Our lips meet with no concern for who sees. Benji can try to get rid of me, but I’m not going anywhere without her.
Chapter Thirty-One
Angie
* * *
With the confidence only Owen has, he looks my father in the eye while holding my hand and says, “So, yeah. I hope you accept my pact.”
Meanwhile, my dad isn’t amused or impressed. “I trusted one Adler, and I won’t make that mistake again.”
The table is in an uproar until my mom says, “Oh my God, yes, Owen. I accept it on his behalf. Thank you. We’re so happy for you two.”
I cannot stop thinking of that exchange between my dad and my boyfriend. It’s been well over twenty-four hours and so much has happened, but all I can think about is how Owen was so sure of himself and honest with my dad. He loves me. I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to wrap my head around that. I really shouldn’t be surprised, for the simple fact of who his parents are. I sat at breakfast with them, and it was like watching Owen with me. Shea Adler is hands-on with his wife and so devoted. Elli eats it up and loves Shea more than life itself. It’s beautiful to watch. I mean, my mom and dad are in love, but Shea and Elli are beyond in love.
And I want that for Owen and me.
I sit with my mom and Elli as we watch the second intermission entertainment. All three of us are in Adler number six jerseys, and Elli has her son’s number painted on her face. Shea is wearing an Adler tee, but my dad said I was lucky he even showed up in a red shirt. He’s so frustratingly asinine! Everyone came in IceCats gear but him, thinking he is winning or something. The real winner is Owen because he has me.
And he’s playing one hell of a game. He’s scored two goals, and I’m sure he’ll get a third by the end of the night. He’s absolutely amazing, and I adore watching him play. It reminds me of when we were younger. I always wanted to trip him, but now, if anyone puts their hands on him, I’m ready to take them out. It’s funny how things change.
“When are y’all heading back, Elli?” my mom asks.
“Wednesday. Grace and Sophia will be here tomorrow so we can catch up with Amelia and the kids and Ryan.”
“Nice. I wish we could stay,” Mom says sadly, but I wave her off.
“I’ll just be moving. Totally boring.”
“True, but I’d like to hit people with my car.”
Elli looks over at us. “Who are we hitting?”
“Bitches that are mean to my daughter,” Mom says sternly, and Elli makes a face.
“They’re still alive with Owen around?”
I snort. “I’ve done well to keep him away.”
“Good job. Otherwise, Owen wouldn’t stand for it,” Elli says, and I nod.
“I know,” I say softly, and then I notice that Evan is hitting on my sister. Charlotte is all flirty and cute, but I can also see that Quinn looks annoyed. That’s interesting, but maybe I should warn her that Dad can only handle one Adler in his life. I refuse to bring attention to what’s going on, so I say, “He knows my job is important, though.”
“I told him I’m surprised too,” Shea says. “I would have strung them up by their toes by now.”
To my surprise, my dad scoffs. “With the way he acted at dinner, I fully thought he’d be in jail.”
Shea looks at my dad. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, he came at me with this new pact since you’re a liar,” he elaborates, and Shea laughs along with their wives. “That he loves my daughter, and he’ll travel through Mordor to kill for her and feed her second breakfast and blah, blah, blah. It was unnecessarily dramatic.”
I turn in my seat. “Well, yeah, the way you tell it. Dad, we don’t live in Middle Earth!”
Shea laughs as my dad shrugs. “Kid is full of himself.”
Elli nods. “He is, and he’s absolutely perfect.”
Dad doesn’t disagree, but he knows better. Mom, though, she beams. “I adore him.”
I smile happily at my dad as Shea asks, “Did you accept his pact?”
Dad looks at me. “I don’t trust Adlers anymore.”
Everyone starts to laugh. I don’t get it; my dad is serious. He’s insane, but it’s fine. I love Owen, and my dad will come around.
One day.
When the third period starts, Mom and Elli head to the back for food and drink as I prop up my feet on the seat in front of me. When my dad sits beside me, I’m surprised. He hasn’t really spoken to me since Owen’s newly revised pact. I look over at him, and he’s looking at me.
“Hey.”
I smile. “Hey.”
We watch the game, yelling and cheering as fans do. I didn’t realize how much I missed watching hockey with my dad until now. When Owen gets a breakaway, I stand, and Dad stands with me. Owen dekes to the left, pulling the defensemen and getting around him. He shifts the puck between his legs, taking his stick to his left to shoot from between his skates. But he switches last minute, reaching behind him, and makes a nasty goal with a sick wrister.
The crowd goes wild. Even my dad is cheering. Owen does his signature celebration dance, where he skates on one knee with his hands out like airplane wings. I sputter with laughter as my dad shakes his head. “Cocky little shit.”
I snort. “Yeah, but he’s amazing.”
My dad gives me a look. “Eh, he does score with all the sauce.”
“He always has. Everything about him is over the top.”
“That’s the damn truth,” he agrees as we sit down and watch as they clean up the arena. “I want to say something to you.”
I look over at him. “I do love him—”
“No, not about him,” he says, shaking his head. His eyes are full of such love as he stares into mine. “You’ve gotta let up, Paxy. You can’t be so hard on yourself. I know you have this image of who you should be, but Angie, you are well beyond it. I know things have been hard, but you continually overcome any obstacle in your way. We love you, and we are so proud of you.”
“It’s hard, like you said. I want to be this perfect version—”
“Paxy, baby, you are. You are who you are supposed to be, and we love you for it.”
I swallow past the lump of emotion in my throat. “I love you too, Dad.”
“Please let up. Please enjoy your life because you’ve got a good one.”
“I’ll try.”
“Don’t try. Do,” he says, paraphrasing Yoda, and I smile at his nerdiness. “Now, are you absolutely sure about him?”
I grin and hold back the laughter that wants to escape. “Yes, Dad, I am. So, so sure. I love him.”
He lets out a long breath. “Fine.”
“Fine?”
“Yeah, fine. That’s all you’re getting out of me.”
I lean into him, and he kisses the top of my head.
And I decide that fine is good enough for me from my dad, because at the end of the day, he’s right. He wants me to enjoy life, and for me to do so, Owen has to be in it. So, I’ll take the fine and know, one day, it’ll be more than that. We both know Owen, and we know his word is his bond. Maybe that’s what scares Dad the most.