Page 14

THIRTEEN

The Trailblazers were playing Columbus in a week, and Bellamy was already dreading it. Restless, he’d taken himself out of Burlington and into Maplewood after this morning’s team practice and meetings, and he ambled along one of the paved paths inside Maplewood City Park. Taking up an entire block, its grass was browned from the winter and the trees were bare. They probably wouldn’t start to bud for another month or more. Still, it was calming, and the birds flying from leafless tree to leafless tree signaled the oncoming of spring.

“Do you think if I write the front office a letter, they’ll let me stay?” Bellamy blurted.

On his left, his grandma threaded her arm around his elbow. “No,” she said bluntly.

“Rude” was Bellamy’s assessment of that.

“What would a letter tell them that they don’t already know?”

“I don’t know.” He sounded like a petulant child, but he didn’t much care. “Do you remember me telling you about those bidding wars in the Greater Toronto Area? How prospective home buyers would write the owners a letter outlining why they wanted the house in the hopes that the owners would take pity on them and accept their offer?” Bellamy had never played for or lived in Toronto, but one of his former teammates had gotten traded there a few years ago, and he’d told Bellamy all about the housing market. He’d made it sound like a war zone.

“Sure,” Grandma said, tucking a strand of chin-length white hair behind her ear. “And you think doing something similar will make your front office take pity on you and keep you?”

Bellamy groaned and tilted his head back, squinting against the sun. “Sounds terrible when you put it like that. Makes me sound desperate.”

“Aren’t you?”

“I don’t want them to know that.”

She patted his hand. “Then maybe keep the letter to yourself.”

Bellamy sighed. It had been a terrible idea anyway. What would he have said? I like my teammates, Burlington feels more like home than any other place I’ve lived, my grandparents are in the area, and the guy I’m dating might be The One?

Ugh.

Of course, it was too early to know if Jason was The One.

Wasn’t it?

“Hey, Grandma? How do you know when you’re in love?”

“Oh, that’s not a question I can answer. It’s different for everybody.”

“How do you know if it’s love or just the honeymoon stage?” Bellamy pressed.

“Someone’s feeling philosophical today.” They reached the sidewalk, and she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. “This is where I leave you. What time did you say you were meeting Liam?”

Bellamy checked his watch. “Any minute.”

“I’ll finish up a couple of errands and head home then.”

“Thanks for meeting me for lunch, Grandma.” He hugged her frail frame—god, when had she gotten so small?—and kissed the top of her head.

“Anytime.” She patted his cheek. “Good luck with your romance. He’s lucky to have you.”

“Oh, well...” Flushing, he forced himself not to fidget and half regretted telling her about Jason at lunch. “That’s nice of you to say.”

“I believe it.” She lightly flicked the tip of his nose, just like she used to do when he was a kid. “And so should you.” She kissed his cheek again and headed for the intersection. “Love you,” she called over her shoulder as she crossed Maple Street.

“Love you too.”

Although the sun was warm, there was a bite in the air that caused a chill if he stood still long enough. He’d worn a leather coat over a hoodie, but it wasn’t quite enough to keep the cold at bay. He was just about to start walking through the park again just to keep warm when a voice calling his name had him turning to look across the street.

Liam jogged toward him. “Hey. Sorry I’m a little late. I stopped for a coffee.” Indeed, he held two takeout cups from Maplewood’s local coffee shop, Special Blend. “I was going to get you one too, but I don’t know if you drink coffee, so I got you this hazelnut toddy thing. It’s basically hot milk with hazelnut syrup. And now that I’m thinking about it... do hockey players drink full-fat milk?”

“This one does.” Bellamy took the drink gratefully. “Thanks, man. And thanks for coming out here. I wasn’t sure if you’d be working.”

“Benefits of working for myself. I can take a couple of hours off on a Friday afternoon if there’s nothing urgent on my plate.”

