Page 15 of Saving Forever
“Okay.” I can tell she’s still conflicted but at least I’ve let her know that she isn’t alone.
For now, that has to be enough.
I tossed and turned all night despite how much we drank, so I’m tired today. I’m not a big drinker during hockey season, so it’s out of character for me, but it definitely helped us relax. We talked and laughed a little, managed to get a bit more comfortable together.
That’s the part of this that’s going to be tricky—getting other people to believe we’re in love. Holding hands is easy, and we’re going to do a lot of that in the next few days, but what about everything else? People in love, especially newlyweds, should spend time gazing into each other’s eyes. Touching. Exchanging looks filled with longing, promise, whatever the hell else people in love do.
And I don’t know how to do it with Holly.
I’m not a great actor, I don’t think, so this is going to take a lot of focus and concentration. The problem is that we’re going into the final round of the playoffs before the championship, so I have to put all my focus and concentration on that. The timing couldn’t have been worse, but my mother picked out a bride for me and that’s not happening. Not again.
It wasn’t just manipulative; it wound up being embarrassing.
My fiancée literally just didn’t show up and then had her brother deliver the news she wasn’t coming. Turns out, she met someone else and married him six weeks later. Someone who wouldn’t ask her to move to the US to support his hockey career. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the first and last time I allow my family to manipulate me.
They’re so desperate for me to marry a “nice Russian girl,” they don’t even care about how I feel. If we’re compatible. If there are genuine feelings involved. No, all they care about is that I have a wife who’s going to be pushing for me to move back to Russia after my hockey career is over. The thing is—that’s always been the plan. I don’t know why they think anything would change that. I struggle living and working in the US. The language is hard, the lifestyle is different, and the customs are sometimes difficult to navigate.
I love going home in the off-season, where everything is familiar and I’m so much more relaxed.
I love hockey more, though. I can’t imagine doing anything else and I don’t plan to retire for a long time. As far as my personal life is concerned, the trick is going to be finding a woman who’s willing to live in America while I’m playing but then move to Russian when I retire.
Maybe that’s not realistic.
But now I’ve bought myself time. At least a year, where my parents will get off my back and… well, that’s the other problem. What happens in a year? I’ll be right back to square one. I’ve never mentioned that to Holly, but in the back of my mind, I wonder if I can convince her to stay with me for an extra year. For another million. I haven’t brought it up yet, though.
She seems to be struggling enough as it is.
I’ve been fine with the situation so far, even though it’s barely been two days. Maybe because I’m settling into my role as both husband and protector somewhat easily. Maybe I’m some kind of misogynist, but I don’t think so. That’s not what this is. She’s vulnerable and I’m in a position to help. And I was dead serious when I told her my mother would make her earn every dime of the money I gave her.
I try to doze, but sleep doesn’t come and I stare at the plane’s small video screen that’s in front of me without really seeing it.
“You can’t sleep either?” Holly’s voice is soft.
I shake my head. “No.”
“I’m sorry.” She pauses. “Viktor?”
“Yes?”
“Do you really think we can pull this off?”
I hesitate because I think I know what she means but I’m not positive. “Please explain,” I say quietly.
She turns to me, eyes shrouded with obvious worry. “Do you think we can make people believe that we’re in love? Not just in love but that we’re so crazy in love that we ran off and eloped in the middle of the playoffs?”
How the hell do I answer that?
Because I have no idea if we can or not.
“I do not know,” I admit carefully. “But we cannot change what we have done.”
“I know.”
I reach for her hand, and her fingers thread with mine. We’ve held hands most of today, and it’s starting to feel natural. The next thing we have to practice is kissing. Not the passionate, sexual kind, but the sweet, loving kind. Kisses to her forehead when we’re in the family lounge after a game. Affectionate kisses on the lips after a win. The kinds of things newlyweds do.
Somehow, we have to figure all that out while dealing with her father, my mother, and a group of well-meaning but intrusive friends. I glance over at Kelly, and she’s lost in the book in her lap. I really don’t want to be at odds with her, but she just needs to lighten up.
“I got an email from the realtor,” Holly says, pulling me away from my thoughts. “She says the inspection is happening now, and we should have his report in a couple of days. Assuming everything is okay, we’re good to close next week.”
