Hat Trick

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"Pretty perfect from where I’m standing as well." said Paul against her mouth "So, this wasn't part of the plan."


"I'm not really a planner, Martin." she laughed "More of a just do it and figure it out as I go kind of chick."


"I can work with that." he replied kissing her again "But if we keep this up, we aren't going to make it the grocery store."


"Pretty sure of yourself there, Pauly."


Paul laughed out loud "Brat, come on, off my counter." Pauly helped her off the counter. She slid down his body. She wasn't the only one excited. "Do you have your list?"


"It's on the fridge. Plus I need my purse. It has the card the West's left for groceries and stuff." she replied "You want to come over with me? Or meet back here?"


"I need shoes." he answered "I'll pick up in 5 minutes."


"’Kay" said Micah heading towards the door "I'm timing you, Martin." Paul laughed as she walked out of his door. His last month in Pittsburgh would be interesting. He had endured endless teasing by Tanger this morning for talking about Micah so much. He didn't care, it had been a while since he had liked anyone. He grabbed a pair of flip flips and his Pirates hat. He glanced at his phone. He had 3 minutes to pick up Micah. He noticed a missed message from Tanger


Tanger: Your Mike she is beautiful. She thinks we are gay.
Pauly: I blame you for that
Tanger: Me? All I said is we are partners
Pauly: Only hockey people get that! To the free world you professed undying love in the driveway
Tanger: I do love you. I just love Catherine more.
Pauly: Good thing, I don't put out.
Tanger: So where is your girl?
Pauly: Waiting on me
Tanger: Never keep 'er waiting
Pauly: I'll keep that in mind.


Pauly hurried out the door and found Micah leaned up against his car. She was smiling at him.


"You're late, Mr. Martin." Paul glanced down at his watch. "Hasn't anyone ever told you not to keep a lady waiting" Paul immediately started laughing.


"Actually, Tanger just texted me that piece of advice." he replied.


"I see, you were texting your boyfriend. I guess that gets a pass." teased Micah "So, are the rest of your teammates that pretty? Or is he special?"


"I guess that depends on what you find pretty."


"You realize he is a pretty human, right?" she asked "I've never seen anyone that pretty in person."


"Wait until you meet his wife. They are a matched set, and their son Alex is just as beautiful." replied Paul "The guys are scattered around since the season is over, but I’ll introduce you to the guys. They drop by a lot."


"Well, since I've met your boyfriend that brings the grand total of people I know in Pittsburgh to…seven?"


"Seven?" he quizzed


"Mr. and Mrs. West, the triplets, your boyfriend, and you." she replied.


"You really know no one here?" asked Paul


"Nope, just the boys." she stated "I'll eventually make friends."


"We'll run by Flower’s before we go home."


"You think I need a plant to make friends?" she asked


"No" laughed Paul "But my goalie’s nickname is Flower. His wife is very pregnant, so they are staying in Pittsburgh for a while. So, I thought you might enjoy having a girl to talk to. Veronique is awesome."


"Veronique" repeated Micah "Why do I suddenly feel my Nirvana shirt is under dressed?"


"We call her Vero. You're fine, Micah. You're beautiful." he replied. Micah blushed and looked away from Paul. She had a sneaking suspicion that Paul Martin was used to girls that looked like models. Not disheveled redheads from Ohio. "I promise Vero will be in yoga pants and a t-shirt. Unless it's a doctor day, then she might have actually dressed. She will be excited to meet you. She might also plan our wedding. Tell her to stand down." Micah whipped her head towards Pauly her eyes wild.


"Um, maybe she should wait longer than I don't know, 24 hours? Before we say yes to the dress?" said Micah.


"I don't bring a lot of girls around so you will be an anomaly. So, she will be excited. I'll explain but she probably won't listen." he stated


"And your explanation?" she asked


"Oh, the usual. This is my neighbor, Micah. She’s watching the West triplets, not great at operating dishwashers, and likes to kiss me in my kitchen." said Paul shrugging. "Simple, right?"


"That's not a fair!" she replied


"You don't like kissing me in the kitchen?" winked Paul.


"Not that, I can totally operate a dishwasher." she pouted "But if you keep teasing me about bubble gate, I don't think we are going to find out if I like kissing you in other locations."
Paul pulled the car to a stop at Whole Foods. He turned in his seat to face her. He was smirking and trying not to laugh "But I like teasing you about bubble gate." Micah frowned at him. "I'm sure you can handle this. Let me see the list." She handed him her list. Paul skimmed it and decided that the boys and Micah were probably going to starve without him or at least die of a vitamin deficiency. "Mike, this is all processed crap."


"I found the recipes on Pinterest. I need a crock pot and I'm all set, Martin."


