“Hopefully it will involve a stop in Nashville.”

  “For sure.”

  She smiles a thanks as I sit down between her and Angie. I glance over to her siblings. “You guys ready for the game tomorrow?” They all nod eagerly as Angie threads her fingers through mine. “I keep trying to get Angie on the ice with me, but I think she hates hockey after her injury and all.”

  Angie nods. “It’s not only that. I just know I can’t beat you anymore. I’m too competitive.”

  We share a grin as Benji says, “You could if you wanted. We all know how resilient you are.”

  I nod. “It’s true.”

  She waves me off, and then we stop to order drinks and appetizers. The conversation turns to Angie’s work at the internship and how great things are going. I enjoy listening to her talk about her work. She’s so damn good at it. So smart, it’s scary.

  Lucy looks at me and asks, “How’s Evan doing? He seemed great on the plane.”

  “He is. And while it sucks he’s not here playing, I’m thankful that Angie was able to help him realize where he needed to be.”

  Angie beams up at me, and I wink at her. Lucy continues, “Elli said something about you getting involved in Angie’s program.”

  “I am. I’m going to host a few seminars this summer and some golf activities, paintball event, stuff to bring awareness to the program. But also, I want my teammates and the rest of the league to know it’s okay not to be okay. That there is help out there.”

  Lucy threads her fingers thru Benji’s. “Incredible, huh, babe?”

  He doesn’t seem impressed in the least. He takes a long drink of his water, and Angie leans in, turning so he can’t see her, and apologizes.

  I shake my head. “It’s fine.” She makes a face of disagreement, and I ask, “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she says quickly, but when our appetizers come, everyone digs in but her. If it weren’t fried cheese, I wouldn’t question her, but it is, and my girl loves herself some cheese. I look over at her as she listens intently to Max’s play-by-play of their last diving competition. It’s really interesting, but I’d rather get Angie to eat. I hand her the fried goodness, and she takes it, placing it on the plate in front of her. I watch her, and when Lucy asks Max a question, I lean in.

  “Eat.” She shakes her head, and I give her a look. “Why?”

  She looks the other way so they can’t hear or see her lips moving. “They’ve already made a comment about my weight. I don’t want them to think I’m a fat-ass.” I glare at her, and she gives me a pleading look. “Let it be, and I’ll eat these off you later.”

  A lesser man would have taken that deal, but I want more for Angie. “Angie, they love you the way you are.”

  “I know. I do, I promise, but I don’t want to eat in front of them.”

  To my surprise, Lucy hears her. “What? Why? Eat.”

  “That’s what I told her,” I say, giving her a look, and Angie smiles politely.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “You are,” I say, pushing the cheese toward her. She glares at me, but it’s Lucy’s eyes that have me pausing. Something moves in her gaze, and she looks over at the kids and then back at Angie.

  “Angela.”

  I don’t know what it is about moms, but they’ve got that voice that can send chills down your spine. I’m not even Lucy’s kid, and I straighten up. Hell, everyone does, even Benji.

  “Mom, really—”

  “Answer me this,” she demands, holding her daughter’s gaze. “Did you stop seeing us because of your weight gain?”

  Okay, throwing it out there like that. Here we go.

  I go still, and I notice her siblings are looking anywhere but at Lucy, Benji, or Angie. Not even me. I stroke my thumb along the inside of Angie’s thigh as she holds her mother’s gaze. Is she going to tell the truth? I have to admit, I’d lie if Lucy was looking at me the way she’s looking at Angie. It’s scary as hell.

  “Yes.”

  Oh. Okay.

  I look back at Lucy as she glares. “Angela, you know we don’t care about that kind of stuff. We love you, no matter what.”

  “I know, but I’m not the same. I already embarr—”

  Benji speaks up this time. “Embarrassed us? Please, Paxy, that’s not true, and you know it.”

  Angie scoffs. “I broke my wrist, and poof! There goes my hockey career. I almost got raped and cost y’all so much in legal fees. And then after loads of therapy, I drop out of college in Nashville anyway to come to South Carolina. Still costing you money.”

