Page 135 of Bad Wolf

So defeated.

So utterly devastated.

Once we’re back in the apartment I get her situated on the couch with her fuzzy blanket and go about making her a drink. While the coffee machine whirs to life and Wren sit’s silently staring into space, I shoot off a few texts to find out who’s coming to Boston.

Casey texts back assuring me Anna is coming for games one and two. Coralie isn’t, but Chloe is and then get back to the task at hand, coffee.

A quiet sob comes from the couch, and I quickly fix her drink with creamer and sugar and take it over, placing it on the table. Then I take a seat next to Wren and pull her into me, my fingertips stroking her arm.

I cuddle her close, pressing a kiss to her head.

“I know I did the right thing, but why am I always leaving someone behind? Why does it have to be this way? If he’d just stop, we could all stay together.”

“You know it’s a risk, you knew it when you were just a kid. I know why I need to protect you from him, but tell me how you saved me all those years ago, and again today.”

She pulls back and searches my face. The more she can get it right in her head, the more she’ll come to accept why she’s doing the walking away. For now.

“I…I don’t want you getting bad press if anyone ever found out that he was gambling on college…h-hockey. I don’t ever want you under scrutiny or investigation about the frozen four wins you and your brothers ever had. He, he gets involved with scumbags, and I don’t want you to even have a shred of association with those kinds of people.”

She drags in a breath of air, straightening her spine, and starts listing the reasons off on her fingers,

“I don’t ever want anyone thinking you’d rig a game or that your brothers would. I don’t want him coming to you for money when he owes a debt he can’t pay and using me to get to you. Or using your name in any way. I don’t want you tied up with bookies and loan sharks. I don’t want them ever coming after you or your family. You could get threatened, used, blamed, coerced, backed into a corner. He, orthey, could tell lies, try to tank your reputation, or Casey’s or Jason’s. Hell, some of your teammates are like family to you. They have families or might have one day.”

She sits up, tears long since dried.

“This could hurt them, the rest of the team. The organization. He…He could do some serious fucking damage.”

And honestly, I think I needed to hear that list too. She saw the bigger picture when she found out the extent of her dad’s problems at only eighteen.

The clarity this brings is overwhelming and I have to take a minute too. To sit back and think how very, very wrong this could have gone. Fuck, he could still hurt us. One tiny leak of a lie could snowball into a media nightmare for all of us.

I was born to love this girl. To do anything I need to do to take care of her. But in the end, she did it all herself. She sent her dad away, she made yet another hard choice.

This time though, I’m able to be there for her.

This time, we’re a team.

* * *

Wren and I didn’t move from the couch yesterday. I ordered her some comfort food, while I kept to my eating plan, but I stayed steady by her side being everything she needed.

And I didn’t talk trash about her dad once. Even though I hate that motherfucker.

Nope.

I sat there plying her with ice cream and my chest to rest her weary head on, while she flicked through Netflix, smashing the tiny buttons on the remote until she practically wore them out, and listening to her cry and rant until Jason returned to pack for our trip.

She checked her cell a hundred times, probably hoping her dad would try to reach out again. As disappointed for her as I am that he couldn’t be the person she needed, I’m glad he’s not blowing up her phone, asking her for more of chance.

That he’s not trying harder.

He’s got stars in his eyes, and at the moment, all he can think of is where and how he can spend his money.

My hope is for him to get himself settled. My gut tells me he’ll flitter it away faster than you can say “fresh start”.

She didn’t sleep well last night, but the next few days will be good for her.

Chloe managed to book Wren onto the same flight as her and Anna, and we decided via the group text last night to meet at Casey’s for breakfast.

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