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CHAPTER TWENTY
JETT
A few hours and another nap later, my phone buzzed on the rolling table, now resting over my bed. It had to be Dad. We’d hung out with Mason’s friends for an hour or so, and they’d given me some extra strength and motivation to get through this mess. I picked up my phone and opened my text messages.
Dad
We’re here. What room are you in?
With tension coiling in my gut, I texted him the room number and faced Mason. “They’re here.”
“Really? Oh shit.” He jumped out of the recliner, straightened his athletic shirt over his shorts and puffed out his chest.
I freed a soft laugh. He looked about as nervous as I was. “You can sit in the chair.”
“No, I want to be standing when they walk in.” He paced in a circle through the room, inspecting everything along the way and putting some of our things in the closet.
“What, are you cleaning up for them?” I pushed up in my bed and pain shot down my side. “Ow, fuck.” I kept forgetting about the damn ribs .
Dad’s voice snaked into the room from the hallway.
“They’re here.” As my heart stumbled wildly, I brushed my bangs off my forehead and folded my hands in my lap. Maybe they’d go easier on me since I looked like hell.
Dad walked into the room, his blue button-down and slacks wrinkled, probably from the flights to get here. His gaze met mine and softened. “Jett, oh my God.” Flicking a glance at Mason, he stepped to my bedside and looked me over.
Eleanor followed him in, every hair in place and her green dress looking smart.
Had she changed on the way here? It would figure she might insist on freshening up before coming. As she entered the room, she scanned around and focused on Mason, her eyes narrowing.
“I’m okay, Dad. The worst of it is a concussion, but I’m only here for observation, and the doc is letting me go home tomorrow.” Shit, he’d left me messages and I’d never called him back. But then, he’d been on planes, and I hadn’t wanted to get into it with him over the phone.
Dipping his head, he grabbed the bed rail. “They’re saying some things about you.” He glanced at Mason. “And your teammate.”
He was getting right into it. “Yeah.” I raked my teeth over my lower lip, my mouth going dry and my pulse pounding in my head, creating a dull ache.
Mason came to stand beside him and held his head high.
It was time. “Dad, it’s true. I’m gay, and Mason is my boyfriend.” My chest pinched, and I fought to breathe. What would he say?
Nodding slowly and in a soft voice, he said, “I thought something was going on between you two at the house.” He pressed his lips together.
“No, Jett, you can’t be.” Eleanor snuck up behind my dad and glared at me. “You’re not like him.” She pointed at Mason. “He’s an abomination. ”
Dad whirled on her. “Eleanor, please stay out of this.”
Looking him up and down, she sneered and said, “Rod, you can’t possibly be okay with your son being a…being a sodomite.” She scowled.
“A sodomite?” Glaring at her, Mason walked around Dad, grabbed her elbow, and hauled her toward the door. “You don’t need to be here.”
She broke free of him and shoved him aside. “I most certainly do. He’s my stepson, and you’ve obviously been putting your filth in his head.” She held her hand out to me. “And look where it landed him. Beaten by his teammates, and I’m sure it’ll destroy his career.”
“No, it won’t.” I shifted, pain lighting up my side. With a grimace, I said, “The Coyotes are willing to back us when we come out, and the league is investigating what happened as a hate crime.”
She widened her eyes. “This would never have happened if you’d never met this?—”
“Stop it, Eleanor. I was gay before I met Mason. He didn’t make me gay.” I scoffed and rolled my eyes. It figured she’d try to blame this all on him.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Mason said, “He was hiding himself because of you.” He stomped toward Dad and waved his arm at Eleanor. “He was afraid she infected you with her way of thinking. So he was never able to be his true self.” His gaze turned hard. “He was afraid of losing you, his only living parent.”
Dad twisted to face me. “Is this true? What about all those women you went out with?”
“Beards,” I said, the room spinning just a touch. Thank God Mason was speaking for me. Maybe I should have waited for my head to clear before I had this conversation. Too late now.
“What?” He furrowed his brows.
“Beards in his situation are women who are hired to attend events with gay men so the gay man can hide his sexuality from the public.” Mason ticked his head. “See, he’s even gone to that length to keep his secret.”
“Oh.” Twisting his lips, Dad eyed me up and down. “I can’t believe it.” He rubbed his hand over his mouth, his gaze darting around the room.
“This is insane, Rod. You can’t listen to them.” Eleanor tramped to his side, her high heels clicking on the floor. Grabbing his arm, she said, “Let’s go. He’s obviously not well. He’ll snap out of this nonsense when he’s well again.” She pulled on Dad.
