Page 91 of Hate to Love You

When I remain silent, he continues. “You got into a fight at practice with Reed Collins?”

I lock my jaw. “Yep.”

He angles his head. Anger brews in his eyes. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s the same guy you punched at a party about a month ago, right?”

I slump on my chair. Since he already seems to be privy to everything, there’s no point in trying to cover it up. “Yeah, that’s him.”

“Why?”

I arch a brow. “Why did I punch him?”

Dad leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “What I’d like to know is if Natalie had any bearing on your decision to punch him.”

Fuck.

I shrug. “Does it matter? Reed is an asshole. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to hit him.”

“But you didn’t, did you?” He stabs a finger at me. “You were able to contain it and channel the energy elsewhere.”

I grit my teeth.

“I think we both know the reason behind it matters. And my guess is that you hitting him has everything to do with that girl.”

Backed into a corner, I snap, “So what if it does? Reed and I have never seen eye to eye, and that’s never going to change.”

“Maybe not. But you’ve never gotten into a physical altercation with him before she came into your life.”

I shake my head and repeat stubbornly, “Reed is a douchebag—”

“That might be true, but he’s your teammate. And you don’t fucking get into it with your teammates, because that shit always bleeds over onto the ice. You’re trying to bring home a National Championship this season. How does the animosity you feel for one another help to achieve that goal?”

I blow out a measured breath and try to wrangle my feelings under control. “Natalie has nothing to do with Reed Collins.”

“Lang sees a difference in you. He’s concerned. You’re not looking as sharp as you did last year.”

Shocked by his words, I fall back on my chair. “There’s no reason to be concerned.”

“I’m not going to argue about this. Natalie seems like a nice girl, but she needs to go.”

I stare as his words reverberate in my head.

“There’ll be plenty of time after you make your move to Milwaukee for relationships, if that’s what you want. You have seven and a half months left at Whitmore and then you’ll be moving on. And from everything she said, so will she. There’s no point in pouring your energies into something that has little chance of working out. Not when those energies could be better served by focusing on your career.”

Unwilling to listen to another word, I bolt upward. The chair scrapes along the marble, nearly tumbling backward as I do. “I care about Natalie. She’s the first girl who has ever meant something to me. I’m not going to break up with her.”

Everything about this conversation pisses me off. All I wanted was for Dad to give Natalie a chance and he’s unwilling to do that.

Well, fuck him.

Dad rises so we’re eye level. “You need to calm down and think about what I’ve said.” He lowers his voice, trying to sound rational. “I only have your best interests in mind, Brody. I want to see all these years of hard work pay off.” He adds in a softer tone, “Your mother would be so proud of everything you’ve accomplished. It’s important that you finish your last year strong. I want you to be a force to be reckoned with out on the ice. This isn’t the time to let up on the gas.” He reaches out and lays a hand on my shoulder.

Even though I want to shrug him off, I don’t.

“Think about what I’ve said. I don’t want to see you make a mistake you’ll end up regretting for the rest of your life.”

“I won’t.” With that, I walk out of the sunroom. Just as I reach the foyer, I hear Natalie’s voice. My feet grind to a halt as she walks down the staircase. Our eyes catch. She smiles, looking a lot more relaxed than she did when we arrived at the house. I’ll have to text Amber later and thank her for putting Natalie at ease. She has no idea how much I appreciate it.

I hadn’t realized just how much Natalie’s come to mean to me until Dad told me she needed to go. I’m not breaking up with her. If Coach thinks my game is slipping, that just means I need to work harder. I can handle hockey, school, and a relationship with Natalie.

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