I close my car and head to the dorm. I have been putting off my talk with Ava for two days, and now I'm basically going to tell her I'm leaving to sign the contract with the Sharks. Honestly, I have no idea how she's going to react. I only hope that mentioning my talk with my father will make things easier for me. She would want to support me... and maybe she won't freak out because of my trip to San Jose. Fingers crossed I'm right.

Just as I'm about to put my hand on the doorknob, someone pushes it open from the inside. I take a step back and lock my eyes with Ava's roommate. Jordan's jaw drops open and she gapes at me in surprise, but it quickly changes to a leery smile. "If you're looking for your girlfriend, she already left. Her class started 10 minutes ago."

"Dammit!" I curse under my breath, wheeling around intending to go back to my car. I don't have time to wait for the end of her classes, my father is expecting me in an hour. This talk is important to me, and I really don't want to screw things up. I need him in a good mood, so he will be ready to talk to me.

"Colt?" I look over my shoulder, arching an eyebrow at her. Girl, having my cock in your mouth once doesn't give you the right to call me Colt. She's no one, and considering how she has treated Ava, she's even worse than just no one. She doesn't exist. "I feel so sorry for you... When someone tries to ruin your future it must be a hard pill to swallow."

I roll my eyes and resume my walk. This girl is batshit crazy. "Colt?"

"What do you want?" I snap, turning around and folding my arms across my chest.

"You shouldn't have wasted your time on her. She's a trouble."

"You are a waste of my time, Ava is everything. Get lost." I'm ready to storm off but her next words turn my brain into a puddle. It's fucking mayhem in my chest.

"She's pregnant."

"What?" I clench my jaw hard, waves of nausea washing over me. I feel like I'm going to puke because my fucking head is spinning.

"Running out of the room today, she didn't notice one of her tests fell on the floor." This girl takes her phone out of her pocket, unlocks it and then shoves it in my face. I don't know what she sees in my eyes, but I feel like a wreck. I gawk at the picture of the pregnancy test with two stripes and my skin becomes sweaty. It's not good. It's not good at all. "I'm very sorry, Colton. I hope you can figure this out... she is putting your whole career at risk."

I take a deep breath and peel my eyes to her face. She's such a snake! Goddamit, I should have insisted on Ava moving in with me. I push her phone back in her hand and take a step forward, hovering over her like a damn wall. I don't have time to deal with this shit, but I want to make myself incredibly clear. "If you tell anyone what you just told me, or show this picture to anyone, even your fucking mom, I will destroy you. I will make sure no guy in this college even looks your way, because they will know what a fucking bitch you are. Do you understand me, Jordan?"

She shifts, tucking her hair behind her ears and avoiding looking at me. Then she just nods, licking her lips. "I just thought you should know."

"That's not what I asked." I growl, taking a step further. "Do you understand me, Jordan?"

"Yes." The girl mumbles, veers around and rushes back inside her room.

I close my eyes for a second, heave a sigh and stride back to my car. I have places I need to be. Meetings I can't postpone or reschedule. I will deal with all this when I'm back. I don't have the heart in me to do it now... showing up at negotiations about my contract looking like a trainwreck is not something I can allow to happen. Ever.

🏒💥🏒💥🏒

"Hey." I greet my father, stepping into his office. The entire ride from the college to my hometown, I've been listening to one of my favorite playlists - a fucking classic: Linkin Park, System of A Down, Three Days Grace. At the highest volume. I desperately needed it to take my mind off my talk with Jordan, and thankfully it helped.

"Hey Colton. You're just on time." He gestures at the table with different boxes. "Our food was delivered basically 10 minutes ago."

At first I was surprised when he said he was going to order take-out for us, but then I realized it was a wise decision. The talk we're about to have isn't for prying ears. It's just between us. It's about our family... or what was left of it.

"Cool." I smile and go sit on the couch, pulling one of the boxes in my direction. It's Pad Thai, and I'm pleasantly surprised he remembered. It's one of my favorite dishes when it comes to pan-Asian cuisine, and I didn't think he ever paid attention.

My father comes closer and lowers himself on the couch near me. He takes another box, sneaking a glance at me sideways. Well, I can pretend I don't know about Mom and Leo, about my parents' plan to divorce, yet I don't want to. And I also don't have much time as I will need to go to the airport in three hours.

"Why did you never tell me about Mom and Leo? We had arguments so many times, saying hurtful things to one another with one purpose only to make each other suffer. Why did you never mention it?" I go for it, and from the look on his face, he's not surprised at all.

"You love your mom. She's everything to you. Avery failed me as a wife, but she never failed you as a mother. What's the point of ruining her image in your eyes?" He takes a bite of his noodles, holding my gaze. "I will never understand parents who talk shit about their partners in front of their kids in an attempt to turn them against their own parent during separation. It's the marriage that didn't last, while parenting is forever."

"Unless you're an asshole who abandons their kids for a new wife or a new husband," I say and he chuckles.

"True, but it's not about Avery and me. She's a great mom to you, and I couldn't ask for a better person for this role. She was always there for you, unlike me, and she's the reason you are who you are. She raised you to be a good man, and I think she handled her job as a real pro."

