Page 27

Dakota didn’t spend a lot of time hanging around the marketing department at HCI, but he passed by their office semi-regularly and knew a lot of them took mid-morning breaks.

So, two days after Christmas, when practice for the team resumed, Dakota got there a little early and managed to catch Thad at the right time.

“Hey, Thad,” Dakota said as he stepped out of the office. “Do you have a minute?”

Thad looked up from his phone, surprise written all over his face. “Uhh, hi, Dakota.”

“I was wondering if you’d be able to take a short break this morning. Grab a coffee with me?”

Thad blinked, and then a smile tugged up the corners of his mouth. “Let me guess? You finally realized my brother was the boring one.”

“Mmm, not quite,” Dakota said, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. “Although, he is the reason I want to talk to you.”

Thad arched an eyebrow questioningly but when Dakota didn’t respond, he sighed and nodded. “Sure. Buy me a coffee and we can talk.”

It was too cold and snowy to go outside, so after they grabbed coffee—or green tea in Dakota’s case—from the small café in the lobby of the facility, Dakota steered them toward a deserted part of the building.

Thad grinned at him. “So, you have me alone now. What’s the big secret? You want to have a threesome with me and my brother or something?”

Dakota choked on his tea, raising a napkin to his mouth so he wouldn’t spray it everywhere. “Uhh, no. Not at all.”

Thad shrugged. “Hey, some people are curious about the whole twin thing.”

“Mmm, not my thing,” Dakota said.

“Damn.”

Dakota ignored him. “I want to tell you something, but first, I need to ask you to promise to keep it between the two of us.”

Thad squinted. “Are you sure you aren’t angling for?—”

“No!” Dakota protested. “I’m not.”

Thad held up his free hand. “Fine. I promise. Your secret is safe with me. What is your big confession?”

“Gavin and I are dating.” Dakota looked him in the eye.

Thad snorted. “No shit. You hooked up at the club and the hotel in LA. Haven’t you been dating since then?” He took a sip of his coffee, arching his eyebrows in a way that reminded Dakota so much of Gavin.

Dakota sighed. “More or less. But it’s … it’s more serious now.”

“And you don’t want me to squeal to anyone because it could be a big scandal since he’s your boss.” Thad smiled, but there was a mean edge to it lurking around the corners of his lips and a hard light in his eyes.

That was nothing like Gavin at all and, for a moment, Dakota wondered if he’d made a huge mistake coming to Thad. But he and Gavin had discussed this. They’d agreed Dakota approaching Thad was the best option. He might listen to Dakota instead of immediately shutting down.

“We’re planning to go public soon,” Dakota said calmly. “And Gavin is stepping down as president of hockey ops so there won’t be a conflict of interest.”

That did get a reaction.

Thad whistled lowly. “Well, daaamn, big brother must be serious about you then.”

“That’s part of it,” Dakota agreed, and a quiet thrill went through him at the thought of the fact that yes, clearly Gavin was serious about him. “But it’s also because he had a health scare recently. He was having heart issues and had to go to the ER before Christmas.”

Thad froze for a split second before recovering. “What’s that to me?” he asked cooly, taking another sip of his latte.

Dakota sighed. “Look, I know you and Gavin have had a difficult relationship but surely you care?—”

“You don’t know anything ,” Thad hissed, his expression shuttering and turning cold as he stepped toward Dakota like he was trying to intimidate him into backing up. “You know nothing about what my brother?—”

“I know the truth about the robbery and that you falsely confessed to protect your brother,” Dakota snapped, standing his ground, despite the height and width Thad had on him.

Dakota had sworn to himself he wasn’t going to lose his temper, but he would also swear Thad knew how to press every button both he and Gavin had. Or maybe he was like that with everyone.

The surprise on Thad’s face was almost gratifying, although it disappeared quickly, smoothing out into a bored expression. “So what? What difference does that make?”

“The difference is you can’t shock me with anything you have to say about Gavin. I know the truth. I know how much he regrets what happened.”

“ Regrets .” Thad sneered but he didn’t say anything else. The look of disgust on his face spoke volumes though.

“Yes,” Dakota said as calmly as he could manage. “Gavin has regrets . And he’d like to apologize to you.”

“It’s a little fucking late for that, isn’t it?”

“No,” Dakota said firmly. “I don’t believe it is. Look, no one can force you to listen to what he has to say. No one can force you to forgive him. It’s your choice. But what if something catastrophic happened to one of you? What if there was another health issue or an accident or …”

For the first time, Dakota saw a real flicker of vulnerability in Thad’s eyes, so he pressed on.

“None of us know what the future will hold. Do you really want to spend the rest of your lives—however long they are—hating your brother? Or do you want to find some peace?”

Thad rubbed at his neck, another gesture eerily similar to Gavin’s. “I—I don’t know.”

“Look, Thad,” Dakota said softly. “The trip to the ER scared the shit out of Gavin and made him re-evaluate a lot of things in his life. He’s not expecting to have a relationship like the one you had when you were growing up or to forget everything that happened since. All he’s asking from you is a willingness to sit down and have a conversation. A willingness to listen when he apologizes.”

Something—some emotion—flickered across Thad’s face too quickly for Dakota to read. “For what ?” he asked tightly. “What does he want to apologize for?”

“He wants to say how sorry he is he let you go to prison rather than take responsibility for what he did.”

Maybe Gavin could have done more, but he’d been so young, reeling from his brother’s confession. It was easy to imagine how overwhelmed he’d been. How the situation must have felt out of his control. And in the end, it might only have served to land both brothers in prison. Cost both of them their dreams.

