Page 112 of Best Man
The real estate agent, saving her best trick for last, took the couple down to the basement. One of the rooms in the basement had an indoor hockey rink, complete with nets, boards, and synthetic ice that you could actually skate on.
At this point, the house seemed almost too good to be true—a saunaandan indoor hockey rink? Who the heck puts a hockey rink in their house, anyway? But as the agent told them the history of the house, everything started to make more sense: the house was originally built by a former Devil, who was part of the team that lost in the Stanley Cup Final several years ago. That was years before Sasha had joined the team, and ancient history by now. Anyway, he sold the house the next year when he left the team in free agency. This player happened to be from Finland, andalsoa big fan of saunas, hence the backyard sauna.
The real estate agent, having worked her magic, stepped away to let the couple talk things over. Paulina was still in denial, but the agent’s smug little smile said it all—she knew there was no chance they could walk away from this house.
“What do you think?” Sasha whispered.
“It’s beautiful, of course,” she said. “But it’s alot,Sasha.It’s double our budget.”
“I know,” he said with a puppy dog pout. “But I can easily afford it, Paulina. And it haseverythingwe want.”
“It really does,” she reluctantly admitted.
“Imagine all the pool parties we can throw in the summer,” he said, working her over. “We can invite everyone over—all the guys and all the girls. Everyone would have so much fun.”
She sighed forlornly. “God, I know.”
“And thatbanyawould be perfect for me,” he said. “After every game, I would go in there to soothe my aches and pains. You know thebanyawould keep me healthy, right?” A devilish glint settled in his eye. “Really, it’s an investment. I mean, youdowant me to have a long and healthy career, don’t you? So I can make us even more money?”
She snickered. “Of course I want you to stay healthy. You know that.”
“And what about that big garden? Man, that’s nice, isn’t it?” he said, nudging her side. “Just think. You can teach our child to garden and grow food. Just like your parents taught you. She can bond with her grandparents over gardening, too.”
Paulina whimpered—why did he have to make it sound so perfect?! Sure, if price were no object and she could draw up her dream house, it’d beexactlythis. Butgah,that price tag!
“And here. Look.” Pulling her closer, Sasha waved his hand over the indoor rink as it to create a scene in her mind. “Here is where I can teach our kids to play hockey. They can spend all day shooting pucks, just like I did when I was little.”
Kids?Plural? They hadn’t discussed having more just yet—it seemed premature when the first one wasn’t even out yet—but that little slip told her so much about their future together.
She looked up at him, a smile pulling at her lips. “Itisthe perfect house, isn’t it?”
“It truly is.”
“Okay,” she said at last, fully convinced. “Then I think we should put in an offer.”
His eyes lit up. “Da?! Really?”
“Really!”
“I love you, Paulina.” He hugged her, gave her a quick kiss on the lips, and shouted for the real estate agent. “Miss? We are ready! We want to make an offer!”
***
Paulina woke with a sharp inhale. She’d fallen asleep on the couch after all, but the telltale growl of Sasha’s sporty Porsche in the distance woke her right up. The droning grew louder as the car neared, and the garage door began to open with a mechanical groan.
Still sleepy, she carefully rose to her feet. “Guess whose home?” she said aloud, cradling her belly. At seven months pregnant, she could no longer hide the baby bump. “It’s Daddy.”
Sasha, the star of the game, stepped in wearing a smile that looked every bit as handsome as his expensive windowpane suit. He dropped his bag so he could squeeze her tight. “Hi, baby.”
“Welcome home!” she sang. “You played great tonight, Sasha!”
In the last game of the regular season, he scored a pair of goals and chipped in an assist to lock up the league’s scoring race. After the best season of his career—he’d scored over sixty goals—all the hockey pundits in the media agreed thatSasha wasthe league’s MVP.
“Thank you,” he said, and he pressed his mouth to hers. “How was your day?”
“My day was good,” she said. “I had a doctor’s appointment, did a little grocery shopping, and I watched the game with Piper and the girls.”
“Did you girls have fun?”
