Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
“Don’t you try to turn this around on us,” he says.
“Oh, yes.” I throw my hands up in the air. “Heaven forbid we point out your flaws. Do you know there was not one time that you came to me after a game and said ‘good game, son.’” I look at him, and he crosses his arms over his chest. “No, everyone else got it. I got a rundown on what I fucked up on. How I could be better. Whatever I did,” I start to say and then take a deep breath, “it was never good enough.”
“Oh, please,” my father says, and I laugh now, shaking my head.
“Yeah, I know you’re the perfect one in everything you do. Meanwhile, how many Stanley Cups did you hold over your head?” I hit him where I know it hurts him most. “I was always the first one on the ice and the last one off. I had to skate faster, and I had to shoot harder, but it just was never good enough.”
“It’s because I pushed you like that that you held that cup over your head,” he tells me. “Why settle for second place when you can be number one?”
I look at my mother, who stands there with tears running down her face. “I’m sorry that when I came to Christmas four years ago, I was high the whole time. I don’t even remember the weekend, but you know what I do remember?” I look at my father. “How you brought out the DVD you had made with all my fuckups of the season.” I look up. “Every single one of them, and you sat there for four hours going over everything you would have done differently. Everything that would have made it perfect.”
“I was trying to make you better!” he shouts. “Everything that I did was to make you better so you would have it better than me. So you could achieve the things I couldn’t.”
“Well, you didn’t. Instead, you pushed me to bury my head even more.” I take a deep breath. “I think I’m going to go.”
“You can’t go. It’s Christmas,” Natalia says. “You have to stay.”
I look at my mother and then at my father, whose face is pulled tight with anger. “Let him go.”
“Andrei,” my mother says. “Don’t you dare let him go off angry like this.”
“He wants to come in here and blame us for him taking drugs. He wants to point fingers. I didn’t snort that cocaine; he did that.”
“I did,” I admit. “That’s all my fault, and I take responsibility for my actions.” I walk to my father. “But when are you going to take responsibility for yours?” I walk past him and hug my mother.
“I’m sorry I’m leaving like this,” I tell her. “I’ll call you when I get home.” I hug Natalia who tells me she loves me.
I pack up my car with my stuff and drive away from my hometown with a weight lifted off just a touch.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Zoe
My phone buzzes on my dresser, and I walk over.
Zara: We will be outside in ten minutes.
I walk back to the mirror and take one last look at myself. I don’t even know what look I’m going for. It’s been a month since I’ve actually been out. After Thanksgiving, I put my head down and pretty much avoided everyone. When I showed up for Christmas, everyone gushed about how they missed me.
I use my job as an excuse to skip most of the home games, claiming that everyone wants their house on the market in time for January. I wasn’t lying, but I wasn’t honest either. I closed a couple of deals and just laid low at home or in the office.
I have lunch with Zara at least once a week, but no one brings up Viktor, or at least I don’t. I know he is at a record high with scoring. I secretly watch the hockey games from home but avoid going to the rink, claiming that I need to close deals. Meanwhile, I’m on my couch with my blanket as I watch them either win or lose. I’m starting to get some lay of the land, and I’m starting to understand more calls.
Matthew gave me a headlock when he finally saw me at Christmas Eve and rubbed my head, trying to get me to tell him what was bothering me. I couldn’t come out and tell him I had fallen for Viktor, so I lied. It was good to be surrounded by the family. I just need to clear my head, and once that’s all done, I’ll be back.
I made the mistake of telling Zara I wanted to wear something to knock everyone’s socks off, and well, she did not disappoint with that request. I look at the one-piece dress she got me. It’s rose gold and sparkly. The sleeves are long, the front goes down in a V, and it’s so tight it’s stuck to me. A belt of the same colored sits at my waist and then the dress falls down straight. It’s the slit right down the middle that makes it drop-dead sexy. Every single move I make, you see my long, toned leg. I have my hair tied up in a high ponytail. Slipping the white cashmere cape over my shoulder, I grab my purse and phone and walk down the stairs to wait at the door.