Page 53 of Breakaway Goals

“It’s just . . .” Morgan sighed deeply. “And this is not your fault, it’s mine, but I haven’t been a great dad to him.

I didn’t even realize I was being shitty.

Well, scratch that. I didn’t care, and that’s worse, actually.

Anyway I’m working on it. Being better. Lying to him now feels like I’m taking a step in the wrong direction. ”

“I get it,” Hayes said. “So you want to tell him.”

“And Jacob too, by extension.” Morgan hesitated. “Though Jacob already sort of knows.”

“ What ,” Hayes hissed.

“Not that it’s you, but that there was a guy. Who uh . . .fucked me up,” Morgan admitted. “And then he figured out it was someone on the Sentinels.”

Hayes didn’t know what he wanted to unpack first.

“You were fucked up about me?” It was inevitable he’d choose that one before anything else.

Morgan laughed. “Uh, yeah . What possibly gave it away?”

“I just . . .” Hayes knew he was flushed red. Couldn’t quite meet Morgan’s eyes. “I guess I didn’t think about it that way. Only that I was fucked up about what had happened. Never knew whether to be pissed at you or miss you so much my teeth ached.”

“Didn’t know whether I missed you or hated myself more,” Morgan agreed, eyes soft.

Hayes didn’t think he’d ever seen him look like that, before. He’d believed everything Morgan had said. Every part of it had seemed to resonate with truth. This was still hitting him hard, though. Like it hadn’t felt real until this moment, and now it felt very, very real.

“And you told Jacob?”

“I . . .I did not handle finding out about Jacob and Finn, very well.”

Hayes couldn’t help but laugh at that. “No shit,” he said. “Did you totally lose it?”

“Yeah. And then I got day drunk about it. Though . . .” Morgan winced. “We probably couldn’t say that was entirely about them.”

Hayes raised an eyebrow. “You got day drunk?”

“Not my proudest moment. Jacob had to come drag my ass out of the bar. We had . . .uh . . .a heart-to-heart. He figured out that you were a hockey player. I didn’t tell him anything, not really, but you know how it is.”

“Yeah for sure. Goalies ,” Hayes commiserated.

“Exactly. Anyway, he knows about some of it. Not all of it.”

“How has he not guessed it was me?” Hayes said incredulously.

Because he was the clear and obvious choice.

Maybe he wasn’t the only queer guy on the team now, but it wasn’t like Jasper was the kind of guy you’d spend six years pining after.

Jacob had even been around in Toronto six years ago.

Of course, he and Morgan had hated each other back then so they’d steered clear of each other, but still .

Looking back, they had not really been all that subtle about what they were doing.

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Morgan frowned now, like it was just now occurring to him how obvious it was.

“Maybe he’s just been preoccupied by Finn,” Hayes said.

“Maybe.” Morgan didn’t sound convinced.

“So how did you want to do this?” Hayes asked.

Morgan made a face. “I don’t want to do it.” He paused, probably realizing how that sounded. “No, no, not like that. I’m not ashamed of you. I want people to know we’re together, it’s just—”

“Babe, I get it,” Hayes interrupted with a smile. “It’s gonna be weird. Does Finn know you like guys?”

“No,” Morgan said. “And that’s gonna be part of it. He might—he probably should— be pissed that I didn’t tell him. But I never met anyone else that I wanted. Never as much as I wanted you. And if I couldn’t have you . . .”

Privately, Hayes thought he probably should have told Finn.

If he was Finn, he’d have wanted to know the way he and his dad were alike, but he wasn’t going to tell Morgan that.

Especially not when he was baring his soul like that.

Not when he was laying his heart so bare, and it was obvious how all of it belonged to Hayes.

“I get it.” Hayes reached out and squeezed his forearm. “It’s probably going to suck a little. But Finn loves you, and he wants you to be happy. That’s gonna eventually overrule everything else.”

“I hope so.” Morgan rarely looked apprehensive. But he clearly looked it now. “I guess we should just . . .do it. I’m having dinner with them tonight. Maybe you should come with us, and we’ll just . . .rip the band-aid off.”

“You want me to be there?” Hayes asked cautiously. He’d hoped so, but he hadn’t wanted to shove himself in, uninvited.

“Of course I want you to be there. You’re—” Morgan broke off. “You’re important. You’re the whole reason this is happening at all. And also, you can help keep Jacob off me.”

Hayes laughed. “Don’t want to be outnumbered, huh?”

“Thinking I’m never gonna be outnumbered again, angel,” Morgan said, and happiness spun through him, clear and true and perfect.

“I didn’t know you were so close to Hayes,” Finn said as he finished tossing the salad.

