Tending Tara (Alaska Blizzard #7) - Kat Mizera Page 0,25
I think it’s illegal to get married purely for a visa, so we’ll have to make sure it looks legit.”
“That part is easy. We’re young and horny and dating, so people won’t think twice about me moving in.”
“I’ll have to tell management, though, because I’ll need to get you on my health insurance and all that. Plus, the league can probably help with the visa, right?”
“There are so many details to work through.”
“It’s going to be okay. We’ll deal with all of them.”
“I think the biggest thing on my mind is why are you doing this? I mean, yes, we’ve been having fun together, but this is a completely different situation. If we get married, that’s…important. Serious. A commitment. Even if we’re only getting married so I can stay in the U.S., there are parts of this that are going to be very real.”
“I’ll be honest and say this wasn’t on my radar,” he said after a moment. “I haven’t even been divorced a year and even though I like you, Tara, I’m nowhere near ready to use the L word. So that’s something we have to consider.”
“Believe me, I’m not ready, either. I got out of a seven-year relationship just under a year ago.”
“Then we’re on the same page with that.”
“Absolutely.” She paused. “And if we do this, we’ll need a lawyer. You make a lot of money, but I don’t want anything from you when we split, so there has to be a pre-nuptial in place.”
“Agreed.”
“Are you sure?” she asked slowly. “This is a huge step, and once we do it, we can’t just change our minds.”
“The way I see it, it wouldn’t be a real marriage. It’s the perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other and see what happens, but if it doesn’t work out, it’s no big deal. Once you’re working and everything, we can reassess. In the meantime, I’ve got hockey and you’re still going to be doing some nanny stuff, so it’s not like we’d just be hanging out every minute of the day.”
“Like you said, I’d have to move in.”
“Works for me if you’re okay sharing a bed.”
She chuckled. “I think that was going to happen regardless.”
He chuckled too. “I was thinking that, too.”
“Also, I’m not really able to donate much financially to the household. I can always ask my brother until I’m making something significant but…” She took a breath. “Oh my god, are we really doing this?”
“Whoa, slow down. First of all, I don’t need you to contribute to the household. I make plenty of money for that. If you don’t want to tell people, I’m okay with that, we just have to be careful because there are going to be details like wedding rings.”
“I didn’t even think of that.” She groaned.
“We have plenty of time to talk it out and make sure we’re not forgetting anything.”
“I might be freaking out.”
“Don’t be. It’s just a piece of paper. Nothing will change except that you’ll move in with me and will hopefully be able to take that coaching job and stay in the U.S. You and I will continue dating, getting to know each other, and having fun. It’s going to be fine.”
“I think there’s a lot we don’t know about each other.”
“Like?”
“I don’t even know where you were born or grew up or anything like that.”
“I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, played in the Major Juniors in Quebec. I was drafted by Pittsburgh at eighteen, played for their farm team for a year, then moved up for two more before I got traded here.”
“Did you go to college?” she asked him.
He shook his head. “No. I finished high school and went right from Major Juniors to the NHL.”
“Did you ever want to?”
“Go to college? I would have liked to, and I applied, but my grades sucked, and I didn’t get in, so I just went the pro route.”
“Do you have siblings?”
“A sister. She’s two years younger and engaged to some guy she met in college. I don’t like him.”
Tara chuckled. “Why not?”
“He’s smarmy and kind of an ass. Just finished law school and is letting her support him while he studies for the bar. But she loves him, so I keep my mouth shut.”
“Is she in Michigan?”
“Not anymore. She followed him to Chicago after college. She’s a graphic artist.”
“And your parents?”
“Still in Ann Arbor.” He paused. “What about you?”
“I was born and raised in Savonlinna. I’m the oldest of three. I’ll be twenty-seven in February,