"No way" he replied "Come on let's go shop. I'll help you put together meals as we shop." Paul hopped out of the car and opened her door.


"What a gentleman." said Micah looking at Pauly.


"I try." he said adjusting his ball cap lower.


"Do I need to be prepared for screaming hordes of women, fainting kids, and super fan dads?" she asked.


"It can get crazy sometimes, but usually I can go unnoticed. But if Sid, G, Neal, or Tanger are with me it’s total chaos." he explained "Plus, the bunnies get a little hands on."


"Bunnies?"


"Girls who like hockey players for the simple fact they are hockey players." he said "They are a little aggressive. Tanger gets groped. They grab Sid's ass."


"And what happens to Paul Martin?" she asked.


"I'm the guy they start talking to so they can get to my boys." shrugged Paul. Micah leaned over and kissed his cheek as they were getting a cart. Paul raised an eyebrow at her.


"You're not a stepping stone or a plan B, Paul" she stated taking the cart from him "Fuck those girls. But I'm kind of glad they are all stupid."


"Oh, really?" he said "Why is that?"


"Because then you'd be with one of them instead of saving me." she replied looking around the store.


Paul leaned in close to her ear and whispered "I kind of like saving you."


"Careful Martin, it's starting to seem like a full time job."


"Guess it can be my summer job." he teased putting potatoes in the cart. He grabbed carrots and several other vegetables. He was picking his way through the fruit. He held up tiny oranges and told her the boys loved them. She hoped he knew what to do with the random fruits he was grabbing.


They made their way into the drink section. He grabbed some juice boxes, bottles of juice, and water. She was just pushing the cart following Paul. He picked up some snack stuff for the boys.


"You're quiet." he said.


"I'm just taking it in and taking notes." she replied following him into the dry goods aisle. He got several types of pasta and rice. She watched him sort through several types of canned vegetables. He then headed to the butchers counter. He got several cuts of meat. He led her to the bread aisle and grabbed bread, pita pockets, and bagels. A gallon of milk and some favorite cream cheese and they were done. "I hope you plan on showing me what to do with all this stuff, Martin. This was definitely not on my Pinterest list."


"We'll find these recipes on Pinterest. Now, let's check out and head over to Target for the Crock Pot and some junk foods."


Micah and Paul checked out and packed the groceries out to the Mercedes. They made the quickest trip through Target in the history of Target shopping. But she felt gratified that even Paul Martin couldn’t pass up the siren call of the dollar aisle of Target. She had laughed when he threw a few Slinkys and some ball games in the cart. She now had a digital crock pot and a toaster oven that Paul insisted she needed. He was apparently convinced that she couldn't burn the house down with self-contained heating elements.


"Let's get the groceries home and I'll make us some lunch. We'll check in with Vero." said Paul "If they aren't busy, we'll run over before the triple threat gets home."


"Ok, but one condition."


"What's that, Mike?" he asked looking at her. She was wearing a pair of dark Ray bans and he couldn't see her eyes. He wasn't sure what she was thinking. He couldn't help but think that she was perfect. Most girls would have been dressed to go clubbing when shopping with a hockey player. Not Micah. She was completely casual. Paul loved her wild red hair. He could tell she had attempted to tame it, but as the day worn on she was losing the battle. It was escaping the confines of the headband she was wearing.


"You have to teach me to use the crockpot before we leave. So, dinner will be ready when we get home."


"No problem." he smiled at her.


"What are you smiling at, Paul Martin?" she asked.


"You" he replied "Of all the things girls have asked me, that one was a new one."


"You want me to throw myself at you?" she teased turning towards him.


"Nah" he laughed "I like what you’re doing."


"Good to know you dig chicks who are complete spazzes."


"You aren't a spazz. I'll introduce you to Sunshine so you can tell the difference."


"You keep introducing me to people Martin, they are gonna get the wrong idea."


"Maybe I am marking my territory." he replied winking at her. Micah laughed and watched the neighborhood come into view. Paul wheeled the car into her driveway. "Go get the door. I'll carry in the groceries."


"Bossy much, Martin?" she called jogging up the steps.


"This is cooking boot camp!" he yelled up the steps "Move your booty!"
Paul carried an arm load of groceries in the kitchen. He instructed her to start putting stuff away as he went after more bags. Micah shook her head and did as instructed. Paul made a few more trips in and out.


"We bought a lot of shit." said Paul


"You said I need all this." she reminded him.


"Yeah, this should do you for the week." he replied.


"A week?" scoffed Micah "Try a month, they are little boys, not pro athletes."


"You've not seen them eat." laughed Paul "Unpack your crock pot, while I fix us some lunch."


