“I shouldn’t have told him about the game.”

“It’s over. I love you.”

“I love you more.”

She gives me a squeeze then pulls back to look up into my eyes. “I like Avery a lot. She’s sweet and loves Angie something insane.”

I nod, my heart hurting a bit. “She’s great.”

Leaning in, she whispers, “I know everyone thinks it’s a big deal about her daddy, but I don’t. You’re dating her, not him.”

I can only nod because I can’t trust what will come out of my mouth. Kissing my jaw, she pats my chest before Coach shakes my hand. His eyes are worried, but I ignore them before saying good-bye to everyone else. As I hug Jude tightly, I want to ask him not to leave. Tell him that I need him, but I know it would be pointless, and also that he would make fun of me endlessly. He has a life, a good one, that he has to get back to.

“Call me if you need anything,” he says as he smacks my back and I nod.

“Will do.”

“It was great to meet you, Avery,” he says then. I turn, not even realizing she is behind me.

“You, too. Bye, Claire.”

“Bye! It was great meeting you,” she says to Avery before hugging me tightly. As Jude pulls her away, wrapping his arms around her, Lucy captures me in a tight hug. I know it’s not to love on me. I don’t know how she became Team Avery, but she’s two seconds from having a shirt made stating whose side she’s on.

“I know you’re pissed,” she whispers in my ear. “And you have every right to be, but don’t let this break you two up. I like her. A lot. And you know that means something coming from me.”

Over Lucy’s shoulder, Avery is watching me, her eyes burning into mine. It hurts to see her eyes so sad, and I should probably feel bad, but I don’t. This isn’t my fault; it’s hers. But then, maybe I’m just tripping out over this. I mean, we’ve been dating almost three weeks, and it’s well-known she doesn’t talk about her family. Maybe she was going to tell me. But I feel still like that should have been the first thing out of her mouth. I should take a deep breath and think this over because she looks troubled, and I don’t want to be the one who does that to her. I want to make her smile, I want to make her happy, but she has to be more open with me. Like I am with her.

Slowly nodding, I squeeze Lucy tightly as my mom hugs Avery. Kissing Angie’s head, I wave good-bye and then wait for Avery. She walks cautiously to me before we head toward the car.

We don’t get far from the group before she is looking at me questioningly. “So you’re mad?”

I nod. “Wouldn’t you be if you found out something like that about the person you’re dating?”

She shrugs, looking away as I open her door. “No, it’s not a big deal to me.”

“But it is to me,” I say, cocking my head to the car, but she shakes her head.

“No, I want to talk about this.”

“And we can in the car.” I look back at where my family is still standing outside, chatting. “Out of earshot of my family.”

She looks at my family and then gets in the car with a huff. I don’t understand why she is upset since she is the one in the wrong, and that annoys me. Shutting the door with more force than needed, I head around the car and get in myself, turning it on. Looking over at her, I find her watching me, and before I can talk, she’s saying, “It’s not a big deal because my dad is nowhere in the equation of us. I can promise you. He doesn’t decide who goes in the draft. Yeah, he has pull, but he really only uses that on my brothers. Even so, Laurence didn’t even get picked in the draft, so obviously my dad doesn’t matter. And the thing is, you aren’t dating him—you’re dating me.”

She lets out a quick breath, her eyes wide and her face red. “I don’t get why you’re upset, acting like a jerk at dinner when I did nothing wrong. Yeah, I didn’t tell you, but did you ask? No. So it isn’t like I’m lying. I just didn’t see a reason to bring it up because he isn’t important.”

Letting my head fall to the side, I glower. “Are you done?”

She glares. “For now.”

“Good,” I say, turning in my seat to face her. “So what you’re saying is you want me to be a mind reader?”

“Did I say that?”

“Basically. And the thing is, I’m not mad because of who he is—I could care less, even though my brothers both think that I need to give you up because he can ruin me. And yeah, he probably can, but I’m in too deep with you. That’s why I’m mad—because you didn’t tell me. That’s big for someone who’s dying to go into the draft and be great in the NHL. He’s my future boss, Avery, and a little warning or a small heads-up would have been great. Don’t you understand that? I just looked like a dumbass in front of my family ’cause I didn’t even know your last name.”

“He doesn’t matter!” she yells, and I notice her hands are shaking. “He doesn’t care about me enough to care who I’m dating. I promise you that.”

I shake my head. “Did you not hear what I just said? I don’t care about him. I care about us and the fact that you hold shit back from me.”

“Because they don’t matter!”

“My future boss does matter.”

“So, what? You wouldn’t be with me if you knew? Or would you have used me? I don’t get it.”

“Oh my God, Avery, really? Don’t you know me better than that?”

“You’re the one making a big deal over who my dad is.”

“Because you didn’t tell me! You don’t tell me shit!”

“That’s a lie. I’m doing better,” she shoots back and I glare.

“Because I’m fucking making you,” I yell. I don’t mean to make her flinch but, fuck. Come on! “It’s like pulling teeth with you. I have to beg for information, and that’s not fucking fair.”

Shaking her head, she shrugs. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

I glare, because that wasn’t heartfelt at all. “Really? I’m supposed to believe that?”

She glares back. “What? I said sorry.”

“And you didn’t fucking mean it!”