I lift a shoulder and laugh without humor. “Do I really need to spell it out for you?”
“Are you sleeping together?”
I nod once. “Only since last night and then again this morning.”
Dad drops his head. “Jesus, son. Jessie is going to lose it if he finds out that you’re screwing around with his daughter. I’m on the edge of losing it, to be honest.”
My head snaps to him, hot rage rising up my throat. “I’m notscrewing aroundwith Drew. I?—”
“You what?” Dad challenges me, taking another step in my direction. “You what, Will?”
I push my head back against the wall and stare up at the white ceiling.
“I’m falling for her, and I don’t think the feeling’s mutual. We’ve been working together a lot and?—”
“Your feelingsarereciprocated,” Dad cuts me off again. “The difference is, Drew is scared, and you’re already a household name in hockey.”
I let all the tension leave my body in one long exhale. It feels good to finally admit my feelings out loud and for the recipient to be someone I’ve trusted and looked up to my whole life.
“What do I do?” I ask, eyes tracking to Dad as he comes to stand in front of me, one hand resting on my right shoulder.
He cocks his head down the hallway, where Drew disappeared a few minutes earlier. “How did you guys leave it in the bathroom? Because Drew looked pretty upset when she walked out.”
The need to march into the dining room, take my girl by the hand, and tell her that I got her, no matter what happens, burns through me like wildfire.
I draw a deep breath into my lungs, knowing that would be the worst idea right now. “She told me she needs space.”
Dad nods, like that doesn’t come as a surprise. “Then that’s what you have to give her.”
“I know it is,” I respond. Irritable. “Easier said than done when I’m fucking obsessed with a girl for the first time in my life and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
He just smiles like he knows the score all too well.
“I never said there’s nothing you can do about it.” He smirks at me, creases forming around his sparkling dark eyes. “I’m just saying that you have to pick your moment and make the right move.”
I drop my shoulders. “And how will I work that one out?”
He keeps grinning. “Trust me, Will, when the time is right, you’ll make her yours. If that’s what you both really want.”
I let his words sink in for a second. “Are you going to tell Mom about this?”
Dad looks more unsure than he did before. I can tell he’s thinking about this one carefully.
“Your mother is your biggest cheerleader and will likely ream me out for keeping secrets from her.” He pulls at the back of his neck. “But I think this particular scenario should stay between us for the time being. She’s got a lot going on at work, and she’s already stressing out over some of the shit you’ve pulled online recently.”
I throw him an apologetic glance. “I’ve got this under control.”
He flicks his eyes at me. “I hope so. You know where I am if you need me. Just make sure you keep your feelings close to the vest this time and not out in the open for every man and his dog to comment on. You’re a Jones, Will, and I expect you to carry the name with integrity.”
26
. . .
Drew
The comfort of my sister’s arms is exactly what I need when she pulls me into an embrace in the Vancouver Airport.
“I never want to go that long without seeing each other again,” I whisper into her blonde hair, which smells of peaches and caramel.
