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Mom hummed. “I wonder what story you told her about not speaking to your very talented son for so long. Was it all my fault?” she asked sweetly.
Dad’s jaw twitched again and he stared directly at me, ignoring Mom. “He’d give you a hefty stipend for living in Minnesota—”
“Enough, Gary!” Mom stomped her heel. “You pathetic man.”
The harsh words from her mouth shut Dad up immediately. He frowned. “What did you say to me?”
“You heard her well enough.” Joseph stepped forward, and not only was he protecting Atlas now, but Mom and me, too. “It’s time for you to leave.”
Dad squared his shoulders and bared his teeth at Joseph. “Just because you’re fuc—”
“Dad, stop,” I yelled, earning some glances from our fans. I didn’t care. I’d had enough. “I don’tneedyou. I don’t want you here.” Taking a deep breath, I focused on him completely. “You left me. You made that choice, and I missed my dad and it killed me. I cried for weeks after you left. For fucking weeks.”
Dad opened his mouth, but I didn’t give him a chance.
“You don’t get to come back because you might have a chance to get money from my hockey abilities, and you certainly don’t get to insult Atlas or Mom or even Joseph because they’ve been here for me through more than you ever were. I was injured, had my knee fucked up, and you didn’t even check in.” I exhaled and shook my head. “What does that say about you?”
Dad seemed to deflate. His shoulders slumped and his eyebrows furrowed farther.
“You’re not my dad anymore. I gave up on you years ago whenyouchose to leave. You don’t deserve anything else from me.” I grabbed my crutches and shoved them under my armpits so I could walk around Joseph and closer to Dad. Raising my chin, I stared him directly in the eyes. “This time, I choose what happens to our relationship. So leave, because I don’t need you or the college’s scholarship. I have NGU, and they might have taken my scholarship from me this season, but these guys—” I waved around at my team, standing there offering their support. “—are my family. You can fuck off.”
Dad’s mouth opened, then closed, and he straightened again. His gaze smoldered with anger. “You really are a fuckup, kid. A real disappointment. You could’ve been an Olympian.”
Atlas moved fast, dropping his stick and hurtling forward, but Joseph caught him before he could throw himself at Dad.
I heard Joseph mutter, “No, Atlas.” To my shock, after pushing Atlas back at Coach Hill, he then turned around and threw a fist right at Dad’s cheek. Dad went down against one of the benches, a groan of agony escaping as he grabbed his face, staring up at Joseph in surprise. “Time for you to leave, asshole.”
My heart jerked, and even Mom appeared completely shocked by Joseph’s actions.
“I’ll sue you for that,” Dad bellowed. He pointed at some people nearby recording on their phones.
My gaze jumped from Joseph to Dad and back again, not quite sure who I was supposed to be staring at.
Joseph laughed. “You can try, but I’m a good lawyer and you’ll lose.”
Dad wobbled to his feet, and with a final glare around at all of us, he shot out of the box. I watched him go, a mixture of sadness and relief coiling tight in my stomach. A part of me wished it had all been different, and he’d been here with a reasonable excuse or apology for leaving, but then a part of me was glad that I knew who he really was. I never had to feel bad about losing him again.
I turned a small smile on Joseph. “Thank you.”
Joseph nodded and curled an arm around Atlas. “I’ve been a pretty shitty father. It’s about time I changed that before I turn intohim.” He threw a glare in the direction Dad had left.
Mom grabbed me and spun me around so she could drag me into a hug. Her apologies filled my ears as a mantra, and I shook my head.
“He isn’t your responsibility, Mom,” I whispered, kissing her cheek.
She nodded, but she didn’t fully appear as though she believed me. I tightened my hold on her and sighed, wishing Dad had never shown his face here.
It was Joseph who finally extracted Mom from me, and she let him walk her out of the team box and up out of the spectator seats. I watched until they were gone, then turned to Atlas. Together, we walked—or I hobbled with my crutches—back toward the locker room. The team gave us privacy, heading straight to the showers and leaving Atlas and me alone.
“How are you?” Atlas asked as he took a seat on the bench next to me. We were sitting in front of his locker and the scent of sweat teased my nose. His smell was distinct, and I could pick it out from all the others.
I leaned in, burying my nose against his neck, and he hugged me tightly. “I’m glad that happened,” I whispered. “Because now I know he’s a dick and always has been.”
Atlas pressed a kiss to my temple, and I hummed at the touch of his mouth against my heated skin. “I’m sorry, Birdy.”
“Don’t be,my world.”
He chuckled and tickled his fingers over my head.
