“This is good news, no?”
“It is. I’m just thinking about the move.”
“Nothing to move except clothes and few items. We will buy everything new.”
“We will?” Her eyes round.
Just then, the plane hits a pocket of turbulence and drops. People gasp and scream around us, but Holly just squeezes my hand. Hard. With much more strength than I would have given her credit for.
“Is okay,” I say gently, covering her hand with my other one. “Everything is okay.”
She blinks a few times and then squeezes her eyes closed. “I don’t like…to fly,” she whispers, her face a little pale.
“I’m right here.” I tug her closer to me. We’re in first class so the seats are large and it’s hard to maneuver with our seat belts on, but she finally rests her head on my shoulder. “Just hold on to me,” I say in what I hope is a soothing voice.
She nods, continuing to keep a death grip on my hand.
The captain makes an announcement about a storm, the flight crew buckles themselves into their seats, and for the next ten minutes or so, we just sit there, bouncing through the sky. With Holly nestled into my shoulder like she’s right where she’s supposed to be.
And I don’t know what the fuck that means.
Chapter Five
Holly
By the time we get back to Atlanta, it’s late in the afternoon and even though a car service is there to pick us up, it takes an hour-and-a-half to get home. Rush hour in Atlanta is no joke, and there’s no way to circumvent it. And sitting in the car with Kelly for ninety minutes is excruciating. She’s polite, but I know how she feels about me and there’s no doubt about the way she only talks to Viktor, as if I’m not even there. I know Serena notices because she cuts a look in my direction but I give a tiny shake of my head.
This is neither the time nor the place, and Viktor and Kelly are close. The last thing I want to do is come between them. Even though she pisses me off. I understand why she’s wary of me and my intentions, but Viktor and I have an agreement and she has to deal with it. Whether she likes it or not, I’m his wife for the next year.
We get to West and Serena’s house, and she immediately runs to find her three-year-old son, Joey, while Viktor takes our suitcases to his bedroom. The house is in a state of flux right now because everything is about to change.
Originally, West bought the five-bedroom house and invited four teammates to live with him. But then Bodi met and fell in love with Jayne, and she moved in a few months ago, along with her seven-year-old sister, Lindy, whom she has custody of. Their new house should be ready the first week of June but for now, they’re still here. Then West met Serena and she and Joey moved in. Joey and Lindy share what used to be West’s den.
Viktor, Simon, and Felix have the three upstairs bedrooms for now, and Viktor was supposed to take the downstairs guest room once Bodi and Jayne move out. Except now he just bought a house and our plan is to move as quickly as possible. In the meantime, I’m not sure where to go.
It’s expected that I’ll stay here with him, but all my things are at Serena’s old apartment, which she’s still paying for so I can live there. I guess technically West is paying for it, but they said something about not wanting to leave her old landlord in the lurch. I think they just feel sorry for me, but I was in no position to turn them down.
“I should go to the apartment,” I tell Viktor once we’re in his room. “I need to get my clothes and all my stuff.”
He looks at me. “Then I will come also. We cannot sleep apart. Not this soon.”
I understand what he’s trying to say—if my father is watching, it could be a problem.
“But you have practice tomorrow, and my place is another twenty minutes in the wrong direction.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He hesitates. “Is easier for you to be there?”
I hesitate too. It would definitely be easier for me but harder for him. And it’s the playoffs. I feel like I need to be making his life easier for the time being.
“It’s fine,” I say quickly. “I can move in here. I just need to get some things tonight.”
“Okay.” He nods amiably. “I will pack also. But I am hungry—we can eat first?”
“Sure. I think West is going to order Chinese. What do you want?”
He gives me his order, and I go in search of Serena, finding her in the kitchen.
“Hey, what’s the plan for dinner?” I ask. “Is West going to order?”
