Fighting for the Edge (17 page)

“We had a quick one,” I said, which was partially true. I’d felt lightheaded walking back to the T, so Sergei had insisted I get a sandwich to eat on the ride home.

“Sergei, I heard from my friend Christy earlier,” Mom said. “Her husband is on the board at SCOB, and she said you’ve been invited to coach there permanently?”

Was there nothing my mother didn’t know? It was a miracle she hadn’t figured out I was pregnant yet.

“I’ve been asked, yes, but Em and I haven’t had time to fully discuss it yet.”

“Well, I think it would be a great opportunity. There are so many more kids to teach here, the airport is closer for all the traveling you do… of course, you’d be closer to family, too–”

“There are a lot of things to consider,” Sergei interrupted. “Which Em and I will do. Just the two of us.”

Mom ignored his chilly tone and peered at me. “Sweetie, your eyes are red.”

I turned and started up the stairs. “The cold probably irritated my contacts. Have a good night.”

Sergei trailed close behind as I went to our room. He took off his leather jacket and helped me out of my coat, and I spun to face him with my hand pressed to my forehead.

“I’m going to have to tell her soon that I’m pregnant because she
will
find out. When I was a kid, she could take one look at me and know I wasn’t feeling well.”

“I can predict exactly how that conversation will go.” Sergei paced along the carpet. “She’s going to bring up Elena and ask me how I could let this happen again. And she’s right.”

I stepped in front of him. “Don’t say that. We’re both responsible.”

“But I should’ve protected you. I shouldn’t have–”

“Stop.” I placed my hands on his face. “Stop putting this all on yourself.”

He brought me into his arms and held me tightly like he’d done in the Garden. “Whatever you need, I’m going to be here for you, every moment of every day. I will do whatever I have to do to protect you and the baby.”

He couldn’t protect me when I was on the ice, though. Only I could do that. And Chris.

My heart sank. Chris didn’t deserve to be dragged down by my problems again. He’d supported me through the fiasco surrounding our first Olympics and the chaos when Elena and Liza had come into my life, but this could be the biggest complication of all.

Was I wrong to be thinking about skating? Even if I was super careful, I’d still be taking a risk every time I put on my skates. But how could I give up on my dream and let Chris down when we were so close? Of course, none of that would matter if the doctor told me to quit immediately.

We both piddled around the room in a haze for a while, and I eventually found my way to the window seat, not to read but to look out at the clear, cold night. The clouds that had draped the sky earlier had drifted away, leaving the crescent moon in full view.

Sergei came over and rubbed my knee. “Can I sit with you?”

I scooted forward so he could sit behind me. He nestled me against his chest, and I leaned my head back on his shoulder.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

What
wasn’t
I thinking?

“There’s just so much to do, so much I thought we’d have time to prepare for. We don’t have our own house yet… I guess now we’re not even sure what city we’re going to live in…”

“We’ll take it one step at a time.” He kissed my temple. “We don’t have to rush.”

I returned to staring out the window as Sergei lightly stroked my arm. His hand moved down to my stomach, and his lips brushed over my hair.

“Em, do you realize what we did? How improbable it was?”

I looked up at him, and his eyes glistened. He wrapped his arms tighter around me. “We made a baby.”

The love in his voice sent my emotions reeling. Sergei was already excited about the baby. I could hear it. I wanted to share in his joy, but it still didn’t seem real to me. The only thing that felt real was the devastating fear that I’d lost my chance at my Olympic dream.

****

Aubrey flipped through the fashion magazine in her lap, not really seeing the pictures on the pages. Her mind was still at Em’s house. She couldn’t imagine how Em felt, knowing everything she’d worked for could be in jeopardy. Not to mention the fact that she was having a baby, something she knew Em wasn’t ready for just yet.

The front door of the apartment opened, and Chris fumbled with multiple plastic bags as he pulled the key from the lock and kicked the door shut.

“You went grocery shopping?” Aubrey left the magazine on the couch and took two of the bags from Chris. “I would’ve gone with you to help.”

“I was at Starbucks, so I figured I’d stop next door at DeLuca’s and pick up a few things.”

