Page 64 of Pucking the Grump

“My future,” I repeat, that familiar burn of frustration rising like acid in my throat. “You mean your version of my future. The Coach approved one, right?”

He sighs, that same, familiar sigh that makes it clear he thinks I’m being childish, foolish. “Listen, Remy?—”

“No, Dad. I need you to listen to me for once. Stone isn’t a crush, and I’m not a girl. I’m a woman, and Stone is the man I love. I love him, Dad,” I repeat, a giddy sense of freedom rushing through me. Fuck, it feels good to finally be honest about it. And now that my father knows, there’s no reason for secrecy ever again. “And you don’t leave the people you love alone when they’re hurt or in pain.”

Dad’s expression darkens. “You’re making a mistake. Like I said, Stone is a good man, but he’s not?—”

“Not what?” I interrupt. “Not good enough for me? Not worth my missing one networking event? Seriously, Dad, can you hear yourself? Do you really want your daughter to be the type of person who isn’t there for the people who matter most?”

“Of course not, but Stone shouldn’t be one of those people,” he says flatly. “He’s at the end of his hockey career. He’s in the market to settle down and have a family with a woman who’s happy to follow him to whatever comes next. That’s not you. You’re not a follower or the little woman who stays at home with the kids. That’s never been what you wanted.”

“You have no idea what Stone wants. Or what I want,” I say, my voice starting to shake. “You’ve never bothered to ask. You’ve just decided what was best for me and expected me to fall in line. And if I didn’t, you pressured me non-stop until I caved.”

His scowl deepens. “You wouldn’t have caved if deep down you hadn’t known I was right. You’re stronger than that, and we both know it.”

“Am I?” I ask, tears stinging at the backs of my eyes. “Or maybe I just couldn’t stand to lose the only parent I had left. Maybe Mom dying messed me up more than either of us wanted to admit.”

Dad stiffens. “Don’t bring your mother into this. This isn’t the time.”

“Then, when is the time, Dad? You’ve never wanted to talk about her, about how hard it was when she was suddenly gone, and it was just the two of us. How hard it was even before…” I push on, fighting the tears threatening to spill over. “You were so busy micromanaging her treatment, her diet, how long she could stay out of the house without going back home for a rest, or whether she was up for a walk on the beach… Even at six years old, I could tell that wasn’t what she wanted.”

“Remy,” Dad says, my name a warning I can’t obey.

There’s no stopping this now, all these unspoken things have been festering inside me for too long.

They’re poisoning me, and I can’t live like this anymore.

“Even at six,” I repeat, my face so hot it’s making me a little dizzy. “Even as a tiny little kid, I could see that she just wanted to suck up as much life as she could in the time she had left. She just wanted you to hold her and tell her how important she was and that…” I suck in a breath, the tears flowing down my cheeks as I choke out, “And that you were going to miss her so much when she was gone. Did you ever tell her, Dad? When you were alone? Did you ever tell her that she was the best thing that ever happened to you?”

The color drains from his face. He goes so pale it’s honestly shocking, and for the first time in my life, I witness a moment of raw, vulnerable humanity from my father.

And it’s awful and scary, and I instantly fear that I’ve broken something between us, broken him in a way that can never be repaired.

“Mr. Stone, please, get back in bed! Please!”

Dad and I both turn at the sound of the nurse’s voice, just in time to see Stone hobble into the doorway, one hand gripping the frame for support. His hospital gown hangs loosely from his broad shoulders, and his expression is tight with pain.

The nurse appears behind him a second later, looking exasperated. And worried. “Mr. Stone, you’ve had a lot of pain medication. It isn’t safe for you?—”

“I’m fine, Nancy, I promise,” he says, his gaze never leaving mine. “I thought I heard you. What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to be with you,” I say with more heat than I intended. But dammit, why can’t anyone see that this is where I need to be? “Because I love you, Tyler Stone, and you don’t leave the people you love alone when they need you.”

His eyes widen before jerking quickly to my dad, then right back to me. “I love you, too. And I do need you. You’re right. Thank you.”

“I know. Now, get back in bed. I’ll be right there.” I turn back to my father, bracing for whatever shit storm is about to come next, but…he’s gone.

Startled, I glance back and forth, catching sight of him at the end of the corridor, just seconds before he disappears around the corner.

I curse softly, torn between feeling that everything I said had to be said and the fear that I’ve broken my unbreakable father. I just… I had no idea anything I could ever say was capable of reaching him like that. He’s never given me any reason to think that he isn’t that chill, unflappable man he shows the world all the way to his core.

But there’s nothing I can do about this now.

Dad clearly doesn’t want to talk, and Stone is the reason I’m here.

“Come on, you need to get back to bed,” I say, moving toward him as Nancy agrees, “Yes, he does. Careful. The last thing you need right now is a fall.”

“I am a little woozy, but only a little,” Stone admits, letting me insert myself under his armpit and wrap an arm around his waist. Back at his bedside, he winces as he sinks onto the thin mattress. “Okay, maybe a little more than a little. Probably shouldn’t have jumped up like that.”

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