“Hitting my head didn’t make me gay either, Eleanor. Fuck.” I palmed my forehead, fighting to keep the pounding in it from overtaking me.
Mason jogged to my side. “Jett? Are you okay? Should I get the nurse?” He snuck his arm around my shoulders.
Nausea balled in my gut, and I swallowed hard. “I…I don’t know.”
“Mason, get the nurse.” Rod snatched Eleanor’s arms and walked her backward toward the door. “I’ll need you to wait outside. I’ll come get you when we’re done in here. I’m not leaving him like this.” He pushed her out the door. “Go. I mean it.”
“Well, I never.” She clicked her tongue, swiveled on her heels, and stomped off.
Mason grabbed the call button for the nurse and pushed it over and over.
“I’m here, I’m here.” The female nurse from last night pushed her way inside the door and to my side. “What happened?” She looked me over and scanned the monitors beside me. “Your heart rate and blood pressure are too high. You need to relax.” Her gaze landed on Mason, and then Dad. “If you’re upsetting him, you need to go.” She gently pushed on my shoulder, urging me to lie down .
“We’ve removed the offending person.” Mason smirked at Dad.
The nurse looked over the monitors again. “Okay, things are coming back down.” Her attention drew to me. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. I’m okay now.” I took deep, steady breaths, willing myself to calm and stare at the ceiling. The worst of it was over, and Dad was still here with me.
“Okay, I’ll leave now.” As she strolled past Mason and Dad, she gave them a pointed look and said, “If either of you upset him again, I’m kicking you both out.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Dad gave her a swift smile.
As my vision blurred, my heart warmed. He wasn’t going anywhere. I hadn’t lost him. “Dad?” I croaked and held out my hand.
“Jett.” He strode to my side and wrapped his hand in mine. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.” His jaw bulged. “I know Eleanor’s views can be extreme, but I never thought they could be hurtful to you or your sister. I didn’t know you were gay.” His breath caught. “Is Iris queer?”
I freed a ragged chuckle. “No, Dad. She was just standing up for me.” I studied him. It was obviously a lot for him to process.
“Okay.” He rubbed his temple and paced a small circle in the room and stopped at my bedside again. “I think I need to sit down.”
“Here, have the recliner. I’ll go grab another chair for me.” Mason strode out the door.
Dad dropped into the chair and straightened it, then wound his gaze to mine. “It seems we have a lot to talk about.”
“We do.” I nodded. There were so many things to say. I didn’t think I’d ever had his attention the way I did now. “What do you want to talk about first?”
“What happened in Dallas? Why did Boyd go after you the way he did?” Dad tented his fingers in his lap .
“He caught me with a man while we were celebrating a win in a bar on the road.” I swallowed a lump climbing up my throat. Was I really having this conversation with him?
He rocked once. “So Boyd found out you were gay back when you played for Dallas.”
“Yep, and he proceeded to bully me for it in the locker room and on the ice.” I released a stuttered breath. “He got the other guys in on it, and the team suffered as a result. When the coaching staff and management figured it out, we made a deal to trade me to the Coyotes and put an NDA in place to keep my sexuality secret.” My chest ached. Some part of it felt like a failure, or maybe all of it did. Here I was, admitting to my father I’d failed.
Mason walked into the room with a small plastic chair and closed the door, then set it across from Dad, so the three of us faced each other. “What did I miss?” He squeezed my hand and kissed my knuckles.
I gauged Dad’s reaction. I didn’t think he’d ever seen me be affectionate with anyone.
Dad watched us intently, his gaze following Mason as he sank into his chair. “You love my son, don’t you?”
“I do. In fact, he’s my first love.” Mason’s gaze caught mine and held it for a beat. “He was a tough nut to crack, but I won him over.”
The corner of Dad’s lip lifted. “I’m glad you did.” Shifting to face me, he said, “Jett, why did you keep your sexuality a secret, even though some in the league knew and you had two players on your team who were open about being queer?”
“Because of you.” My vision blurred and the lump in my throat grew. Fuck, don’t break down.
Dad stared at me, his jaw dropping, and he bent over in his chair, resting his forearms on his thighs. Rubbing his eyes, he blew out a ragged exhale. “Fuck.” When his gaze met mine, his eyes were glossy. “I’m sorry you had to hide it, especially because of me.” He freed a ragged exhale. “I failed you. ”
I swallowed hard. “Dad…you didn’t know. I suppose some of the blame is on me too. I was scared. I thought maybe?—”
“It doesn’t matter. I should have talked to you.” He shook his head. “I should have done a lot of things differently.”
