Page 29

Later that morning Gavin leaned on the balcony railing as he sipped decaf— ugh, gross —coffee, watching the guys run drills on the ice below. They were all hustling, Gavin couldn’t deny that, but there was a sloppiness he didn’t love. He pulled out his phone to make a note to talk to Hoyt Kent about that when Kent blew the whistle.

“Start over,” he barked, his voice loud enough to carry up to Gavin’s ears. “You’re looking sloppy. Tighten it up.”

Gavin smiled. And this was why he had full confidence in Kent. There had been a few mutterings from the ownership group about switching up the coaching staff, but Gavin wasn’t on board.

Sure, letting go of a coach and hiring a new one might fire the guys up temporarily, but it would only last for so long. It was an easy fix. The slap of a bandage over a roster that needed surgery.

No, the team wasn’t doing as well as they needed to be but that was because Gavin still had missing pieces on his roster. He ran through other trade possibilities as he stared blankly at the guys below without really seeing them, the sound of sticks on pucks and the woosh of their skates carving the ice a familiar and soothing soundtrack in the background.

The feel of his business phone vibrating in his hand startled him out of his trance.

He glanced at the unknown number, then accepted the call and lifted the phone to his ear. “Gavin Racine speaking.”

“Mr. Racine? This is Rafael Moon.”

Gavin’s grip tightened on the phone. Finally . He’d been waiting for this call all day. For weeks, really.

“Please, call me Gavin,” he said.

“Uh, yeah. Wade said you wanted to talk to me, sir.”

Huh, for a big guy, Moon’s voice was soft and a little tentative. “Yes. Very much so,” Gavin assured him.

Moon hesitated. “I’m sorry I’ve been dodging any talk about a trade.”

“Look, I know trades suck,” Gavin said. “And uprooting your life to play for a team that’s been struggling doesn’t hold a lot of appeal. But I think we can offer you something unique here, Moon.”

“Rafe, please.”

“Can I be blunt with you, Rafe?”

“Sure.”

“The Harriers are not going to be in contention this season.”

There was silence on the other end for a moment. “You’ve sounded pretty optimistic about the team’s chances in your press conferences.”

“I’m also trying to sell tickets,” Gavin admitted, since they were speaking honestly. “It’ll be a miracle if we make the playoffs and if we do, I don’t anticipate us making it past the first round.”

“And this is how you sell me on joining your team?” Rafe asked, a touch of humor creeping into his voice.

Gavin laughed. “No. This is me being honest with you. We’re struggling. With Jesse Webber in net, we’ve got something to build on. But he needs support . Tanner Clayton’s doing what he can, but the team needs someone willing to put his body on the line for us.”

“I’m not a fighter, sir,”

“Gavin,” he reminded Rafe. “And I don’t need a fighter. I’ve got Luke Crawford. I need a big-bodied guy willing to eat some pucks and show the young defensemen how it’s done.”

“Okay …”

“Do you know Mickey Krause?”

“Not personally. Just by reputation. He’s German, yeah?”

“Yeah. Played in the DEL before coming over here. He’s got the potential to be a hell of a player,” Gavin admitted. “But we haven’t found him the right D-partner. He’s too tentative. He doesn’t have the confidence yet. He needs someone to show him the ropes.”

“And you think I can do that?”

“I hope you can,” Gavin admitted. “If you’re telling me that’s a role you don’t want, fine. I’ll keep looking elsewhere. But I like the way you play, Rafe. And I’d like to offer you a spot on the Harriers. I’d like to put you on our second d-pairing and give you more minutes than you’ve been getting in Minnesota.”

“I’ve been playing like shit lately.”

“You have,” Gavin agreed, because he wasn’t going to sugar coat it if Rafe wasn’t. “But you went through a breakup, yeah?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t exactly sound happy.

“Look, I know everyone likes to pretend players are able to set their personal lives aside and focus on the game,” he said. “We know that’s not always true. Sometimes the personal creeps in. We do our best, but we can’t always help it. It’s gotta be tough playing with your ex.”

“I thought I could handle it,” Rafael said gruffly. “But I guess not.”

“I can only imagine how difficult that would be,” Gavin said. “So, if you want to get away and start fresh, I can offer you that.”

“Honestly? I want Logan back,” Rafael muttered, the hurt in his voice palpable.

“Oh. Well, that I can’t help you with,” Gavin admitted. Fuck , he hadn’t anticipated that.

“No one can.” Rafael sighed. “I’d hoped to maybe win him back during the holiday break, but uh, apparently Logan’s moved on with someone else. So, I guess I should too. I guess there’s no point in me staying here.”

