by Kat Mizera
“I can do that.”
“Great.” He reached for her hand. “Then let’s go home and get naked.”
“Do you have practice tomorrow?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m sure Laurel is going to kick our asses. She was pissed tonight.”
“You guys looked…” Sara hesitated.
“How did we look?”
“Scattered. Like all the forwards were following different play books.”
“That’s what it felt like to me too.”
“Laurel will figure it out. I have faith in her—and the team.”
“I’m glad someone does. This feels like it did last year, before Laurel came and straightened us out. She picked a bad time to get pregnant.”
Sara frowned at him. “I don’t think she planned it like this. She wasn’t supposed to come back at all, so you guys are lucky she’s still coaching.”
“Yeah, I know.” He sighed. “It’s just been a rough season so far and I guess it’s a little scary because I’m not getting any younger. I don’t know how much longer I have left.”
“I’m sure you’ve got three or four years,” she said softly.
“But I don’t know if that’s enough time to rebuild this team and win a championship.”
“I don’t know either.”
“Hopefully, things will turn around or I’m probably going to be cranky a lot.”
“That’s okay.” Her eyes twinkled. “I know how to distract you.”
“That you do.”
25
Sara had just finished feeding Merlin and going through her email when her phone rang. It was her mother, and she grimaced. Not because she didn’t want to talk to her but because she would have to explain about all the changes in her life and her plans. Her parents were generally pretty great, but sometimes they were old-school when it came to careers and relationships.
“Sweetheart, I’ve been worried,” her mother said after they exchanged pleasantries. “Sometimes I don’t hear from you all week and that’s just not like you. What’s going on out there in Anchorage?”
“Well, lots of stuff,” Sara said carefully. “First of all, Aaron asked me to move in with him. We’re going house-hunting.”
“Are you engaged?” Her mother’s voice was filled with excitement.
“Not yet, but maybe soon.” That was a lie, but it would keep her mother off her case about living together.
“Well, you’re a grown woman, but you know how I feel about that.”
“He’s a great guy, Mom. You’re going to like him.”
“Speaking of which, your father and I were talking. We decided we should make the trip out there for Thanksgiving.”
“That’s a long trip for a short time…and it’s right around the corner. We also don’t have room for you here at the apartment.”
“That’s all right. We can use reward points for the hotel. We’ve been wanting to see Dani and meet your friends. We’re going on a cruise the week of Christmas, so we thought we’d come for Thanksgiving.” She paused. “Don’t you want us there?”
“Of course I do. I just feel bad that you can’t stay with us.”
“That’s okay, dear. We’re flying in on Monday and leaving Saturday.”
“You already bought your tickets?” Sara asked in surprise.
“Your father thought we should surprise you, but I had a feeling you were hiding a new young man, so I figured we should talk about it first, just in case.”
“Oh.” Sara wasn’t sure what to say to that. “It’ll be great to see you. Wait until you meet Merlin…” They talked for another half an hour but when Sara hung up, she put her head in her hands. Thanksgiving had just gotten a lot more complicated. She needed to talk to Dani about who was hosting dinner, see if Aaron could get her parents tickets to the Blizzard game that week, and make sure she prepared him for their inevitable questions about marriage.
She hadn’t told her mother about her change in plans regarding veterinary school, and there would be plenty of time for that when they were here, but it felt a little deceptive. She’d wanted to tell her mother everything, but it was hard when they were this far apart geographically and she hadn’t been home to Minneapolis since July. Luckily, her parents loved Dani, and Niko would provide a good distraction.
She picked up her phone and sent Dani a text, telling her they needed to talk after work. Then she got online and started house-hunting.
Aaron hadn’t anticipated meeting Sara’s parents this soon, but when she told him the news about their upcoming trip, he took it in stride. He was serious about being with Sara and that meant having a relationship with her family. The timing probably could have been better, since they’d had less than a week to get ready, but she’d gone to pick them up while he was at practice and an afternoon meeting, so he was on his way to meet them for dinner. He’d brought dress pants and a button-down shirt with him so he’d showered and changed after practice, but now he was a little nervous.
He wasn’t worried about the things she’d warned him about, like her father inevitably asking what his intentions were, but he wanted them to like him. She was their only child and her last relationship had been a disaster, so he would probably be held to a higher standard than any guys before him. Not that it would be a problem because he figured they were in this for the long haul; he just hadn’t had a chance to wrap his head around it yet.
He left his Jeep with the valet and walked into the restaurant. He’d made the reservations because he wanted to treat them to someplace nice and Sara had texted him a few minutes ago that they were here. He looked around and spotted her immediately, lifting his hand in greeting. She looked gorgeous in a calf-length red dress he’d never seen before, high heels and her hair in curls that bounced on her shoulders. He reached for her, pressing a light kiss on her cheek.
“Hey. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, sliding her hand into his as she turned. “Meet my parents, Stanley and Rita Chandler. Mom, Dad, this is Aaron Ferrar.”