“Yeah…” It was too late now. All we had was today and the future. The heaviness on my heart lifted. He was willing to try. “We can right this, can’t we?”
He nodded. “Yes.” He rubbed his forehead. “But I’m not surprised you were bullied for it, and I want to know where the league stands.” He glanced at Mason. “Your teammates know about you and Archer Carlson, right, Mason?”
“They do. We don’t hide it, as you know.” Mason side-eyed Dad.
“Do they treat you badly at all?” Dad’s jaw tensed.
“Nope, they’re cool with it.” Mason threw a look at me. “I think it comes down through the organization. When you play for an organization that’s openly accepting, the players are too, or they wouldn’t sign contracts with the team.” He shifted in his chair. “You know Coach Dupont is queer, right?”
“Isn’t he also Archer Carlson’s father?” Dad blinked a few times.
“He is. Both Archer and his dad are bisexual. His dad is living with a woman right now, but you know.” Mason shrugged a shoulder.
“Dad, when we had dinner at Ocean Club, you said you thought the team would treat a queer player differently, that it would affect the dynamics of the team. Well, you were right. We saw that firsthand with the Dallas game.” I wrung my hands in my lap. Just because something was wrong didn’t mean it never happened. “But it’s no reason to keep queer players a secret or to not have them at all. A mindset needs to shift. I want to be a part of that shift.” I peered at Dad.
“What does that mean?” He furrowed his brows.
“It means I’m going to make a formal statement about my sexuality, my relationship with Mason, and what happened to me in Dallas.” I breathed in deeply, my chest tightening. Did it matter what he thought of it? “I want your support, but…”
“You have my support, son.” He stood and grabbed my hand. “I don’t know if I understand all of this yet, but you’re still my first born.” He freed a rough exhale and hung his head. “I have no idea what to do about Eleanor.”
“She needs to keep her mouth shut.” Mason’s gaze grew hard.
After freeing my hand, Dad dropped into the recliner and sighed. “It’s not easy telling her what to do. In fact, it’s damn near impossible. I’ve tried so hard to make that woman happy.”
“Why, Dad?” I tried to straighten my spine, but pain shot down my side, and I grimaced.
“You okay, babe?” Mason hopped up.
“I’m fine, just the damn ribs. I can’t wait to take something stronger than damn Tylenol.” I forced a grin. “They won’t allow anything stronger with this concussion.” We needed to talk more about the situation with Eleanor.
He snapped his gaze to mine. “She’s my wife. For better or worse, I took a vow to stay by her side.” With a huff, he shook his head. “She was pretty unhappy about coming here to see you, but I insisted,” he said. “Something told me this was big, and you’d need whatever support I could give you.” He pursed his lips. “And I will support you, no matter what she thinks about it.”
Emotion welled in my chest. I wasn’t going to lose him over this. I’d have to put up with Eleanor’s shit, but I always had. “Dad, I think we’ve learned more about each other in the last half-hour than we have in the last fifteen years.”
“Since your mother died.” With a slow nod, he gave me a soft grin. “I miss her every day.” He glanced around the room. “I wonder what she’d be doing if she were here.”
“The same thing you’re doing now.” I wanted to go to him, but the fucking ribs. “Come here, Dad.” I held out my arm.
He stood and walked into my side, wrapping me up in a warm b ut gentle embrace. “I’m sorry you felt like you had to hide yourself from me.” He kissed my head. “I’m sure that’s part of why we’ve grown apart.”
The lump in my throat returned with a vengeance, and I swallowed it down, my eyes stinging. “Some of it’s because of me. I was so scared of you seeing the real me that I kept myself away from you too.” I blinked, and a hot tear raced down my cheek.
Mason stood, walked to the other side of the bed and placed his hand on my back. “This can be a new start for you both.”
I sniffled and in a ragged voice, said, “Yeah. I’d like that.”
“Me too, son.” Dad gave my shoulders a squeeze and freed me. “I’ll try to be around more, and for the time being, I’ll keep Eleanor away from you.”
“Good.” I swiped my eyes with the back of my hand and focused on him. “Can you tell me something though?” So many possibilities had opened between us. I had a feeling this would be the start of a lot of long talks.
“Sure. Anything.” Dad’s gaze searched my face.
“What did you see in Eleanor when you first met her?” This was the big question I’d never found an answer to. I peered at him.