  Her dad looks as if he is about to blow, and even Lucy is fighting her emotions. I feel as if I should say something, but it’s actually Charlotte who speaks first. “So? We love you, Angie. None of that matters. No one is embarrassed by you. We love you. We are proud of you.”

  Angie scoffs. “Char, you’re a gorgeous YouTuber, and the boys are divers. I’m just a fa—”

  “An outstanding researcher in mental health,” Max says, interrupting her. “Mom raves about your grades all the time.”

  “She tells us to make your grades,” Ryder says, and Charlotte agrees.

  “And you’re helping people, Angie. You’re inspiring.”

  Angie looks at me then, and I smile. “To me, you’re perfect.”

  Angie looks down at her cheese and picks it up. “I’m sorry.”

  Lucy grips her wrist. “You have to stop being so mean to yourself, honey. We love you. Owen loves you. You’ve got to love who you are.”

  Benji holds up a finger. “I’d rather Adler be removed from the picture.”

  I grin over at him. “Not happening, sir. I love her.”

  I feel all the eyes on me as Benji stares me down. “That’s a very bold promise, Owen Adler.”

  “He is a bold, gorgeous man,” Angie says, kissing my cheek. “And I love him too, Dad.”

  I hold Benji’s gaze, and he isn’t the least bit happy, but I don’t care. “I want to be completely transparent with you, sir.” I clear my throat and squeeze Angie’s knee. “I know my dad made a pact with you to keep me away from her, and he failed you. But now I want to make one with you.”

  He wants to cuss me out. But for some reason, he doesn’t, nor does he stop me.

  “I have every intention of marrying this girl when we’re ready. I want to have kids with her and build a life with her. I know that’s hard to hear and even accept, but I need you to know it. And here is my pact.” I swallow hard, surprised by the emotion I feel. “I promise never to hurt her or make her feel anything but completely worthy. I will take a page from your book and love her the way she deserves to be loved. I’ll make sure she eats, takes her meds, and that she’s happy. I’ll buy her a jungle if she wants one. I will bring her home to see you whenever you want, and one thing is for damn sure, she will never, ever feel alone. I will always be beside her, supporting her and loving her. I told you if she wants me, I’m there. But I’m so in love with her, if she didn’t want me, I’d be sending a ton of plants and fried cheese to get her back. But I doubt that’ll ever happen. We’re too good together. We’re happy.”

  I take in a deep breath, impressed by myself, but by the looks I’m getting, I realize I just word vomited all over everyone. Charlotte is looking at me like I belong in a Disney movie, the boys are two seconds from gagging, and Lucy is in awe. Meanwhile, Benji is probably plotting how to hide my body. But then I look over to Angie, and a tear rolls down her cheek. I flash her a strained grin.

  “Too much?”

  She cups my cheek. “So damn much, but I love you.”

  Our lips meet with no concern for who sees. Benji can try to get rid of me, but I’m not going anywhere without her.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Angie

  * * *

  With the confidence only Owen has, he looks my father in the eye while holding my hand and says, “So, yeah. I hope you accept my pact.”

  Meanwhile, my dad isn’t amused or impressed. “I trusted one Adler, and I won’t make that mistake again.”

  The table is in an uproar until my mom says, “Oh my God, yes, Owen. I accept it on his behalf. Thank you. We’re so happy for you two.”

  I cannot stop thinking of that exchange between my dad and my boyfriend. It’s been well over twenty-four hours and so much has happened, but all I can think about is how Owen was so sure of himself and honest with my dad. He loves me. I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to wrap my head around that. I really shouldn’t be surprised, for the simple fact of who his parents are. I sat at breakfast with them, and it was like watching Owen with me. Shea Adler is hands-on with his wife and so devoted. Elli eats it up and loves Shea more than life itself. It’s beautiful to watch. I mean, my mom and dad are in love, but Shea and Elli are beyond in love.

  And I want that for Owen and me.

