“What are you doing?” Brandon laughs when I pull him down onto his bed to lie with me, and immediately tangle him in my arms and legs.
“Just taking a minute.” I nuzzle my nose against his neck and close my eyes. Being with him right now, I can’t stop myself. The words tumble out before I can pull them back in. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
He doesn’t respond at first, but with my face so close to his neck, I can hear his heart as it begins to beat faster and feel him swallow against my lips. “You can’t say that to me,”he says. “Unless you mean it.”
I pull far enough away from him so I can look him in the eyes. He looks so conflicted. Like he wants to be happy, but also scared, and like he’s sure that I am fucking with him.
“I mean it,” I say, then reach one hand up to secure a strand of his hair behind his ear. “I don’t know when it happened, but Brandon, I’m in love with you.”
He closes his eyes and lets out the deepest breath. “I love you too,” he says, and it feels like he’s been holding those words in for years.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Ryan
The first thing I notice when I open my eyes is how bright it is in the room. The second thing I notice is that this isn’t my bedroom. And the third thing I notice is Danton’s youngest son, Danny, staring directly at me from the side of the bed clutching a stuffed hodag to his chest.
“Mom!” he yells. “They’re awake!”
Brandon looks over his shoulder at me with wide, horror-struck eyes as I hear Vicky’s hurried footsteps coming down the stairs. Brandon is clearly panic-stricken. As for me, well, I feel strangely calm. There’s way worse people who could have found us together.
The grin Vicky has on her face when she walks into Brandon’s room is full of knowing. It’s like she’s dying to shout, “I knew it!” at us.
I wink at her and Brandon smacks me on the back of the head. Which just makes me start laughing uncontrollably.
Vicky picks Danny up and places him on her hip. “Come on, Danny. You know better than to wake sleeping hockey players up around here.” She looks at me over her shoulder before she heads up the stairs. “Are you two having breakfast?”
“You know,” I wheeze, “breakfast sounds great!”
Brandon
This is possibly the most uncomfortable car ride I’ve ever been on. And just like all the awkward car rides I’ve ever been on, I’m experiencing it from the back seat. Ryan is, of course, sitting shotgun while Danton drives us to practice. No one has said a word since Danton pulled out of the garage, but I catch Ryan trying and failing not to crack up.
“I’m sorry,” Ryan says as he finally loses his battle with his composure.
I wish I could be as lighthearted about this as he is.
Ryan turns around in his seat and looks at me. “At least I didn’t kiss you on live TV.”
“Right,” I say. “Because being caught in bed at our captain’s house is so much better.”
“Isn’t it, though?” Danton laughs. He locks eyes with me through the rearview mirror and there is nothing but glee on his face.
“Way better,” Ryan says.
“Still debatable,” I say.
“Look,” Danton says. “I’m gonna be honest with you both.”
I brace myself. This is when he turns. This is when he gives us the predictable speech about how he doesn’t hate gay people, but that he doesn’t think it’s good for us to be together. It’s going to ruin the team’s chemistry if we’re dating.
“Vicky and I have suspected that you two are together for a while now. I mean, come on, it’s not like either of you are subtle.”
“Hey!” Ryan protests. “I’m subtle. You’ve known me for years and you never found out I was gay.”
Danton turns his head to the side and looks at Ryan. “Sure. We’ll go with that if it helps you sleep at night.”
Now it’s my turn to finally laugh.
