Page 51 of Love You Already
Donnie waves his hand my way. “It's not that. Oh, gosh. Ok. Let me just,” he moves to stand up, his eyes watery and his face tear streaked. “It's just that it feels ass backwards, son. You're already married. Why are you here asking me for something you already have?”
“That's not what it is. Sure, we're married right now, but not for the right reasons. It was an accident. A humorous moment that led to more. I'm grateful every second of everyday that it did happen, though I want to make it official. Like the whole thing. The proposal and the planning. I want her to get to wear whatever she wants down the aisle as whatever song she feels fits us is played. I want her family there, and I'd love to have some of mine out too. I don't want the memory of our union to only be some fake Elvis in a chapel in Vegas. She deserves much more than that, Donnie.”
I run out of steam during my speech, my heart bleeding out as I explain to the father of the woman I love how I want to give her the world. His laughing stops somewhere in the mix, though the tears don't stop.
“You love her, don't you? Even more now than before.”
“Yes, sir. I knew she was special before and there was a fondness there. Hell, that first day we met, you could probably see it. And now... well, now I can't imagine my life without her. Every version of my future involves her, whether I play or not. And I want to do right by her. She deserves that much from me,” I admit, my voice firm.
There's nothing like telling your truth and waiting for a response. Donnie could laugh at me again. Or he could tell me I'm being ridiculous and insist that nothing else needs to be done. Thankfully, he does neither.
“I'll do you one better. You not only have my permission, but you have my blessing as well. I've watched you on this ranch, Lachlan. Every chance you get, you're stepping in to help in some way or another. I have no doubt that you show my Rose that same level of attention and care. She's never been as happy as I've seen her these last few weeks. I only ask one thing of you.”
“Name it,” I reply instantly.
“Be clear with her, son. She's going to need open communication when your season starts. Give her that. Help her navigate your fame and all the negative that comes with it. Don't ever make it to where she has to question your relationship. And when the time comes that you can come to her or have her come to you, embrace it. Whether it's a few hours or a few days, don't let it pass you by.”
I nod at his sage advice. “I promise to do all of that and more. My life was hockey before. Now that I have Rose, those priorities have changed. Still, I can't let my team down. I've made commitments to them I intend to keep.”
“That's reasonable, Lachlan. No one faults you for that. Now, was there anything else I could do for you today? I'm in a rather good mood, and I figure it's best to tell me now.”
“There's nothing from me, sir. Maybe check with the other three Wrights.”
He chuckles at that. “I think I'll wait it out. No telling what the twins have gotten up to. And Nate... yeah, that boy is a mess. He'll come around one day though.”
CHAPTER 25
I CAN'T FATHOM GOING TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM WITH AN ASS BURN FROM BLEACHERS.
Rose
My sister and I rarely ever fought about much. Today was going to be an exception to that rule.
“You absolutely cannot agree to this, Bridgett. It's not good for your mental health,” I tell her as we sit in the truck outside the high school. Our girl’s day was interrupted when she got a call that there was some great weather today and a few shots of the team would be great for the local paper.
Never mind the call came from Whitaker himself instead of someone at the paper. If there's one weakness she has, it's this man and his absolutely oblivious mistreatment of her. I say oblivious because I don't think he would intentionally hurt Bridgett at all. Yet the fact remains that she loses a tiny piece of herself every time she has to be around him and can't act on her feelings.
“It's not as bad as you're making it seem, Rose. The team was offered to go do training with Whit's old teammates. Of course he's going to want pictures of that he can commemorate with.”
Oh, yeah. That was the other part of it. He wants her to go on an overnight trip with the team to get shots of them.
“Won't they have a photographer there? This is a photo opportunity for them, right?”
She huffs. “Are you saying I'm not good enough? That I should just let the professional handle it?”
“That's not what I'm saying, and you know it,” I growl at her. “This isn't something you have to do. You can tell him no and it will be fine. He'll be fine. You don't have to go on an out-of-town trip with the team just to give him what he wants.”
“What about what I want? Have you considered that for a minute, Rose? I love taking pictures. And if the team is willing to help me build a portfolio, then so be it. I can absolutely see where you'd think it was me being taken advantage of, but that's really not the case. In fact, I'd argue it's the opposite.” She doubles down on her reasoning.
I raise my hands in the air as I shut off the car. “Fine. You win. I'll let this go since we won't be here long. After this though, we're going to eat cause I'm starved.”
“No wonder you're hangry.” Bridgett dives from the car with a laugh as I try to poke her for the taunt.
Some of my concern is rooted in my lack of nutrition at the moment. Lachlan is good about telling me to eat and feeding me in bulk. Without him around today, I've honestly forgotten to take care of myself the way I should have.
“You're such a brat, Bridge,” I call out once I'm out of the car. She's already lugging her bag across the grass to the field where the team is practicing. I jog to catch up to her, my gaze taking in the guys and how much smaller the school feels now that I'm an adult. I can remember when this place was larger than life. When it held all the answers I needed in life while simultaneously keeping secrets.
I catch up to her before we reach the field, and I knock her hip with mine. She giggles at the move, then bumps me right back.