Page 19 of Play Your Part

Living with Justin wouldn’t have counted. Crashing with Gemma certainly didn’t.

Maybe it was time for me to change things.

“Now what’s this business with Alexei Volkov?”

I stilled at the abrupt question. I was prepared to talk about Alexei, practiced potential questions and answers so I wouldn’t look or sound like a complete idiot. I needed to convince my dad, the person who knew me better than anyone, I had feelings for Alexei.

But he would see through all my practiced answers.

“Honestly?” I said, opting for some kernel of truth. “I’m not sure. It… took me by surprise.”

Dad pinched the bridge of his nose. “What I’ve been hearing is true, then?”

“What have you been hearing?”

His forehead scrunched at my evasive answer, but I recognized the technique a mile away. He hoped I would supply him details. “My daughter is caught between one of the biggest rivalries in the league.”

“Not true,” I said with a tight smile. The next words out of my mouth felt unnatural, and I had to fight the instinct to say nothing. “Justin and I are done, and Alexei and I are… going to see what happens.”

Alexei’s words rang in my ears,Making him think we’re dating will get his attention. It’ll get you what you want. Right now, I wanted to hurt Justin. Hurt him the way he hurt me. Saying we were done wasn’t quite right; this arrangement with Alexei guaranteed he would loom over my life a bit longer.

“See what happens,” Dad repeated.

I reached for the beer on my nightstand and downed half of it. My dad raised an eyebrow at me.

“Is this where you warn me away from him?”

“Would it matter if I did?”

“Come on, Dad. What are you worried about?”

“I am always worried about you. You, Kennedy Elizabeth, are too good for this world,” he said with unrelenting eye contact.

That was it? All he wanted was to make sure I was safe from being hurt. Justin convinced me my dad would be an obstacle between us, which was why we couldn’t tell him until our relationship was strong enough to withstand it. Our strength would gain my dad’s approval. Why didn’t I listen to the voice in the back of my mind telling me it was bullshit?

“And this season is crucial for us,” my dad continued. “I can’t have my new star distracted.”

Without a strong season, my father might have to sell the team or move it to a new location. My mom’s team—the thing she most enjoyed in life outside our family—would no longer exist. Before she died, I’d had every intention of coming home after college and becoming a part of this organization. Some part of me wasn’t ready to let go of that yet.

“Who knows what will happen? Maybe we’ll hate each other.”

Dad let out a big-bellied laugh. “Not likely, Kenny.”

If he only knew the truth.

For the next ten minutes, Dad caught me up on his week. We talked about holiday plans, even though it wasn’t even October until tomorrow. I told him about the near disasters at my job this week until he had to sign off for a client dinner.

“I love you, sweetheart.”

These words, I never took for granted. I almost lost him once. From then on, I promised myselfno regretswhen it came to my parents. Life was too unpredictable.

“You come to me if that boy does anything you don’t like. You hear me?”

“Sure, Dad.” I failed to sound anything but sarcastic. Three months with Alexei meant I would deal with a lot I didn’t like, far too much to bother my dad with. Besides, I had to pretend IlikedAlexei. The day Deandra and Alexei pitched the idea, I proclaimed to everyone I could pull this off. My stubbornness sometimes made me overconfident.

But too much rode on the success of this arrangement for me not to rise to the occasion.

“Please tell me that is not what you plan to wear.”

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