Page 132 of The Girlfriend Card
He chuckled. “Don’t be nervous. I’ll make my speech, introduce you, then we’ll be outta there. We don’t even have to answer questions, if you aren’t ready.”
“I think we should,” I said.
He nodded. “I think that’s wise.”
“But what are you going to say, Dad?”
“You’ll see.” With a wink, he flashed a folded piece of paper that his speech was written on. “I worked on it all afternoon. I think you’ll like it.”
Ugh,why couldn’t he just let me read it beforehand? I really, really hoped this wasn’t some last-minute plot to defeat us, or something …
Noticing the apprehension in my eyes, he reassured me, “Don’t worry.” He turned to the group. “Everybody ready? It’s time.”
Dad led the group out into the conference room. A murmur went over the press pool, their cameras clicking and flashing, as we marched into the room. Dakota and I walked together, side by side, our heads held high.
Dad and I sat at the spots in the middle of a long, wooden table with microphones at every seat. I had Dakota at my right, and Coach Miller sat at Dad’s left. The rest of the players and the management staff stood, flanking us.
“Good evening. Thank you all for being here.” A hush fell over the room as Dad began to speak into the microphone. “Today, the Vegas Sin are announcing a significant change in the direction and leadership of the franchise. But before we get to that, I would like to address some rumors surrounding the team, and take this opportunity to acknowledge my wrongdoing.”
The reporters’ heads jerked back in surprise. Dad paused, letting the anticipation in the room build by the second.
“I have realized that, as owner, I have made some regrettable mistakes, specifically over this past summer,” he said, his voice carrying a hint of remorse. “I allowed personal matters to interfere with our team’s dynamics. That was a disservice to our players, our management staff, and our fans.”
The eyes of the reporters darted to me and Dakota, no doubt sensing that Dad was about to address our situation.
“To give specifics, after the Sin were eliminated in last year’s playoffs, Sin management sat down with Dakota Easton and outlined our expectations from him moving forward, if he wanted to stay a member of this hockey club. Dakota proved his commitment to this hockey team by surpassing all our expectations and training exceptionally hard all summer long. But—”
Dad drew a breath, and so did the rest of the media members, who sensed what was coming.
“—during the course of this off-season, Dakota also met, and began dating, my daughter, Ottavia.”
A swirl of confusion hung in the air. They’d surely read the gossip pieces that stated Dakota and I had been dating for six months.
With a nod, Dad addressed those rumors. “Yes, contrary to what you’ve read, Dakota and Ottavia did not meet until the off-season began.”
What followed was a painstaking summary of the events that led Dakota and I together: Dakota playing “the girlfriend card” to try to get out of trouble, Dad calling his bluff by trying to meet said girlfriend, Dakota hiringmeto be his girlfriend, until we accidentally fell in love for real. It was a story where, truthfully,noneof us looked good. But Dad told our story and, with a touch of humor mixed in, had the media gasping and even howling with laughter at times.
“But what I haven’t told you iswhyI was so opposed to Dakota dating my daughter.”
In a somber tone, Dad shocked everyone in the room by giving a short account of how he’d expected me to marry Leo Lancaster. He didn’t out Leo, nor did he need to. He simply told everyone that he’d tried to coerce his daughter into a marriage she didn’t want for political reasons. The faces of the mediarecoiled with disgust and horror at the prospect of arranged marriage.
“But Ottavia is my daughter, after all, and shares my iron will. She wants to choose her own path in life, and I have come to the realization that I must respect her choice, or risk losing her forever. While this has been difficult for me to accept, losing her is a risk I am not willing to make.”
Dad turned to us.
“I want to emphasize that there was never any infidelity between Ottavia and Dakota, nor any others,” he said. “Ottavia and Dakota are faithful to each other and very much in love.”
Dakota and I caught each other’s gaze, our eyes locking in a smile—and the gooey moment between us didn’t go unnoticed.
“As you can probably see,” Dad said, and the room erupted with laughter.
With a deep breath, Dad began to conclude his speech.
“In summary, I allowed a professional situation with a player to become personal and cloud my judgment. I should have kept a clear boundary between my personal life, and my role as team owner. I failed to do so, and therefore, I lost the trust of my players, my management staff.
“However, my most devastating failure wasn’t related to hockey—it was as Ottavia’s father. I failed to be the supportive and understanding parent she not only needs, but deserves. I allowed my ambition and desire for control to take precedence over my love for her. Instead of being her protector, I became an obstacle in her path, causing her pain and distress.”
He reached out for my hand, a gesture of forgiveness and understanding, and spoke directly to me.
