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Andrew raises his hands in surrender. Then he takes a deep breath, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He opens his mouth as if to say something, then just lowers his head.
I can tell he feels terrible, but I don’t care. He deserves it and I’m not going to step in and say it’s okay because it’s not.
When he suddenly pulls me in close for a tight hug, I can no longer hold back the tears. I sob into his shoulder, vaguely noticing that he smells the same. It’s his unique manly musky scent and I forgot all about it until now.
The tears are pouring down my face in hot streams and Andrew holds me tighter. I hate myself for not wanting to be anywhere else but there in his arms.
I don’t know how long we are like that, but I start hiccupping and it breaks the silence. He gives me a small smile and starts to wipe away the tears from my face.
“Can I please see you soon? Just us? We have a lot to catch up on. I know I have some explaining to do.”
I just shake my head and mumble, “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” As I turn to head back inside, I feel like I need something to hold onto to feel steady.
“Emily, wait.”
I keep walking, my eyes on the door handle.
“Emily Mitchell!”
I stop but don’t turn around until I feel his arms around me again, turning me around to face him. His eyes are creased with concern. “Please?”
He’ll just break your heart all over again.
I just shake my head again, not meeting his gaze. Before he can say anything else, I turn around, open the door, and head back inside. I don’t even turn around.
I’ve spent years getting over him and moving on, and now all of a sudden, he’s back and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if I should get close to him again. How can I trust him?
I want to put Alissa first and I don’t want her to be confused or have her stable life turned upside down, especially if he’s going to just leave again. It’s best if he doesn’t know the truth about her.
It’s obvious NHL is his priority and the only reason he’s back here is because of that.
Who knows how long he’ll be around until he leaves again?
I head to the bathroom to catch my breath and clean up my face. Once my heartbeat slows and I feel more composed, I head back inside to my family.
Mom and my brother are looking at me expectantly, but I don’t say anything.
Dan finally asks, “What happened? Andrew just texted to say he had to go. Is everything alright?”
Luckily my dad and Alissa step through the door, preventing me from having to answer.
“Mommy!” Alissa comes running ahead of her grandpa, arms wide open for a hug.
“Sweet pea!” I paste a smile on my face and lift her up to drown her in kisses.
She’s wearing a fluffy pink coat with her newly attained white belt over it, securely tied around her waist with the ends hanging down.
“She did it.” Dad is looking so proud of his granddaughter. “She earned her white belt today!”
“How cool!” I give her more kisses, and she giggles like crazy. “I’m so proud of you, Ali.”
“Thank you, mommy,” she says, shoving a thumb inside her mouth.
We all sit down at the booth, and as Alissa updates my mom and brother on her competition, I decide to give dad the big news of the day.
“You won’t believe who was just here,” I whisper, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Who?” Dad asks, his mouth comically contorted into a tiny O.