They carried the groceries into the galley kitchen, and Aubrey started pulling out items and setting them on the laminate countertop.

“You got my favorite chocolate milk.” She smiled.

Chris took a green box out of his bag. “And the veggie burgers you like.”

She smiled wider and continued unpacking until they’d put everything neatly away. She’d thought keeping the apartment tidy would be a chore living with a guy, but since the day they’d moved in, Chris had gone out of his way to keep the place clean. Having seen the mess that was his apartment on the Cape, it made his efforts all the more impressive.

Chris pushed up the sleeves of his sweatshirt and leaned against the counter. “So, tonight. You ready to be wowed by my unromantic plans?”

After the emotional afternoon, Aubrey had thought about postponing their “date,” but going out would be a good distraction. She couldn’t tell Chris about Em’s pregnancy because that was a conversation the two of them needed to have. Hopefully once Em got the good news from her doctor that she could continue to skate.

“What should I wear on this outing? My rattiest clothes?” She laughed. “I have some old sweats that would be perfect.”

“It doesn’t matter what you wear because you look amazing in anything.” His eyes flashed over her. “But something nice and casual will work.”

Aubrey took his suggestion and dressed in her favorite boot-cut jeans and a purple loose-fitting blouse that fell slightly off one shoulder. Adding the necklace from Aunt Debbie and a pair of big silver hoop earrings, and her nice casual outfit was complete.

Chris awaited her downstairs, all cleaned up in a bright red polo and jeans. She pumped him for information on his plans, but he remained mum. Once they donned jackets and gloves, Chris led her to the Arlington T stop, still with no hint of their ultimate destination, no matter how many questions she asked.

They rode the T through just a couple of stations before Chris motioned that they’d reached their stop. Aubrey knew the Haymarket station well because it was the one she and Em traveled to whenever they visited the North End, Boston’s “Little Italy” and where Em’s mom had grown up. Em loved the neighborhood, so she’d taken Aubrey there many times to enjoy the fantastic restaurants.

“Ooh, are we getting Italian food?” she asked.

“We shall see,” Chris said dramatically, letting her step ahead of him on the escalator.

They passed a number of restaurants as they walked along the narrow streets, and every so often Chris would stop and look as if he was about to open the door to one of them, only to fake her out and turn around. When they paused in front of Regina Pizzeria, she said, “This better be the place because I’m about to gnaw my arm off.”

“Lucky for your limbs, we’ve arrived.” Chris smiled and opened the door. “After you.”

The delectable aroma of baking pizza crust greeted them upon entering. They peeled off their coats and slid into a booth on the back wall of the cramped restaurant.

“See, it doesn’t get any more unromantic than this,” Chris said. “Tables crammed together, pizza boxes stacked up all over the place, paper napkins. No candlelight or fancy food in sight.”

Aubrey laughed. “It’s a great choice. I’ve been here with Em a few times.”

Examination of the menu spurred a heated discussion over which toppings they should get on their pizza. Red peppers or jalapeno peppers? Cherry tomatoes or chopped tomatoes? Aubrey was adamant that onions not be anywhere on the pie while Chris tried to explain the benefit of their flavor. In the end Aubrey got her way, and she bit into her steaming slice with a hum of satisfaction.

“I swear,” she said between bites. “The thing I’m most looking forward to after skating is being able to eat however much I want, whenever I want. I’ll run five miles a day to stay in shape if I need to, but I will have that third slice of pizza or that monster dessert anytime I like.”

“It’s starting to sink in lately that the end is really near.” Chris wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I mean, we’ll have the tour this summer, but we only have two competitions left. It’s just weird to think I’ll be spending my days somewhere other than the rink soon.”

“What are you most looking forward to after you’re done?”

Chris took a drink from his large cup of water. “Being out of the cold. Before I start school, I almost want to get a job in construction or something so I can be outside most of the time.”

A shirtless Chris pounding nails under the burning sun? Now there was a delicious image.

“You’d look pretty hot in a tool belt, swinging a hammer.” Flirting was allowed on non-romantic dates, right?

