Harrison shrugged. “I mean, I think Wolf is more dumb than brave.”
Jett’s laugh was infectious, and Harrison joined in with a shake of his head. He turned and steered them toward the gate, but his leg twinged and he hissed.
Jett was instantly beside him, shoving himself under Harrison’s left arm to help take weight off his bad leg. “You okay?”
He debated pulling out of Jett’s hold because he wasfine, but one look at his boyfriend, and another at Adams, who was waiting for them by the gate, made him decide otherwise.
“You,” Adams said to Jett. “Cool down and check in for physio. I want them to take one last look at that wrist before it’s checked off my list for good.”
“Yes, Coach.”
“Killinger, report to Daniel and get that leg worked on.”
Harrison didn’t bother arguing. “Alright.”
Jett waited until Harrison was seated and tugging at the laces of his skates before offering a cheeky salute. “See you in physio,” he said with a grin, already backing toward the door.
Harrison nodded, putting on a show of being fine so Jett wouldn’t worry. But as soon as he turned away, his shoulders slumped. He bent forward, frowning, and let out a quiet, miserable sigh.
“You did well today,” Adams said. “You not only met the goal I set—you exceeded my expectations.”
Harrison paused and looked up. “I…I can’t play anymore, but I still want this team to win.”
Adamstapped his pen against the screen of his tablet. “If my calculations are correct, we will win. And if we do, I’ll owe you a raise.”
“My boyfriend makes millions,” said Harrison.
Adams looked over his tablet to meet Harrison’s eyes. “Well…I can’t match what Fraser is getting paid.”
Harrison flushed. “No, I meant that I don’t need a raise.”
Adams tilted his head, blinking calmly. “Why? Do you not want to get paid what you’re worth?”
Harrison didn’t know how to react. He’d spent so long believing he wasn’t worth anything that hearing someone say otherwise felt unreal. It was strange—but it stirred something deep in him he hadn’t let himself feel in a long time.
“I have the direct deposit information for your bank account,” said Adams in a matter-of-fact tone. “I’ll pay you what you deserve, and not a penny more.”
Harrison didn’t think there was any point in arguing, so he agreed. “Not a penny more.”
“Excellent,” said Adams. “Now get that leg examined and rest it. Our flight to Ottawa leaves early tomorrow morning.”
“Right.” Harrison copied Jett, giving the coach a salute. “Will do.”
He waited until he was alone to take a second for himself.
He was tired—there hadn’t been enough time to breathe, let alone adjust to his new life. But Harrison didn’t care. Jett was the future he wanted, and that made the chaos worth it. All he had to do was hold on until things finally settled down.
Christmas was perfect. It wasn’t a huge break, but it would be enough time to figure stuff out.
December couldn’t come soon enough.
Jett
Jett was nervous about Harrison meeting Max, but it wasn’t because he expected his boyfriend to be rude. Max would probably love it if Harrison broadcasted the Killinger attitude he was known for, and that was because Max was ahugefanboy.
Max, who existed in a world of anime and webcomics and had no taste for sports,lovedHarrison Killinger. He had talked about his favourite player at length soon after he and Jett first met. He wanted to know everything that Jett knew about Harrison, which wasn’t a lot, even though they were from the same town, but Jett told him what he could.
Max had never explained why Harrison meant so much to him, but Jett sensed it was because of how Harrison had been so unapologetically himself during his short career. They lived in a time when being gay in sports was no longer front-line news, but most guys kept their personal stuff private.
