“Bad?”His dad cut himoff.“Jetty, you didn’t look bad. Everyone has been talking about you two nonstop. They adore you. That kiss made headlines, boy. I went and bought every magazine and newspaper I could find so I can frame them right next to your Killinger poster.”
“Dad!” Jett hissed.
“I don’t care about any of those assholes,”said his dad.“What I care about is when you’ll be bringing your new boyfriend home to meet me. This will be the first time—I’ll have to buy a shotgun and hide it under the couch—”
“Don’t youdare!”
“You’re both coming for Christmas, right?”
Jett hit his head off the window. “Only if you promise not to buy a fucking shotgun to threaten my boyfriend with.”
“Done,”said his dad.“I’ll make a lasagna and set a stocking up for Killinger. What kind of candies does he like?”
Jett was so embarrassed, yet so grateful to call the amazing man on the phone his father.
“He hides cans of Pringles in his house from his health-nut cousin, and I’ve seen him eating Coffee Crisp chocolate bars before,” said Jett. “When I learn more, I’ll let you know.”
“That’s my boy,”said his dad.“Now that I’ve tortured you enough, I’ll let you go. Tell Harrison that I said hi, and I’m looking forward to meeting him.”
“Okay.”
“And if you guys could tell me the wedding date before plastering it all over live TV first, it would make me very happy.”
“Goodbye, Dad.” Jett hung up his phone and took a breath. That somehow went better and worse than he expected.
“You’re annoying me, Arlo. I’m hanging up and blocking your number.”
Jett looked over in time to see Harrison end the call with a scowl. “Was he crying that entire time?”
“The crying would have been easier to deal with,” said Harrison. “It’s the gloating that annoys the shit out of me.”
Harrison was so cute when he was annoyed. The scowl was more manageable than his damn smirking any day.
Jettmoved the armrest between them out of the way and wiggled closer. He placed his head against Harrison’s bicep, letting out a pleased sound. He was still tired from the game and the early morning wake-up. He wanted comfort and warmth, and to maybe fall asleep on the flight back to his city so he could regain enough energy before taking Harrison to his apartment.
There was no way he was going to miss out on another chance to get Harrison naked in his bed. No sleep, no injuries, and no damn food. Within the next five hours, he would get laid or die trying.
Hopefully, Harrison was smart enough to get on the same page as him.
Harrison
Jett was a shivering ball of energy beside him during the Uber ride from the airport. Harrison knew he shouldn’t have teased him during the flight, but it was hard not to when Jett kept biting his lip and shooting him looks.
He had no idea that losing the beard would be so effective. Harrison wasn’t sad to see it gone because he hadn’t realized how itchy and annoying it was, but now Jett wouldn’t stop looking at him and blushing.
Good. Harrison didn’t want those golden eyes on anyone but him. He knew his jealousy was a red flag, but he couldn’t stop the toxic thoughts of locking Jett away for himself. Fucked up leg or no—if anyone tried to come between them, they would get an ass-whooping.
This was him taking a chance, and he was all in.
And as they drove through the streets of downtown Toronto, Harrison was surprised at how calm he felt about his choice. He couldn’t go back to that secluded lake house without Jett. It didn’t feel like home there anymore.
Harrison had resisted chasing Jett until the bitter end. Even with Arlo calling him, Bracken harassing him, and the dozens of emails from Adams, Harrison had remained strong. Until one day, he wasn’t able to do it anymore.
He had spent two days ripping apart the shitty plywood wall hiding the warehouse from view because looking at it made him feel weak. He’d spent another day writing a letter to his parents to let them know he was leaving, figuring he owed them that much. And then his last week was a blur of panicking as he shut the rink down and secured the dock for winter.
He truly didn’t know he was going to Calgary to meet Jett until he was halfway through his four-hour flight there. Even then, he didn’t know he was staying until Jett had thrown himself into his arms and kissed him.
All the anguish. All the stress. All the tears and the frustration. All of it disappeared the second Jett was in his arms, his warmth seeping intoHarrison’s sore bones—a more effective pain killer than any pills or numbing meditation.
