Page 45

Chapter Thirty-Three

Adeline

For the entirety of the first period, the only friction I’d had to deal with was a bickering Conor and Rosie.

First, it was the Ice Girls, and whether they took dance lessons.

Then the beer concessions got the treatment.

Seedless grapes were next ( if you can make them seedless why are some of the varieties available with seeds?

Who’s the market for that? I kind of agreed with Conor on that one.) It was so odd because they rarely saw each other, and Rosie got along with everyone else in my family.

She and Conor just rubbed each other the wrong way.

Landon nudged me before the game started. “You okay?”

“I don’t know. Not sure I should be here tonight, it’s just kind of stressful.”

I’d happily played with fire and was now regretting my singed fingertips.

“It’s going to work out,” he said. “Sure, Dad’s pissed at him, but the game is too important for them to let your drama get in the way. Don’t be so conceited.”

I watched the game with my heart in my throat from the tenth row behind the players’ bench.

The body language on that stretch of pine was more frigid than the rink.

My father and Lars were not speaking to each other, that much was clear.

Yet on the ice, they appeared to have everything under control.

Until what was likely their final shift before the break, when a scuffle graduated into my worst nightmare. My father dropped his gloves, yelled at Lars, then started to pound him into the ice.

“Oh my God!” Rosie stood, along with everyone else in our section. I didn’t feel the need as the entire spectacle was playing in glorious Technicolor on the ’tron.

Conor yelled, “Take him, Dad!”

An outraged Rosie pointed at him. “Stop being a jerk!”

“What, I’m not supposed to support my own father against the asshole who deflowered my sister?”

“He did not deflower me!”

Landon sat beside me and offered a bag. “Chocolate-covered gummy bear?”

I covered my eyes, only peeking through the cage of my fingers when the crowd went “Ooh!” After what seemed like forever, a couple of players—Cody and Peyton—separated them.

“That’s a lot of blood but it probably looks worse than it is. Broken noses bleed a lot.” Rosie reached over and squeezed my arm. “This is good, Addy.”

“How’s that now?”

“They need to get this out in the open—no way!” She jumped up again. “They’re throwing him out!”

Now everyone was on their feet, booing the ref’s decision to eject my father. Both players skated to the gate, and it might have been my imagination, but I thought my father made a gesture, offering first dibs through the gate to Lars. Was Rosie right? Had this helped?

“I have to get down there.”

Ejected players returned to the dressing room while injured players were brought to an exam room. Back of the house was where I needed to be.

The game restarted quickly while the crowd was still buzzing. Twenty seconds later, the Hawks scored a goal, with a minute to go in the period.

Oh, well done! Your love life is already ruining the Rebels’ game.

I stood, only to have Rosie grasp my arm and yank me down to my seat.

“You’ve got to let this play out. Give it time.”

“They could be killing each other down there!”

Landon grimaced. “Let them figure it out—and to the victor the spoils.”

“Am I the spoils in this scenario?”

“If the jock strap fits.”

I looked at Conor. “Is Rosie right?”

“Rosie is never right. But Landon has a point.” He blew out a breath as the Hawks made another shot on goal, which Noah Boden saved by the skin of his teeth. The Rebels were trying their best to regroup without their usually rock-solid defense.

I was trying the same.

Lars

Dr. Sykes adjusted the bridge of my nose. “Does that hurt?”

“Yes, it fucking hurts!”

An evil chuckle sounded from some point to my left.

“Definitely broken,” the doc confirmed. “You did this?” That question was for the other person in the exam room.

“Some of my best work.”

The doc raised one straggly eyebrow. “Hold this ice pack on it. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes to assess once the swelling’s gone down.”

I did as I was told while the doctor left the room.

“You still here?” I couldn’t be mad at Theo over what happened. He had every right to go there. I just wished he wasn’t sticking around to keep an eye on me, like his captain instincts trumped his paternal ones.

“Where else am I gonna go?” We looked up at the monitor. The Rebels were a goal down and we were a few minutes into the break. No one other than the doc had come to see us, and I wasn’t sure how to interpret that.

“How about to the locker room to inspire the troops?”

“O’Malley will have to do it.”

“Can’t believe that guy’s gonna wear the band when you’re gone.”

We both chuckled at the familiar absurdity, knowing we were merely biding time until we could revisit our grievance. Adjusting the ice pack, I winced and waded in.

“I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“Lying to you.”

He stuck his tongue in his cheek and assessed me. “But you’re not sorry for starting this thing with my Adeline, are you?”

I shook my head. Slowly, because my head hurt along with most every other part of my body. In the immortal words of Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon , I was too old for this shit.

“What you said out there, did you mean it? Or were you just trying to stop the beatdown of the century?”

“‘The century’? Maybe the decade.” He offered a grim smile, which lifted my spirits a tad.

“I’d have let you continue even though you just broke my nose and I’m fairly certain a couple of teeth might be loose.

Theo, you could break every bone in my body, but it wouldn’t change how I feel. I love your daughter.”

He stared at me for a good ten seconds, which was an eternity in Theo-time.

