Page 49 of Back in the Game (Pride in the Game #1)

Harrison said nothing as the smaller man stopped before him and threw out his hand like he was about to demand his lunch money.

“Nice to meet you, Harrison. My name is Max.”

A smirk slowly crept onto Harrison’s face, and he took Max’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “Nice to meet you, Max. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Harrison’s words popped whatever balloon of confidence Max was holding onto. He let out a small squeaking sound and scurried back to Jett, trying to act casual again by picking up his bag and heading for his spot on the couch.

Harrison and Jett followed him, and Jett placed himself between Max and Harrison on the couch. As much as he loved tormenting him, he didn’t want Max to feel uncomfortable, so he would ignore Max’s crush and act normal for now.

Harrison didn’t take the hint.

“Did you bring a pen, Max? I can sign something for you.”

“Oh, fuck you,” said Max, but then his hands flew to his mouth in horror. “Oh my god. I’m sorry—”

Jett and Harrison laughed, and just like that, the awkward tension was gone.

Max frowned and gave them a look that he normally reserved for Ryan. “You guys deserve each other. What are you ordering to eat? I’m starving.”

With Max no longer terrified of Harrison, things went more smoothly. Jett ordered them pizza and salad because he wasn’t supposed to eat junk food the night before a game, and they turned on the TV.

Montreal was playing against Edmonton, and it looked like it would be an easy victory for Mini Killinger tonight. They were already up two points on the other team.

When Arlo got tripped up by an Edmonton defenseman and slammed hard into the boards, the Basillique players erupted instantly. They swarmed the Edmonton guys, fists flying and tempers flaring, sparking a chaotic brawl that quickly thinned the ice to a tense 4-on-4 showdown.

Arlo was fine, but he was pissed. When he met the player who tripped him on the ice again in the second period, the gloves were off, and there was a brawl.

Jett fidgeted with his leg through the whole thing, and Harrison shook his head in disbelief at his cousin on the screen.

Arlo won the fight, and both players were sent to the locker room to cool down. Jett had seen Arlo angry before, but that was different.

“ That’s your cousin?” Max asked Harrison, who was frowning at the TV.

“He’s not normally that angry,” said Harrison. “The guy must have said something more than an obnoxious chirp to get under Arlo’s skin.”

Jett agreed. He had played against Mini Killinger several times and watched his games. He was one of the more level-headed guys on his team, taking after their stoic captain .

“I’ll call him after the game,” said Harrison. “I want to check on him.”

Jett did too, so he pulled out his phone and texted Arlo to let him know they would talk later.

“You and your cousin are close?” Max asked Harrison.

“He’s my adopted little brother,” said Harrison. “He’s the most important person in my life besides Jett.”

Jett shoved a forkful of salad into his mouth. The way Killinger casually said stuff like that made it hard not to love him.

“Not even your parents?”

Jett froze at Max’s question. It was the one he had never dared to ask Harrison. He had been planning on getting deeper into their family stuff soon, but everything was so hectic since Harrison had shown up that he hadn’t felt it was the right time.

Max was similar to Ryan when it came to not being aware of people’s boundaries, so the question wasn’t unexpected, but damn, he whished he had that sort of ability. He was such a spazz when it came to making conversations, a curse of his ADHD, which he had been dealing with for years.

“I love my parents because they’re my parents, and they’ve done a lot for me.” Harrison’s leg started fidgeting next to Jett’s in discomfort. “But they keep a respectful distance for…reasons.”

Jett looked to Max, silently pleading with him to drop the topic, but Max was looking down at his sketchbook and didn’t see him.

“They blame you for what happened to your brother.”

Harrison picked up his drink from the side table and sipped it. He didn’t say anything until he set it back down.

“Yeah.”

Harrison didn’t elaborate, and Max didn’t ask. Jett was stuck in between them, fighting a wave of nausea that had swept out of nowhere.

He thought of the lake house and the facilities there. It was obvious that everything had been planned and built around Harrison’s recovery after the accident, but knowing that made it feel ominous.

His parents obviously loved him. He was their only remaining son, but Jett had found it strange that Harrison had been set up to live life so far away from them.

He didn’t know for sure, but judging by all the physio equipment, Harrison had come from the hospital straight to the lake house.

It could have been for privacy reasons, but Jett knew what house the Killingers lived in and what street it was on.

The fancy neighbourhood was filled with nosy neighbours who loved to gossip, and seeing Harrison limping around wouldn’t have been good for anyone’s image.

Especially since the court of public opinion had pinned the blame on their oldest son despite the evidence.

Jett really needed to talk to Harrison about their families. He needed to tell him about his past before he heard it from someone else. He also wanted to know how he was expected to feel about the Killingers because right now, he was angry.