Thad laughed hollowly, tipping his head back in an expression that reminded Dakota so much of Gavin this time it was physically painful.

“He still doesn’t get it, does he?” Thad asked. He lowered his head, shaking it in disgust. “And he never fucking will.”

“Then help me understand, so I can get through to him,” Dakota pleaded.

“I’m not angry at my brother because I went to prison for him,” Thad said, his gaze boring into Dakota’s. “I’m angry at him because the moment I did, he fucking forgot I even existed .”

“So,” Declan O’Shea said, staring at Gavin over the crisp white tablecloth at the seafood restaurant in Back Bay. “What did you want to speak to me about?”

Gavin hesitated. “Well, I need your advice.”

His head had been whirling with everything going on in his life and he needed to talk to someone who understood the hockey world and the team. Talking to Dakota was helpful and he’d been doing plenty of that in the past few days, but he needed more.

He needed a mentor.

And since Norm was gone and Gavin’s father had made it obvious he wanted nothing to do with him, Declan was the perfect candidate.

He’d begun the O’Shea hockey dynasty in Boston and helped raise four strong, talented, good-hearted sons. If there was anyone who could help, it was him. Though, maybe Gavin should have thought about reaching out to his wife Catherine as well, since she’d been the one home with the boys …

“What would you like advice on?” Declan took a sip of his whiskey.

“Uhh, well, a lot of things,” Gavin admitted with a rueful laugh.

He went on to tell Declan about his role in the robbery—because he was tired of having the stress of that secret hanging over his head—the heart issues he was concerned about, dating Dakota, and his plan to step down.

Declan didn’t say a lot as Gavin talked, mostly nodded and listened attentively as they ate their dinner. But when the conversation and the meal were over, Declan leaned forward, crossing his hands. “Well, you’ve certainly given me a lot to think about.”

“I should have told you the truth about my past sooner.”

Declan waved that off. “Look, I was a bit of a hellion myself in my youth. I understand.”

“Taking part in a robbery ?” Gavin asked quietly. “Somehow I doubt that.”

“No, I can’t say I did that. But it sounds to me like you tried to prevent one from getting worse,” Declan pointed out. “And things went spectacularly wrong.”

Gavin sighed. “I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”

“Look, I don’t have any official stake in the Harriers ownership,” Declan said. “So my feelings on it are only worth so much. But I don’t think you have anything to be ashamed about. You made some bad choices, you dealt with the consequences, and you overcame them. There’s no shame in redemption, Gavin.”

“I hope the ownership group will feel the same.” Gavin looked down at his green tea. It still tasted like grass to him but Dakota—and his doctor—swore it was good for him, so he was trying. “And, frankly, they hold you in high esteem and value your opinion. I need to know how you think this will all go over with them. And if you’d be willing to put in a good word for me.”

“Of course I’ll put in a good word. As for the rest, do you intend to tell them the truth about your past?” Declan swirled the whiskey around in his glass, the large, spherical ball of ice inside clinking pleasantly.

“I think I have to tell them,” Gavin admitted. “Both because I don’t want anything hanging over my head anymore, and because I think the stress of worrying about it being discovered can’t be doing my heart any favors.”

“True,” Declan said, his brow furrowing. “Well, I think it’s a bold move, but you’re known for those.”

Gavin smiled faintly. “But is it a reckless move?”

“No, not reckless,” Declan said thoughtfully. “You know what the possible consequences are. You’re choosing to lay your cards out on the table.”

“Fully aware if they call my bluff I’m fucked.” Gavin sighed.

“You’re not fucked,” Declan said with a small laugh.

“They could decide to let me go,” Gavin pointed out.

“They could,” he agreed. “But that’s why you need to make the Rafael Moon trade happen.”

Gavin groaned and rubbed his head. “Tell me about it. Damn the holiday roster freeze.”

Declan looked at his watch. “You’ve got about three hours before its up.”

“Believe me, I know.” Gavin rubbed his head again. “I’ve got to get him on board with a trade.”

“Is Cannon amenable to the discussion?”

Gavin nodded. “Yeah, he’s not the hold-up. Moon is.”

“Well, this wouldn’t be the first time you’ve sweet-talked a reluctant person to get on board with your plan for this team,” Declan said with a laugh. “Use that considerable charm to your advantage.”

“Why, Declan, are you flirting with me?” Gavin teased.

Declan threw his head back and laughed. “Not seriously. Catherine would have my balls if I was.”

Gavin grinned. “Well, we wouldn’t want that.” Though that wasn’t actually a no …

Declan sobered, though mirth still lingered around his eyes. “In all seriousness, I have complete faith in your ability to manage this situation.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.” He leaned forward. “Approach the ownership group with confidence. Let them know your recent health situation has made you take stock of some things in your life. Give them the simple version of your past and that you are dating Dakota, explain you would like to step down as president of hockey ops, and give them a suitable candidate to fill the spot.”

“And who might that be?” Gavin asked with a lift of his eyebrow. Because he’d like to have a hand in picking his replacement, but he’d run through list after list of possible candidates and come up underwhelmed.

“Well, this is going to be extremely self-serving of me, but one comes to mind immediately.” Declan chuckled.

Gavin blinked at him. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to throw your hat in the ring?”

“Ha! Absolutely not. Catherine really would have my balls if I did. Don’t think I’m not tempted, but my wife and I agreed I won’t take on any jobs that eat up that much of my time. After all the sacrifices she’s made for me, this is one I can make for her. Besides, I enjoy helping train my grandchildren to be the next generation of pro hockey players.”

“Fair enough. But who do you mean then?”

“Finn. I want you to consider my eldest son for the position.”