Chris’s smile gleamed. “You know, there’s a tool kit under the kitchen sink at home. I could break something that would require a hammer to fix.”

She laughed and sipped her water. “I like that idea.”

“I think you’re gonna like the next part of our evening then. I won’t be swinging a hammer, but I will be swinging something.”

“Are there indoor batting cages around here?”

“No, but you’re thinking along the right track.”

Aubrey squinted while in deep thought. “You have a piñata set up for us somewhere?”

Chris laughed. “Getting colder.”

“You love giving people surprises, don’t you?”

“I’m a big kid, I know.”

She smiled and spun her straw around in her glass. “No, it’s sweet.”

Chris’s leg bumped hers under the table, and they didn’t move from each other for the rest of dinner. It was such a small gesture of affection, but it made her gooey inside. She would’ve been happy sitting there with Chris all night, talking and trying to one up him with her most embarrassing skating stories. Their laughter continued well after they left the restaurant.

“See if you can top this one,” Chris said as they boarded the Green Line train. “When I was eleven, my partner and I were performing in our rink’s spring show, and she accidentally kneed me in the groin. I stopped in the middle of the program, dropped to the ice, and started crying. All while holding the family jewels, so everyone could tell exactly what happened.”

Aubrey’s laughter filled the near-empty car. “Okay, you win,” she gasped.

When the train rumbled into Kenmore Station a few minutes later, Chris jumped up. “This is us.”

Fenway Park loomed ahead as they walked south from the station. Chris seemed to be leading her straight there.

“Did you rent out the ballpark so we could take batting practice?” Aubrey asked. “That would be incredibly epic.”

“Yes, it would. But reserving the entire ballpark just for the two of us could also be construed as a romantic overture, so I’m afraid that’s not in the cards for us.”

They continued along under the shadow of the Green Monster, and Chris pointed to the big brick building on the corner. “Have you been there before?”

She had been to the multi-level bar before, specifically to the bowling alley on the third floor.

“Aha! We’re gonna swing bowling balls,” she said.

“Close, but not quite.”

They went inside and up to the second floor, and Chris bought them each a beer, again telling Aubrey to put away her wallet. They’d had the same discussion over the dinner bill. Chris had said since the evening was his idea, he wanted to take care of it.

Besides the bar, the sprawling second floor included a number of pool tables, video games, and ping-pong tables. Comfy-looking couches were situated in a separate area, and large TVs hung throughout the space. A small crowd had gathered to watch one of college football’s bowl games.

“I know we’re not playing pool because that would be a total cliché date move,” Aubrey said.

“That’s correct. The only reason guys wanna play pool with girls is to see you leaning over the table, looking sexy. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy that… immensely.”

His dimples deepened, and Aubrey wanted nothing more than to touch her lips to each one of them. From the glow in his eyes as he smiled at her, she didn’t think he’d mind in the least.

“So…” Chris said. “How good are you at ping-pong?”

Aubrey put her coat and purse on a chair and spread her hands on the game table. “The question is not how good but how
great
am I at ping-pong. My brother and I had one of these in our garage growing up.”

Chris whistled low. “That’s some big talk. You prepared to back that up?”

“Bring it on.”

They set up to play, but Aubrey halted right before she was about to serve. “I have to get my hair out of the way.”

“Look out, she’s getting serious.” Chris held up both hands.

She couldn’t find a rubber band in her purse, but she had a pen, which she slid through the bun she’d twisted.

“Did you just pin your hair up with an ink pen?” Chris asked. “You’re like MacGyver.”

She laughed and picked up her paddle. “Now I’m ready. Oh, you’re not one of those guys that throws a game just to score points with a girl, are you?”

“No way. I will show you no mercy.” Chris bounced back and forth on his side of the table like a boxer in the ring. “But if I happen to get distracted by your pretty smile, I’ll just imagine my paddle is Damien Wakefield’s face.”

Aubrey’s smile disappeared. If Chris knew she’d slept with Damien, he would be so disgusted. She felt sick enough herself every time she thought about it.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to bring up that jerk,” Chris said. “I’m sure you don’t want to think about what he did to you.”