Page 95 of Win Big

“Yeah.” I sigh. “I know. I was a crazy teenager.”

“I have a hard time picturing that,” she says slowly. “I don’t believe you wereeveryoung and crazy. You’re so together and mature.”

“Well, maybe I wasn’t young and crazy. Maybe I was just trying to be. I thought I was in love. It was... glorious. You know—passionate, obsessive, teenage love.”

“Mmm.”

“He was older, obviously.”

“Um, how old, exactly? I mean, thereareguys who play in the NHL who are teenagers...”

“Twenty-eight.”

Her eyes pop open.

I nod. “I know. Anyway. I don’t really have daddy issues, even though it might seem like that. I do like older men, but it’s not to fill an emotional void left by my father. He was mostly there for me.”

“Mostly,” she says in that dry tone again.

“Okay, he was gone a lot. He was busy. Also, he was busy with the boys... because they played hockey.”

“You’ve been to therapy, I take it.”

“Yes.”

“Well, I don’t know your therapist, but that sounds a lot like an absent father to me.”

I nod slowly in agreement. “Yeah. I don’t want to blame him for my weird hang-ups, though. He’s a good dad, really.”

“So... you’ve always wanted a protective, older male figure as your romantic partner.”

“Apparently. I really I thought I loved this guy. And there’s more. He was... married.”

“Oh my God.”

“I was a stupid kid.” I plead with her with my eyes to not judge me. “I know it was a mistake.”

“Hewas a fucking assbucket. What kind of man would do that? Jesus! You were a child!”

“Yes. I know that now.”

“You’re not going to tell me who it is.”

“No.” I wrinkle my nose. “It’s enough to say that obviously when my dad found out about it, he went berserk.”

She closes her eyes. “I can only imagine.”

“So there’s the problem... Wyatt’s not an older guy, but he plays for my dad’s team. And heissomeone who doesn’t care about his reputation, so dating me... no big deal. He doesn’t care what people say. The media loves it right now, but... what if... what if... we try to have a real relationship and things go wrong? I can’t do that to my family again.”

Lacey’s brows pull together. “Did it get out the last time? When you were a teenager?”

“Not so much.” I bite my lip. “My dad threw some money around and things got buried.”

“And I bet a certain player got traded.”

I nod slowly. “My parents were so disappointed in me. It was the worst time of my life. I knew I’d messed up, but I didn’t want to admit it, and I was pissed off at them for ending things with the man I loved, who I thought was leaving his wife to be with me.” I drop my head forward, the remembered shame scalding inside me. “I wasn’t exactly a joy to deal with. I even tried to run away.”

“Wow.” She lets out a long breath. “Wow. Okay, first of all, you’re not sixteen. You’re twenty-seven. Wyatt’s what... ?”

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