Page 113 of Best Man
“So much fun,” she said.
“And how was myotherbaby’s day?” he asked, lowering himself to his knees. He held his hands and ear to Paulina’s belly and listened. “Hm. She won’t say. She must be sleeping.”
Paulina had noticed how often Sasha absent-mindedly called the baby ashe,when they still didn’t know the sex of the baby. It never failed to bring a smile to her face, because in the early days of her pregnancy, she had lingering worries that he might secretly prefer a son. Sure, he said he’d welcome a daughter and she believed him … but nothing reassured as much as when he let his guard down and talked about the baby as ashe.
Sasha winced as he rose to his feet. He’d been nursing several minor but nagging injuries for weeks now. Paulina was surprised to learn that hockey players were injured more often than not. Chronic injuries were just a fact of life for athletes, but fans only heard about the serious ones that kept players out of the lineup.
“Are you going to sit in thebanya?” she asked, since that was Sasha’s usual post-game routine.
He shook his head. “Tomorrow, not tonight. I just want to be with you.”
She smiled happily. She loved falling asleep next to him, especially after a long road trip, when she needed to feel his body next to hers more than anything.
“Then let’s go to bed, Mr. MVP,” she said, swatting his ass.
He chuckled. “Mr. MVP? What’s this about?”
“Well, everyone on TV was saying that you’re a lock to win theMVP trophy this year!”
He laughed again and modestly waved his hand, as if he didn’t deserve the compliment, much less want it.
“That’s not the trophy I want to win,” he said at last.
She knew what he meant. A hockey player to the bone, Sasha didn’t care much for individual accolades. He wanted the trophy that mattered—the Stanley Cup. The Devils would get their shot at the Cup in the playoffs, set to begin later this week, and running all the way up until her due date.
She was rooting for Sasha and the rest of the Devils to win it all, of course. It’d be a dream come true for those boys, and the perfect storybook ending to the team’s first place finish. But with all that said,ifthe team was eliminatedin an earlier round? Well, it’d suck, but at least there would be a silver lining: she wouldn’t have to worry about the baby coming while Sasha was on the road.
They flicked off the lights and started to make their way to their bedroom upstairs. Halfway there, though, Sasha halted in his tracks. “Oh, wait. I forgot something in the car. I’ll be right back.”
She waited for Sasha while he ran out to the garage. He returned a second later with a bouquet of roses in his arms and a grin on his face.
“What are these for?!” she squealed.
“Because I love you,” he said innocently. But she could tell by the tone of his voice there was more to the story. “And also because things are about to get tough.”
“Tough? Why?”
“This is the final stretch, Paulina,” he said. “The playoffs are a very intense time.”
She nodded. “The girls were telling me how tense the next few weeks are going to be.”
“Months, if we go deep. And I really believe this might be our year, Paulina. So, between the baby and hockey, the next two months might get a little stressful.” He stroked her hair. “No matter how crazy things get, I just want you to know that I love you, okay?”
“Why are you so sweet to me?” she asked, burying her nose in the silky rose petals.
“Because you’re mine,” he said, and he scooped her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way to their bedroom.
34
Paulina
Remember when it felt like the pregnancy wasflying by, and the baby just couldn’t wait to be born?
Yeah, well, I take it all back,Paulina thought.
That was two months ago, which now felt like a lifetime ago. Two months ago, she wasn’t nearly as insufferably pregnant. Two months ago, she hadn’t experienced the ups and downs of playoff hockey, which was the kind of emotional roller coaster that a pregnant woman simplydid notneed. Those past two months were the longest of her life.
But win or lose, it all ended tonight.
