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“You can’t have Hudson traded, Dad. I need you to listen to me, okay? Please.” I pull back and untangle myself from his embrace before walking further into his office and pacing nervously. “He didn’t do anything wrong. All the stuff the media is saying, I’m sure you’ve seen it, but you can’t listen to it. That girl… It’s me in that picture. I’m the one he picked up last night.”
I wait for him to explode, but he just nods, his eyes softening. “I know.”
I freeze. “What—what do you mean you know?”
“He told me everything. About the two of you. He told me the truth—that he was protecting you. That he loves you. Is that true, Care Bear?”
Oh, Hudson.
You big, beautiful,stupidman. What have you done? I was so happy to see him I didn’t even stop to ask myself why he was here.
Nodding, I sit in the chair across from his desk, dropping my head into my hands and sucking in a deep breath before lifting my head to meet his gaze. “It is. I love him too, Dad, and if you have him traded just because of our relationship, I will never forgive you. All he’s done is make me happy from the very first day, and he is a good, kind man.”
He shakes his head. “Caroline, baby girl, there has to be consequences. He’s been seeing my daughter behind my back for months. My much younger daughter, who I asked him to look out for. A coach has to have trust with his players. I can’t just let this go.”
I spring from the chair. “Yes, you can! Dad, why would you not want me to be loved by someone like Hudson? Unconditionally, who does everything in their power to make me feel happy and safe, who protects me and makes me feel like the most beautiful person in the world? Why would you punish someone for loving me?”
“Of course I want that for you, Caroline! But baby, he is on myteam. He is a professional hockey player almostdoubleyour age. You snuck around, lied to my face. How can I trust him as my player fully knowing that? It’s not about punishing him for caring about you—it’s about trust. And him beingrightfor you. You can’t expect me to be okay with this…” he says raggedly, dragging his hand down his face in exasperation.
My jaw clenches, and I set it in determination. I love my dad, as much as I can love a man who’s been absent most of my life, and I don’t want to let him down or hurt him in any way. But I also know that if he has Hudson traded or does anything to hurt his career… the rift in our already fragile relationship will be unrepairable.
There’s no fixing it.
“That’s exactly what I expect, Dad.” I walk over to his desk and grab his hand as I speak, squeezing it in mine tightly. “I love him. I aminlove with him. And you may think that I’m too young and immature to know that feeling, but you’re wrong. And I deserve to be loved by a man as selfless and amazing as Hudson. Please, don’t make me choose. Please don’t do that to me.”
His mouth opens as if he wants to respond to that but thinks better of it, and then a deep, weary sigh rumbles from his chest. “I would never ask that of you, Care Bear. I just… he’s a playboy, and you’re my baby girl. You’re my little girl, and I don’t want to see you get hurt. I only want you to be happy, and I want whatever is best for you.”
“Hudsonmakes me happy.Heis what’s best for me, and I know that might not be easy to hear, and I understand. I’m sorry that we’ve been seeing each other in secret, but we both knew that you’d react this way, and I didn’t want him to lose everything he’s worked for just to be with me. I can’t be that reason. Please don’t let this happen. Please don’t be the reason my heart breaks… again.”
The line between his brow depends as his frown does, his eyes misting over. “I’m sorry, Caroline. I’m sorry that I left you and your mom, and I don’t think you’ll ever know how much regret I live with that I didn’t handle that differently. How it suffocates me every damn day I’m breathing. Leaving you two was the biggest mistake of my life.”
His words break something inside of my heart, something that I’ve been stitching back together for a very long time. The fragile thread bursting open at the seams.
“Dad…” I cry, hot tears blurring my vision.
He shakes his head, squeezing my hand tenderly. “Please. I should’ve said this a very long time ago, Caroline. I should’ve never left, and that’s something I’ll have to live with. I missed so many moments of your life because I was a fool. I’m fighting for a place in your life now, trying to make a spot for myself, and it’s what I deserve. I just need you to know how sorry I am. How I would do anything to turn time around and change it. To stay and never have left you.”
I’m crying so hard I can hardly catch my breath. I’ve waited so long to hear this, to hear him take responsibility for being the first man to break my heart. It doesn’t feel good—it doesn’t feel anything like I once hoped it would. It won’t turn back time and give us those years back.
I cover my mouth to stifle the sob as he continues. “I can’t do that, Care Bear. I’d do anything to make that happen, but I can’t. All I can do is fight like hell to earn my place in your life. To be the father you deserve for the time that we have left. To cherish every single second I have with you. I just hope that you can forgive me.”
I nod. “I do, Dad. I do forgive you.”
He squeezes my hand, reaching up to wipe away my tears. “I can’t lose you again, baby girl. It would be like ripping my heart straight from my chest, and I can’t do it. I love you, more than you will ever know. And if he makes you happy, if he’s going to treat you like the precious thing that you are, then I’ll just have to get over it. I’m not trying to hurt either of you; I just want to protect you… so be patient with your old man as I figure this out. I’m still processing it all.”
Leaping off the desk, I throw my arms around him, holding him tightly to me. “Thank you. For trusting me enough to know what’s best for me and for not punishing him. I don’t want anything to ever tear us apart again, Dad. I’m sorry I didn’t come to you with this—I wasn’t sure I could, but I want to build trust together moving forward. All I want is to have you in my life and to be happy.”
“That’s all I want too, baby girl. I don’t want you to ever question my love for you.”
“I know, Dad.” I sniffle, trying to stop the tears and failing miserably. “I don’t. And I need your help. I have to fix this situation with Hudson in the media.”
He nods in agreement. “I know. I’ve had PR on it since he left my office earlier.”
Woah.
“So, you knew before I came in here that you weren’t going to punish him?”
“I knew that if my baby girl loves him, then he has to be a good guy, and I would believe in her even if I wasn’t convinced about him. And I knew you wouldn’t want him to be hurt by this. I just needed to have this discussion with you, see how you truly felt about him.”
