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Dan turns to look at me, but his eyes are closed, as if mustering whatever is needed to continue this conversation.
“I don’t want you to get hurt again, Emily,” Dan says, looking at me intently. “Or Alissa.”
I don’t get angry. I don’t get nervous. All I get is a warm feeling inside because my big brother is acting all protective.
In the end, I just hug him.
Dan is caught by surprise and takes a while to hug me back, but when he does, I smile.
“I’m doing this as carefully as I can, Dan. Andrew screwed up, but he’s trying to make amends, and I think it’s worth giving him a second chance.”
I pull back to look at my brother’s face, and he looks uncertain. I continue, “I know you aren’t happy about us, but I’d really like your support. Let’s give him a chance. Please?”
Dan finally consents with a subtle nod of his head, and soon after I’m unlocking my car to get in.
“I’ll try. For you,” Dan says. Smiling, I get in the car and drive home.
Chapter Twenty-One
ANDREW
“Will your girlfriend be there for all the rounds?” Cooper asks. He is the reserve defenseman who entered the game in the last seconds to save my ass.
I don’t answer, realizing I need to have a conversation with Emily about that to see what she thinks.
We've advanced to the Stanley Cup rounds and secured a victory in our first game of the first round. It happened right here at home.
After talking with the media and having our team meeting, our team celebrated and now we are heading back to the hotel. Even though we played at home, we were still put up in a hotel to keep things organized. Since it’s a weekend game, both Emily and Alissa are here too.
Brook’s wife is spraying champagne to celebrate our win. In the middle of the noise, I find Emily. She’s alone, looking like a scared little kitten, braving through anyways, just to show that she belongs too.
I go to her and grab her by the waist to lift her in the air.
“We won!” I shout.
“I know!” she shouts back.
We kiss like a sailor kissing his girlfriend after two years away at sea. An animal awakes inside of me, hungry for the taste of her, but then I realize I don’t see Alissa.
“Where’s Ali?” I ask while putting Emily down.
She catches her breath then says, “She got overwhelmed with the noise, so Meredith took her to the family room. She’s with the other kids!”
“Meredith?” I pull the name from my memory, “Oh, Steinberg’s wife!”
“Yeah,” Emily lets out a slight giggle. “She said we are welcome there. It was really sweet.”
“Cool!” I say, surprised, “You must have made a good impression. They don’t let just anyone in there.”
“I sold us as high school sweethearts,” she shrugs, sassy.
I look around. Everybody has a pair, save for three of the guys. Two are proud single men, and one is a married guy whose missus was away on vacation without him.
“I’m happy you’re here,” I place a hand on her bum and bring it close to my hips. “Go hang out with Ali. I have a surprise, mostly for you, but she can join in! I’ll get changed and meet you there.”
“Okay.” She kisses me then heads out, looking relieved to leave the noisy area.
I go change, and rush toward the room designated for the girls and the kids, and find Emily animatedly chatting with Emma, Brooks’ wife.
