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“Well, it’s a team effort,” Dallas says. “Gray’s pass was a dime. Your son was the missing piece.”
“Eh, yeah, not bad, but he was a little soft out there tonight,” my dad says, smiling. “It was a great win, but he could’ve been tougher, right, Gray?”
He slaps a hand on my arm and squeezes.
“Hey, some of the guys are going out for a quick bite,” Dallas says. “You should come.”
My father’s face brightens. “Yeah? I’d love to.”
“I’m not going,” I say.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Dallas says. “You served up the puck the entire game, have someone else serve you for the rest of the night.”
“I’m going to get some sleep,” I say. “Gotta stay focused.”
“Focus makes champions,” my dad says with a nod.
At that, something inside me snaps. I look at Dallas. “On second thought, Burke, I’ll go.”
Dallas nods, then looks at my dad. “Great, so we’ll see you both—”
“No,” I cut in. “It’ll just be me.”
Dallas’s smile fades, his eyes darting to my dad and back to me. “Great. We’ll wait for you outside.”
I nod, and Burke walks away, leaving me standing there with my dad.
I lean in and forcefully say, “What the heck do you want?”
“Can’t a guy check in on his son?” he chuckles.
“We both know you never come around without a reason.”
“Noticed your game’s been off,” he says. “That’s all. Thought you might need a reset. Or a reminder.”
“A reset? A reminder?” I bristle. “I’m fine.”
“You’re distracted.” He sticks his hands on his hips and studies me. “You’ve forgotten what makes you great.”
“No, actually, I think I’m just figuring that out.” I shake my head. “What makes me great is completely different than what you told me it is.” Only as the words leave my mouth do I realize this could be true.
“Your little girlfriend tell you that?” He says it like the words have a sour taste.
“Yeah, maybe in a way, she did,” I say.
“We’ve been down this road before,” he says, referring to Celeste.
“I’m not talking to you anymore,” I say. “Your whole philosophy—it’s all wrong.”
“Got you here, didn’t it?” He straightens.
“Maybe,” I say. “But I’m not living this way anymore. And I’m not playing your way anymore.”
He smirks. “Yeah. We’ll see how far that goes.”
“You’ll see from a distance. Because this—” I motion to the back hallway of the arena— “is off limits to you. No more family access or VIP passes.”
“This is how you thank me,” he says through clenched teeth.
