Smiling, I peer down at the notification on the screen, but when the words register, my stomach sinks. The smile falls right along with it. “I, uh, actually have plans.”
“Oh,” JJ mumbles.
Head lifted, I force a smile. “With Scott.”
That’s another thing I’ve done a lot of the last two weeks. Talked to Scott. I’ve been on two dates with him as well. He’s…sweet. And funny. And he does absolutely nothing for me.
When it comes to Scott, I wish I felt the kind of fireworks I feel for hockey. Or the butterflies I feel for JJ.
But it’s still new. Maybe that will change.
JJ nods, his dark hair a little unruly, his expression unchanged. Easy. Smiling. Fine. “Right. We should get home, then.”
Those simple words cause an ache in my chest. Now that I’m not his coach, I was sure he’d make his move. That he’d try again.
And maybe he would have, if not for Tabitha. The whole marriage thing is kind of an issue.
While my feelings for Scott are practically nonexistent, the thought of JJ’s marriage summons a lot of strong emotions. None of them good. It makes me sick. And sad. And it makes me wish for something that I can’t change. A past we didn’t get.
But if I take a chance, if I believe enough in the both of us and will it to be true, could we maybe rewrite a little of our story?
Could we have a future?
THIRTY-SEVEN
JJ
Bray: Just your friendly reminder that she may not be your coach anymore but she’s still the goalie.
Me: What are you going on about?
Bray: The number one rule of hockey: don’t touch the goalie.
Me: Think you got it backwards, Bray. The number one rule of hockey is definitely don’t touch the coach’s daughter.
Smirking,I pocket my phone, focusing on my father.
“Thank you for letting her stay,” my dad says as he follows me to the foyer.
He and Mom suggested they keep Avery for the night, and while I normally refuse to spend a whole night away from her when I’m in Boston and don’t have a game, my father reminded me that it’s important to have a life outside of work and parenthood. That I need to live a little too. It was similar to the sentiment he made when I told him I was marrying Tabitha. That I didn’t always have to do the so-called right thing. That I could be selfish sometimes and still be a goodperson. So tonight, I said yes. My hope was that this would be my chance to put it all on the line. To tell Adeline my plan. And maybe finally take her out on that first date we never got.
But she’s going out with Scott. Again.
My parents offered to pick Avery up, but I didn’t want to be there when Adeline left. It’s always a production. Savannah and Josie and sometimes a camera crew come over to document while she gets ready, asking her to talk about her thoughts about the last date and hopes for the next one.
It’s a lot.
And it’s killing me.
I’d really like to be a dick and beg my mother to shut the damn thing down. She owns the magazine. She has the power to do it. I’ve had to fight the urge to rip the pages from the magazine where Adeline talks about how funny Scott is, how sweet he was when they went to the movies, how he held her hand and bought her favorite candy.
Not Twizzlers. She only eats those to make me feel better.
God, Adeline has done far more than anyone should have to in order to make life easier on me. I figure getting out of her way is the least I can do in return.
Now I need a distraction. If I don’t find something to focus on, I’ll lose my mind thinking of her out with him.
“She’s excited. You guys don’t mind keeping her till Tuesday, though? And bringing her to the game?”
