Page 159 of Suck My Puck

Hearing that jerks me out of my grogginess. “He did?”

She nods.

“Did he leave a message?”

She shakes her head. Just then, there’s a soft knock at my hospital room door.

“Come in,” I say.

When I see my dad walk in, my brow hits my hairline. A concerned frown is etched into his face. He looks so worried about me.

It takes a second for me to process that realization—that he cares enough about me to worry.

He stops in front of the door. His gaze scans my face for a few seconds.

“Hey, son.”

Just hearing him call me “son” makes my chest go tight. He hasn’t called me son in years. Not since I was a kid.

I clear my throat and swallow back the sudden surge of emotion. “What are you doing here?”

He stuffs his hands in his coat pockets like he’s uncomfortable. Like he knows he shouldn’t be here.

“I, uh, heard about you donating bone marrow to a kid with cancer,” he says. “It’s been all over sports news today.”

“How did you know where to find me?”

He hunches his shoulders like he’s ashamed. “I reached out to a media contact of mine and had him track you down.”

“Really? That’s an impressive effort.”

He flinches at the edge in my tone. A second later, I see something I’ve never seen before. I see my dad tear up.

He sniffles and clears his throat. “When I heard the news, I was so worried about you. And I needed to see that you were okay.” He pauses. “I, uh, I’ve been a horrible father to you, Braden. And I’m so sorry.”

I go quiet for him for a long moment. All I can do is stare at him. I never expected him to say any of that.

“Hearing that you were going into surgery set something off in me. I…I needed to see you. And I need to apologize for the things I’ve done to you.”

He’s quiet for a moment. “Hockey has been my whole life. I didn’t know how to balance being a good dad and a good coach, so I chose the second option. It took me a long time to realize it was the wrong choice. I spent most of your life treating you like a player instead of my son.” He blinks quickly, like he’s holding back tears. “I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t realize just what I lost until that night in Victoria, when your girlfriend told meoff.”

He looks at Bella, who’s still sitting by my side. She looks at him with a pitying expression.

He gives her a sad smile. “You were right. I’ve treated my son terribly. And I lost so much time with him because of it. It’s my biggest regret in life. Thank you for putting things in perspective for me. And I’m sorry I met you under such unpleasant circumstances. I’m happy my son is with someone so supportive. Someone who defends him against anyone, even his own dad.”

Bella nods. “He’s an amazing guy.” She aims a soft smile at me.

My dad turns back to me. “I’ve been wanting to reach out to you ever since I saw you in Victoria, but I thought you wouldn’t want to hear from me. But then I heard the news about you donating bone marrow and having surgery, and I got so scared.” His voice starts to shake and he trails off. He clears his throat and takes a breath. “Are you okay?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

He hesitates for a moment. “You probably won’t believe me when I say this, but I’m so proud of you, Braden. I should have told you that a million times in your life. I’m so sorry I didn’t. I’m grateful you’re my kid. You make me proud every single day. I’m sorry I was so hard on you. It was the only way I knew how to be for a long time. It’s no excuse, but I wanted to explain.”

Silence stretches between us as I process his words. That tight feeling in my chest intensifies.

“I don’t expect you to want to have anything to do with me,” he says. “I’d love that, more than anything in the world. But I understand if you don’t. I just want you to know that I love you.”

A mix of emotions courses through me. Shock at what he’s said. Sad that it’s taken him so long to say all that to me.Happy to know that deep down, he loves me and cares about me and is proud of me.

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