He tensed his lips and scanned the room with a soft shake of his head. “I was heartbroken and lonely after your mother died, and Eleanor, I don’t know, maybe she took advantage of it. She has a way of taking charge, and at the time, I needed someone to take charge. I was literally falling apart, trying to provide for you and your sister and fill the parental hole your mother left. It was probably weak of me, but when she stepped in and took charge, allowing me to excel at my job, it made me feel successful at something.”
His chest swelled with a heavy inhale. “I see now the more I felt like a shit father, the more I was a shit father.” He shook his head and held out his hand. “Plus, Eleanor wasn’t as militant about her church back then as she is now, so I guess it was easy to ove rlook that part of her.” He cut his gaze to mine. “I made a lot of mistakes. But I’m only human.” He sighed. “When you kids moved out for college, it made it even easier for me to ignore the glaring problems with her.” His wet gaze met mine. “Can you forgive me?”
“Yeah, I can forgive you. You did make sure I stuck with hockey after all. So you did that right.” With an ache winding through my chest, I lifted my brows. It was hard seeing the man who’d always looked so strong and sure of himself be vulnerable.
“That I did. You have a talent, son, and I wanted to be sure I could afford to give you every chance to succeed with it.” He patted my shoulder and shifted his gaze to Mason. “You come from a hockey family. I don’t know if you realize what an advantage it is for you.”
Mason clasped his hands in front of him and grinned at Dad. “Oh, I know. I’m very thankful for it.”
“Is that another reason why you worked so hard at the company?” I stared at Dad. Had the expense of me playing hockey been a drain on him too?
“I suppose.” He lifted the edge of his mouth. “But I also wanted to make something of myself too.”
As a wave of exhaustion washed over me, I nodded. “Okay, I’m, uh, getting tired now.” I lay against my raised bed. It was over. There was still a lot to talk about, but at least we’d started the conversation and had an agreement we could both live with.
“Sure, I’ll leave you both and get Eleanor out of here.” He patted my hand. “I know Mason will watch over you.”
“I will.” Mason walked with him toward the door.
“Dad? How long are you staying?” I watched him turn around.
“How long do you want me to stay? Technically, I’m supposed to be on vacation for another five days.” He gave me a warm smile .
“Stay for five days, then.” I’d love to tell him to send Eleanor home, but that might be over the top.
“Done. Get some rest so you can get back on the ice better than ever.” With a wave, he left.
Mason shut the door and walked back to me, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Better than expected?”
“Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but yeah, better than my biggest fears.” I saw my father in a new light. What I’d interpreted as him not being there for me and Iris was really his love language, which was being dedicated to providing for us all. I rubbed my eyes. “I’m sorry, babe, but I need to take another nap.” Mason would want to talk about what just happened, but I couldn’t yet.
“Of course.” He pressed his soft, warm lips on my forehead.
The next day, the doctor released me from the hospital, and Mason insisted on staying at my place with me. After going to practice, he drove me home. I was still having some dizzy spells and headaches but was feeling better all the time.
Mason drove into my driveway and stopped the car. “I’ll grab our shit, and you wait there until I come get you. I don’t need you falling in the driveway and hitting your head again.” With a grin, he climbed out of the car.
“Yes, sir.” I mock saluted him. He’d made a second job out of taking care of me. I couldn’t complain.
After throwing our duffels over his shoulder, he opened my car door and held his hand out. “Okay, take it slow and let me know if you feel dizzy or faint.”
“Yep.” I grabbed his hand and stepped out of the car, the driveway shifting, and then righting in my vision. “I’m good.”
“Good.” He shut the car door, hooked an arm around my waist and led me to the door. After using my key to open it, he walked me inside and brought me to my couch. “You stay right here while I put this shit away.”
With a grin pulling at my lips, I sank onto the end of the couch and gazed out the patio doors. It was almost October, but the sun was still bright outside. Tipping my head back, I shut my eyes. If I tried to close the draperies on the doors, Mason would have a fit.
After a few minutes, he strode out from the bedroom hallway. “You okay?” He dropped to his knees in front of me, setting his hands on my thighs. “Jett.”
“Yeah, I’m okay. Just a little bright in here.” Lifting my head, my gaze caught his. He was in a perfect position though. I spread my legs. “When you’re done closing all the drapes, you can resume that position.” My cock woke. It felt like a hell of a long time since we’d been together.
“Uh-huh. I’m game if you’re up for it.” Barking out a laugh, he walked around the house, pulling blinds down and shutting draperies. “Better?”
