Page 125 of Sweet Thing

“Yeah, I know. She told me this morning around the same time she fessed up to being in love with you.” Theo stood and headed for the door. “Thanks for being there for her. Now quit worrying about your beautiful face and tell her how you feel.”

ChapterThirty-Four

Adeline

A new securityguy we hadn’t met was giving us a hard time.

Conor puffed up his chest. “Man, I hate to say ‘do you know who I am’ but seriously, do you know who I am?”

“No access pass, sir, no entry.”

“Good job, Conor,” Rosie murmured. “Now you just made him mad.”

“Hey, kids, need an assist?”

Over my shoulder, I spotted Hatch approaching in his game day suit. He must have just arrived from the press box where the players on IR often watched the games.

“We need to see Dad,” Landon said.

“And Adeline needs to see Lars.” Rosie looked at me and shrugged. “Well, you do.”

Hatch nodded at Security. “Damon, these idiots are with me. Can we let them through this once?”

“Sure, Mr. Kershaw.”

Conor snickered, “Mr. Kershaw,” and led the rest of us into the arena’s inner bowels. “Dad’ll be in the dressing room.”

He walked on with Landon while Hatch pulled at my elbow. “Could I have a word?”

I slowed my roll, then stopped altogether. Rosie threw a quick glance of support over her shoulder and kept on walking.

Hatch and I had barely spoken at dinner last night. I had assumed he was mad at me along with Dad.

“Hatch, I’m so sorry about the game. I know it’s my fault?—”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not. Look, I had a talk with Dad this morning. He told me you’ve been feeling like you don’t contribute to the family. And if I’ve ever given you that impression, I’m sorry.”

Hatch had blamed me when Dad lost the Finals all those years ago, but he was a kid at the time, only twelve. I’d agreed with him, but maybe I’d done something else. Internalized my difference so much that it kept me at a distance from the people I loved more than anything.

“I’m not the same as the rest of you. And sometimes that bothers me.”

“Like we need more of whatever it isweoffer.” He meant the boys and their masculine energy. “Addy, you’re my sister, completely unique, and one of the most amazing people I know.”

“Even though I’ve just ruined one of the best defensive partnerships in professional hockey?”

“They’ll get over it. The question is, will you? Do you want to?”

“I need to see Lars.”

He grinned. “Not Dad? He did just get ejected from the game.”

“He’s not the one with a broken nose.”

“Which he thoroughly deserved.” Dad stood at the corner of one of the myriad corridors in the arena’s backstage maze.

“I can’t believe you hit him.” I closed the gap and grabbed his jersey. Not gently, either. “Is he okay?”

“No idea. I’m mad at him, remember?” But he didn’t sound angry. Quite the opposite, in fact.

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