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“No, Andrew, I already told you that.” I shake my head quickly.
“My father did the math, Emily,” he says. “Talking with you and your father. Everything matches.”
He turns to look at me intensely, his blue eyes shining.
I lean over to kiss Andrew on the temple, feeling the salty taste of his sweat, and the manly scent it exudes.
“Andrew, her father lives in Germany and doesn’t have any plans to come back to the US. Let it go, okay?”
I tug at the wrinkles on my shirt and look to the side. Andrew holds the steering wheel and finally nods, letting out a sigh.
He’s getting dangerously close, and I’m not sure how long I can get away with it.
“I guess that was all I had to say.” I am ready to put the seat belt back on and be driven back to my car.
“You’re not leaving now, are you?” he says, looking at me with a frown. “No, you spoke, and now I get to speak. Stay and spend some time with me. Plus, there’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you, and I think I should finally say it.”
He climbs out of the car in a swift move, looking over his shoulder at me as if to say, ‘come on, what are you waiting for?’
I traveled all the way out here. I might as well stay. Plus, it’s not like I’m mad at him anymore.
I let out a small smile, shake my head, and follow him.
Chapter Fifteen
ANDREW
Andrew
We sit at a secluded table at the hotel bar, order two beers, and enjoy a comfortable silence for a few moments.
“What is it that you want to tell me so badly, Andrew?” Emily asks in her sweet voice.
I sip my beer then lean back, turn my eyes toward the ceiling, and mull over the words I need to say.
It’s a lot.
“I only said it on the phone so far, but I’m sorry I disappeared and never came back.” I clear my throat when my voice breaks. “I am sorry I didn’t return your phone calls or text messages. I got swept up in the NHL, the fame, the money. I took you for granted. I know I did.”
Emily’s eyes just bore into mine as she nods.
My shoulders slump, and I’m feeling more defeated right now than I’ve ever been in my life. “But people move on, right? Some do it faster than the others.”
“What are you insinuating, Andrew Connoly?” Emily grits her teeth, about to get angry.
“I was talking about me.” I raise my hands to make peace, and she snorts at my stance. “But anyway, the crush I had on you all through middle school and high school wasn’t empty, Emily. I… I love you. I regret getting caught up in the NHL and not calling you back. I wish I would have known about you being pregnant. I could have been there for you.”
Emily shakes her head, her eyes full of tears. “How do you know how you would have reacted? That’s easy for you to say now. Plus, how would you have been able to help while chasing your NHL dream?”
“Well, what has the NHL gotten me, anyway?” Now I’m the one shaking my head.
I immediately start rubbing my right shoulder, which I injured early on in my second year. I played through an injury like an idiot, only to find out later I had a torn rotator cuff. It still bothers me to this day although it doesn’t affect my performance.
“Money?” she suggests, shrugging bitterly.
“Money can be made anywhere, Emily.”
“You’re not thinking straight, Andrew,” she says with mockery in her tone.
