Goalie Interference (NHL Scorpions) (21 page)

She could always make him feel so small. Rolling his eyes at himself more than her, he said, “Yes, I’m done.”

“Good. Now, let’s see if we can think this through. Your daughter lost her mother and came to live with a father she never knew existed. It’s her first holiday alone. She’s only been here for one day and one night. Let me say that again.
One
day and
one
night. And in that short amount of time, she has actually turned to you twice.”

“Yeah, I know you’re right. But why the hell won’t she answer me when I ask her a question? I’ll bet she’ll talk to Zoe. Seems she’ll always talk to Zoe.” Apparently he was mad at Zoe now?

Emma gave him an indulgent smile. “Vlad, she’s a little girl. She lost her
mother.
I think it’s very natural that she would gravitate toward Zoe. Good thing she’s your girlfriend, isn’t it?”

“That’s another thing. She’s not just my girlfriend. She asked me to marry her. We were going to tell you all at brunch this morning.”

“
She
asked
you?
Oh, Vlad, that’s wonderful!” She leaned over and hugged him. “We love her. She’s perfect for you, you know.” He could tell his mother was a bit confused though. “If you’re so in love with this woman, why are you mad that Crystal likes her? I’m not understanding this, Vladimir.”

“Because. She’s
my
daughter, not Zoe’s. Her mother already kept her away from me. I’m not going to let Zoe swoop in and be the parent. I’ve lost enough time with her!” Jesus, he sounded like an idiot. He knew he did.

“You need to talk to Zoe. It seemed to me that you were more than happy to have her help earlier, but now you don’t want it. You can’t be mad at her for doing what you asked. We all saw the helpless way you looked at her when Crystal first showed up.”

“Hell, I know that, Mom.” He shrugged his shoulders as he walked over and gripped the railing, staring out into the night. “I guess I’m jealous. It’s like there’s a girls’ club and boys aren’t allowed. I want her to come to
me
. I want her to want
to be in
my
club.”

Emma put her arm around her son and stood at the railing with him. “She will, sweetie, but you have to give her time. And you need to dig deep and be more patient with her. You’re an adult. We can process things quicker than children. It’s only been a day, Vlad. One day.”

Vlad bowed his head and reached up to cover his mother’s hand with his own. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll try harder. I want her to feel safe and happy. Of course patience has never been my strong suit, and obviously you need a lot to be a parent.”

“I know you will. And yes, you absolutely do.” She patted his arm and left him to gather his thoughts.

Vlad and Crystal did wind up spending the night at Zoe’s. Crystal asked him if she could, and he simply said yes. He knew he’d have to work on saying no to her someday, but today wasn’t that day.

Vlad’s parents had left to go back to his place to spend the night, taking Ruslan and Anna with them. The triplets stayed to be with Crystal as long as they could. Sipping coffee in the kitchen, Zoe asked, “So, where are you going to sleep, Vlad?” She wasn’t worried about what Crystal would think if they slept in the same bed. She knew a lot of people would frown on that, but they shouldn’t be concerned about other people anyway. She and Vlad were in a committed relationship and had plans to marry, but she’d leave it up to him.

“Next to you, if you let me. Hell, we’re going to be married soon. Is it that big of a deal?”

Zoe smiled. “No, I don’t think it is. But there won’t be any sex tonight. We have to be available for Crystal. She can sleep in with the other kids. We can make a fort for them or something so they can all sleep on the floor together.”

“Sounds like a plan. But why no sex?” Of course that was the first thing Vlad thought about when she said he could sleep in her bed. “I’ll be quiet.
You’re
the loud one anyway.”

“So? You like me loud.” She knew he’d agree. She wasn’t disappointed.

“Yes, ma’am, I do.”

Zoe laughed as she pushed him away when he advanced on her, a lecherous look in his eyes. “You need to be aware if your daughter needs you. She’ll probably be fine being with the girls, but you never know. She needs all of your attention for a while.”

Vlad wasn’t happy, but he relented. “Fine. No sex.”

After a night spent tossing and turning, Vlad felt like he’d been run over by a Mack truck. He resisted the urge to check on Crystal a dozen times during the night, but only because Zoe flung her leg over him and reassured him that Crystal would come to them if she needed too. But as soon as he heard sounds coming from the girls’ room, he was up and knocking on their door.

“Girls? You awake?” He heard lots of giggling and mumbling. He assumed that meant yes. “Get up and get dressed. You only have a couple of hours before you have to be at the airport. Come downstairs for breakfast when you’re done.”

He really wanted to peek in at his daughter, but Zoe convinced him otherwise. Girls needed their privacy, even at that age, she told him.

