Page 80 of Puck Around and Find Out

“He’s injured. Are you blind?” Thane snapped from my other shoulder. He crossed his arms, and the protective gear made him appear bigger than usual. He was a lot wider than my skinny-assed father.

I shook my head at him. This was between me and Dad. “Maybe you would know if you’d been around, old man.”

Dad blinked, surprised by my attitude. I’d always been such a good boy, the obedient ice-skating wunderkind he’d enjoyed bossing around. It was too bad for him that hockey made me a stronger person mentally, too. “Kid—”

“I amnotyour kid.” I gritted my teeth. “I haven’t been your kid since you left me and Mom.”

He rolled his eyes. “Your mom’s a bitch. I had to go.”

“What the fuck did you say?” I reared forward, but Atlas grabbed my arm to hold me still.

“You’re hurt,” Atlas hissed into my ear. His touch seared me through the jersey he’d given me and grounded me, reminded me of where I was and who was watching. “He isn’t worth it.”

Dad’s attention spun to Atlas, and a protectiveness rose inside me as Dad’s eyes narrowed on him. “Who the fuck are you?”

I shook my head and shifted in front of Atlas, which was painful because I wasn’t using my crutches. I still had a brace on my knee, and while physical therapy had helped a lot, the pain was a dull throb, reminding me it would take a long while to recover. I’d begun to come to terms with the healing process, even as it hurt to see my teammates out on the ice, playing their hearts out. Tonight, the jersey helped in ways Atlas wouldn’t fully understand. It made me feel like I was still part of our team, still one of them.

It also gave me the strength to stick my chin out and tell my father what I thought of his sorry ass. “You don’t get to talk to him that way. You don’t get to be here. You may be the man who helped bring me to life, but you are not my dad anymore. You don’t deserve that right. Youleftus, me included, and for another woman no less. That was a choice you made. So, I don’t even know why you’re here or what you want from me.”

“I didn’t leave you.” Dad spread his arms as though his bullshit made sense. It didn’t. “I left your mom. You’d love Janica. I came here tonight to talk to you. Come live with us. Let your mom do whatever she wants, but you can get back into skating for real and leave this behind.”

I stared in disbelief. “Fuck you. You said her kids were more important than me.”

Dad’s eyes blazed with anger, and he stepped forward, pointing a finger at me while he did. “Enough, you selfish, spoiled little brat. I spent a lot of money on you growing up. All those instructor fees were paid byme. You owe me.”

“He doesn’t owe you a damned thing,” Atlas growled out, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I smiled at him, grateful he had my back. “He’s your blood, your kid. If you didn’t want to provide for him, maybe you should have left in the beginning and saved him the displeasure of ever knowing you.”

I grunted out a laugh. “Would’ve been easier.”

Atlas shot me a wry grin because if anyone understooddaddy issues, it was him.

“You stay out of it, you little bastard.” Dad shoved farther into our box. A tic I knew well began in his jaw, and it had scared me when I was younger because it was a sign that he was in a bad mood and to avoid him, but I was at the point in my life where I didn’t care anymore. I’d spent enough years mourning his loss. He didn’t get to come back into my life after leaving.

Before I could say anything, someone else was pushing their way in front of us, and I blinked, surprised to find Joseph there and Mom at my side. She touched my shoulder, but she had a glare pointed at Dad. Joseph, on the other hand, was a brick wall, a sturdy barrier separating Dad from Atlas, Mom, and me.

“If you take one more step near my son and Wystan, I will destroy you,” Joseph hissed low enough that only the team could hear.

Dad’s jaw twitched again. “I don’t care about your weak-ass son, man. I was talking tomyboy.”

Mom laughed, her grip on my shoulder tightening. It wasn’t difficult to see the hurt on her face in the way her mouth twisted and her eyebrows furrowed. “He hasn’t been your son since you left without a word, Gary.”

Joseph crossed his arms and straightened, looking every bit like the lawyer he was in his black suit. His hard stare was terrifying. “If you call my son weak again, I will put you on your ass.”

Atlas’s eyes widened and he visibly swallowed, shifting his weight between his feet. Even with the skates on, he had great balance. When he glanced at me, as if to check that I’d heard the same thing he did, I nodded with a smile. His dad had his back.

“So, you’re the new asshole fucking my ex, huh?” Dad chuckled, and I stared.

Was this truly the man I’d idolized for so long? I wasn’t surehowI’d cared so much about him. He wasn’t the person I remembered, but I supposed it was easy to make up stories in my head when I was younger. My dad was no hero.

“Are you proud of yourself, Gary?” Mom gestured around us. “Coming here and embarrassing your son? What were you hoping to accomplish?”

He ignored her, focusing on me instead. “I know some guys up in Minnesota who could use you, kid. If you really want to stick to this hockey stuff, do it somewhere they know how to play.”

“Minnesota?” I repeated, frowning. Atlas moved closer and his fingers tickled my palm, but he didn’t grab my hand. We couldn’t do that here and now. “Is that where you’ve been with your new woman?”

“They’ve got a good program in one of the colleges up there. Janica works as the receptionist to the dean. When she figured out you were my son, she talked to the dean about it, and he’s willing to push for you to get a scholarship and other benefits.” Dad spoke as though I hadn’t said a word, and I wished more than anything that I could return to my sixteen-year-old self and tell him that Dad wasn’t worth our tears. He was a loser. But then, maybe I would never have given up figure skating and met Atlas.

I clenched my teeth. “No.”

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