Bellamy couldn’t fathom what constituted urgent in the personal shopping world, but what did he know? Looking at Liam now, dressed down in an ancient hoodie, a fleece scarf, fingerless gloves, and a beanie, no one would guess that he was a personal shopper.

“So, what’s up?” Liam asked as they began strolling through the park.

“Oh, you know, just . . .” Bellamy shrugged. “Life.”

He had no reason for calling Liam to hang out on a Friday afternoon other than still feeling like a shithead for writing off his childhood friend so quickly. Sure, the last time they’d hung out, Liam had been... insulting... about Jason’s farm. But Bellamy hadn’t told him to quit it. In fact, he’d actively participated, calling the little maple syrup-bottle ornament—that he’d ended up buying—unimaginative.

If he was going to judge Liam for his attitude, he needed to take a good long look at his own too.

And if anyone deserved a second chance, it was the friend who’d always been there for him.

“Hey, question,” Bellamy said, thinking if his grandma wasn’t going to answer him, maybe Liam would. “Have you ever been in love?”

Liam took a few seconds to answer, and when he did, his voice sounded like it’d been scraped off the bottom of someone’s shoe. “Yeah. Why?”

“I was just... Okay, don’t laugh at me, but... How do you know when you’re in love? How do you know when you’ve met The One?”

“I don’t believe in the concept of The One.”

Momentarily shocked into silence, Bellamy stopped and faced his friend. “You don’t?”

“No.” Face drawn, Liam shoved his free hand in his hoodie’s pocket. “Because it implies that there’s only one person for you out there, which, mathematically, considering how many people there are in the world, makes no sense. What if your one true love lives on the other side of the world?”

Bellamy was still parsing through that when Liam continued. “And it implies, also, that if your person dies or you get divorced, then that’s it. You’ve had your one chance, so now you’re going to be alone forever. And I don’t want to be alone forever, Bel.”

A pit opened in Bellamy’s gut. “Liam, did your person... die?”

Liam scuffed a foot against the ground, his eyes cloudy. “No. But they fell out of love with me, which feels like the same thing.”

“Fuck. I’m so sorry.”

“I signed the divorce papers the morning we went to the maple syrup farm. Sorry if I was a dick that day. I wasn’t myself.”

“Christ, Liam, I wish I’d known. I could’ve been there for you. I didn’t even know you were married.”

Liam let out a flat laugh and began walking again. “It was a whirlwind. She’s the friend of the daughter of one of my clients. We hit it off right away. Everything happened so fast—we’d barely been dating before we moved in together, and then all of a sudden we were married at the courthouse. Things were great—at least, I thought they were. But then she came home one day and told me she didn’t love me anymore, and she wasn’t sure if she ever had. She thinks she got swept up in the romance and that we moved too fast. Maybe she’s right. We met and married within three months.” He waved a hand. “Anyway. To answer your question, yes, I’ve been in love, but I couldn’t tell you how you know you’re in love. It’s probably different for everyone.”

Bellamy made a noise of frustration. “That’s what my grandma said. Why can’t anybody give me a straight answer?”

Even Roman Kinsey hadn’t been able to give him a straight answer about how to remain on the team. Like, come on . Bellamy didn’t think he was asking hard questions.

“How is Grandma Collins these days? I do miss her chiding me for putting my dirty feet on her coffee table.”

Bellamy snorted a laugh and tapped his cup against Liam’s in a silent toast. “Liar.”

Liam grinned back at him, and for a moment, they were kids again and conspiring to steal the chocolate chip cookies out of the jar on Grandma’s counter.

“Tell me about this person you’re dating,” Liam said. He knocked their shoulders together. “I assume there is one, given your question about The One?”

“Yeah, it’s...” Bellamy smiled at nothing, because thinking of Jason turned him into a sap. “It’s new.”

“So? Tell me about them.”

So Bellamy did.

Jason sat in one of the Adirondack chairs in his yard, the moon almost half full in the night sky above him, and let the fire in the fire pit warm him. “Isn’t it past your kids’ bedtimes?”