Ava's image pops up in my head on its own, and I banish it from my thoughts for now. Yes, I'm acting like a selfish moron, but I really can't afford to get distracted. Not right now when my future is at a turning point. I will go to San Jose, sign the contract and then I will come back to deal with the mess we created. Only in this order. Hockey is my life, and I've dreamed about being a pro since the moment I fell in love with the game and being on the ice. It's everything I want and it's also something that will give me independence. I will be able to provide her with everything she needs, without asking my father for a favor. I will be able to do it on my own, and it's a very big deal to me. To be the master of my own destiny.

I take a sip of my Pepsi, then put the bottle back on the table and exhale. "Did you fuck Helen as revenge? To make Mom pay for her mistake?"

"Yes."

"Mom made the mistake once, and regretted it. You continued. Why?"

"Getting Helen pregnant wasn't my intention, but it happened. Because of her health issues, she made the decision to continue her pregnancy, without talking to me at first. She told me the baby was mine when she was 3 months along. I asked her to get a paternity test. She agreed... on everything I said, and I knew Chloe was mine. She would have never had the time or resources to fool these tests."

"That's not what I asked." I tell him, and he narrows his eyes on me. Yes, Dad, I want answers.

"Your mom never got rid of Leo, even if I asked her to do so. She continued spending time with him, staying at the gallery late at night. Instead of trying to mend what was broken, she continued making the crack bigger. I'm not really good at dealing with disrespect." I snort, hearing that. I have way more in common with my father than I think. "And also there was you... and your attempts to bang my secretary. I had no idea you knew about the pregnancy. I thought she didn't tell you. With how she was and how much she was flirting with you, I couldn't throw away the possibility of her trying to pin this on you. Letting you have your ways with her, only to tell you she got pregnant. I didn't want that for you, and I played right in her cards."

"Meaning?" I swallow my noodles, but it feels like rubber. I have never looked at this situation from his perspective. From his point of view thinking Helen would make me believe I got her pregnant, and stealing away my future and my dreams.

"Helen was flirting with you because she wanted to make me jealous. She let you fuck her because she knew I was keeping an eye on her. Her sex drive was crazy during those days, and I gave in." He shrugs, putting the box on the table. "I thought my wife was still fucking that artist. I was afraid Helen would continue using you, and would ruin your future. It was just meaningless sex for me. I made myself believe I wasn't doing anything wrong."

I'm so fucking thorn right now, so even my head hurts. I understand him and don't understand him at the same time. All that he needed to do is to ask Mom, to tell her if she wanted to save their marriage then Leo needed to go. He needed to talk to me and Mom to let us know what HIS mistake caused. Everything could have been avoided with an honest conversation, nothing else! God! This is so fucked up!

"Dad, I-"

"I'm sorry for acting like a dick, when you walked in on me with Helen in this office. It was wrong on so many levels, but I... I just couldn't stop. I hated myself for what I was doing though. I despise myself for how I treated you, how cold I was with Avery. She would have never cheated on me if I was present. If only I wasn't trying to buy her love with expensive gifts... Not even a fucking diamond can fill the void when you're lonely." He looks away for a moment, and then stares back at me. "I'm a successful businessman. Our family does well financially. But I'm a total failure as a husband and as a father."

I'm silent, examining him with an open mind. I can hold on to my anger. On to my hate. I just... I don't want to. If I can close my eyes to Mom's mistake, I can try doing the same for my father. I want to try... because if I don't, I will always feel like I missed the opportunity. I'm ready to give him a second chance, but only if promises me a few things.

"You have all chances to try being a good father, you know." I tell him, taking a bite of my noodles. "Chloe doesn't deserve what you put her through because of her mom. I'm sure you think very low of Helen, but... what does it have to do with your own kid?"

"Everything I have is yours."

"I know that, but it's not always about money. It's about attention. About being there for your child when they need you. That's what Mom was for me. We can't go back in time, and change how you acted with me... but you can change how you act with Chloe. Give your little girl a chance, and you will love her." I say and he finally smiles. "Helen is not a good person, but as a mom? She's incredible. Even I can admit that."

"Okay. I will try." He nods his head and leans his back on the couch, eyeing me with curiosity. He knows I'm not done yet.

"If something goes wrong and I don't sign the contract... If I won't be able to find another team... Can I work for you after graduation?" The look on my father's face is stunned. He didn't expect that at all. Neither did I, but things changed.

"Of course. Everything I have is yours, Colton. Always." Father pinches his brow together, probably expecting more from me but I keep quiet. I will tell him more after I talk with Ava. Right now, I'm just trying to secure my options... If we're going to keep the baby, I will need a job. As simple as that. "Though I'm sure everything is going to be fine with the Sharks. Anthony sounded incredibly certain about your future with the team."

"I really hope so." I smile and take another bite of my noodles. Coming here, I expected answers, but got way more than that. Way more than I even imagined. Yes, my mom and dad are going to divorce, but I think it's the first time in years... when I have both of my parents present in my life.

🏒💥🏒💥🏒

Landing at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, I literally felt as if I got caught in a hurricane. Anthony met me at the airport and took me to the hotel he booked for us. Before I went to my room, we talked non-stop about the contract, about things the Sharks could ask of me, about things I want to get when I sign the contract. My head was in such a state that I was barely able to put letters into words by the time Anthony bid me goodbye. We agreed to meet tomorrow at 11am at the reception desk, and parted our ways.

Once in my room, I only had time to set my alarm clock before I fell asleep. I had a plan in my head: negotiating, signing papers, going back home and talking to Ava. Little did I knew how much I was fucking things up... I was losing everything I had with her, while securing my future as a professional hockey player.