl doubted that would ever become a problem. She knew she’d never get sick of seeing it.
As soon as the cameras stopped rolling, Nik walked over to where she stood watching and gave her a kiss.
“I told you you’d survive,” she teased him.
Crossing the Line (Men of the Ice Book 2) Page 9