“But first things first, we need to get Nadiya to stay in the country after her school visa is finished.” Jessie sets her eyes on me as if I have some sort of control over it.
Maksim tenses at my side. I place my hand on his thigh because I’m sure she’s been a part of his life for so many years now, it would be hard for him if she had to return to Russia.
“What can you do?” I ask with concern.
“Marry Maksim.” Nadiya laughs.
So does Jessie. I giggle but notice that Maksim doesn’t. For the umpteenth time with him, I feel as if I’m missing something.
Nadiya throws her napkin at Maksim. “Stop being like that. It would never come to that.”
I turn to look at him. “What are they talking about?”
“This is when I’m happy I’m a lesbian. Girls can’t keep secrets.” Jessie stands. “I’m going to get the cheesecake.” She heads inside, but Nadiya stays outside with us.
“Maksim?” I raise my eyebrows.
Nadiya grabs my hand to divert my attention away from Maksim. “Our mamas have this crazy idea that Maksim should marry me so I can stay in the country, but don’t worry. That’s not going to happen.” She laughs as though it’s funny.
“Oh.”
“No. No. No. Don’t you go thinking either one of us would entertain such a crazy idea. Our mamas just want to keep us both here and they’ll do anything to make it happen. Who knows, maybe I’ll marry Jessie.” She smiles, and I can see in her eyes that she’s hopeful that might come to pass.
“They don’t even know you’re a lesbian, Nadiya. You’d have to tell them that first.” Maksim sips his beer, looking disinterested in the conversation.
“Didn’t you think you could tell me?” I ask him.
“I better go help with the cheesecake before Jessie eats it all. She has a huge sweet tooth.” Nadiya leaves us.
I stand without a word and walk toward the beach, unsure how to take this news. Standing on the edge, I slip off my shoes and let my feet sink into the sand. Maksim joins me moments later with a new beer and a fresh margarita for me.
“Why do you keep things from me?” I walk down the beach, and he joins me.
He says nothing for a moment. “If it makes you feel better, I’ve told you more than I’ve ever told anyone.”
I stop walking and he turns to face me.
“That information is something I should’ve known.”
“Why? I’m handling it.”
“But I’m your girlfriend. You’re supposed to share things with me.”
“My mama’s crazy plan for me to marry someone she doesn’t even know is a lesbian?”
“You hid her from me to begin with, then you allowed me to think she was straight.”
“So?” He sips his beer.
“It’s deceitful, and I think you were testing me. Would you like it if I tested you?”
He places his beer down on the sand and grabs my glass, setting it next to his. “I didn’t mean to test you. I just forgot about Nadiya in the first place, and I do think it shouldn’t matter whether she’s straight or not. I want you to trust me. I know it’s a big thing for you after what your dad did. If I told you she was a lesbian right away, you never would’ve had to deal with your jealousy. And I need to know that you can, because it’s been an issue with women I’ve seen before. I’d rather know early on rather than down a long stretch of road. But after Nashville, I get it. I can be jealous too, and I hate that fucking feeling. And it scares me because it means I’m not just falling for you, kotik, I’ve already fallen.”
Jesus, this guy. He’s got an answer for everything, and he always wins me over.
Warmth fills my chest. “I’ve fallen too. But, Maksim, I want you to go to therapy so we can be out in the open.”
He nods. “Okay.”
I’m not sure if he agreed just to end this tiff we’re in and have a pleasurable night, or if he really is going to stop fighting me on it.
Either way, he takes me in his arms and walks us into the ocean, through the waves that retreat back into the deep dark sea. All I can think is that I wish they could take all our problems with them.
Malcolm has become a great skater. I’ve been able to teach him how to do a slap shot while he’s standing in front of the net, but he still struggles with stick handling when he’s on the move. But our first game isn’t for a few weeks.
“I don’t understand why I have to be the goalie.” Dru skates out wearing all the pads. “How do I even stop a little black puck I can’t see?”
Roadie calls the kid over. Since we have a long way to go, I recruited a few teammates to help out. Tweetie’s got Marin. Aiden’s got Lark. I’m handling Malcolm. Poor Paisley has everyone else who’s taking a bit longer to get the feel of the skates.
During our break, I skate over to Aiden. I’m sure Paisley and I are just going through normal relationship problems, but I want his advice because I don’t enjoy these little tiffs we keep finding ourselves in. Except for the makeup sex.
“You available for a drink after?” I ask.
“Sure. Why?”
“We’ll talk about it then.”
I steal the puck away from him because I don’t want him to corner me here with Paisley’s eyes on us. He skates after me, and before I know it, all the Fury members are having a little game of pick up. Roadie gets in front of the goal when Tweetie skates near it and almost scores.
I forgot how fun hockey is when you’re not playing for a living. Not that I don’t love it, I do, but not having the pressures of ownership, coaches, and fans is a nice change too.
The kids get a kick out of watching us. Each one cheers on the player who’s been helping them the most, which only gets our blood pumping.
“Look at the way they skate backward like it’s nothing,” Malcolm says.
“And the fact you can barely see where the puck is,” Lark comments back.
I can’t speak for the other guys, but the kids going on about our skills only drives me harder to score, to be the one they all love. None of us have pads on though, so we’re going easy on one another. When we finish, the kids join us, asking a million questions, and I’m out of breath and head to the bench.
Paisley hands me a water. “Impressive. I like seeing you having fun out there.”
I look at her. Her dark hair is pulled back in an unruly bun, and her wide smile deepens her dimples. I don’t think she meant anything by her comment.
“What do I look like when I’m playing?”
She stares at me, and I already know I won’t like the answer. “Normally?”
“Yeah.” I nod.
“Angry. Pissed off. You have to be because you’re playing a role out there, right?”
Suddenly something clicks. Gerhardt wanting me to loosen up. The fans thinking I’m scary. The opposing team’s fans hating me. But I enjoy going out every game, don’t I? Blyat. Maybe I don’t—I sure as hell don’t feel happy like this after a Fury game.
After the kids are driving away on the bus, Aiden and I head to Carmelo’s.