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“I’ll be with you,” I caress her hair. “As much as I can. That I can promise, and it won’t be a broken promise this time. Plus, after June, I’ll have my vacation, so it’s a win.”
She lifts her eyes to look at me and doesn’t seem to believe me.
“I can’t take Alissa out of school,” Emily announces, dousing my fire.
“That’s right. But can your mother or father fly with her so she can see us on weekends until she’s out of school? I’ll pay for it of course.” I suggest, trying my best to find a solution.
“I don’t know, Andrew,” her voice is muffled against my sweater. “I’m complaining about you being away, now I’m going to be away too?”
I pause to think. It’s unfair for me to ask that of her, but I want to take our relationship to the next level, and she needs to know what I go through.
“It’s just a little over two months,” I explain carefully. “What do you say if we consider today a dress rehearsal, huh? If Ali does well for one night in the middle of a bunch of strangers, she can fare well for that time with her grandma and grandpa.”
This sways her, but she’s still not convinced. “We’d still see her at least once a week, if only for a little while,” I continue, “and after the Stanley Cup, my time would be all yours and Alissa’s!”
Emily climbs on top of me a little bit higher and kisses me with a fire I have never seen in her.
“If Alissa does well tonight, we’ll see,” she says, and I resign myself to waiting. “Now, the big question. I know you just found out yourself, but are you ready to tell Alissa about who you are tomorrow morning?”
I take a deep breath and let it out in a loud exhale. “Nervous. To be honest, I had my suspicions. But now that I know for sure, I think we should tell her. How do you think she’ll react?”
Emily scoffs, and slowly lowers a hand down my torso. “Poorly. But she needs to know too. I need to stop keeping secrets.”
“Does your family know?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Only mom,” she admits. “I’m not sure dad believed the story about Patrick Shire, but Dan wanted to kill the guy before he moved to Germany.”
I lean my head back, letting the news fully sink in.
I am Alissa’s father. I have a daughter.
This changes everything.
I knew I loved them before, but now I know I’ll never let them go.
I also know something else.
Alissa and Emily are my number one priority.
Chapter Twenty-Two
EMILY
Ispend the rest of the night at Andrew’s place, and we get out of bed early the next morning to pick up Alissa at the hotel.
I didn’t sleep one bit.
I can’t believe Andrew proposed. Mom would kill me if she knew that I turned him down.
But I am just now getting used to being his girlfriend. I’m not ready to even think about being his wife.
Although, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love the sound of that.
I knew I could no longer keep the secret anymore, and it feels like such a burden has been lifted off my shoulders.
He didn’t run away. He didn’t freak out. He is supportive and still wants to be a part of our lives.
Maybe, just maybe, Andrew, Alissa and I could be a family after all.