“It’s so good to meet you, at last.” Rita immediately hugged him, smiling up at him happily.
“Good to meet you.” Stan was a little more reserved, shaking his hand and eyeing him carefully.
“Our table is ready,” Sara said quickly. “Let’s sit.”
They settled at a nice table and Aaron ordered a bottle of wine. Sara was definitely nervous, fidgeting in her seat as the waitress took their appetizer orders.
“I’ve got tickets for you for the game tomorrow night,” he said, hoping to lighten the mood. “I hope you’re hockey fans.”
“Of course.” Stan nodded. “Obviously, we follow our local team, but it’ll be fun to check out a team and an arena that’s new to us.”
“I try to do that with baseball stadiums,” he responded. “I’ve been to almost all of them.”
“Not much of a baseball fan, but we go to the occasional game.”
The waitress brought their wine and appetizer, took their dinner orders, and disappeared again.
“Sara tells me you’re house-hunting,” Rita said, buttering a piece of bread. “What are you looking for?”
“Three or four bedrooms, a deck where I can grill, and whatever she wants,” he replied, reaching for Sara’s hand under the table.
“Is the house going to be in both your names?” Stan asked pointedly.
“Da-ad.” Sara groaned. “We’ve been a couple for, like, two weeks. No, my name isn’t going to be on the deed.”
“It can be,” Aaron said, looking at her. “We haven’t found anything we like, so I hadn’t thought about it.”
“Living together is a big commitment,” Stan said. “It’s almost like marriage. Just without the legalities.”
“Stop it, Dad.” Sara shook her head. “We’re still really new.”
“Then why are you living together?”
“Stanley, stop it.” His wife gently chastised him. “You’re embarrassing Sara and her young man. We j
ust met him.”
“We’ve been friends for more than two years,” Aaron said. “This has been a long time coming, so that’s why I asked her to move in with me already.”
“And you’re divorced?”
“I am.” Aaron didn’t know how much Sara had told her parents about Joyce, or how much he should tell them.
“And she’s in prison for trying to kill his publicist,” Sara added. “Let’s just get that out of the way right now.”
“Oh dear.” Rita looked startled and Stan frowned.
“You one of those men who always dates the wrong women?”
Aaron met the older man’s gaze directly. “Sometimes. But that’s not the case with Sara. We’ve been friends long enough to know that this is different and I’m not making those kinds of mistakes this time.”
“I should think not. My daughter is a stellar human being.”
“She certainly is.” Aaron nearly cried with relief when the waitress brought their salads. He’d been expecting questions about cohabitation, but he hadn’t given a second thought to talking about Joyce. God forbid they asked about Addy.
“So how many animals has she talked you into getting?” Rita asked knowingly. “There’s never been a stray she didn’t love.”
“We’ve adopted a macaw named Merlin and once we get the house, we’re adopting a yellow Lab we’ve been calling Mama because she gave birth to sixteen puppies the night we found her.”
“Sara told me about that.” Rita grimaced. “That’s a huge litter.”
Talk turned to animals in general, pets and puppies, so Aaron dug into his salad, hoping the conversation would stay on neutral ground.
“What happens when Sara leaves for veterinary school?” Stan asked.
Aaron glanced at Sara, who’d dipped her head.
“I wasn’t accepted to any of them,” she said after a moment. “So for now, I’m staying here.”
“Well, that buys you a year. What happens a year from now when you do get accepted?”
Aaron hated this for Sara because she already suffered from so much insecurity about this topic, but he was a little curious about her reaction too. “Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I can’t continue to live like everything in my life is temporary.”
“Well, it was a bit of a dream,” Stan said, waving a hand. “You’re not the type to become a doctor.”
“Stan.” Rita gave him a look.
Sara looked too shell-shocked to respond and Aaron wanted to smack the guy.
“Sara’s incredible with the animals,” he said slowly. “She would make an excellent veterinarian.”
“Apparently, the veterinary schools don’t think so.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Sara seemed to find her voice. “I appreciate the vote of confidence.”
“I’m just saying, you’re not the science type. You could barely dissect a frog in high school. How are you going to cut open animals?”
She sighed. “That was more than ten years ago. I’m a lot different now.”
“Well, whatever, it’s a moot point. You’re not going to let her go off to college, Aaron, are you?”
Aaron shook his head. “That’s up to her, not me. I want whatever will make her happy.”
Thankfully, the waitress arrived to refill their wine glasses and Aaron ordered another bottle. It was obviously going to be a very long night.
26
Sara couldn’t have been more mortified if she tried, and she nearly cried with relief when she dropped her parents off at their hotel. She’d used Dani’s car today so she followed Aaron back to the apartment. When she pulled into the parking garage, she found her spot and turned the car off, resting her head on the steering wheel. What a horrible night. Aaron would never say anything, but he had to be rethinking everything about them being together.
She jumped when someone knocked on the car window but grabbed her things and got out.