“Yeah,” Jacob said as he came in from the patio, holding a platter of grilled chicken. “I always thought you two sort of kept your distance. All that chosen one, next one nonsense.”

“It’s not nonsense,” Finn said with faux-sternness to his boyfriend. “Dad was totally great. And Hayes? He’s got it, too.”

“Yeah,” Morgan said weakly.

It had been the first step in a long line of awkward steps to tell his son and his son’s boyfriend that they were having a fourth to dinner. Extra awkward to dodge the immediate reaction that he was finally not third-wheeling it. Technically they were right, but he couldn’t tell them that yet.

Then there were the pointed questions about why Hayes was coming to dinner. And the questions about how he even knew Hayes well enough to ask him.

On and on and on. Until Morgan wanted to scream, because I love him and we’re together now.

But he wasn’t going to do that, no matter how tempting it was.

The doorbell rang, and Morgan jumped up and said, “I’ll get it,” ignoring Finn and Jacob exchanging confused looks.

“Hey,” Morgan said after ushering Hayes inside.

He was in a T-shirt and shorts, same as all of them.

He’d texted Morgan an hour ago questions about what he should wear, and even though he’d tried to phrase it casually, Morgan could hear the panic underneath his words.

They were both kind of freaking out about this.

That shouldn’t have made it easier, but it did. Sort of.

“How’s it going?” Hayes asked under his breath.

“The interrogation I’ve already been subjected to about why you’re coming to dinner almost made me break twice,” Morgan hissed. Hayes slipped out of his shoes and then he handed Morgan the bottle of wine he’d brought.

Morgan gave it right back. “Give it to Jacob. He likes wine. It’ll make you look good with your future step-son-in-law,” Morgan advised.

Hayes flushed. “Don’t you think—”

God, Morgan wanted to kick himself. Two dates in, and Hayes thought he was proposing. “No, no, I mean, they’re going to get married, aren’t they?”

Hayes nodded enthusiastically. “I’m sure they will.” He patted Morgan on the shoulder. “They’re great together.”

Morgan straightened up. “I guess . . .no choice but to do this,” he said.

“I’m following your lead,” Hayes said under his breath before they walked into Jacob and Finn’s kitchen.

Both Finn and Jacob greeted Hayes with enthusiasm and hugs. Jacob seemed pleased by the wine, and Hayes let himself get pulled into a conversation about different New Zealand varietals and vintages. Morgan helped Finn finish setting the table.

“This is nice,” Finn said, tilting his face towards Morgan as he set the salad onto their kitchen table. “It was a good idea to invite Monty.”

“Good. I thought so, too,” Morgan said, trying to sound normal and not like a man wildly in love who desperately craved approval on his life choices.

“He’s a good captain,” Finn said. “Different than you, but good, still.”

“I might’ve been pretty tough on guys, sometimes.

There’s more ways to go about things than just being a hard-ass all the time,” Morgan said.

Ten years ago, he’d have never said that—wouldn’t have even thought it.

But he’d mellowed. Learned that there were more things out in the world than just hockey.

Sometimes he thought what would have happened if he’d had that realization sooner. But he’d won two Cups with the Bandits because he’d been hard on everyone—starting with himself, but definitely not ending there.

“Dad, look at you,” Finn teased. “It’s like you’re a real person now!”

“Shut it,” Morgan said, reaching over and messing up Finn’s curls.

He’d thought maybe he should save the big revelation but he’d also had the perfectly legitimate concern that it would be awkward to keep it until after dinner. That they wouldn’t have anything to talk about without it.

But he shouldn’t have worried. Hayes was too good, natural and practiced and also ridiculously charming, drawing Finn and Jacob into the conversation effortlessly, probably like he’d done with dozens of rookies since he’d become captain.

Morgan always thought he was amazing, but watching him laugh with Finn and Jacob, he was reminded again of how goddamn lucky he was that Hayes had forgiven him, that Hayes was still willing to give him the time of the day.

They were nearly all the way through dinner when Hayes shot him a meaningful glance under his long eyelashes.

Morgan knew what it meant.

It’s time, baby.

Also, good fucking luck.

God, Morgan loved him.

“So . . .uh . . .Finn, you asked why I asked Hayes to dinner,” Morgan said. He wasn’t nearly as good at this as Hayes was. Another reason he was grateful Hayes was around.

“Yeah?” Finn barely looked like he was paying attention.

Morgan was pretty sure he was playing footsy under the table with Jacob.

Normally he might’ve thrown a fit about this gross disrespect—or at least given Jacob shit about it—but he didn’t want to get derailed now that he’d finally decided it was time to confess everything.

“You know we knew each other.”