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“No.” He pauses. “Actually, there's something I should've said a while ago.”
Oh.
I follow him a little farther down the hallway, away from the people coming and going.
Dad stops near a framed photograph of the team and turns to face me. “I owe you an apology.”
I blink.
Well. That's not what I was expecting.
Dad sighs and rubs a hand over his jaw. “I was angry when I found out about you and Larkin. I was angry that I found out from the internet, and I was angry that he'd been involved with my daughter without telling me.”
“I know.”
“And I was worried about what it could mean for him. For the team. For you.”
I fold my arms. “Dad—”
“Let me finish.”
I close my mouth.
He takes a breath. “Those concerns weren't made up. There are complications when a player is dating the coach's daughter, and I can't pretend otherwise.”
“I know that too.”
“But I shouldn't have made you feel responsible for his entire future.”
My throat tightens.
Dad looks uncomfortable. “I was trying to protect you,” he says. “Both of you, actually. But I went about it the wrong way.”
I swallow. “You made me think loving him could ruin his life.”
His expression changes. “I know.”
“And I believed you.”
“I know, sweetheart.”
“I hurt him really badly, Dad.”
Dad's jaw tightens. “I heard.”
I look up sharply. “From who?”
“Larkin.”
My mouth falls open. “You talked to Wyatt?”
“He came to see me a few days after you two got back together.”
Oh, God.
“I had no idea. What did he say?”
Dad studies me for a moment. “He told me he understood why I was concerned. He said he knew dating you could complicate things, and he wasn't asking for special treatment.”