“I don’t want to be alone right now.”
Fuck, I said it.
What happened to being strong?
“You won’t be,” he assured me.
We made our way to the kitchen, and right before we came into view of Ava and her dad, the asshole spanked my ass, and I couldn’t do anything about it.
Having people who cared about you was annoying—but I kind of liked it.
24
AVA
Dinner with my dad was fun.
It seemed like the perfect way to end a week that had been shitty. I loved my dad, and everything he had ever done for me, and seeing him joke with the guys so easily, I wondered if he ever wished I would ask him about his hobbies.
I was very girly. I knew the basics about cars, and only because my dad didn’t want any guy to take advantage of me.
I didn’t even pump my own gas, and the only sport I knew anything about was hockey, and that was because I lived at the rink.
My dad was an all-star dad. He easily went from talking cars with Cruz to talking hockey with Micah.
“I’ve seen your photos in the paper. You’re really good,” my dad said as he seared the other side of the steak he was working on.
Micah blushed at my dad’s words.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Anyone with a camera can do it.”
Anger coursed through me as he quickly dismissed my dad’s praise, and I knew his dad was to blame. Cruz felt the same wayI did, his jaw clenched. But before either of us could assure him he was the special one, my dad beat us to it.
“Ava can get under the hood of a car with all the right tools, and that doesn’t mean she knows what the fuck she’s doing.”
We all laughed at this, and I rolled my eyes playfully at my dad.
“Thanks for throwing me under the bus.”
My dad ignored me.
“You have a gift. Those candid photos you did for the town newspaper on each player were amazing. I liked the one of the captain. You made him seem larger-than-life.”
Micah’s cheeks were in full bloom.
Love.
Micah captured Grayson in a frame full of love.
“Thanks, Mr. Hayes,” he muttered.
“You kids are lucky to have found your talent so early in life. Some people go all their lives without finding their passion.” My dad put the steak aside, then turned toward us with the tongs in hand and pointed them at us. “If you have something you value, something you’re good at, hold it tight and don’t let anyone tell you it’s a waste of time.”
As someone who had heard various versions of my dad’s speech, I saw it as just another day in my household, but I could see the weight of my father’s words on both Micah and Cruz. This was probably the first time a parental figure had told them to never give up on their dreams.
That made me sad, and I wanted to rush in and hug them both, but then I stopped, wondering how in the world I’d ever explain the love triangle—square—I had found myself in. Was it even a square if no one was jealous of anyone?
“He’s really good with a camera,” I added.