“Yup,” Brie said from the chair next to him. She’d chosen the turquoise one; Jason’s was yellow because for whatever reason, the sunshiny color reminded him of Bellamy.

“You’re going to hate yourself when they’re cranky tomorrow,” Jason said when Brie made no move to get her children home.

She shrugged lazily. “Meh.”

The kids in questions, Callie and Tasha, had devoured two s’mores each and were now playing Tag with their father and grandfather.

“You’re waiting for the sugar crash, aren’t you?”

Brie huddled further into her chair. “Yup.”

The night was cold—it was early April after all—but it was clear and calm. Jason had been heading out for a walk to his meadow to clear his head after a day of thesis research when Brie had arrived with Rob and the kids, toting s’mores ingredients and pleas for a bonfire. Of course, Dad could never say no to his grandkids, so here they were, listening to Callie and Tasha squeal with laughter while the grown-ups ran after them.

Well, the other grown-ups.

Brie kicked out her legs and crossed them at the ankles. “I read your research.”

“What resear—oh!” Jason sat up, eager now. “And?”

“And I did my own research too.”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course you did.”

“With the right marketing and labeling, I think you could really have something. With the beech and birch syrups, especially. I’m not sure how much luck we’ll have selling them to restaurants and cafés, but the uniqueness of those products make them enough of a novelty that they’ll sell well at markets, especially if you offer samples.”

Jason mentally pumped a fist.

“And if Dad doesn’t go for it, you could always branch out and make it your own small business. I can help you with that.”

Cue mental record scratch. “You don’t think Dad will go for it?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You kind of did.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth,” she said snippily.

“Then don’t talk around the issue,” he replied just as snippily. “If you think Dad’s going to reject my idea, just say so.”

She huffed a breath. “I don’t know how Dad’s going to react. That’s my point. If he goes for it, great. You’ve got the backing of the farm and you can brand the new syrups with the Moon Meadows logo. If he doesn’t go for it, also great. It means you get to do your own thing.”

“I don’t have the time or the funds to start a small business.”

“I thought you were making the syrup at UNH.”

“Only until I defend my thesis. After that, I’m on my own.”

“Well, either way, there’s an opportunity there. If you can boil the syrup on the stove, you don’t have to invest in equipment. And since we already have tapping equipment, the only thing you’d need to shell out for are jars, labels, and marketing. And like I said—I can help with that.”

Jason sat with that for a minute. He’d never thought about starting a small business for his non-sugar maple syrups, and the idea, although not terrible, didn’t sit well with him. He’d always thought the new syrups could be sold under Moon Meadows’ umbrella, as an extension of Moon Meadows’ products. It just made sense from a marketing perspective. Moon Meadows had a reputation—a very good one—for producing quality products. Without that backing, Jason wasn’t sure he’d be able to sell the new syrups as well as their maple syrup sold.

“Let me know when you want to talk to Dad about it,” Brie said. “I can support you.”

“Thanks,” Jason said, because that was the thing about family, wasn’t it? They could snipe at each other one moment and support each other in the next.

He thought about Bellamy and couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever seen support from his parents. His grandparents had obviously been there for him. Did that make up for the lack of parental support?

Maybe a little. But probably not entirely.

Jason wanted to ask about his childhood, but he was loath to bring up bad memories, and besides—the timing never seemed right.

Not that there was ever a good time to ask about someone’s crappy childhood.

His phone pinged in his pocket, and wouldn’t you know it? There was Bellamy, sliding into his text messages.

Bellamy:

Are you up for a visit? I’m in Maplewood.

Jason:

Are your ears ringing? I was just thinking about you :) Come on by! You know where to find me. We’re out back. Just follow the sound of children who sound like they’re being tickled to death.

Bellamy:

You have family over? I don’t want to interrupt.

Jason:

Shut up, dumbass. Just come over.

Bellamy:

You say such sweet things.

Bellamy:

Be there in 5.