Torn between relief for himself and his team, and sympathy for a guy who was obviously heartbroken, Gavin took a moment to choose his words carefully.

“We’d be happy to give you a fresh start here in Boston. We’ve got a great set of guys, we can offer you support as an LGBTQ+ player, and if we all start pulling together, I genuinely believe we can get out of this slump the team’s been in,” Gavin said, adding an edge of firmness to his voice. “But I need to know if you come here, you’ll be committed to the team.”

The little pep talk seemed to work because Gavin could hear a rustle in the background like Rafael had straightened.

“I want a fresh start,” he said, sounding much more decisive. “I want to play for the Harriers.”

“Excellent,” Gavin said, silently fist-pumping. “Tell Cannon we’re ready to move forward. Jackson and I will hammer out the final details of the trade, and we’ll get you on a plane to Boston ASAP.”

Dakota had finished setting up for Jesse and Kady’s Pilates session when Gavin burst through the door of his studio.

“I did it!” he said, sweeping Dakota up into his arms and off his feet.

Laughing, Dakota clutched at Gavin’s shoulders as he twirled him in a dizzying circle.

“Did what?” he asked breathlessly when his feet were on the ground again, Gavin’s firm body pressed to his, the world spinning around them.

“I got Moon to agree to a trade. Asa Jackson—the GM of the Minnesota Acorns—and I hammered out the details. Moon should be here in time for tomorrow’s game.”

“Oh! That’s great news!” Dakota said, smiling up at Gavin. “Congratulations! I know how hard you’ve been working on this.”

Gavin looked so happy right now, his eyes bright and his mouth curved up in a wide smile. “Thank you.”

Dakota reached up and grasped Gavin’s neck, pulling him down until their lips met. He opened his mouth immediately, welcoming Gavin in. It was a hungry kiss, lush and needy, and Gavin roamed his hands up and down Dakota’s back.

Dakota moaned softly and was contemplating climbing Gavin like a tree when he heard someone clear their throat.

Surprised and a little embarrassed, Dakota drew back, touching his fingers to his lips as he turned to face a startled-looking Jesse and Kady.

“Fuck,” Gavin said, echoing exactly what Dakota had been thinking.

Jesse grinned. “Sorry to interrupt. That was a hell of a kiss. But, uh …”

“We do yoga now?” Kady said, looking vaguely confused. “Or we go and give privacy?”

“No,” Dakota croaked, trying to mentally pull himself together. “Don’t go. That was, uh, inappropriate of us to, um, do that in the arena.”

He glanced over at Gavin, who had a crooked, amused smile on his face.

“I should get going,” Gavin said. He lightly touched Dakota’s back, then pressed a kiss to Dakota’s temple. “I have a meeting with the ownership group to prep for. Have a good rest of the day. I’ll see you at home later?”

“I was planning to stay at Violet and Jeff’s tonight,” Dakota reminded him. “I haven’t been back since Christmas. I would like to see my family occasionally.”

Granted, that had only been a couple of days, but …

“Have dinner with them, then pack enough for the next few days?” Gavin suggested. He leaned in and whispered, “I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Damn you and your negotiation skills,” Dakota muttered but he wasn’t really mad. “Okay.”

“Have a good day, sweetheart,” Gavin murmured, kissing his temple again. “See you later.”

“See you later,” Dakota agreed.

Gavin whistled on the way out the door and Dakota briefly contemplated throwing a meditation pillow at his head for leaving him to deal with Jesse and Kady.

Jesse and Kady, who were staring at him with identical amused expressions.

“Sooo,” Jesse said with a bright grin, his blue eyes sparkling. “When did that happen?”

“After Thanksgiving,” Dakota admitted.

“Damn, you two are cute together,” Jesse said. “Congrats.”

“Thanks?” Dakota managed, cheeks feeling a little warm. “Uhh, I hate to ask but could you guys … keep this quiet for now? The ownership group doesn’t know. Gavin’s going to meet with them soon but, uh, we’d rather they not find out this way, you know?”

Jesse nodded, glancing over at Kady. “We won’t tell, right?”

“We—?” Kady said a word in another language, looking conflicted.

“No!” Jesse said. “Not a lie. Just don’t say anything to anyone until they’re ready to tell the team.”

“Oh.” Kady’s expression smoothed out. “Okay. I understand. Is like surprise party, yes? Happy surprise? Not bad secret.”

“Exactly!” Jesse beamed. “It’s a happy surprise.”

“I’m not tell,” Kady said solemnly, pressing his hand to his chest. “Not spoil happy surprise for you and Gavin.”

“Thank you,” Dakota said, grateful.

He hoped it would be a happy surprise anyway.