  I sit with my mom and Elli as we watch the second intermission entertainment. All three of us are in Adler number six jerseys, and Elli has her son’s number painted on her face. Shea is wearing an Adler tee, but my dad said I was lucky he even showed up in a red shirt. He’s so frustratingly asinine! Everyone came in IceCats gear but him, thinking he is winning or something. The real winner is Owen because he has me.

  And he’s playing one hell of a game. He’s scored two goals, and I’m sure he’ll get a third by the end of the night. He’s absolutely amazing, and I adore watching him play. It reminds me of when we were younger. I always wanted to trip him, but now, if anyone puts their hands on him, I’m ready to take them out. It’s funny how things change.

  “When are y’all heading back, Elli?” my mom asks.

  “Wednesday. Grace and Sophia will be here tomorrow so we can catch up with Amelia and the kids and Ryan.”

  “Nice. I wish we could stay,” Mom says sadly, but I wave her off.

  “I’ll just be moving. Totally boring.”

  “True, but I’d like to hit people with my car.”

  Elli looks over at us. “Who are we hitting?”

  “Bitches that are mean to my daughter,” Mom says sternly, and Elli makes a face.

  “They’re still alive with Owen around?”

  I snort. “I’ve done well to keep him away.”

  “Good job. Otherwise, Owen wouldn’t stand for it,” Elli says, and I nod.

  “I know,” I say softly, and then I notice that Evan is hitting on my sister. Charlotte is all flirty and cute, but I can also see that Quinn looks annoyed. That’s interesting, but maybe I should warn her that Dad can only handle one Adler in his life. I refuse to bring attention to what’s going on, so I say, “He knows my job is important, though.”

  “I told him I’m surprised too,” Shea says. “I would have strung them up by their toes by now.”

  To my surprise, my dad scoffs. “With the way he acted at dinner, I fully thought he’d be in jail.”

  Shea looks at my dad. “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, he came at me with this new pact since you’re a liar,” he elaborates, and Shea laughs along with their wives. “That he loves my daughter, and he’ll travel through Mordor to kill for her and feed her second breakfast and blah, blah, blah. It was unnecessarily dramatic.”

  I turn in my seat. “Well, yeah, the way you tell it. Dad, we don’t live in Middle Earth!”

  Shea laughs as my dad shrugs. “Kid is full of himself.”

  Elli nods. “He is, and he’s absolutely perfect.”

  Dad doesn’t disagree, but he knows better. Mom, though, she beams. “I adore him.”

  I smile happily at my dad as Shea asks, “Did you accept his pact?”

  Dad looks at me. “I don’t trust Adlers anymore.”

  Everyone starts to laugh. I don’t get it; my dad is serious. He’s insane, but it’s fine. I love Owen, and my dad will come around.

  One day.

  When the third period starts, Mom and Elli head to the back for food and drink as I prop up my feet on the seat in front of me. When my dad sits beside me, I’m surprised. He hasn’t really spoken to me since Owen’s newly revised pact. I look over at him, and he’s looking at me.

  “Hey.”

  I smile. “Hey.”

  We watch the game, yelling and cheering as fans do. I didn’t realize how much I missed watching hockey with my dad until now. When Owen gets a breakaway, I stand, and Dad stands with me. Owen dekes to the left, pulling the defensemen and getting around him. He shifts the puck between his legs, taking his stick to his left to shoot from between his skates. But he switches last minute, reaching behind him, and makes a nasty goal with a sick wrister.

  The crowd goes wild. Even my dad is cheering. Owen does his signature celebration dance, where he skates on one knee with his hands out like airplane wings. I sputter with laughter as my dad shakes his head. “Cocky little shit.”

  I snort. “Yeah, but he’s amazing.”

  My dad gives me a look. “Eh, he does score with all the sauce.”

  “He always has. Everything about him is over the top.”

  “That’s the damn truth,” he agrees as we sit down and watch as they clean up the arena. “I want to say something to you.”

  I look over at him. “I do love him—”

  “No, not about him,” he says, shaking his head. His eyes are full of such love as he stares into mine. “You’ve gotta let up, Paxy. You can’t be so hard on yourself. I know you have this image of who you should be, but Angie, you are well beyond it. I know things have been hard, but you continually overcome any obstacle in your way. We love you, and we are so proud of you.”

