by Kat Mizera
“You what?” She sat up so fast the papers went flying and she scrambled to scoop them up.
“I wanted to surprise you, but if this isn’t what you want, you don’t have to sign anything.”
“But why would you do something like this?”
“Because why should you do all the work of making his business profitable without benefitting? And, you know, I may have to retire in a couple of years, so I’ll need you to be bringing in some money.” He gave her a grin.
She snorted out a laugh. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
“That’s why you like me.”
“True. But it’s not why I love you.” She leaned over and pressed her lips to his, letting them linger for a few seconds, close enough to feel his warm breath but not touching.
“Why do you love me?” he whispered back.
“Too many reasons to list,” she said.
“That’s good to hear.” He put a hand on the side of her face. “So what do you think? You in?”
“I’ll have to read everything, but I trust you had our best interests at heart when you made Dr. Harjo the offer.”
“Of course. It’s fair for both of you, and it gives you a little power, so while he handles the medical stuff, you can handle the business side. Also, the money we’re putting into the business will allow him to update some equipment and you to buy the tools you need to modernize the accounting and filing systems.”
“You’re the best,” she whispered, pushing him onto his back and climbing on top of him.
“Ooh, do I get a reward?” he asked, circling her waist with his hands.
“You sure do.” She leaned in to kiss him.
That night they met Dani and Sergei for dinner. It was May and the Blizzard was done for the season, so they had a lot of time to relax and hang out. Sara worked part-time at the clinic right now, because they had a lot going on planning the wedding and fixing up the house. He was also off for nearly five months since the team’s season had ended in mid-April and he didn’t have to report to training camp until mid-September. There were a lot of changes coming on the team, but he wasn’t going to think about it until he absolutely had to; he had much better things to think about right now.
“We’re going to have to make some changes to the bridesmaid dresses,” Dani said as the waiter brought their salads.
“I thought you loved the dresses we picked out?” Sara asked her in surprise.
Dani grinned. “I do, but unfortunately, it’s not going to fit in July.”
“Why not?” Sara asked blankly.
Dani cracked up. “Because I’ll be about five months pregnant by then and probably showing.”
“Holy shit.” Sara stared at her for a minute and then she let out a squeal of pleasure and jumped to her feet to hug Dani.
“Congratulations,” Aaron said to Sergei, shaking his hand. “How’s she feeling?”
“So far, so good.” Sergei knocked on the table. “Knock on wood.”
“How far along?”
“Thirteen weeks yesterday,” Dani said, sitting down again. “We’re due the twenty-fifth of November.”
“Smack in the middle of the season,” Sergei said, though he was smiling at his wife.
“That whole baby-making thing is a bit of a mystery,” Aaron said. “I mean, the timing and all.”
Sara glanced at him. “Is that a hint of some kind?” she asked him. They hadn’t talked much about kids except in agreeing that they wanted them at some point.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Just seems like all our friends are having babies and it would be kinda fun for them to grow up together.”
She arched her brows. “Whitney isn’t pregnant. Logan, Miikka and quite a few of the other guys aren’t even married. We have time.”
“Okay.” He leaned back with an easygoing smile, resting one arm on the back of her chair. “I was just throwing it out there.”
“Well, I’m throwing it back,” she laughed. “I need a little time with just us, the bird and the dog.”
“I can wait.”
“So boy or girl?” Sara asked Dani.
“Well, we’re not telling anyone because it’s so much fun to watch everyone guess,” she laughed. “But we did the blood test. It’s a girl.”
“Yay!” Sara clapped her hands.
“We’re going to have a party over Memorial Day weekend and announce it to everyone,” Sergei said. “Until then, keep it to yourselves, please. We were a little gun-shy this time, waiting to make sure everything was okay.”
“What did Niko say?” Sara asked.
“Well, he was really excited about the idea of having a baby brother,” Sergei said. “But he gave us a resounding nyet when we told him it was a girl.”
They all laughed.
“Do your families know?”
