"No!" Mollie says at the same time, I say, "Yes."
We look at each other. Mollie's eyes widen. I narrow mine and clarify, "She's here as my date because I have to have a warm body."
Mollie looks like she's just swallowed something bitter. "Alex is letting me crash at his place since mine burned down."
"Alex, huh?" Theo grins. "Must be cozy atChezThorne." The glare I give him doesn't have the desired effect of him fucking off to the moon. He shrugs. "I'm just saying, I've never been invited to Thorne's place."
"And it'll stay that way if you're lucky," I grate out.
Luckily, Beck chooses that moment to swan in, catching his sister by the waist and giving her a little hug. "Hey, Moll."
I have to hide my grimace. It’s not that I don’t want to see my best friend. It’s more that when he’s around, I have to be careful not to touch Mollie. And I very much don’t like when I’m not in constant contact with her.
Mollie beams at Beck. "I didn't think you were coming!"
“Yeah, I thought you said that Rosie's usual nanny is down with mono,” I grumble.
He flinches. "God, yes. It’s sounds like she’s dying. Anyway, I had to scramble to get a replacement." He checks his watch. "And I won't stay too long because I don't know how the replacement will fare."
"She came from the same service, though, right?" I ask, concerned.
"Yeah. But that doesn't really make me feel any better about my baby girl being with a stranger." He glances around the ballroom, shoulders tight. He spots Jessa. "I should talk to her about travel logistics."
"Yeah?" My brows rise. But he's already gone, pushing men in suits to the side to get to the pretty brunette.
"He's a stress case," Mollie declares.
"Funny, he doesn't look all that stressed now that he's talking to Jessa," Connor jokes. "He seems... focused."
"Speaking of things that are none of our business in any way," I say smoothly. "Has anyone seen my dad? Looks exactly like I will in thirty years, probably has a suit on with no tie, likely has a puck bunny hanging off his arm?"
Theo jerks his thumb over his shoulder. "Your old man is holding court over there, with the rest of the All-Stars."
My eyes seek out my father, and it’s like I have a crystal ball to tell the future. He's standing in a loose circle of former players, a willowy blonde clinging to him as if he powers the sun and moon. He leans in and I get a better look at him. Tall, square jaw, boxy shoulders, still densely muscular. His overgrown dark hair is shot through at the temples with silver-gray. There are more lines on his face than I remember, but otherwise we are identical.
This man gave me my strength and speed. But he also gave me daddy issues.
So there's that.
Mollie is already looking at me, waiting for my cue. I sigh. "I have to go say hi."
"Yeah." She gives me a funny look. "I figured. You gonna introduce me?"
For a second, a white-hot note of jealousy races through my veins. I imagine Mollie wanting to meet my dad, get a selfie with him. Film a TikTok while he tells her about the greatest accomplishments of his career.
I get it. Really, I do. It's a great opportunity for her. But everything in me rebels against her meeting him.
"No," I say, my temper flaring. "I'll come find you when I'm done."
She doesn't miss a beat. "Okay. I'm going to try to find Hunter. He's supposed to film with me sometime next week."
Mollie makes such a non-event of my dad being here that I feel the back of my neck burn. My dad brings out these animal instincts in me that I just can't control.
I reach out and squeeze her arm. "Back in a bit."
Mollie nods and turns to Connor, chatting with him about how well his thirst-trap Reels are doing. I grit my teeth and keep my mouth shut; she's just doing her job.
Straightening my tie, I make my way over to my dad. I wait a beat for him to wrap up his story; he has endless tales of the old days on the ice that he trots out in a very precise order. Well-rehearsed, you could say. He wraps his arm around a pretty woman. I can only see the woman from behind as I make my way to my dad.
