Chapter 23

Chapter

Twenty-Three

GRACE

If I could choke the man across from me, I think I would. Or maybe I would choke Otto. Yes, I think he's the one that I want to choke right now because he's the reason he's here standing against the doorway, his back leaning against the cheap wood, his arms crossed over his chest, with an extremely yet earned, disapproving look on his face.

"This is the guy you got expelled over?" my father asks on a grunt.

I press my lips together and rub them a few times, not wanting to answer him. I really don't want to talk to my father after the way he spoke to me. I don't want to see him. I don't want him here, but the fact that he dropped everything and drove here for Otto speaks volumes about the respect he has for him.

"Unfortunately, he spotted my daddy issues from a mile away," I state.

My father's eyes flash. I know I've probably hurt him, but at the same time, I don't really care because he's done nothing but hurt me for years. A constant wound that I don't think will ever heal.

I've come to terms with that.

There is also one for my mother, but it doesn't matter. They will be there forever, and maybe they'll eventually get so small that I won't notice them any longer. But seeing my father right here, trying to play protective daddy, it rubs me the wrong way.

"I'm sure," my father hums.

He doesn't respond in any other way. He's completely emotionless, which is good for the situation but not for my heart. We sit in silence for a while. Then there is a knock on the door.

My father steps to the side, and I watch as Otto walks through the door. My father winces at the sight of him. I don't blame him. Otto's scar is angry. It will get better soon, but today is not that day.

Otto moves toward Hayze, who has thankfully stayed quiet most of the time Otto has been gone. The silence stretches, and I swear I hold my breath as he thrusts an envelope against Hayze's chest.

Then, with his other hand, he slaps some keys against his chest. My breath hitches as tears fill my eyes. I don't want Otto to give this much to protect me from this creature, and that's what Hayze is— a creature .

"Take the money, take my car, and get the fuck out. You ever even fart and the wind takes it to Willow Creek, I will find you, and I will deal with you myself. Do you understand that?" Otto growls.

My stomach twists. Guilt consumes me and threatens to make me become sick all over the floor. Holding my breath, I wait for Hayze to respond. His eyes find mine. He holds my gaze for a moment, then smirks.

"You think I ever gave a fuck about that bitch?" he asks. "I didn't care about Grace in college, fucked her for something to do, and she was desperate enough I could get what I wanted. I sure as hell don't give a shit about her now. But I found out she was fucking a hockey player and knew you had some cash."

Wrong. Thing. To. Say.

It's not Otto who loses his shit. In fact, he is cool as a cucumber. Instead, it's my father. Rushing toward Otto, I watch as my father runs forward. He reaches out, grabs ahold of Hayze's shirt, then I watch as he picks Hayze up off the floor.

Otto wraps his arm around me, tugging me against his side. I hold my breath as my father screams in Hayze's face, and then I watch as he releases one of his hands from his shirt, rears back, and punches him.

Hayze's eyes are so wide that I'm afraid they won't ever be able to close again. Then he whimpers right before he falls to the floor. I stare at him, and then my gaze flicks to my father.

He is staring at Hayze on the floor crying, but I am focused on my father, who seems no worse for the wear. Pressing my lips together, I watch as he leans over, and then I hear him murmuring something that I can't make out right before Hayze cries out.

The voice is obviously pained, and if I didn't know how much of an asshole he was, I might feel sorry for him—but I don't. Whatever my father threatens, whatever he's done, Hayze deserves it.

"You don't get the money. You don't get the car. You don't get shit. So, stand your ass up and drive away. I even think you're back in Willow Creek, I'll do a hell of a lot worse than what I've just done."

I've never once seen my father stand up for me, but maybe this is more about him standing up for Otto than it is about me. That's something I can understand. Otto's arm flexes around me, and he tugs me a bit closer before he turns his head, and his lips touch the top of my head.

OTTO

Closing the car door, I dip my chin, and she gives me a smile. I turn my back to her, then move toward Coach. He is standing with his back to the motel, his gaze focused on the passenger in my car before his attention shifts to me.

"You were going to give him the keys to that car and five grand. Why?" he asks.

I almost laugh because the question is ridiculous. He should know exactly why I would do that—especially as her father. But I explain it anyway.

"I love her, Coach. I would do just about anything to keep her safe."

He dips his chin in a single nod, then he shakes his head once. "I can honestly say that I'm not sure I would have done the same."

"No matter what," I say, "Grace didn't deserve what he gave her."

He curls his fingers around my shoulder before he squeezes me there and shakes me once. "You're right. She didn't. Maybe I've been too hard on her."

I don't want to tell him he's been a shit dad. But he's been a shit dad.

"I won't say shit. I won't stand in your way with her. I'm going to maybe try to get to know Grace a little bit better, but your relationship won't affect ours."

It's all I needed to hear. I should probably still look for another team because I highly doubt that Coach will be able to separate my relationship with Grace from the rest of my life. She is going to be part of my world, and hockey is my world.

But all of that aside, I have six weeks before I have to worry about it. It's rest and recovery for me, then, when I'm feeling well enough, the gym. My focus right now is to ensure that the woman in that car is taken care of, safe, and loved.

I think right now, safe and loved are the most important parts of that equation. And safety is not just physical but mental as well. I know her coming here means she had to have been desperate.

I don't want that for her.

Desperation should never be the way of things.

"She's not going anywhere, not if I have anything to say about it," I state. "She'll be at my place if you want to work on things."

He studies me silently for a long moment. Then he dips his chin and takes one step, then another toward his car. He stops and turns his head to look over his shoulder at me before he speaks.

"You love her?" he asks.

"Yeah," I murmur, my lips twitching slightly. "I do."

He doesn't say anything else. He shifts his head around and walks straight for his car without another word. I never imagined a parent being this distant from their child. My parents are amazing. I realize that now. I always knew they were good, but witnessing this scene, I understand how some parents cannot be so great.

My poor Grace has had a rough go of it. But I'm going to ensure that it never happens again. Not to her, not to our children. The generational curse ends now. I'll make that vow my life's duty.

Coach Burns leaves just as Forrest and Alexei pull into his vacated spot. Moving toward them, I hand Alexei Grace's car keys.

"This goes back to our place," I announce.

"Not the girls' across the street?"

My lips turn up into a smirk. "Say hello to your new roommate. At least for now."

"We've lost another one," Forrest says with a laugh. "I knew it the moment you laid eyes on her. Fucking knew it. Another sister added to the pack. I'm here for it."

Laughing, I grunt as the pain in my cheek slides through me. I clear my throat as I look across to him and sink my teeth into my bottom lip. "Your house payment is going to go up," I mutter.

Forrest shrugs a shoulder. "Luckily for me, I come from money. I'm not worried about a few hundred bucks more. The view across the street is worth every penny."

Arching a brow, I watch him for a moment, then lean forward slightly. "Any view in particular?" I ask in a whisper.

Alexei laughs, no doubt knowing exactly who he's talking about. He's a bit more observant than I am, well, when it comes to other things. My focus has been on Grace, and I would say that I've been fairly observant when it comes to her… every single inch of her.

"The blonde one," Alexei announces.

I know exactly who he's talking about, and that is going to be a wild ride. Brooklynn is, without a doubt, the most lively of all the girls in that house. And when I say that, I mean she's the most dramatic, the kindest, and the most vocal, all rolled into one tiny body.