“Yes.” My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I fished it out, the screen reading Will Nedlund across the top. “Oh, Will’s calling.” So much for the impromptu blowjob. I answered the call and set my phone against my ear. “Hi, Will. What’s up?”
Mason dropped in next to me and flung an arm around my shoulders.
“I have news, but first, how’d it go with your dad?” Will asked.
“Good. We’re working things out. His wife is still a problem, but Dad’s going to handle her.” Hopefully, they’d come to an understanding too. I edged into Mason’s side, enjoying the heat of his body.
“So I guess we’re a go for you providing a full statement about your sexuality?”
“We are.” Resting my head on Mason’s shoulder, I shut my eyes for a moment. “I don’t know when I can provide something though. I’m still getting tired quickly.” The thought of pullin g something together in the next few days was overwhelming.
“Don’t worry. I know the story, and I have a good idea of what to say. How about I work up a draft, then send it to you for review?” Will asked.
As a smile tugged at my lips, I said, “That would be perfect.” This is why I paid him the big bucks. He was great.
“Good. Expect something from me tomorrow. We need to get this out before the media and fans come up with even more rumors.” Will sighed.
“More rumors? What are they saying now?” I lifted my head and glanced at Mason, obviously listening in on the conversation.
“Believe it or not, there’s a rumor going around about you and Boyd having an affair that ended badly, and that’s why all the shit went down.” He choked out a laugh. “Can you believe it?”
With a shake of my head, I said, “Fuck no.” I rubbed my eyes with my thumb and index finger. This was getting out of hand. I huffed a chuckle.
Mason scrolled through his Instagram feed. “There are memes.” He held his phone up to my face.
My jaw dropped as I stared at a photo of me coming up behind Boyd in a game, his ass to my groin. The caption read, Jarvis tops Boyd on and off the ice .
“We should make a few of our own. Don’t you think?” A wicked smile played over Mason’s mouth.
“No, leave it alone.” I knew how this shit worked. If you ignored it, social media would go on its merry way and find some other ridiculous things to talk about. “Will, let’s get something out there as soon as possible and put all this shit to rest.”
“Sure thing.” He breathed in. “We should schedule a press conference to back it up. When do you think you’ll be up to it?”
“Not for probably another week or so.” I had to have my energy back by then, right? I leaned farther into Mason’s side .
“Okay, I’ll see what I can schedule with the team. Maybe we’ll do something at a home game,” Will said.
“That works.” The next few games were away, and Mason would be leaving for a few days. Dad would still be in town though. As I twined my fingers in Mason’s, I rested our hands on my thigh. “What else?”
“A lawyer from the league wants to meet with you as well,” Will said. “They’re considering banning Boyd.”
“What?” My eyes popped open. The guy was a dick but a great player. I wasn’t sure what happened warranted that.
Mason pushed my phone down. “Did I hear that right? They want to ban Boyd?”
“Yeah.” I set the phone on speaker. “Hey, Will, I’m sitting here with Mason Hopkins and just put you on speaker.”
“Hey, Mason,” he said. “You should prepare for some questions at the next game about what happened in the Dallas game.”
With a nod, he said, “Yeah, I’ve thought of that.” His gaze found mine. “I’m going to say no comment until you both put out your statement.”
“That’s a smart move and exactly what I’d suggest,” Will said. “Okay, we’ll put out a statement with regard to your sexuality, Jett, and say something vague about it being a problem in Dallas. This will give the league time to investigate the hate crime charges against Boyd and…” He clicked his tongue. “Do we want to talk about your relationship with Mason now?”
“Yes, might as well. I’ve got a meeting with the coaching staff tomorrow and I’m telling them then.” He focused on me. “I haven’t told you yet. While I was at practice this morning, Volkov said it would be the right thing to do.”
“Okay.” It had to be done, and I was in no shape to take that on right now. There I was, letting him speak for me again. But I trusted him completely. I touched my head to his and said, “Let’s drop the whole thing at once. Then, hopefully, it’ll blow over all at once too. ”
“Sounds like a plan.” Will chuckled. “Okay, I’ll let you get some rest.”
“Thanks, Will. Talk to you soon.” I hung up the call and blew out a long breath. “I think if we can get through these next two weeks, we’ll be golden.”
“Agreed.” Mason grabbed my chin, turning my face to his, and pressed a long, deep kiss on my lips. “Love you, babe.”
“Love you too.” My heart surged with emotion.