"Bossy" she sassed walking past Paul to retrieve her crockpot. She sat down in the floor with the large box. She opened the box and was trying to wrestle the foam packing out of the box. Paul was busy putting stuff in the fridge. She managed to free the crock pot, but the lid clattered to the floor.


"You're a menace." teased Paul "You need to scrub the crock and the lid before we cook dinner in it." She nodded and brought the ceramic pot and lid to the sink. She ran a sink full of soapy water. Paul was busy beside her at the stove. She felt at ease with him there. Micah couldn't help but hope Paul was serious about liking her. She washed and dried the crock and lid. Paul was slicing tomatoes.


"Whatcha doin?" she asked.


"Making grilled cheese sandwiches." he replied "Well, a grown up version." He chopped up some basil. He then pulled out some mozzarella cheese. She climbed on the counter beside the stove top and watched him. She wasn't sure if he was more confident on the ice or in the kitchen. She watched him grab slices of the thick bread they grabbed at the grocery. He put the sandwiches together and drizzled on some olive oil before adding the top bread. Then added some olive oil to the pan and browned both sandwiches.


Paul noticed Micah watching him. "What? You look confused." he asked moving closer to her.


"Grilled cheese involves unwrapping orange cheese and lots of butter on wonder bread."


"That's processed crap." he said stepping between her legs "I can't let you feed the boys that junk. They won't be able to play hockey, they will be lethargic."


"You really are bossy." said Micah looking at him "You are looking at someone who struggles to make boxed mac and cheese. So this will really have to be a cooking boot camp.” Paul nodded. He stepped back over to the stove and flipped the sandwiches. "So, what's in this for you, Mr. Martin?"


"Well, I get to hang out with the little guys. It keeps me from being bored out of my mind until I have to go train in Minnesota. Plus, I have a thing for spastic redheads with wild hair." he replied coming to stand in front of her.


"In that case, what's in it for me Pauly?" she asked draping her arms around his shoulders. It was seconds before Paul was kissing her smiling mouth. He stole a second kiss before he abandoned her to rescue the quickly browning sandwiches. "I might get the hang of this cooking thing yet."
Paul started laughing. He handed her one of the sandwiches on a napkin. She raised a questioning brow "Less dishes" he shrugged. He handed her a bottle of water and grabbed one for himself. Paul hauled himself up on the counter beside her. He nudged her with his shoulder "Eat." he said. She was still looking at the sandwich like it was bomb. "It's like a pizza grilled cheese. It's good."


Micah broke off a corner of her sandwich. He laughed when she made happy noises. Made him wonder what else would make her make that sound. He took a bite of his own sandwich while he reigned in his hormones. "Okay, grown up grilled cheese is awesome." Pauly smiled at her. "So, what are we making for dinner?"


"Pulled pork" he replied "You'll have leftovers, and the boys love it."


Paul sat on the counter and gave her instruction on how to get the crock pot ready. He then walked her through the steps of seasoning the pork roast and placing it in the crock pot. One beer and a cup of vegetable stock later, dinner was cooking. Once it was all done and in the crock pot Micah turned to Paul with a huge smile. "That wasn't hard."


"Nah, I'll save that for day two" teased Paul.


"Now what?" she asked.


"I texted Flower, they’re at the baby doc." he answered "So, they’re going to run by this evening and bring Estelle. The boys will like her."


"It's only 1:30." said Micah "The boys don't come home for another 2 hours or so. What do you normally do with your afternoons?"


"Nap" he replied


"Nap?" she asked


"Yep, we take naps so we are energized for the games. It's easier to just get into a routine and nap on non-game days, too."


"Okay"


"Okay, what?" asked Paul


"You can go take your nap. I'll look up clean eating crock pot on Pinterest." she replied


"I can't leave you alone with a plugged in cooking device." laughed Paul.


"I can manage a crock pot, Paul Martin." she groused.


"We'll see" said Paul walking to towards the rec room "Come on. Let's watch a movie."


"No hockey movies!" she called as followed him in to the room.


"Ladies choice"


Micah sat down on the couch next to Paul. She didn't even bother sitting at the opposite end. She grabbed the remote and snuggled up against him. She flipped through the movies on demand. Paul laughed when she turned on Taken 3. Every moment with her was intriguing. He laughed at her running commentary. Paul yawned. Micah made him switch him places. Once she got comfortable she tossed his Pirates hat on the coffee table. "Come here" she said "Stretch out." Paul stretched out as she commanded. His head in her lap. She was rubbing circles on his back.


"I think you have to be my nap buddy"


"Nap buddy?"


"Yep, you make an awesome pillow." he replied "Plus, if you keep doing that I'll be out like a light."


"Want me to stop?" she asked stilling her hand.


"Never." he answered. Micah smiled and kept petting on Pauly. She might suck at cooking but she was a champion snuggler.

Notes