“Maybe, but please don’t forget—no matter how hard you fight on the ice, you’ve got to fight for a life too. You deserve more than just the game. You’ve got to be happy, Roman.”
“I am mostly.”
“That’s all we can hope for.”
“I could be happier.”
He lifts an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“Yeah, you see, I’m just missing one thing…” My heart’s pounding so hard I’m sure he can hear it. “I’m still in love with your daughter, Bill.” I look him dead in the eyes as I use his name for the first time ever. “I never stopped, and I don’t think I can walk away again. Losing Addie once nearly destroyed me. I don’t think I’ll survive losing her twice.”
There’s a flicker of surprise in his face, but it fades quickly.
“Then don’t,” he says. “Because if anyone deserves her, it’s you. I knew it then… and I know it now.”
The weight that lifts off me just from saying how I feel about her out loud—it’s heavier than I ever realized, and bigger than I expected.
“I’m proud of you,” he adds. “You, Jasper, and Zeke… I always knew the three of you would make it.”
Always together. Always us.
“Does Addison share your feelings?” I nod because I’m certain she does. “Then, please, for the love of God, don’t let Mikey King worm his way back in. That kid shouldn’t have been allowed to marry her in the first place. Just don’t tell my wife I said that. She’s got this whole belief about vows andfor better or worsethat doesn’t exactly line up with mine—especially when it comes to some egotistical prick who wouldn’t know loyalty if it bit him on the damn dick.” He pauses, his jaw tightening like he’s forcing himself to stay calm. “You know what his excuse was? Why he did it?”
I hesitate, not sure if I want to hear this, but I lean in anyway, needing to understand how anyone could cheat on Addison.
“He blamed her,” he says, his eyes narrowing with disgust. “Not to her face—he didn’t have the balls for that. But to me, her father. He said he couldn’t come to terms with never being a dad and blamed her for not being able to carry a child. He said that’s why he started chasing tail.”
It hits me like a fist to the chest.
Addie can’t have kids.
And that son of a bitch made it her fault?
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because if you love her, you need to be okay with it.Reallyokay. Not just in the way people say it when they’re still figuring out how much they can carry. You can’t use this against her, not ever.”
"I would never," I snap, and suddenly all that's fueling me is pure anger and the visceral need to break Mikey's fucking legs.
He nods, as if that was the answer he expected, but he just needed to hear it out loud. “I know she’s been up here the past few days. Addie’s sister already chewed me out tonight about her happiness, about you, and what you mean to her—about whattheymean to her.” He means Zeke and Jasper, and that throws me for a second, but he just keeps talking. “Judging by the look on your face, I’m guessing Addie didn’t tell you about her fertility issues herself, so please don’t tell her you heard it from me. She needs to feel safe, not exposed, and I don’t want her to think she’s being talked about behind her back.”
“I trust you with her, Roman. I know I’m just an old man who probably doesn’t fully understand how what the three of you have works. But I see it. I see the way you all look at her and the way she looks back, and if she finally gets out of here… I want to believe you’ll take care of her the way she deserves.”
“I appreciate you saying that, and if that’s what Addie wants—if this works—then none of us would ever hurt her. I swear to you.”
Bill looks like he wants to say more, but I catch Zeke in my periphery, practically jumping out of his skin, trying to get my attention.
“Sorry, Coach, give me a minute,” I say, already moving.
Zeke doesn’t say a word, just flashes his phone as I follow him into the hall. A message from Jasper lights the screen, and I hear the chaos before we even turn the corner.
“Open the fucking door!” Mikey’s voice cracks through the hallway, completely unhinged. Zeke’s there in seconds, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him back hard.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Zeke snaps, shoving him hard enough that he stumbles.
It’s just us out here, for now, but the shouting is going to pull everyone’s eyes in this direction if we don’t get a handle on it, and I’ll be damned if I let this dickhead ruin the night for anyone.
“Your fucking friend is in there with Addison,” Mikey spits, practically foaming at the mouth.
