Page 116 of Best Man
Paulina?
She wasn’t alone. He saw Molly and Piper with her, too, all in their bejeweled denim jackets, hastily escorting Paulina through the arena hallway with a purpose.
He broke the circle, letting the soccer ball hit the floor with a thud. His teammates jeered but Niko had more important things to worry about. He shot off, sprinting to catch up with the girls, who were waiting by the elevator.
“Hey!” he shouted. “Paulina! What’s going on?” He caught up with them in a hurry, and not a second too late, as the elevator doors slid open. “Paulina, babe, what’s happening?”
“Um … hi Sasha …” she stammered, gnashing her teeth. The other girls wore similar expressions, like they were hiding something.
Piper butted in to help. “Everything’s under control, okay, Niko? We’ll call you if that changes. Right now, you just focus on your game.”
He gasped. “What?!” He knew she was trying to calm him, but she’d only confirmed that somethingwashappening.
Molly held the elevator doors open, and the alarm bell began to ring. “Guys, we gotta go,” she said.
“No, wait. You have to tell me. I’m freaking out. Feel.” He grabbed Paulina’s hand and put it on his heart so she could feel it racing. “See?”
Paulina’s brow grew heavy with sympathy. “Please don’t panic, honey. Everything’s okay. I don’t want to be a distraction to you.”
“You’re not a distraction! You’re the love of my life. I care more about you than a hockey game, understand?” He knew the media would skewer him if some reporter happened to overhear him utter those heretical words, especially if they lost, but he didn’t care. It was the truth. “Please, you must tell me what’s happening.”
She sighed. “Earlier, you said you didn’t want to know unless it’s an emergency, remember? Well, this isn’t an emergency.”
“That was then, but this is now. Ineedto know, Paulina. There’s no way I can play like this! I’ll be wondering what’s happening to you all night long. Please!”
“Okay, okay,” she relented. “I’ll tell you. It’s not a big deal, so don’t freak out,” she said, lowering her voice, “but my water broke just now.”
His heart began to pound with a terrifying mix of excitement and dread. “Is—is it coming?” he croaked, his throat chalky.
Her answer was anything but certain. “Well, um, probably not yet.”
“Probably…?” he asked.
“We don’t know yet, Sasha,” she said.
The elevator alarm continued to ring.
“It’ll probably still be a while,” Molly chimed in. “Right now, what’s important is that we get her to the hospital ASAP. Get in here, Paulie.”
Molly pulled Paulina into the elevator, but Niko blocked the doors before they could close.
“If you go into labor, tell me,” he said. “I want to know.”
“Are yousure?” she asked, doubt in her eyes. “Would you really want to know? It’s Game 7, Sasha—”
“Forget Game 7! This is my baby! I want to know if it’s on the way!”
“Okay then,” she said uncertainly. “Seriously, though, don’t worry about me. Just play your game, alright?”
“Yeah. Sure,” he said, knowing that was already impossible.
“Good luck out there. I know you can do it.”
They shared a quick kiss, and Niko retreated, his eyes never straying from Paulina until the elevator doors obscured her from view. He turned and walked back to the boys, staring at his feet.
The boys hadn’t noticed a thing—they were caught up in their sewerball game, kicking the ball back and forth. Once the ball hit the floor, they turned to him.
“Niko, what’s the matter, bud?” Jax asked.
