He blows out a breath. “It’s complicated. I haven’t been the husband she deserves,” he admits. A part of me feels sorry for him. He means well and he has his professional life running like a fine-oiled machine, but when it comes to family dynamics this man is lost.
“Can’t you make that up to her? Fight for her?” I ask.
“Lili’s right, Papa,” Alessa finally joins the conversation. “Are you really going to let Mama walk out of your life?”
Papa’s lips pinch and then he takes some deep inhales, followed by harsh exhales that sound like he’s huffing. “You both know damn well I love your mother, but it seems like I can’t get anything right these days. So tell me, my smart and beautiful daughters, what would you do in my situation? Because I obviously don’t want my wife on the other side of the country thinking I don’t want her anymore.”
His words stun me and Alessa, and we turn to each other in the same moment and give each other a wide-eyed look. Papa is coming to us for advice?
“You need to go after her,” I blurt.
“I plan on doing that after the Frozen Four.” He nods.
I shake my head. I notice Alessa watching me like she was seeing me for the first time. “You need to go after her when this tournament is over. You can’t wait a month to see her. It will be too late by then. And when you go to her, you need to understand where she’s coming from. She has put her life on hold to raise Alessa and me and run this family. She wants to do things that feed her soul now. That make her happy,” I share. “You need to respect that. Ask her what her dreams are and her wants, and then support whatever it is she says. You’re in a marriage. It can’t only be about your job and your successes.”
“She’s right,” Alessa says beside me, and she takes my hand and gives it a small squeeze. I never knew standing up to my father could feel so good.
His brows draw together as he looks like he’s digesting my words.
I look over at Alessa nervously. Maybe I went too far. Pushed too hard.
When Papa nods, I feel like I take my first breath. “You girls are right. I’ve been too busy and too blind. I’m always here for my players, but it is you girls and your mama who really count, and I didn’t do a good job of showing you that. I’m sorry,” he apologizes.
I reach forward and hug him and Alessa joins the hug. We each say I love you.
Then I look at my watch. “You’ve got fifteen minutes until face-off,” I say to Papa.
We break apart and Papa looks at me. “You want to see him, don’t you?”
I nod. “You guys are going to win. I can feel it. I want him to know I’m here to support him.”
Papa blinks. “Okay, mija, and while you’re at it, maybe you can post some of our successes on the ice tonight. Tim has been really missing the mark.”
A garbled laugh escapes me. “I’d love to.”
“Just give me about five minutes before you message him,” Papa says.
I don’t know why but it feels like Papa has something up his sleeve.
FORTY-THREE
Logan
“Russo,” Coach Ramirez calls out.
I’m already suited up for the game, waiting to head out to the arena.
“Sir?” I ask.
I notice a look pass between Coach Darren and Ramirez. It makes my stomach dip. I can’t imagine what I could possibly have done wrong now. I’ve listened to and respected my coaches every step of the way. I leave my stick behind and head out of the locker room. Coach Ramirez places his hands on each side of his hips.
“Got a call from Denver not long ago. They want you. Willing to sign an early contract before the draft. Pretty sure they’re going to back it up with a handsome sum of money,” he reports.
My heart kicks up pace. “Holy shit. This is amazing.” My insides burst with a happiness and pride I’ve spent a lifetime earning.
“Congratulations, Russo,” he says shaking my hand.
My stomach dips. I can’t accept any offers before I talk to Lili. Before I know where we stand. The way I feel about her is a once in a lifetime thing. I can’t walk away from it.
“I can’t give you an answer,” I say to Coach.
His dark brows knit together. “Russo, this is an amazing offer. If you enter the draft, you don’t know who will pick you up. Denver is a strong team with money to back them up,” he says, as if I didn’t know.
“I’m sorry, Coach. I don’t mean any disrespect, but I need to speak to Lili first,” I inform him.
He opens his mouth and slams it shut, then it looks like his shoulders deflate and he pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Lili is here in Boston. She’s at the game tonight,” he says.
“Sir, I didn’t invite her. I kept to my word and have been focusing on the game,” I assure him. There is no way I can risk him benching me tonight.
“Lili told me about you guys meeting in Hawaii. She seems to care for you. Truthfully, I’ve never seen my daughter so adamant about anything before,” he shares, but I don’t know what he means. Is she adamant about me? I wait, keeping my mouth zipped.
“Being a professional player in the NHL comes at a cost. You won’t be able to give my daughter the life she deserves. I’ve told you to think on it. I know you’re reasonable and calculated,” he says.
“With all due respect, sir. My brother is in the NHL and he’s a happily married man. I have other friends who graduated Westfall, who are also happy with a family. I know I can’t be around all the time, but a career in the NHL won’t last forever. I have my biomedical engineering degree to fall back on. If you’re daughter agrees to be with me, I will put her needs first. You have my word,” I assure him.
His eyes crease in the corner and if I’m not mistaken, he looks emotional. “I’ll hold off on talking to Denver until after the game. Who knows? If we win, and you score enough points, it may up the size of the contract. In the meantime, my daughter is waiting for you just around that corner. You have a minute and thirty seconds. Then I need you back in the locker room.”
Lili is here? “What do you mean she is around the corner? Is this some kind of test?”
Coach rolls his eyes. “Now you have a minute and twenty seconds. Don’t leave my daughter waiting.”
I sprint down the hall as fast as I can in a pair of skates with guards on them. I find Lili waiting in the spot Coach said she would be. I pause as something fills inside my chest. Dark eyes narrow in on me. Her long dark hair falls over her shoulders and her pouty mouth is quivering.
“Logan,” she says a little breathless.
I blink. “Are you really here?”
“Yes.” She smiles and then she is wrapping her arms around me and hugging me.
“I still can’t get over the last text message you wrote to me. You know, the one where you said you weren’t equipped to deal with a real relationship and it was fun while we lasted,” I say bitterly, feeling my jaw clench so tight it feels like it may snap.
Lili flinches back and something that looks a whole lot like regret washes over her features. “I was scared, Logan. You’ve worked so hard to get where you are. I didn’t want you to risk everything for me when we never spoke about where we stand or what the future holds. I was also terrified. I’ve suffered a broken heart and that was my way of protecting myself from another one, but as time passed, I realized I want you in my life. I can’t imagine my life without you. Being with you has changed me for the better. I’m not scared to say how I feel and what I want anymore. I stood up to my father for the first time in my life. I told him I wanted you. That you make me a better person. I know with you I will grow.” She takes a step forward and takes hold of both my hands. I know I have about thirty seconds left on the watch.