“You saw your baby’s mother?”

“She showed up when I left your place yesterday. A surprise drop-in.”

“What did she have to say for herself?”

I blew out a breath. “She’s been on a cruise trying to save her marriage, which apparently didn’t work. She brought gifts for Mabel.”

Theo looked horrified. “And she just expects you to forgive her?”

“We’re going to work out a custody arrangement but to be honest, I don’t want to switch off with her in a city five hours away. She’s talking about moving to Chicago.”

I suspected that would set him off. It might even have been why I mentioned it.

“She doesn’t deserve a second of Button’s time! And now she expects you to upend your entire life to suit her? And maybe slither back to you? I hope you told her where to go.” He pointed at me. “Right, you didn’t. You just took some happy family photos and let her post them online.”

“T, I let her have some time with her kid, who she obviously missed. We’re not playing at happy families.

We’re just trying to adapt to a shitty situation.

” But I hated that Adeline might have seen that, right after she showed at my place with Vicki’s car parked out front.

“I won’t be spending any time with Vicki beyond what’s necessary to create a loving environment for my kid.

Mabel’s my primary focus here and I’m going to fight like hell to keep her in my life. My little girl means everything to me.”

Theo sat with that for a moment. “Okay, that was the undercard. Time for the main event, killer. Why did you break my daughter’s heart?”

It felt like he’d whacked me in the chest with a stick.

“Because I’m not a good guy.”

“Fuck that. Tell me the real reason.”

Another adjustment of the ice pack, this time to make it hurt a little more. Focus my thinking.

My life was imploding. Adeline was everywhere, haunting my senses and spring-loading my dick. She had a crush on me and who’s gonna say no to that? Once I had my fill, it was time to end it.

Except I couldn’t say any of that. Not because it was about this man’s precious daughter, but because it wasn’t remotely true.

“All the stuff you said about taking advantage of her, how I should have been the adult, the guy with all the experience, burrowed inside my head. That was all true. At least, I felt it to be. Once Elle confronted me, I got to thinking about the mistakes I’ve made.

The poor decisions. The reckless choices.

Vicki. MacFarlane. Adeline.” Especially Adeline.

“Here I was, getting in between the two of you, dragging her down to my level. A sneak. A liar. And for what? Because I’m selfish, like Sven.

I saw her. I wanted her. I made her mine.

” For a short while, and how glorious was that?

But it was time to pay the piper. “I knew it would hurt her now, but she’d be free,” I finished.

“You think you’re like your dad?”

“It’s crossed my mind.”

Theo’s brow crimped into furious lines. “You know I’ve had issues with my dad.

Sure, we get along—now—but I hope to God no one ever thinks I take after him.

Do you really think I would give you the time of day if I thought you were an asshole like your father?

” Obviously rhetorical, because he plowed on.

“Look, I said you were a user like your dad. That was a low blow and I’m sorry.

Here’s the thing: I welcomed you into my home, my family, my life.

I don’t do that for just anyone, y’know.

You had this great thing going as a bit player in my blessed existence, and then you go and sabotage it by seducing my daughter! ”

“Maybe I just wanted Adeline more.”

It wasn’t as if I could have both. And now I had neither.

His mouth twitched. He liked that.

“You were willing to fuck it all up to be with her?”

“Crazy, right? There was something so strong between us, a spark so real that it couldn’t be denied.

And I know you think that as the older, supposedly wiser person here, I should have known better, but you’re not giving your daughter enough credit.

She knows her own mind. I might be more experienced, but I’m a complete novice when it comes to the heart.

Adeline knows how to give it her all. How to be open and generous and loving.

She gets that from you. From how you raised her. ”

A flicker of pride lit up his expression. “Suck up.”

“Is it working?”

“Not in the slightest.” He inhaled a deep breath. “I just want her to have what Ellie and I have. Can you give her that?”

The Great Love Story? Damn right I could. “Why is everything a fucking competition with you?”

“You’re the one who seems to think you’re not good enough for her.”

“Doesn’t every guy think that at some point?

” Maybe every guy but Theo Kershaw. “I might not be now, but I’d like to spend the rest of my life working on it.

She owns me, Theo. My heart, my soul, every cell in my body.

She’s the strongest person I know. She thinks she’s the weak link in your family when really, she’s the lynchpin. The soft power. Does that make sense?”

He nodded. “I keep trying to tell her, but she won’t listen to her dear old dad. Maybe you can do a better job of it.”

“Excuse me?”

“I give you my blessing to try and fix things with my daughter.”

“Don’t need it.”

He nodded sagely. “You have it anyway.”

I growled.

“You’re welcome, NyQuil.”

This asshole . I was so damn lucky to have him as a friend. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”

His good humor vanished in an instant. “If you’re about to say you’ve knocked her up with your super sperm?—”

“Christ, no!” I blew out a breath. “Some fucker mugged her in Greece.”

“Yeah, I know. She told me this morning around the same time she fessed up to being in love with you.” Theo stood and headed for the door. “Thanks for being there for her. Now quit worrying about your beautiful face and tell her how you feel.”