Page 68 of Hat Trick
Her words hit me hard in the chest. “Mary… there’s nothing more important than you and his dad.”
“There should be. That’s what any mother wants for their son. To build a life for himself. The most impactful thing in his life shouldn’t be the day his dad died. At least not anymore.”
“He was happy,” I say softly.
I can practically hear her smile through the phone. “Then go remind him of that, will you?”
We say our goodbyes, and I run this week’s schedule through my head. We don’t have a game until Thursday, so if I miss practice today it won’t be the end of the world. Coach will understand if I have a family emergency. Because that’s what Dom is. He’s my family. I’m not letting this go.
“Hey, Patty,” I say, grabbing my duffle and heading toward the door. “Can you tell Coach I have a family emergency? I’ll be at practice tomorrow.”
He gives me a knowing smile before nodding. “Sure thing.”
Once I’m in my jeep, I peel out of the parking lot and head straight for Dominic’s apartment. I try his cell one more time, anticipating it to go straight to voicemail. But to my surprise, he picks up after one ring. “Leave me alone, Emerson.” Then he hangs up.
My grip tightens on the wheel, because now I’m not just pissed at him. I’m fucking livid.
I pound my fist against his door and, little to my surprise, he doesn’t answer it. So I use the spare key I have on my key ring and unlock it. Throwing it open, I spot him sprawled out on his couch, wearing nothing but a pair of black sweatpants, staring up at Sports Center as it plays on his TV. I don’t waste time greeting him. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I shout as I make my way over to him. As I stand in front of him he has the nerve to look up at me in confusion. “You have the fucking nerve to make me fall in love with you. To makeherfall in love with you, and then you have the balls to tell me to leave you alone?! What the fuck is that, Dominic?”
He says nothing, so I say the one thing I know will get a reaction out of him. “And for what? Because you forgot the day your daddy died? Boo hoo. Grow the fuck up.”
He’s off the couch and fisting the front of my sweatshirt before I can even blink. “What the fuck did you just say?”
His shirtless torso heaves with each angry breath as he tries to stare me down.
Good. I got a reaction out of him. It’s something.
“You fucking heard me,” I seethe. “You’re going to give up everything we have because you can’t get overthe fact that your dad died when you were twelve? You think this is what he’d want for you? To be some asshole who makes people fall in love with you just for you to leave them high and dry.”
“Watch it,” he snarls.
“Or what?”
His dark eyes narrow. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. She doesn’t love me. Neither do you.”
I bark a sarcastic laugh. “Oh get the fuck over yourself. I’ve loved you for years you giant fucking moron. And that woman.” I point in the direction of the door. “If she didn’t love you, why did she spend all last night crying in my arms at the thought of never being able to hold you again, huh?”
“I can’t do it, Emerson.”
I narrow my eyes back at him. “You’re being a fucking coward. He would be ashamed of you.”
Dominics eyes flare with anger before he throws me across the room. I land on the floor on my back with a thud. It knocks the wind out of me, but it’s nothing I’m not used to. I’ve taken hits on the rink harder than that. But what I’m not used to is the sight of Dominic’s fist heading toward my face as he straddles me on the floor. Before I have a chance to stop it, his fist makes contact with my mouth. I feel my lip split instantly. And when I run my tongue along my teeth to make sure I didn’t lose any, I feel the familiar taste of copper hit my tongue.
Dominic’s eyes zero in on the sight of the blood as it rolls down my chin, and his eyes grow wide. His fistremains paused in the air, and he doesn’t climb off of me. He’s frozen.
Any other day of the week, I’d be sorry for what I said. I’d say I didn’t mean it and that he had every right to punch me.
But not today.
Because that’s exactly what he needed. He needed to feel something other than self-loathing. And if the person he has to loathe is me, then fine. I’ll take it.
Bracing my palms on his thighs I ask, “Have you even called your mom yet?” He shakes his head. “Well you fucking should. You should hear what she has to say, Dom.”
He lowers his fist. “Y-you talked to her?”
“Yeah. I talked to her. I called her when you weren’t answering the phone. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Did you notice it’s still practice time and I’m not there?” Dom looks at the clock on his microwave. “I’m here, Dom. I’ll always be here. Because I love you.”
He doesn’t say anything. Instead, he falls backward so his butt is now sitting on the floor between my legs. He wraps his arms around his legs as I move to stand in front of him.
