Page 108 of Player Misconduct
“Where are you taking me,” I ask.
“We should break in the bed too,” he murmurs, his lips brushing my ear.
I laugh, breathless and giddy. “You’re insatiable.”
“Only for you.”
We fall like that into bed for the next couple of hours, making up for time lost.
Being with him, in this house, knowing that the future is scary but coming for us, is exciting and terrifying all at the same time. Maybe Aleksi is rubbing off on me but all I can think about is how we can have it all: be together–a family, and keep our careers.
Chapter Twenty
Aleksi
I wake before Kendall.
That's not unusual—years of early morning practices have trained my body to stir before the sun finishes its slow climb over the city. What is unusual is the way my chest feels when I roll over and see her: hair spread across the pillow like spun gold, one hand tucked under her cheek, the other resting protectively on the curve of her belly.
The start of our family growing inside of her.
The light slants through the window, catching dust motes in the air like tiny stars, and I have to remind myself to breathe.I built something that doesn't disappear after the third period. Something that won't vanish when the crowd leaves.
I ease out of bed slowly, careful not to wake her, and pad downstairs barefoot.
I laugh to myself when I make it to the kitchen, remembering yesterday how Kendall looked in the fridge and it was stocked.
I ask Vivi to make this place feel so much like home that Kendall would say yes to the house. I should have expected that an “ultimate budget” would also get me toothpaste, milk, pots and pans, and everything I need to make breakfast this morning. She more than outdid herself, and it paid off.
I owe Vivi something big for this. I can only imagine the kind of work she did to make this happen, and I won’t even bother to look at my credit card bill when it comes in. Whatever it cost, it was worth it to have Kendall happily asleep upstairs and not fighting me on the house.
I fire up the stove, start the bacon and eggs, and then mix up some pancake batter, adding some blueberries that Vivi stocked in the fridge. I pour the first pancake onto the pan.
It burns a little.
Okay, a lot.
I flip it anyway, scraping the edges, and tell myself it's the stove's fault. Brand new appliances. Needs calibration. Definitely not user error.
"Is something burning?"
I turn to see Kendall standing in the doorway, wearing my Hawkeyes shirt from last night. It hangs to mid-thigh, sleeves past her elbows, and the sight of her like that—barefoot, messy-haired, belly gently swelling under soft gray fabric—nearly knocks me flat.
"Good morning," I manage, rough morning voice still intact.
She smiles, padding over to the stove. "Are you… burning pancakes?"
"It’s caramelization," I say, dead serious. "Very popular in Finland. Basically a delicacy."
She sees right through it with a smirk. “Sounds… foreign. But I’ll try anything once.” She shuffles barefoot to the large pantry that’s probably the size for Kendall’s current studio apartment. “I hope Vivi stocked some coffee in here.” Her voice muffled.
My ears perk at how Kendall just said VIvi’s name. “What do you mean by Vivi stocking coffee?” I ask.
Then she appears out of the pantry with a bag of coffee grounds in her hand. “The cat is out of the bag. She texted me this morning and asked how I liked the house. How could she have known about the house unless someone told her? And no offense but everything in this house is brand new and not your taste. This was clearly a Vivi Newport special.”
Her last remark has me thinking. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked Vivi to decorate. Maybe I should have let Kendall do it. I just thought if the house was bare and she could visualize it, or the nursery wasn’t perfectly set up, she’d have an easier out on the house.
“Vivi Newport special? As in, you don’t like the decor?” I ask, poking at the pancake corner to see if the other side is done.