“I know it was awful,” Aaron whispered, pulling her close. “But it’s okay. Mostly, I wanted to punch your dad, but it’s over now and tomorrow night I’ll make sure to keep things busy.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said, resting against him. “My dad’s always been kind of snarky, but tonight was over-the-top even for him. I don’t know what his deal is.”
“I guess that’s his way of protecting you, you know? If you don’t do these ‘silly’ things that might hurt you, you won’t get hurt.”
“He wasn’t like this when I was younger, but the last five years, I think I’ve just disappointed him.”
“I hope you don’t take the things he says to heart. You would be a good vet, no matter what he thinks.”
“Maybe he was just testing you, to see if you’d defend me or whatever.” She didn’t believe that for a hot minute, but it made her feel a tiny bit better to consider it.
“You think it would’ve worked if I’d knocked him out like I wanted to?”
She chuckled. “Maybe?”
They walked to the elevators and then into the apartment.
“You have to get some rest,” she said, “so go ahead and relax. But Merlin’s been alone all day so I need to spend some time with him even though it’s late.”
“I’m not going to bed until you do,” he said gently. He unlocked the door and they walked inside.
“Well, I found a couple of houses online,” she said. “Wanna look after we change?”
“Sure.”
Five minutes later, they were cuddled on the couch with her laptop on her lap and Merlin on Aaron’s shoulder. She brought up the houses she’d found and showed him the ones she liked best.
“This one is around the corner from Dani,” she told him. “It’s my favorite because, frankly, it makes our lives a lot easier.”
“Then go see it. If there are no surprises on the inside, we can put an offer down this week.”
“Really? Just like that?”
“It was time for me to move, whether you and I got together or not. Buying something close to Sergei is a no-brainer, and it’s in our price range.”
“Your price range.”
“Babe, we’re a couple now. Yes, I’m paying for the house, but it’s ours. If we get married, your name will be on the deed.”
“Aren’t you worried about that after what happened with Joyce?”
“It’s just money.” He shrugged. “I grew up without any so everything I have now is a bonus. I’ve been good about investing some and making sure not to run up credit card debt. I’ve been saving since the divorce and the mortgage will be super affordable. I’m not worried about it.”
“You’re the best,” she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.
“You should look at the other two houses, though, just in case. We don’t want to grab the first one we see.”
“Okay. I was planning to drag my parents with me but now I don’t even want to see them.”
“Aw, it’ll be okay. You’ll see. I’ll bet your mom talks to him tonight and he’s much better behaved at the game tomorrow.”
“We’re playing the Sidewinders, so Sergei’s brothers will be here as well as their wives.”
“They got in today, actually. I think the gang is over at Sergei’s right now.”
“It’ll be good for Dani to see her brother.”
“Yeah, the game is probably going to be brutal, as close as so many of the guys are.”
“Yeah, but hopefully it’ll be fun too.”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” He got up and went into the other room, coming back with a gift bag.
“What’s that?” she asked as he handed it to her.
“Present.”
She opened the bag and grinned. Inside was a Blizzard jersey with Aaron’s number, number thirty-one.
“Check out the boob section,” he said, laughing.
She flattened out the jersey and then she was laughing too. He’d signed his name across the chest area, just like they’d joked about. “You’re crazy,” she said. “
But thank you.”
“I’m crazy about you, and you’re welcome.” He kissed her. “Wanna go fool around?”
“Just let me lock up Merlin.”
She picked up her parents the next night to bring them to the arena with her. Her father was a lot quieter now, so her mother had obviously spoken to him, but Sara’s feelings were still hurt. She’d had no idea her father didn’t think her capable of becoming a veterinarian and it just reinforced all her insecurities. She’d finally started coming to terms with everything and it took her father twenty seconds to tear it all down again. Aaron had been good about it, but she’d been so embarrassed.
“Do you come to all the games?” her mother was asking as she pulled into the private parking lot for the players’ wives and girlfriends.
“Most of them,” she replied. “Sometimes I stay home with Niko, but he comes to as many games as possible. They start earlier when they’re televised on the East Coast, so it’s not too late for him.”
“Are you still going to take care of him when you and Aaron buy a house?”
“Of course. Dani and Sergei count on me.”
“Which is why you need to forget about that vet school stuff,” her father said.
“Jesus, Dad, what’s with tearing me down all the time?” she demanded, stopping to stare at him. “You really hurt my feelings last night.”
“That wasn’t my intention,” he said. “I just think it’s about time you settled down. And you don’t want to lose a great guy like Aaron because you’re halfway across the country piling up debt. You don’t use the degree you have, so getting another one is a waste of time and money.”
“Stan, I thought we talked about this,” her mother said. “Knock it off.”
“Sara, honey, I’m not trying to hurt you, but you need to think about this. A guy like Aaron isn’t going to wait for you to finish school. You have four long years ahead of you.”
“Well, it doesn’t look like anyone has to worry about it,” she snapped. “Because I couldn’t get in, so all of this is moot.” She stalked into the building, waving to the security guards and showing them her parents’ tickets. This was going to be the longest night ever.