Page 79 of Ice Cold Heart
Cole noted my unease and tipped his head toward Dad. “We talked it out.”
Good for them—truly, I didn’t want Cole punished because of me—but I was nervous about Dad’s reaction to the part I’d played.
“I see that. Scott?”
“In police custody,” Dad grunted with a hard edge.
The reality of my night hadn’t hit me yet. I wasn’t sure it would, considering I didn’t remember most of it. Scott had made it pretty clear he intended to rape me, but would he have stopped there? He was never satisfied before even when he was in control, and I’d taken away everything that mattered to him. What would he have been capable of without the boundaries of his cushy life holding him back?
A slimy ball of anxiety lived under my ribcage, and I knew I’d need to deal with it at some point, which meant I’d be resuming therapy appointments. Honestly, I probably should have started up again the day I found Scott and my mom. Sometimes, I was stubborn to my own detriment.
In a fucked-up way, I could breathe easier knowing Scott wasn’t just a bad boyfriend. He was a full-on predator who deserved more than the article I wrote about him. Any guilt I might have harbored disappeared the second he roofied me.
Cole rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand, careful not to hit the IV. At least I had the reassurance of realizing I loved Cole before the life-threatening event. It wasn’t an adrenaline-fueled reaction.
It just was.
I owed both Cole and my dad an apology for insisting on keeping things a secret. They deserved full honesty from me, something I hadn’t practiced in a long time with my mom and Scott.
Cole tilted his head at me, like he could hear my thoughts. I gave him a small smile, and he squeezed my hand encouragingly. It didn’t make the nervousness go away, but knowing he was with me gave me the courage to broach the subject directly.
I straightened my shoulders and shifted my attention to Dad. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
Sadness lived deep inside the green eyes I shared. “I understand, Avery. You don’t know me. I have no right to any part of your life after leaving you with your mom for so long.” He glanced at Cole. “I’m not good at expressing my emotions, and it’s worse with you because I don’t want to mess up the second chance you gave me. But to be very clear, I love you. I’ve loved you from the moment the nurse put you in my arms and you stopped crying.”
He paused and scrubbed a hand down his face. “I can’t promise not to ever fuck up, but I hope you’ll keep giving me chances to fix it.”
I couldn’t breathe past the emotion lodged in my throat. “Thanks, Dad. I love you too.”
Tears tried to fall again, but I was done crying. I squeezed Cole’s hand, and he leaned on the bed to face my father.
“Can I call you Dad too?” His joke broke the thick tension in the room, and tears ended up leaking out of the corners of my eyes as I laughed.
Dad gave him a sharp smile instead. “You can, but you’re doing a bag skate for every time you do when there isn’t a ring on my daughter’s finger.”
I snorted at the ridiculous exchange, then caught the time at the bottom of the monitor. It let out a loud beep as my heart raced. “Why are you still here?”
Cole raised both brows. “Where else would we be?”
Dad didn’t bother to respond.
I threw my hands up. “At the arena. Playing hockey. For the playoffs?”
They looked at each other and a message passed between them.
Cole threaded his fingers through mine. “We’re not going. You’re more important.”
The words caused a rosy glow in my belly, but they were both being foolish. “Your game starts in less than an hour. TU needs its coach and first line left winger. I refuse to cause problems with the hockey team because…”
I frowned as I trailed off. Something about what I just said pinged in my memory, but I couldn’t remember why it was extra important that they get to the game. They shared another look, and I hit the end of my patience.
“If you’re not leaving, I will.” I freed my hand, shoved the thin blanket off of me, scowling at the sparse hospital gown, and put my bare feet on the cold tile floor. “Where are my boots?”
Cole grinned at Dad. “Told you.”
To my shock, my father stood up and pulled a twenty out of his wallet to hand to Cole.
“Did you make a bet about me?”