“Yeah, but just the parents and our brothers and their wives. We’re trying to keep things mellow.”
“Unlike us,” Sara said. “It’s all wedding plans, all the time.”
“Have you narrowed down your honeymoon yet?”
“Greece and Italy,” Aaron said. “Neither of us have ever been to either place, so it’ll be fun.”
“I don’t foresee much exotic travel in our future after this summer,” Dani said, looking at her husband lovingly.
“Which is why we’re going away in June,” Sergei said with a grin. “We’ll leave Niko with Toli and Tessa and have a little alone time before we start getting ready for the baby.”
They talked and laughed all through dinner and Sara took a moment to appreciate what she had. The love of her life and her best friend, all in one place. She never would have pictured herself settling down in Anchorage, and Aaron’s career could potentially take them anywhere, but Gage had told them there were no surprises coming their way. Not this year anyway. And it was the lightest, most refreshing feeling to be unencumbered. Nothing but fun and romance and two jobs she loved. This kind of happiness was new to her and she was enjoying the hell out of it.
When Dani and Sergei got up to dance, Aaron reached for her hand. “You want to dance?”
“Sure.” She moved into his arms easily, still slightly intoxicated by his striking good looks and his even better-looking soul. No one had ever made her as happy as Aaron did.
“You really want to start thinking about babies?” she asked as they swayed to a slow, bluesy melody.
“Yeah, but I can wait if you’re not ready.”
“I hadn’t thought about it. I mean, in general, sure, but not with a time frame.”
“We don’t have to. I just thought it would be fun if you and Dani had babies close together.”
“It would be.” She grinned up at him. “You ready to be outnumbered?”
“What do you mean?” he frowned.
“Merlin and Ruby are furry children, so right now there are two of us and two of them. We add a human baby, we’ll be outnumbered.”
He thought about it for a minute. “Yeah, I think I’d be okay with that.”
“Okay. Then we’ll revisit this conversation on our wedding night.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief.
“I like the sound of that.” He lowered his head to hers and they continued moving to the music, the outside world far, far away.
If you enjoyed Aaron and Sara’s story, please consider leaving a review at the retailer of your choice. And turn the page for an excerpt from NOWHERE LEFT TO FALL.
Excerpt from “Nowhere Left to Fall”
“Thank you, Las Vegas—see you next tour! Good night!”
Wrapping our arms around each other, the members of my band and I took our final bow of the tour before turning to head backstage. Viktim of Prey was one of the hottest rock bands in the world right now, and some nights it felt like we couldn’t get any more successful.
I grabbed a towel from my guitar tech and wrapped it around my neck. I was drenched in sweat and high on adrenaline, like always after a big show, but tonight was different.
We’d been on tour nonstop for nearly three years now, and the idea of actually taking a break was daunting. Though I could tour forever, the rest of the band had begged for a break, and if I was honest with myself, we all needed it. We’d been playing, traveling, and partying for too long. It was time to regroup, plan the next album, unwind a little. Not that I had any idea what to do with myself if I wasn’t playing music.
“I need to talk to you guys.” Nick Kingsley, our bass player, as well as my best friend with benefits, spoke in such a somber tone it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“I just want to go home and sleep for a week,” Jade Simkowski, our lead singer, moaned, her long red hair fanning out behind her as she walked behind Nick towards our waiting tour bus.
“It won’t take long,” Nick said, bypassing a few fans with backstage passes and our road crew.
Jade and I exchanged a look but followed him, our drummer, BJ, pulling up the rear.
Nick climbed into the tour bus and collapsed on one of the lounge chairs, grabbing a bottle of water.
“What’s going on?” I asked, settling next to him.
“I don’t want to do another album,” Nick said quietly.
“What?” I gaped at him.
“Tabby and I are having a baby,” BJ blurted out, referring to his wife.
“Really, you guys?” Jade made a face, shaking her head.
“My dad wants me to work at the hotel,” Nick spoke softly, not meeting my eyes. “And the truth is that I’m not really good enough to do this. The only reason I’m here is because you asked me to be in the band. I’m a mediocre bass player who doesn’t write music. You’d be better off with someone who can pull their weight.”
