Page 104 of Over Time Advantage

I nod, feeling a bit relieved about my daughter’s career though still worried about her fragile psyche.

I run my hands through my hair. “Fallon, you were amazing with her. It was like you knew exactly what she needed and didn’t hesitate to give it to her. Thank you so much.”

“I was helping a person in need. She’s a great kid. I adore her. You know that.”

I shake my head. “I just froze, not knowing what to do for her. I was like a deer in headlights, but you were so calm and collected.”

She looks around. Once she realizes we’re alone, she takes my hand. “It was a crazy situation. It was bedlam in here. None of us knew what to do.”

“You did. You’re so much better at this than I am. I feel like the worst parent. I feel like I have no natural instincts.”

“You ran to help her, love. That means something. She may have been injured if you hadn’t.”

My shoulders fall. “It wasn’t enough. She needed more. Some people should never have been parents. Sometimes I feel like I’m one of them.”

An indecipherable look flashes across her face. Before I can ask about it, an intruding noise breaks us apart.

She looks up at me. “I need to run. Go home. I’ll call you if I learn anything new. I promise. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I watch her disappear into the locker room area with a sense of looming dread.

TWENTY

JETT

I’m waiting at the airstrip for Kennedy to land back in Philly. She’s on Reagan’s private jet coming home from Maine.

Reagan was able to get Kennedy’s league-imposed suspension reduced from a month to two weeks, on the condition that Kennedy agreed to go to an anger management rehabilitation facility for those two weeks. It’s not her first suspension for rough play, and the league has had enough of it.

That’s where she’s been for the past two weeks. No phone. No computer. No communication with the outside world. Just time for her to work on some of her issues. Frankly, I think my daughter needed it and am happy it happened.

Fallon found out when and where she’d be arriving back in town. I wanted to be here for it.

As the plane taxis in, I get out of my car. As soon as she walks down the steps, I wave at her.

She smiles as she waves back and walks toward me. “Thanks for being here, Dad.”

“Of course. There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

She’s tentative at first but then wraps her arms around my waist and lays her head on my shoulder. I can’t tell you the last time she initiated a hug with me. I’m completely overcome with emotion.

I return the same and squeeze her tight while kissing her forehead and whispering, “Are you okay, baby?”

She nods. “I am. It was a good two weeks for me.” She looks up at me as she swallows nervously. “I’m sorry I shut you out for so many years. I was wrong. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it will take time, but I…I want you in my life.”

My eyes immediately fill with tears as I stare back down at her. “I’d love nothing more. And you have nothing to apologize for. It’s me who should be apologizing to you for not being around when you needed me. I won’t ever let that happen again. I promise. I love you so much, sweetheart.”

She nods and lays her head back on my shoulder as if I comfort her. I’m trying not to weep like a baby, but this is a big moment for us. I don’t know what was said to her in Maine, but this breakthrough is everything.

A few minutes later, we’re on our way to her apartment. “What are your plans for today?” I ask.

She smiles. “We have practice, and then Sulley is hosting a welcome home dinner for me. After that, we’ll probably meet the boys at a club for some fun.”

“What boys?”

“Vance, Daylen, Champ, Presley, and Beau. It’s usually those five. They’re decent guys. What are you up to?”