Harrison nudged him gently with his leg, and Jett’s gaze flicked up to meet those intense blue eyes.

A playful smile tugged at the corners of Harrison’s lips, silently daring him to lean in for a kiss.

Jett’s heart hammered in his chest, craving the touch despite knowing Max would probably throw pillows their way if he caught them. But fuck—he wanted to.

“You guys are so cute together,” said Max suddenly, startling Jett. “You’re giving each other longing looks like actors do in romance movies. Ryan does that with Jason sometimes. It’s so ridiculous.”

Harrison pinched the bridge of his nose and tilted his head back, giving an exasperated sigh.

“You make it sound like they’re in love,” said Jett. “Ryan swears they’re not, and if he heard you saying otherwise, he would be pissed.”

“They are in love,” said Max indignantly.

“My brother hasn’t had a girlfriend since Jason joined the Sunbursts.

He broke up with his last one because he wanted to spend more time with Jason, and she kept bitching about it.

They do weird couple things, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

It’s love, they just don’t know it yet. Honestly, I don’t know if they’re smart enough to figure it out. ”

“Jesus Christ,” said Harrison. “My brain can’t even comprehend this conversation. Are they a couple or not? It’s like Schrodinger's fucking closet. ”

Jett and Max laughed, and Harrison joined in with them. The Bracken/Powers relationship was ridiculous, but Max made it sound so much worse.

Overall, the visit went even better than Jett had expected. He had worried that Max would be standoffish because he was so shy, but they were getting along well by the end of the night.

They had an early flight the next day, so Max only stayed until the end of the game before he started packing his art supplies and half the pizza.

“You could stay in your room if you want,” Jett offered.

Max scrunched his nose in disgust. “Sorry, I love you, but I’d rather not be kept up all night by the sounds of your lovemaking antics.”

“I mean, you never know. You might learn something.” Jett grinned and gestured to Max’s art bag. “You know, references for your webcomic. Weren’t you going to write something spicy about a vampire and his boytoy?”

Max’s cheeks were bright red as he scowled at him. “I can’t exactly put sounds onto paper, you pervert.”

“Sounds like you’re not trying hard enough,” said Harrison from the kitchen.

Max glared, staring at them for a solid minute before he shook his head and strode to the penthouse door. “Good luck with your game tomorrow, assholes. I hope Jason gets a shut-out.”

Harrison gasped, and Jett chuckled as he watched his friend flee his home. Arms wrapped around him from behind, and Jett gracefully accepted the kiss Harrison pressed to the top of his head.

“Did that go okay?”

Jett twisted in Harrison’s arms, tilting his face upward. “Better than okay,” he murmured, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I can tell Max likes you—he’s way too flustered to hide it—but honestly, I have no clue how this will change the whole... status of his crush.”

Harrison hummed, and if that sound wasn’t suspicious, the smirk definitely was.

“Oh no,” said Jett. “What did you do?”

Harrison broke their gaze to kiss his forehead. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. ”

“Killinger.”

“ Fraser. ”

Jett was about to step on his foot, but Harrison laughed and said, “When he went to the bathroom, I slipped a napkin with my signature into his bag.”

“ Harrison!”

Harrison covered his vulnerable parts and backed away before Jett could think about hitting him.

What a jackass.

“I was going to look through his sketchbook for a picture he drew of me and sign that , but I figured that would have been overkill.”

Jett scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Oh, jeez. You think so?”

He tried to look angry, determined not to encourage his boyfriend’s teasing of his best friend, but Harrison’s laughter was contagious. Clutching his stomach, Harrison was doubled over, his broad frame shaking as he wiped unsuccessfully at the tears streaming from his eyes.

“You’re unbelievable,” is what Jett settled on. “He’s going to be so embarrassed, and then I’ll have to hear about it.”

“No way,” Harrison said, wiping the last tears away as he straightened. “That napkin’s getting framed and hung on his wall.”

Jett wanted to argue, but he didn’t think he would be telling the truth if he did.

“Call your damn cousin,” said Jett. “I’m going to get a shower—”

Harrison’s face lit up.

“By myself. With the door locked.”

Jett hurried down the hall with Harrison’s laughter echoing behind him. He couldn’t believe he had pulled a stunt like that, but it made sense. Harrison’s teasing humour was always sharp, but Jett hadn’t expected it to extend to pranking his friends.

Harrison seemed…comfortable. And knowing that made Jett feel like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

One day at a time. That’s what he kept telling himself. This was only the beginning, and he couldn’t wait to discover the many sides of Harrison that would reveal themselves as time went on.