Page 97 of Breakaway Goals

Am I pathetic?

Danny texted back almost immediately.Woooo boy!!! Don’t tempt me with a good time, Mo.And then before Morgan could even get pissed,Kinda, sorta, but it’s okay because the rest of the world thinks you’re really fucking cool. HAHAAHAHA!!!!!

Morgan groaned under his breath.

Thanks for the brutal honesty.

You’re welcome!!!!!

Morgan generally ignored Danny’s exclamation point addiction. He couldn’t ignore the next message that came in.

You know, crazy AND wild thought, you could DO something about it.

Like what?

Like get him back, you idiot.

It wasn’t like Morgan hadn’t considered that once or twice or a hundred times.

He hates me now. How would that even work?

You really are an idiot. It’s called groveling, dipshit.

Morgan didn’t know what to say to that. He just stared at the screen, at Danny’s blunt words. He’d thought about it. Of course he’d thought about it. Never thought it could work, so why bother?

Since you don’t seem to get it, I’m gonna do you a solid and tell you: he wouldn’t hate you still if he didn’t give a crap.

Warmups ended with Morgan still staring at his phone. Only when the game started did he put it away, sliding it into his pocket, wishing that he could forget Danny’s advice that easily.

But it haunted him throughout the game.

Every time Hayes went over the boards, his line coming onto the ice, Morgan thought,what if he was mine? What if the name and the number on my back were his? What if when he did something fucking amazing I didn’t have to hide my awe? What if, after the game, I knew he’d be coming home to me?

Morgan’s heart clenched.

It would be hard. Hayes was angry and had no reason to trust Morgan.

And that was just getting him to consider it. Nevermind what came after.

In Toronto six years ago, they’d never had a chance to have a realrelationship. In some ways, even though he’d been married and had a child, Morgan wasn’t sure if he’dhada real relationship. But Hayes wouldn’t accept less. Hayes didn’tdeserveless.

Morgan wasn’t delusional; he couldn’t imagine even wanting to try for anyone else, but this was Hayes. He was special, not just to the rest of hockey, but specifically to Morgan.

Hayes scored midway through the third, a beauty of a goal, sealing the Sentinels’ two goal lead and the win.

The video scoreboard flashed out,Sentinels win!!! Six in a row!!!!

Clearly, the operator knew Danny and they shared an affection for exclamation points.

Morgan tried to avoid going into the locker room, even though Finn had told him before that he was always welcome. But now he tended to linger in the hallway just down from the door.

Finn hadn’t played, so he didn’t get pulled for media, and he was out of the room, tie loosely slung around his neck, shirt partially unbuttoned, fairly quickly after the game ended.

“Hey, I was thinking we could grab dinner. That steakhouse you like so much.” Morgan didn’t say,because Jacob’s out of town and you might actually have time for your pathetic dad,but he was thinking it.

They included him—enough, that he really shouldn’t complain—but when the three of them were together, it was hard to shake that third wheel feeling.

“Actually,” Finn said, “Monty’s hosting a win streak thing at his house tonight.”