Page 72 of Breakaway Goals

He’d known this day was coming sooner rather than later. The Sentinels needed a good goalie. Finn was a good goalie. From the moment they’d drafted him four years ago, this had been in the cards.

Morgan had railed against this inevitability in his mind—and to Danny—more than he wanted to admit.

“Also,” Jacob continued, “it turns out being amused by your total meltdown is a good distraction from my own anxiety.”

Ugh. This guy, Finn, really?

Morgan considered saying that out loud, not for the first time, either. But he didn’t, if only because he knew Jacob loved Finnand also because it was impossible to deny Jacob’s mentorship and coaching was a big part of the reason Finn was starting in the Sentinels’ goal tonight.

“I stayed up all night watching game tape.”Half of it wasn’t even the Pens, it was the Sentinels, and if I jerked off to one of Hayes’ pretty goals, nobody knows but me and my couch.

“Yeah, that’s really obvious,” Jacob said.

Morgan didn’t need to take this abuse. He shoved an elbow into Jacob’s side, but Jacob only yelped and then shot him a grin. Like they wereactuallyfriends.

“What? You’re being an unsupportive asshole,” Morgan retorted.

“Sucks, doesn’t it?” Jacob said unrepentantly.

Morgan had so many issues with Braun it was hard to know where to start, but it always began with Jacob reading him a little too well.

He shoved another elbow into Jacob’s side, but he just looked amused.

“I’m supportive,” Morgan defended himself. “I’m even wearing his sweater! I haven’t worn one since—” He stopped abruptly. Frankly, the whole thing felt weird as hell, the Sentinels’ logo splashed across his chest, not only because it wasn’t the Bandits colors he’d worn his entire career, but because they were Hayes’ colors. Like an outward manifestation of the hold Hayes still had on him. It saidReynoldson the back and notMontgomery, but it felt at least a little of the way Morgan had always thought it might, if he ever got lucky enough to publicly claim Hayes as his.

Jacob looked over at him and yeah, he got it, too.

Maybe notallof it, but most of it. Jacob couldn’t get the Hayes’ part, because he didn’tknowabout Hayes. Or rather, he knew there’d been someone Hayes-shaped in Morgan’s past, but not that it was Hayes Montgomery.

Thank God for small miracles. Danny knowing about Hayes was bad enough.

“It’s gonna mean a lot to Finn that you’re wearing it,” Jacob said gently.

“And he’s gonna laugh his ass off that we’re sitting here, like fucking twins in a Sears photoshoot,” Morgan grumbled.

Jacob grinned. Like he didn’t even mind that, and this was why Morgan had semi-gracefully accepted Jacob’s place in Finn’s life. Because anyone who was good for Finn, who loved Finn like this, was worth something, at least.

“Yeah, probably.” Jacob glanced over at him. “Don’t you dare shove that elbow into me again. Iwillkick your ass if you do.”

Like he could.Ha.

“No, you won’t,” Morgan said confidently. He paused. Still wanting to prove how committed he was to Finn and his future. Without being the worst version of himself, because he’d done that version enough and he was trying to be better. “Did I tell you I’m cutting back on some of my ESPN commitments?”

“No,” Jacob said. Not sounding like he was about to throw a parade for Morgan, which . . .unfair. He was fucking trying, here.

He’d always imagined that when Finn eventually joined the Sentinels, he’d bury himself in New York and never leave, because that meant he’d never come face-to-face with what he’d lost.

But when it had finally happened, he’d been so proud and desperately wanting to be properly supportive for Finn—and miraculously Finn had actuallywantedhim around—that he’d buried all his misgivings and essentially moved to Tampa.

“Well, I am. I want to be present for this, for Finn. It feels important, you know? I’m still doing segments, but they said I can do those from my rental house.”

“Good. Do more of those,” Jacob retorted, and then laughed, like a total asshole, at the grimace Morgan hadn’t been able to hold back.

“For the hundredth time, I don’t want to hear about your sex life,” Morgan said.

“Then stop interfering in it.” Jacob barely blinked when Morgan shoved another elbow into his side.

“Do you . . .should I . . .” Morgan trailed off, suddenly feeling like he might vomit.