Vlad was in the kitchen, fresh from the shower, when the girls came running in. “We’re starving, Vlad! What’s for breakfast?”

“Let’s see. I have eggs, bacon and toast—hmmm, we just need something sweet.” He looked around the kitchen with a devilish look. He slowly moved toward the girls, and the triplets backed up a step. They knew that game.

Lena spoke up first. “Oh, no. Not the tickle monster!” She looked at her sisters and Crystal. “Run!”

The girls took off into the living room, screeching in joy as Vlad chased them. He caught Sasha first and threw her on the couch, tickling her mercilessly. She squealed in delight. When he felt a pillow slammed into his head, he turned and grabbed the culprit, but in doing so, he lost his hold on Sasha.

In no time at all, he found himself pinned down by the girls as they tickled him. He laughed until his sides hurt. “Okay, uncle. I cry uncle!” He looked up to see Zoe watching them. Crystal was just about to hit him with the pillow again when he pleaded for help. “Help me, Zoe. These girls are too strong.”

Zoe walked over and sat down next to Vlad. “Okay girls, I’m here to help.” She pinned Vlad’s arms down and let the girls tickle him until he had tears in his eyes from laughing so hard.

He was just wriggling around to get up when Crystal fell and landed on his hip. “Fuck!”

Zoe immediately let go of his hands and picked Crystal up to get her off him. Vlad rolled over to try and mask the pain radiating from his hip.

“Oh my God. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Crystal stared at him in absolute horror. She’d obviously not meant to hurt him.

She walked over to Vlad, who was just starting to get up and held her hand out to him. “I’m sorry. I’ll help you up. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know you didn’t, sweetheart. I’m sorry I yelled like that. And such a bad word. I had surgery on that hip a while ago, and you just hit a bad spot, that’s all. I’ll be fine.” It was starting to feel better already. He was afraid that he might have damaged something, though.

Just as it looked like she might burst into tears, which he didn’t think he could stand, the doorbell rang. “That must be your grandparents. You want to go get the door for me?”

Crystal looked around and saw everyone looking at her. “Okay.” Her footsteps could be heard all the way to the front door as she ran to answer it. The triplets quickly followed her.

Vlad looked at Zoe. “Fucked up again, didn’t I?”

“Nah. One bad word isn’t going to ruin her for life, but really, you should try to take that out of your vocabulary. At least when you’re around children. Are you really okay now?”

He stood up and took a couple of steps. He could feel a twinge of pain, but it was okay. “I think so. I’ll call the doctor tomorrow just to make sure.”

When everyone had left to go to the airport, Crystal lost some of her bravado. She seemed to be more comfortable when there were more people around.

The couch in the living room was still a mess from their playtime earlier. Crystal was just putting the cushions back in place when he walked in.

“Hey, Little Bit. I need your help.” He looked around to make sure Zoe was still upstairs in the shower, out of hearing distance. “You know Zoe and I are getting married, but I didn’t buy a ring for her yet.”

She interrupted him. “You didn’t buy her a ring? You’re supposed to have the ring when you ask her to marry you. That’s how the princes do it.”

Vlad gave a short laugh and a smile. “You’re right, of course, but Zoe asked
me
to marry
her
. I still want to buy her a ring. She has work to do today, so how about if we go shopping, and you can help me pick one out? Would you do that?”

“I like jewelry, so yes, I’ll help you.”

The mall was huge. It was a sprawling building with stores and restaurants intermixed. Right in the middle was a burger joint that housed an arcade and an indoor mini golf course.

When Crystal saw the giant dinosaur standing next to the mini golf sign, she gasped. “I love dinosaurs,” she whispered reverently.

“Do you? Would you like to play mini golf before we buy Zoe’s ring?”

“No, that’s okay.” She looked back down into her lap, like she had said something wrong.

Vlad pressed his lips together, fighting for patience. “Look, Crystal. I know this is all hard for you. I know you’d rather not be here with me, but I’d like to do things with you. And I want you to tell me what you like to do. I want to know about the things you like and don’t like. So, I say we go play mini golf. There’s only one thing I need you to do for me.”

She looked up at him when he didn’t say any more. “What do you need me to do?”

He patted his right side. “Well, this hip is still a little sore. Would you pick up my golf ball for me? I don’t think it’s good for me to bend like that a lot right now.”

She smiled shyly at him. “I can do that for you.” She seemed to like the fact that he needed her help.

“Good, let’s go.”

The dinosaurs inside the mall were huge. There were quite a few types placed strategically next to potted plants and even some trees. Vlad could certainly see why so many people enjoyed going there. He was not a shopper himself, but he had to admit, the place had everything.