Page 62 of Game Changer
He heaves a sigh and drinks his beer.“What a lot of wasted years.Shit.”
I choke out a laugh.“Yeah.Shit.”I pause.“Also…what a lot of wasted years for you and Grandpa.”
Dad’s eyes widen, then narrow.Then he closes them, looking like someone’s jabbing the butt end of a stick into his nads.“Yeah.I know.I regret that, too.”He opens his eyes and his are a little red as he regards me across the table.“I’m proud of you, Jax.”
I hold his gaze and it’s the most painful thing I’ve ever done.But I sit a little taller.“Thanks, Dad.”
“And I love you.”His voice has turned gravelly.“It always bothered me that we didn’t spend much time together.I talked to Tori about it, but she couldn’t explain it either.It hurt both of us.”
I close my eyes, a wave of shame burning through me.“You still talk to Mom?”
“Not as much anymore.But we have two kids together.We have to talk sometimes.”
Does he know Mom may be moving here?
Wait.Ishethe reason she’s moving here?
Whoa.
No.It can’t be.Just a coincidence.I’m not going to be that kid, yearning and hoping for his parents to get back together.They have separate lives now, and they’re both happy and successful.
“I asked Mom why you split up once,” I say.“She said the same thing you did—that you weren’t going to talk about it to us kids.I get why, but…”
“We didn’t want you to blame either of us.It was actually really admirable of your mom, because she could have trashed me to you kids.She probably wanted to.”He chuckles dryly.“But she never did.”
“I did it myself.”I roll my eyes.
“Well.Let’s put that behind us.”Dad’s jaw is tight, and I appreciate the effort he’s making.“What’s happening with your contract?”
“Ugh.Nothing.It’s making me antsy.”
“I get it.But Paul’s a great agent.”
“I know.We talked the other day.”
“What kind of comps are they looking at?Panchyshyn in New York?Gagnon in Boston?”
“Yeah.Those two for sure.”I shouldn’t be surprised Dad nailed it; after all, he’s in the business too.But he’s a coach, and the fact that he knows the players in the league who are playing like I am and making the kind of money I want to make surprises me a bit.
We talk more about the contract negotiations.We talk about my photography.We talk about Grandpa, and I can see how hard it is for Dad.We even talk about Chelsea, and he says how good she is for Dad and how she’s taking care of him and the business and basically fixing the family.
“We hated Chelsea,” I say glumly.“We all thought she married Grandpa for his money.”
Dad grimaces.“Yeah.I misjudged her.For years.Christ.”He rubs his face.“Like I said, I’ve made some mistakes in my life.”
“You know what Mom says about mistakes.”
“No.I don’t.”
I grin.“If you make a mistake, there are three things you should do about it: admit it, learn from it, and don’t repeat it.”
Dad laughs.“Like I said, she’s a smart woman.Honestly, admitting to mistakes is the hardest part.But I’m getting there.”
“Have you told Chelsea that?”
His face changes, his jaw slackening.He shifts on his chair.“No.”
I tilt my head.
