“Good. Because risks don’t always have rewards,” Dad says angrily.
I go cold. That’s a threat. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.
“I don’t want to even look at you, Wentworth, let alone coach you,” he says, his voice turning cold as his blue eyes narrow at Aiden. “So I’m ripping that A off your chest. You aren’t fit to wear it.”
“This is insane!” I cry. “You need to cool down and think about what you’re saying—”
“I know exactly what I’m saying.” Dad glares at Aiden. “You can say goodbye to Miami and Scarlett, Wentworth. Because I’m trading your ass. You will never play for me again. Your days in Miami—and with Scarlett—areover.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
I stare at my dad, each one of his threats landing like a physical blow not only to me, but to Aiden. I knew this reaction was a possibility, but deep down, I didn’t want to think my own father would not only think so little of my ability to be an adult, but that he would resort to destroying Aiden to prove it.
Aiden stands beside me, his hand gripped around mine, remaining silent in the aftermath of my dad’s declaration, but his look of devastation rips my heart in half. The second I see Aiden’s anguish, the pain and vulnerability reflected in those soft gray eyes of his, something snaps within me.
It’s time for me to be an adult.
“I have never been more disappointed in both of you as my parents than I am right now,” I say, my voice shaking with barely suppressed rage. “But this is partially my fault. My fault for letting this go on for far too long.”
“Scar—” my dad begins, but I immediately cut him off.
“No. You had your say, and I stood here and watched Aiden silently absorb all of your hateful comments. Now you’re going to hear me. This whole family has interfered with my personal life since I was a teenager. You let Ethan and Jamie scare boys off from asking me out since high school. You made it very clear you didn’t want me to date a hockey player, although my wholefamily is full of them. Do you know how hypocritical that is? Do you?
“And you married one!” I continue, turning and looking at my mother. “How do you explain that? You raised two hockey-playing sons. You married a former player and a coach. But I can’t date one? Do you understand how absurd that is?”
“I wasn’t the coach’s daughter,” Mom retorts.
“I don’t care!” I cry, exasperated. “I’ve always done what you all wanted me to do. Always. You would have to know for me even to consider dating Aiden, let alone actually being in a relationship with him, he would have to be an exceptional man. Dad, you know that. You put the A on him before he even played his first game as a Manatee. You said at the time that you’ve never done that before. None of that has changed.”
“Wrong!” he shouts. “I can’t trust him now. I’ll never trust him.”
“Then I feel sorry for you. Because you’re making a huge mistake. And you’re making a mistake in not trusting me. You both raised me to be a good girl. To follow the rules. To believe in my family and value them. I am still those things. But I have become an adult. Capable of making my own decisions. And the best decision I ever made was to fall in love with Aiden.”
I pause and look at Aiden, squeezing his hand once again. He looks down at me, and I smile up at him. “I love this man. He is not a mistake. Aiden was achoice.”
Aiden swallows hard as he hears my words. “You were my choice, too.”
I turn and look at my dad. “You can choose to be petty and ruthless and send Aiden away because he dared to date your adult daughter. Let me say that again, because this family can’t seem to grasp it—youradultdaughter. You raised me to be smart. Capable. Kind. Most of all, you raised me to make the right decisions. It’s time you not only trust me to do that, butrespect my ability to pick the man I want to love, to pick a man who will treat me the way you taught me to expect a man to treat me. You need to trust that I know what is best for me. And that is Aiden.”
A silence falls over the room. Then Aiden clears his throat.
“Sir, I’m here not as your player, but as the man who has fallen in love with your daughter. Scarlett has changed everything in my life for the better. I’m in love with who she is and the heart she has. I knew what I was doing when I chose to date her. I tried to ignore my feelings. I couldn’t. I couldn’t ignore them or her. But I was only willing to take this risk because of who she is. Scarlett made me braver. Willing to fight for something other than hockey. If you want to trade me for that, so be it. Because no matter where you send me, I’m still going to love her. That,” Aiden says firmly, “will not change.”
I have never felt more loved than I do in this moment. Aiden is being both brave and vulnerable, laying everything in his heart out for my parents to see. I am so lucky to have this man love me. After what he just said, my parents should see that, too. I look back at them and find myself holding my breath.
The vein twitches in my dad’s neck. Mom’s face is of grave concern.
And they remain silent.
My anger now swirls with deep disappointment. They don’t care that Aiden is boldly putting his heart before them, telling them how much he loves me. They still think this is wrong, that I need their guidance, and Aiden should be punished.
“You say this puts you in an awkward position as a coach,” I say. “But you know what the reality is? The only thing that becomes awkward is if Aiden plays poorly and you ignore it because of me, which you would never do. If you wanted to trade him down the line for a player that makes sense for the Manatees? We would understand that. If you move him to thefourth line because his play is crap? We would understand that. But you trading him out of spite over your adult daughter? That stupidity is on you to answer for.”
“How dare you tell me how to do my job.” My dad is seething.
“How dare you tell me who I can and cannot date,” I retort. “Especially when you know I won’t embarrass you or interfere with your job. This is on you, not me, and until you see that, we have nothing more to talk about.”
“Scarlett!” Mom gasps, her hand flying to her mouth.
