“I love you!” she cries, her face flooded with tears. “I told you!”
“Yeah, you did,” I say with a nod.
“Didn’t I say I was always right?”
No way in hell am I going to agree with her, but I am going to kiss her because this moment marks the start of our future together. And what better way to start it than with a kiss from the most amazing girl in the world?
They always say that love is a fantasy, but with this girl, it’s a reality.
Phillip
I’ve tried so hard not to hate Claire’s boyfriend, but it’s getting harder by the second. I know I talked him into giving her another chance, but that was mainly for Claire, and now I regret that more than anything. Standing in the face-off circle with the smug little bastard who has already scored on us tonight, I glare, waiting for the puck to drop.
“You know you want to let me marry her.”
“Fuck off, Sinclair,” I sneer as the ref pushes me back, but Jude keeps on grinning.
“I’ll take care of her, Phillip. Just say yes,” he says and I swear I am going to beat the fuck out of this kid.
“Shut up,” I say again, and he just keeps grinning. When the puck drops, he somehow beats me to it, making me feeling like a fucking grandpa, and passes it back to his defensemen as he flies past me.
Fast little shit. He’s gotten bigger too.
I rush to catch up with him, but thankfully Adler is there, stopping Jude from getting past him.
Or so I think.
Somehow the little asshole dekes around him as the puck comes up, and the next thing you know, Odder is sprawled out on the ice and the puck is in the back of the net. He throws his arms up, and I glare as he hugs his teammates. I turn, heading to the bench, and I’m almost there when he skates up beside me. When he starts to sing to me about being rude, I can only glare at him because I’ve heard that song on the radio, and it’s not the song I want my niece’s boyfriend singing to me! And also, what fucking respectable hockey player sings on the ice?
“I’m gonna marry her anyway, no matter what you say,” Jude says with a shrug.
“The fuck you are,” I yell, and he just smiles.
“Who’s gonna stop me?”
And for some fucking reason, say it’s his smug attitude or the fact we’re losing, but I drop my gloves and snatch him by the back of the jersey. He turns just in time for my fist to crack against the side of his face. He comes at me with a punch, getting me in the nose, and the next thing I know we’re throwing and receiving punches back and forth. I have to give it to the kid too; he can hold his own, his punches hurt, and the little asshole has a hard-ass face. I know I’m going to get shit for this later, but surely no one expects me not to put this kid in his place.
Locking up, we fall to the ground, and as the refs part us, I say, “She’s too young!”
“I love her! And she loves me! Let me marry her. I’ll fight you over and over again until you let me,” he says, and I can see in his eyes that he isn’t backing down; he wants her.
“This isn’t the place to do this, boys!” the ref says, and I can even hear my coach hollering at me, but I’m not done.
“You don’t deserve her!”
“That again?” he says as they throw us in our own boxes. I then hear him yell, “I love her, Phillip. Say yes!”
“No. Shut up,”
I yell back, leaning back in the box, breathing hard. As the game restarts and Kings’ fans yell how much I suck and I should go back to Nashville, I sit there and replay the last year. The little shit has been good to Claire. When she isn’t flying home, he flies to her, and she does love him. He even came over and visited with Sawyer and Reese, just to check in on them since Claire and I couldn’t. But I just can’t get over the idea of my baby girl getting married. Maybe she’ll say no, though?
No, she won’t.
When our time is up, the doors open and I head out at the same time he does. I look over at him, and he’s looking toward the bench, not paying me any mind. I know I’m not going to see him after the game since we’re heading out to Vancouver.
Letting out a breath, I say, “Hey Jude.”
He looks over at me, his eyes burning with anger as he says, “Don’t be afraid?”