Brie was leaning over the arm of her chair, trying to get a look at his screen. Jason placed the phone face down on his lap.

“Who’re you texting?” she sing-songed. Teasingly, she whispered, “Is it your lover ?”

“Yes, actually. He’s on his way.”

She laughed. When he didn’t laugh back, she whisper-shouted, “Wait, seriously?”

There came the sound of tires bumping over the driveway, and Jason waggled his eyebrows. “You’re about to find out.”

Rising, he dodged the Tag-playing crew and rounded the side of the house, stepping into the front yard just as Bellamy was exiting his vehicle. “Did you get a new car?”

“Nope. This one’s mine.” Bellamy patted the hood. “Finally arrived from Nevada this morning.”

“I thought when players got traded, their sponsors just gave them a new car so they don’t have to transfer their existing one to a new state. That’s how it went when Ryland got traded.”

“Ah, well. Maybe that’s true for some players.” Bellamy shrugged as the SUV’s headlights clicked off automatically, leaving them in darkness. “I don’t have a car sponsor, so...”

“Shit. Sorry, I didn’t mean?—”

“I know.” Bellamy brushed his lips over Jason’s. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Jason pulled him into a hug, and when Bellamy wrapped his arms around him and burrowed his face into his neck, a piece of Jason’s future slotted itself into place. “How was your day?”

“Good,” Bellamy murmured in his neck. He kissed the sensitive skin there and straightened, leaving Jason wanting more. “I spent the afternoon with Liam. We actually spent time talking and catching up this time, and... it was nice. How was yours?”

“I was buried in research until my eyes crossed.”

From the backyard, Dad’s loud “I’m gonna getcha” had the girls screaming in delight.

Jason twined his fingers with Bellamy’s. “Want to come meet my family?”

Bellamy didn’t look convinced, but he smiled gamely. “Can’t hurt to do that before the party, right?”

They ran into Rob first, who appeared to be sitting out the current game of Tag. It was easier to see in the backyard with the exterior house lighting and the fire, and the sweat on Rob’s bald head was clearly visible.

“Rob, meet my boyfriend Bellamy. Bel, this is my brother-in-law. He doesn’t know anything about hockey, so he has no idea who you are.”

“That’s oddly reassuring,” Bellamy said.

“Hockey, huh?” Rob cocked his head at him. “You a Trailblazer?”

Bellamy nodded. “Got traded here about a month ago.”

“Bellamy Jordan,” Dad said, approaching with a hand extended. The girls were splitting the remaining marshmallows between them. “We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

“Yes, sir.” Bellamy’s shoulders squared as they shook. “At a couple of team functions in college.”

“It’s good to see you again. You’ve been playing good hockey with the Trailblazers.”

“Oh. Uh. Thank you?”

If it sounded more like a question, nobody seemed to catch that except for Jason.

Rob called after the girls, telling them it was time to go, and they sulkily followed after him, moaning about not being tired.

“Those are my nieces,” Jason told Bellamy.

Bellamy waved at them, but they were too busy pleading for five more minutes to notice.

Tote bag filled with s’mores ingredients over one shoulder, Brie paused next to Jason and gave Bellamy a hard look that lasted so long Bellamy began to fidget.

“Him?” Brie turned her gaze on Jason. “This is who you’re dating? Ryland’s going to kill you.”

Bellamy stiffened. So did Jason.

“He won’t,” Dad said confidently.

“He so will.”

“He won’t,” Dad repeated, calm as ever, which reassured Jason somewhat, although he tried not to outwardly show that there was a small part of him that wasn’t sure at all. Dad clapped Bellamy on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about Ryland. He’ll bluster at first, but he’ll come around. Trust me.” With that, Dad grabbed the used skewers and headed inside, calling a “Good night” over his shoulder.

“Well.” Brie’s lips twisted. “I guess this sort of explains why your agent called me today? Maybe.”

Confused, Jason looked to Bellamy for an answer, but he appeared as flummoxed as Jason felt.

