Page 104 of Stay
My eyes widen at the unexpected praise. “Thanks, Dad.” There’s a pause before I blurt, “What are you doing here?”
His smile falters, and I squeeze my eyes shut before sucking in a breath. “What I meant to ask is how did you know I was playing tonight?”
It means a lot that he carved out time to see my first game with my new team. After all the heartache we’ve been through, it feels like we have a real shot at fixing our fractured relationship.
Dad claps Cole on the shoulder as if they’re longtime friends. “Cole called last week, and we had a good talk.” His gaze shifts to Cole before resettling on mine. “He mentioned you’d joined the intramural team, and that your first scrimmage was coming up.”
There’s a pause. It’s almost as if he’s gathering himself. My dad has never been overly demonstrative, but there’s something about his expression that has a thick lump settling in the middle of my throat, making it impossible to breathe.
“I’m glad he did.” His blue eyes flicker away before locking on mine. “I was hoping we could get together sometime next week. Maybe go out for dinner and talk.”
Emotion swells inside me. “I’d like that.”
I want more than anything to heal the wounds between us. This year has been rough for a lot of reasons. Not having the support of my parents is definitely one of them. Even though nothing has been resolved, it feels like a step in the right direction.
His lips lift into more of a smile. “Good. I’ll call you this weekend and we can set something up.”
“That sounds good.”
My gaze slides to Cole’s in a mixture of amazement and disbelief. He gives me a wink in return.
Dad pulls the brim of an old travel team cap low over his eyes before clearing his throat. “I’m going to head back home. Seems like your team has a victory to celebrate.” Our gazes stay locked for a long moment. “It was a really good game, Cassidy. Hard-fought. You should be proud of yourself.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
His praise has always meant so much to me. I worked my entire life for it. After last year, I never expected to hear it again.
I’m surprised when he closes the distance between us and pulls me into his arms. Tears gather in my eyes as I hold on tight. After he sets me free, Dad shakes Cole’s hand and thanks him again before disappearing through the crowd. I can only stare at his retreating back before my gaze slides to Cole.
“I can’t believe you did that,” I whisper, barely able to force out the words.
In this moment, everything feels damn near perfect. I played a good hockey game, spoke with my dad, and Cole told me that he loved me—for the first time. I can’t imagine life getting any better than this.
Last year, my life imploded. A year later, I’m still struggling to put the shattered fragments back together again, and make an even better one for myself.
Concern flares in his eyes. “Are you mad that I reached out to him?”
A gurgle of laughter escapes from me as I shake my head. “Of course not. It was just weird to see him in the stands watching me. And then when he gave me a thumbs up after the game…” my voice trails off as emotion rises within me and tears trek down my cheeks.
I can’t believe how full my heart feels.
Almost like it might explode.
“Aw, babe. Please don’t cry. It was a great night.” He gathers me into his arms before pressing a kiss against the top of my head. “I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about me calling your dad. And I didn’t want to get your hopes up if he was a no-show. So, I didn’t mention anything. But he really wanted to be here to support you, Cassidy.”
I don’t understand how I got so lucky.
How did I find one of the best guys in the entire world?
It doesn’t make any sense.
Last year had been a dismal failure. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever pull my shit together and now…here I am…all because of Cole. I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life.
“Thank you.” I stretch onto my tiptoes before stroking my lips across his. “If I didn’t already love you, what you did tonight would have clenched it for me.”
The way his dimples flash sends an arrow of heat straight down to the pit of my belly. All right, so maybe it ignites a little lower.
“I was hedging my bets just in case you weren’t impressed by my declaration of love earlier this evening.”
