Page 87 of Tough Guy and the Show Off

They’re all quiet for a second until Diego says, “Is this the first time you’ve told people?”

“Yeah. Only Trav knows. I haven’t told anyone else. It’s kind of new.”

Diego chuckles. “Relatable.”

Callan winks at me.

“Thanks for telling us, man,” Mercier says. “It must be kind of nerve-racking not knowing how people will react.”

“It is, but I guess you guys seemed okay.”

“Diego broke us in.” Cooper laughs softly.

“Are you dating someone?” Moreau asks, making my body heat rise.

It’s definitely not my place to out Trav. “It’s complicated.”

He laughs. “I feel that. I’ve been off and on with my girl since college. We always think we should move on, but then we end up back together.”

It feels good that he compares me to his hetero relationship without a second thought, like he doesn’t see me any differently now that he knows. “Life with hockey players can be challenging, huh?”

“It can,” Diego says. “But things work out, you know?”

Callan nods. “I changed my hours at the gym, working part time some weeks and full time others so I can travel with Diego.”

“He’s one of our WAGs now,” Cooper says. “We still haven’t come up with a more inclusive term. We need to work on that. Maybe we’ll figure it out when your dude joins the fold.”

Diego squeezes my shoulder, a knowing expression on his face. “Feels good to tell people?”

“It does.”

And it’s true. It’s like I dropped a fifty-pound weight I was carrying around. I can’t wait to get home and tell Trav. Right after I congratulate him on playing in beast mode.

I want to bring up his contract ending, ask him if he’d ever consider Chicago, but at the same time I don’t want to put pressure on him, and I sure as hell don’t want to hear him tell me that he misses me but he loves Boston too much to leave. We have to wait until we retire and that’s the cold truth of it.

On the screen, one of New York’s D-men slams Trav into the boards to the point Trav slumps onto the ice, face down. I’m on my feet, watching intently, holding my breath.

Fuck. What if he’s hurt? What if he⁠—

Before I can finish my panicked thoughts, Trav is up again. The home crowd cheers for him and he waves at them to show he’s okay.

Diego squeezes my shoulder again. “He’s okay.”

“Yeah.”

During Trav’s next shift, he skates like he’s got wings, easily outmaneuvering the defense. When he gets in front of the player who slammed into him earlier, he must say something, because that player loses his shit, taking a swing at Trav.

Trav skates backward, clearly talking shit, and from behind, two New York players corner him.

“Merde,” Gagnon says. “Get out of there, Show.”

The D-man, Renaldo I think, drops his gloves, egging Trav into a fight. The crowd is going wild while the announcers speculate about what we’re all watching. Harlson and Basilio skate in and then New York starts it and fists are thrown.

Klaussen grabs Trav by the jersey, pulling him away from the mess while the D-men fight it out. Trav looks pissed off and barely restrained as the refs finally break up the fight. It results in a penalty for New York and a power play for the Magic.

“Showalter’s chirps strike again.” Diego chuckles.

“It’s his superpower,” Mercier says.