  “It’s hard, like you said. I want to be this perfect version—”

  “Paxy, baby, you are. You are who you are supposed to be, and we love you for it.”

  I swallow past the lump of emotion in my throat. “I love you too, Dad.”

  “Please let up. Please enjoy your life because you’ve got a good one.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Don’t try. Do,” he says, paraphrasing Yoda, and I smile at his nerdiness. “Now, are you absolutely sure about him?”

  I grin and hold back the laughter that wants to escape. “Yes, Dad, I am. So, so sure. I love him.”

  He lets out a long breath. “Fine.”

  “Fine?”

  “Yeah, fine. That’s all you’re getting out of me.”

  I lean into him, and he kisses the top of my head.

  And I decide that fine is good enough for me from my dad, because at the end of the day, he’s right. He wants me to enjoy life, and for me to do so, Owen has to be in it. So, I’ll take the fine and know, one day, it’ll be more than that. We both know Owen, and we know his word is his bond. Maybe that’s what scares Dad the most.

  Because Owen will be in his life forever.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Angie

  * * *

  I’m sad, and I don’t understand why.

  I look around at the room that held my life for the last year. I mainly only slept here, and it doesn’t really scream Angie Paxton, but my plants are so beautiful. They are thriving and growing, some even blooming, and just like them, I’m doing the same. I feel so complete, so happy, but I’m still hit by this wave of sadness. It’s unfair, really, to feel like this on moving day. Owen is all grins, ready to move me, but as I look around, I know I’m going to miss this space. Yeah, it’s just an enclosed sun-room, but it was mine, and my plants loved it.

  “Just wait until y’all see the ocean,” I whisper to my plants, moving to each one to check on them.

  From behind me where Owen is assembling boxes, he says, “Dart will make fun of you if he catches you talking to your plants.”

  I grin back at him. “Good thing I have a huge, strong boyfriend to beat him up.”

  He shrugs. “This is true.” He slides a box my way, and I pick it up. “What am I packing?”

  “I guess shoes and clothes. I’ll do this side, so I can make sure all the plant stuff is packed correctly, and then my school things. Are you sure I don’t need a storage unit?”

  “Babe, you have plants and clothes with a few odds and ends. I think I can manage to give you some space. Especially since Evan’s old closet is completely bare.”

  I keep trying to give him an out, but he shoots me down left and right. It’s getting to the point where I don’t even know why I’m trying. “Can I put my desk with my plants?”

  “If you think you can work there with Dart being in the way, then yes.”

  “And how long do we think he’ll live with us?”

  Owen looks up, perking a brow at me. “You don’t want to live with him?”

  I hold up my palms. “It’s not that at all. I love Dart, but he loves to have parties and women over at all hours of the night. I have finals coming up, and I was going to suggest I stay in a hotel so I can study.”

  “Okay, that’s not happening. Dart can quiet down. He’ll understand. And I mean, I guess I can ask him to move out.”

  “No, please don’t. I was just curious.”

  He makes a face. “It’s just, he doesn’t know anyone here, and I’d hate to ask him to go. His mom might be moving here, so maybe he’ll go live with her.”

  My eyes widen. “I can make his room a plant room.”

  “I will not take offense that you’re replacing my best friend with plants.”

  “I can get you some plants…?” He scoffs, and I grin at him. “But really, I’m just joking. And I was only curious.”

  “Sure. You just want me all to yourself,” he accuses, and I agree, fully.

  “You’re onto me.”

  We share a grin as we get to work. I’m done with my part before he’s done with my clothes, so I shift to help him. “What are we going to do with your bed and TV?”

  I look at both. “Donate them?”

  “Cool. I’ll have Dart bring his truck to haul that stuff off, and you can drive mine back to the house and start unloading plants.”

  He has it all figured out, and I appreciate his efficiency. I think he knows I’m nervous and upset about the whole thing because he’s been so great. But that’s Owen. Just sweet and kind. I’ve actually decided it’s no longer Owen Michael Adler; it’s Owen Swoon Adler.