“My agent? Why would she call you?”

“I missed her call, but she left me a voicemail. Something about wanting to partner with a local business to make you more accessible to local Trailblazer fans. She thought the farm might be a good fit.”

A few years ago, Jason and his friends had gone paddleboarding on Lake Champlain on a windy day. The water had been choppy, and Jason had felt like he’d been tossed back and forth inside a human-sized ping-pong ball.

That was what his world felt like right now—unsteady and dangerous.

There was a smug voice in the back of his head, ugly and mean, determined to convince him that this was all he was good for—being used as a stepping-stone to someone or something else.

But—

“What?” The bewilderment on Bellamy’s face was almost funny. “How did she even know about you?”

“She mentioned that your grandparents retired here,” Brie said. “And apparently maple syrup fits your brand, so with the farm here too, it makes for a nice local connection.”

“But... I thought she was going to reach out to the sports equipment store in South Burlington.”

“Which one?” Brie asked, as if that was what mattered.

“I don’t know the name of it. I’m sure it’s in my emails somewhere.”

But.

Sure, Jason had trusted Dustin and Tommy—hadn’t seen the betrayal lurking until it was too late. And despite that annoyingly smug voice trying to make him believe that Bellamy was cut from the same cloth as those two dipshits...

There were the bracelets Bellamy had trusted him with. The dragon collection. The vulnerability when he’d talked about Liam that night at The Striped Maple. There was introducing Jason to his teammates, and the way he cooked for him, and the kisses he ever-so-gently placed on Jason’s tattoo, and how he always seemed surprised when Jason smiled at him.

Always . Jason would smile and Bellamy would get this wow, all of that is for me? look on his face that broke Jason’s heart.

Bellamy wouldn’t use him. Jason would stake his master’s thesis on it.

“Okay, so if I’m reading the situation right,” Brie said, “you don’t want to partner with the farm?”

“No. I mean, yes. I mean...” Groaning, Bellamy scrubbed both hands down his face. “I had the idea once. Remember?” He turned to Jason, slightly panicked now. “I thought I could cook with—” He clamped his lips shut and shot Brie a wild-eyed look. “Uh...” That look transferred to Jason. “That thing you’re doing?”

“She knows about the syrups,” Jason told him. To Brie, he added, “Bel thought he could cook with the syrups and post on social media about it to help sell bottles.”

“Right,” Bellamy said quickly as Brie’s eyebrows went up in interest. “But I didn’t consider that doing that would also help me . Jase, I swear I didn’t go behind your back?—”

“I know.”

“I didn’t give her the name of your farm. I haven’t even told her about you yet.” Visibly frustrated now, Bellamy ran his hands back through his hair, sending the floppy strands in every direction. “I have no idea how she found it. Jase, I didn’t?—”

“Bel. I know.”

As they stared at each other with the bonfire crackling into the night, the panic slowly leached from Bellamy’s expression, and an emotion akin to awed bafflement took its place.

“Soooooo...” Brie said into the silence. “I should ignore Maggie’s voicemail, then?”

Bellamy screwed up his face. “She doesn’t really like to be ignored.”

Brie let out a bark of laughter. “Most people don’t. All right, well... I’ll give her a call tomorrow. Good night, guys.” She patted Jason’s shoulder as she swept by him. “It was nice knowing you.”

“Oh, screw you,” Jason said with a laugh. “You heard Dad. Ry will get over it.”

She gave him a dismissive wave over her shoulder. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Shaking his head in exasperation, he grabbed Bellamy by the front of his leather jacket and smacked a hard kiss on his mouth. “I was thinking of pulling a tent out and sleeping outside. Want to join me?”

“Fuck no. I want a fireplace and nine blankets. Why don’t you come home with me and we can do that instead?”

Liking that plan a lot better, Jason kissed him again. “Let me put out the fire.” Another kiss. “Then I’m all yours.”

As he banked the fire, Jason couldn’t help wondering if he’d ever uttered a truer statement.