Page 76 of The Dating Coach
"Same thing—"
"It's not the same thing!" Mia's voice cracked. "God, Gemma, do you know what he told me a few weeks ago? That meeting you changed his life. That you showed him he could want more than what his father planned. That you gave him the courage to stand up to his father.”
"He would have stood up to his father anyway," I said weakly.
"No," Henry said, appearing at our table still in his game-day suit. "He wouldn't have. I've known Liam for four years. He was sleepwalking through life until you woke him up."
"Henry—"
"You think you're poison?" he continued, anger clear in his voice. "You're the antidote. To his father's bullshit, to the pressure, to the fake life he was living. Keep telling yourself you're bad for him while he plays like a robot and looks dead inside."
"He's playing brilliantly," I defended.
“He’s playing without joy,” Henry corrected. “Without purpose. Without heart—because you broke his heart.”
“Henry,” Karen warned.
"No, she needs to hear this." He focused on me with unusual intensity. "That man arranged safe houses for Mia. Stood up to his father for you. Chose love over millions of dollars. And you pushed him away because you were scared."
"I'm not—"
"You are scared," Aunt Penelope said quietly. "You're afraid of being happy. Of believing you deserve unconditional love. So, you create conditions. Create reasons why it can't work."
"His father—"
"Would still create problems even without you," Uncle Mark interrupted. "But he only has the power Liam gives him. And from what I hear, Liam's done giving him power."
"I've ruined everything for him!"
"You've ruined everything for yourself," Mia corrected. "And for him. But it’s still not too late."
The truth of it sat heavy on my chest. Around us, the restaurant buzzed with pre-game excitement, but our table felt suspended in its own bubble of intervention.
"We should head to the arena," Henry said, checking his phone. "Game starts in an hour." He looked at me. "You coming?"
"I have a ticket," I said quietly. "Section 314."
"The nosebleeds?" Karen frowned. "Why would you—"
"Because I'm a coward," I admitted. "Who wants to watch but not be seen."
"So stop being one," Aunt Penelope said simply. "Stop hiding. Stop deciding everyone else's future. Just... stop."
Easier said than done. But as we made our way to the arena, surrounded by my patchwork family, something loosened in my chest. Maybe I was a coward. Maybe I was terrified.
But I was here. That had to count for something.
The arena thundered with championship energy. Thousands of fans in Pinewood colors, ready to scream their team to victory. I huddled in my nosebleed seat, hood up, trying to become invisible while my heart hammered against my ribs.
"This is ridiculous," Karen muttered from beside me. "We could have good seats. Henry offered—"
“I can’t,” I interrupted. “I can’t sit where he might see me and distract him.”
“You think he isn’t already distracted?” Mia asked from my other side. “He’s been actively scanning the crowd for you.”
It was true—he was searching through the throngs just to find me.
The teams were out on the ice for warm-ups, and even from this distance, I could see the change in Liam.
