“I lied for your aunt, and when your mom found out, she lost her shit. That was the second time.”
“Elli broke up with me for it.”
“Yeah, Fallon did that too. Twice, mind you. First time was when she found me in her roommate’s bed, drunk, naked, and passed out.”
“Man, that sucks,” Shea says, and Dad nods.
“Addiction is a bitch.”
They tap bottles with each other, and then both of them sit on my couch.
I watch them for a moment. “So, is this like a pity party?”
They nod. “Yup,” Shea says, and then he pats the couch between them. “You can come sit.”
I don’t move, though. “I thought you guys were coming to lecture me and beat me up.”
Dad laughs as Shea nods. “That’s after we make sure you’re okay.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Oh, I’m pissed my daughter is at home crying her ass off. But I know it was a misunderstanding. I know you wouldn’t speak that way about her to others.”
His words gut me. She’s crying? Over me? Damn it, why won’t she speak to me? “How do you know that?”
“’Cause I know you. I was hell-bent on keeping her away from you when Elli told me you two were together, but then that wife of mine reminded me of my bad fortune when it came to women trying to take advantage of professional hockey players like us.”
Dad nods. “They sure as hell do.”
“Then I remembered all the times you helped my kids with homework and hockey. How you’ve always treated me with respect—minus the last few months when you dated my daughter without telling me.”
“He didn’t tell us either. They wanted to be sure of each other before they brought us into the mix. Can’t blame them,” Dad adds, and Shea nods. “We’re all a lot to handle.”
That’s the damn truth. I’ve got my dad and hers on my couch, throwing me a pity party.
I’m pathetic.
“You’re right. See, I know you’re a good guy. I’d love to beat the shit out of you for hurting my girl, but I won’t. It won’t help anything.”
“It’d make you feel better.”
“And hurt Shelli more.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. “She won’t answer my calls.”
“Nope, she shut off her phone.”
I look down at my beer and shake my head. “How am I supposed to fix this?”
They both shrug, and Shea leans forward on his knees. “Give her time to realize she’s partly wrong.”
I give him a dry look. “That girl is beyond stubborn. That’s gonna be a while, and— Wait. Partly? This is all my fault.”
“And hers for letting her pride get in the way,” Shea says. I never thought Shea would defend me. I thought he would want to hang me out to dry. “Don’t get me wrong. You’re an asshole for what you said, even if you didn’t mean it. But Shelli is in the wrong by letting it play out like this. It’s obvious it was a mistake.”
“A mistake you gotta make sure you never make again—if you want her back,” Dad says, and I give him a look.
“Of course I want her back. But shit, I never lost her. We’re just in limbo right now, but if she answers the fucking phone, we’ll be fine.”
They both nod. “Let me know how that goes.” Dad smirks.
“Yeah, because I tried to talk to Elli for about two months, wore her engagement ring around my neck, and she didn’t give a damn.” Shea grins at me. “You forget, I’m with the older, wiser, and more stubborn version of Shelli.”
Dad leans on his legs, and then he points to me. “Do you love her?”
My mouth goes dry under their scrutiny. I look down at my bottle and slowly nod. “But she wouldn’t listen to that now.”
“Nope, not even kinda,” Shea says.
“She’d probably laugh in your face,” Dad says with a nod. “So you gotta talk to her in another way.”
“You’re the second person to say that to me, and I don’t know what that means,” I say, exasperated. “I just want to make this better. I hate being here without her.”
Shea looks around and nods. “I’m gonna ignore the fact that my daughter’s bra is hanging off your barstool.”
Dad laughs, and I look at them longingly. I just want her here.
Shea meets my gaze. “Why do you think she got so upset?”
“Because I embarrassed her. I said the one thing she was worried about. And I can’t seem to get my head out of my ass and scream in her face that I love her more than I love life itself.”
Okay, so apparently I can tell my dad and her dad that I love her, but when it comes to actually telling the person it matters to, the words won’t come out. I’m a real piece of work.
Dad nods. “What do you want to do?”