Page 17 of Saving Forever
She nods. “Yeah, tell me what you and Viktor want and he’ll place the order.”
“He wants kung pao chicken and I want shrimp fried rice.”
“Okay.” She types into her phone and then goes back to the pantry.
“Whatcha doin’?”
“Making a grocery list. There’s not a lot in the house, and I want to make sure I make the right food for the guys over the next few days.”
“I don’t even know what he eats,” I admit quietly.
She smiles. “It’s okay. I didn’t know when West and I first met either. You’ll learn. They try to eat really clean during hockey season. Low-carb, lean protein, lots of veggies and fish. It’s kind of boring, but I’m doing my best to create healthy but tasty meals.” Serena is a chef as well as an actress, and I always look forward to meals she prepares.
I lean against the counter as she makes notes on her phone.
“So, uh, how’s married life?” I ask. She and West just got married three weeks ago, so technically we’re both newlyweds.
She grins and wiggles her eyebrows. “Everything it’s supposed to be.”
I laugh. “That’s good to hear.”
“He’s pretty awesome.” She pauses and looks at me. “And honestly, you have a great guy too.”
“I don’t have him,” I say softly. “This is a business arrangement.”
She smiles. “Okay.”
“Okay, what?” I demand. “That’s all this is.”
“Uh huh. The way he was holding you during the turbulence? That’s more than a business arrangement.”
“I was scared!” I protest, even though I had the strangest feeling that he enjoyed holding me. I enjoyed it too. I’m just not willing to make myself that vulnerable.
“Okay.” She shrugs and goes back to her list. Then, without looking up, says, “but there’s no reason you can’t make it real.”
“We literally signed a contract.”
“You signed a contract regarding money. How much you get while he protects his assets. Nothing in there says you can’t fall in love.”
I laugh but it’s not funny. “You’re just so happy and in love, you think we all should be. Life, and certainly love, don’t work that way.”
She shrugs. “I swore I’d never date another hockey player and look at me now.” Joey’s biological father is another pro hockey player who abandoned her when she told him she was pregnant.
“Look, after the mess I’ve made of my life, all I want now is to make sure I save my grandmother’s farm and the sanctuary.”
“I know. And you are. Meanwhile, you’re married to this hot, rich, good-looking guy who needs a wife. Why not be his wife, in every way that matters? And maybe find something worthwhile?”
I frown because it never occurred to me that there was even a chance that Viktor and I would be anything more than…married business partners. He’s a handsome professional athlete—he must have women in every city he plays in waiting to warm his bed. Why on earth would he give up that life for me? His mother’s machinations notwithstanding.
I warned him he has to be careful because I know my father will make a nuisance of himself, but unless I’m willing to fill that void, what options do we have? I can’t imagine he’ll go a full year without sex. And though I’m not opposed to the idea in general, I know myself. Being that intimate with him will make me vulnerable, and I’m already too vulnerable. Falling in love with a guy who’s going to walk away at the end of twelve months, well, that’s just not a risk I’m willing to take.
“He seems like a good guy,” I admit. “But I don’t think I’m ready to trust anyone with my heart. Not after what Nathan did.”
“I said the same thing after Joey was born. And I was wrong.”
“Look, it’s been a day. And we have two big storms to weather, between my father and his mother. Maybe once we get past that, and hockey season is over, we can take the summer to really get to know each other. Until then, I have to keep my head down and focus on what’s important.”
She arches her brows. “Which is?”
