Page 129 of Collide
“Oh my goodness, meri jaan! You look gorgeous,” she gushes, giving Summer a tight hug. “And this is that handsome boyfriend of yours? Aiden, right?”
“Yes, ma’am. It’s so nice to meet you.” I hand her the bottle of wine. Summer said I didn’t need to get something so expensive, but we were on a yacht for Christ's sake.
“Don’t be so formal. Call me Divya. Come sit, you must be hungry.”
Divya brings out multiple dishes, and from what I can name chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, naan, and sweets cover the table. Then two identical girls walk in, eyes glued to their phones. Summer’s twin sisters.
Serena and Shreya introduce themselves before they sit down.
“How did you get our sister to go out with you? She hates hockey players,” one of them asks.
“Shreya,” Summer warns.
I chuckle “Trust me, I know. It wasn’t easy, but it was all worth it.” I take Summer’s hand in mine.
“Are you two being safe?”
Summer chokes on her water, and I pat her back.
“Shreya. That is not an appropriate dinner conversation,” Divya scolds.
The girl’s eyes narrow. “Why not? We learned all this in class. I’m just making sure they don’t pop out a kid any time soon. I’m way too young to be an aunt.” When Shreya sees her dad’s warning look, she shrinks in her seat and stabs at the salad on her plate.
The rest of the hour goes by with questions about me. About hockey, my future plans, and the occasional interrogative questions from Summer’s sisters about my intentions.
After dinner, there’s a stuffy strain in the air when Lukas Preston starts asking about school. Summer’s easy body language shifts, and I can’t react fast enough to do anything about it.
“Did you buy tickets for graduation? Your grandparents want to come too,” says Divya.
Summer shifts uncomfortably in her chair. “Not yet. I’m focused on grad school decisions right now.”
Her dad makes a noise, and the scraping of utensils stops.
“What?” Summer dares to ask.
“More school,” he tuts. “You’d be better off if you stuck to figure skating like I said. I could have made you a star by now.”
I place my hand over Summer’s, trying to ease her tension. “Actually, Summer just held an event on campus that was a huge success for the psychology department. She raised way more than the target for her initiative.”
Gray eyes turn cold. “Success in school is fine, but it’s the real world that matters. Your options are limited after you graduate, and even after a master’s you’ll spend more time in school. It’s a misuse of valuable time.”
Summer stands. “Thanks for your input, but I didn’t come here to hear about how disappointed you are in me. I like school, I’m good at it, and I know that I want to be a sports psychologist.”
He shakes his head. “That’s not what I meant. You had the tools to become the best. I mean look at your sisters, they’re first in every competition.”
Summer’s eyes fill with sadness. “And I’m proud of them, Dad. But it really fucking sucks when nobody’s proud of me.” She tosses her napkin on the table and disappears down the hall.
I stand to follow her, but I can’t just leave. “I don’t mean to disrespect you, sir, but Summer has done nothing but work her ass off to get where she is. If you want to show her that you care, just be supportive of her decisions. How you’re acting now is doing nothing but hurting her, and I won’t stand by while my girlfriend can’t have a conversation with her father without him overstepping.”
Gray eyes grow frigid. “You know nothing about my family.”
“I know enough.” I see red, and I’m pretty sure he does too. “I know how she’s cried about you choosing your career over her and how you haven’t bothered to get to know her even after you retired. It’s a shame, but I’m proud to say that she's the greatest woman I’ve ever met, and it’s no thanks to you.”
There’s a murmur from Summer’s sisters. I expect them to be angry that I’m speaking to their father this way, but they smile. Like they’ve been waiting for someone to have Summer’s back the way she’s always had theirs.
Serena pipes up. “He’s right, Dad. You put so much pressure on her to mold into what you want.”
“Now that she’s doing what she enjoys, she’s bound to feel like you don’t care,” Shreya adds.