“And I’m tired,” BJ admitted. “It’s been fun, but I’m ready to stay put for a while, be a husband, a dad.” BJ was the oldest member of the band at thirty, while I was twenty-two, Nick was twenty-three, and Jade was twenty-four.
“That’s a cop-out,” Jade said. “I’m a mom, and I’ve been on tour on and off for four years.”
“Your daughter is older,” BJ pointed out. “She wasn’t a newborn when we started. She also has a father who’s happy to split parenting duties.”
“She’s seven,” Jade responded testily. “Still really young, but this is how I afford to give her nice things, make sure she’s taken care of.”
“Okay, let’s take a deep breath.” I needed to take control of the situation sooner rather than later, because this band was my life, and Nick was essentially talking about ending it. “We should all go home, get some sleep, relax a little. We can have a meeting next week, take some time to digest and—”
Nick reached out and took my hand, cutting me off. “I’m not going to change my mind, Casey. I did this because you wanted it so much, and we got so big so fast…but being a rock star was never on my radar.”
I bit my lip to keep from saying something that would end a lifetime of friendship.
“I know you’re mad.” Nick sighed, squeezing my hand. “Go ahead and say what you want to say.”
“What is there to say?” I muttered, looking away. “Without you and BJ, Jade and I can’t do this.”
Nick reached for me, forcing me to look at him. “Casey, you’re going to find another band, another group of people to share your gift with. It’s wasted with me. I don’t have your talent or your drive. Besides, our agreement was one album and one tour. It’s been two albums and a huge, multi-year tour. Even if I wanted to keep doing this, we all need a break right now.”
“He’s right about needing a break,” Jade added softly. “I need to be at home with Alyssa for a while, doing mommy things. I love music, but my kid needs me, too, and Kirk shouldn’t be raising her alone, even if we’re not together anymore.”
I sighed, nodding. They were right. I hated it, but we were all tired.
“I have to get going,” Jade said, standing up and pulling me into a hug. “I’m taking the red-eye home so I can be there to surprise Alyssa when she wakes up in the morning. I’ll call you in a couple of days and we’ll regroup, okay?” She turned to the guys and smiled. “I love you guys, even if you’re pains in my ass.” She hugged them both, grabbed the backpack she always traveled with, and got off the bus.
“Tabby’s waiting to take me home,” BJ said, getting to his feet. He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Love you, Casey. Don’t be mad.” He high-fived Nick and went in the direction Jade had gone.
“Are you going home?” Nick asked, his blue eyes finding mine in the semidarkness.
“Where else would I go?” I asked, frowning at him. “Tour is over, and we live here.”
“You could come home with me if—”
“Come on, don’t.” I shook my head at him. “It’s not like we’re a couple. And, frankly, I need a break.”
“From me?” Nick actually looked hurt, and I managed to stop myself from rolling my eyes.
“From you, from music, from everything. As much as I love being on the road, now that we’re home, I need some normal too. I want to hang out with my parents and see some friends. Hibernate for a while.”
“You can’t stand hibernating,” Nick said, eyeing me suspiciously. “That’s your least favorite thing. If you’re not in the spotlight, on the go, guitar in hand, you’re miserable.”
“Maybe you don’t know everything about me,” I shot back, annoyed that he knew me so well.
“But maybe I do.” He reached out and tugged a lock of my hair. “Come on, don’t be mad. Wanna share a cab?”
I gathered a few of my things and threw my bag over my shoulder. “After your little bombshell, I honestly need some time to myself.” I leaned up and pressed my lips to his cheek. “I’ll call you in a couple of days.”
“You’re pretty mad, huh?”
“I’m not mad, Nick.” I paused and turned to look over my shoulder at him. “I’m lost.”
If you enjoyed this excerpt from NOWHERE LEFT TO FALL, check out the rest of the Royal Trilogy and grab your copy today!
www.KatMizera.com/books