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CHAPTER NINETEEN

MYLES

T he phone picked up after one ring and Mom’s face came into view, her blonde hair cut in a new bob, her brown eyes wrinkling in the corners. “Myles? Honey? How are you?”

I glanced at Dad, following Cooper into the kitchen for a refill on their whiskeys. They seemed to get along.

“I’ve had better days, but I’m okay.” I sipped my drink, letting the buzz of the alcohol calm my frazzled nerves.

“You know I love you, right?” She shifted and the back of our family room couch came into view. “I don’t care if you’re gay or bisexual or whatever you identify with.”

She was diving right in. “I’m gay, Mom.” I pushed the ice pack off my knee. At this point, the joint was completely frozen.

“Oh.” She furrowed her brows. “Where is the nice young man your father told me about?”

“He’s here.” I waved Cooper to me. I was pretty sure they’d met, but it had been a few years.

“Yeah?” Cooper jogged to the couch behind me and ducked down, putting his face behind mine. “Hi, Mrs. Cummings. I’m Cooper Hayes and I love your son.” He waved into the camera and kissed my cheek.

“Jesus…” I freed a sharp laugh and rubbed my eyes. Cooper wa s so overboard sometimes, but I loved him for it. “I love him too, Mom.” I glanced at him. “And her name is Theresa.”

“Oh, nice to see you again, Theresa. I think I met you in high school.” He tilted his head.

“You look familiar.” She worried her lower lip. “I hear you’re a football player?”

“I am and I’ll make sure Myles rests and gets back on the ice as soon as possible. I’ve injured my knee before. I know what he needs.” He patted my shoulder and stood. “I’m going to have a chat with Allen on the patio.” He held up his fresh glass of whiskey to Mom. “It was nice seeing you again.”

“Nice to see you, Cooper.” Mom waved.

“You are?” What the hell would they talk about? I stared at him as he walked through the sliding doors and into the backyard with Dad. This was so weird.

Mom narrowed her eyes. “Okay, so how long have you been dating Cooper?”

“I don’t know, a few months?” Had it only been that long? We’d been living together, so it felt like longer. “He’s living here with me.” I pressed my lips together.

“I know. Your father told me.” She cocked a brow. “It’s a little quick to be living together. But he seems like such a nice boy, eh.”

“He is, Mom. He moved into the house before we started dating.” I’d never spoken to Mom about anyone I’d dated. It was kind of nice, but also strange. I shifted on the couch and my knee ached. My damned leg was getting stiff.

“Myles, I have so many questions. Like, have you had a boyfriend before?” She lifted her brows.

“No, I haven’t. I don’t date much. I, uh…” Fuck, how do you tell your mom you only like hookups? After biting my lip, I said, “I’ve been focusing on hockey.”

“Oh.” She moved the phone to her other hand. “How bad is your knee? Will you be out long?”

“It’s a sprain and the ER doc thinks I’ll be out for four to six weeks, eh.” My chest constricted. I should call Dean next. My injury probably doomed my chances with the scout.

“Oh no, dear, that’s terrible. Your father said a scout wanted to see you this weekend. I suppose that’s off.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” I couldn’t dwell on it too much, or I might lose my shit again. I tensed my jaw.

“You were playing so well, too.” She tsked.

“Mom, is that Myles?” Ethan’s voice carried through the phone.

“It is.” She glanced away and then focused on me. “He doesn’t know yet. I’ll let you tell him…” Her brows wrinkled. “And tell him everything, okay?”

“What’s going on?” Ethan dropped in next to Mom, his dark hair curling on his forehead and his brown eyes focusing on me. “Hey, bro, I heard the Kraken are looking at you?”

A knot formed in my stomach. At this rate, he’d surely be signed before me. If it ever happened. “They were, but I sprained my knee. A guy on a scooter hit me on campus?—”

“What the hell, dude?” His brows lowered. “A fucking scooter?”

“Language, Ethan,” Mom said with a scoff. “I’ll let you boys talk.”

“Yeah, I’m on crutches and won’t be playing for four weeks.” I wouldn’t let this go the full six weeks. Fuck that. I sipped my whiskey, glancing at Dad chatting with Cooper on the patio, the two of them grinning at each other. Holy shit…so damned odd.

“Don’t worry, bro. With how you’ve been playing, I’m sure they’ll come back around.” He beamed at me. “You’ve been an inspiration this year.”

“What? I have?” I widened my eyes. Would I still be an inspiration after I came out?

“Sure. I’ve been using the move you taught me over the summer, the one where you deke the goalie and shoot into the corner of the net? Love it.” He chuckled .

“Oh, yeah.” If only I had his confidence. “Ethan, there’s something I have to tell you, eh.” I gritted my teeth.

“Yeah? Go ahead.” He glanced away from the screen. “What, Mom? I’m listening.” He scoffed, his attention shifting to me. “Mom says you have something important to tell me.”

“Ethan, I’m gay. I’m uh, I have a boyfriend.” I winced as my heart pulsed.

He stared at me, his jaw dropping. “Oh.” His lips curled into a smile. “That explains the lack of puck bunnies.” With a snicker, he said, “Who’s the lucky dude?”

I took a deep breath. Okay, it had been easier than I’d thought. “It’s Cooper Hayes. He was my friend in high school?—”

“Oh yeah, I remember that guy. Is he still playing football?” He gave me a warm grin.

“He is. He’s going into the draft this year.” I peered out the patio doors. Dad and Cooper were in some deep conversation.

“Cool, so with you both playing in professional leagues, you two will make bank.” He rubbed his fingers and thumb together.

How was everyone so confident about my prospects for the NHL but me? “Maybe. We’ll see.” My gaze flicked to the sliding glass door as Cooper and Dad stepped into the house.

“Are you still talking to your mother?” Dad raised his brows.

“No, I’m talking to Ethan now.” I faced my brother. “Hey, I should go. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Sure. Tell your boyfriend I said hello and he better take good care of you.” Ethan pursed his lips.

“Don’t you worry about that. He’s in excellent hands.” Cooper stood behind me, patting my shoulder. “Why did you remove the ice pack?” With a scowl, he put the ice pack back on my knee.

“It was on there long enough.” I shoved the pack off, throwing Cooper a mock glare.

“Listen to him, bro.” With a sharp laugh, Ethan stood, the doorway to the kitchen coming into view behind him. “I’ll talk with you soon and let me know when the Kraken scout gives you a contract.”

“Sure.” Shaking my head, I let a grin creep over my lips. “Talk to you later.” I hung up the call and set the phone on the coffee table.

“What the hell did you talk about out there?” I twisted to peer at Dad and Cooper, grabbing waters from the refrigerator after they walked in. I hadn’t wanted to interrupt them, so I stayed inside and let them talk.

“Sports, what else?” Cooper handed Dad a bottled water. “Your dad’s going to stay and watch the game with us.”

“Oh.” I finished my whiskey and set the glass on the table. I should call Dean next.

A bottled water appeared in front of my face. “I already texted Zoma, and he’s going to take the tickets for the game. He’s going with Leo,” Cooper said, shaking the bottle in front of me.

I grabbed the water and twisted the cap off. “Thanks. I’m going to call my agent now. He’ll need to know what happened.” And then maybe Coach?

“Sure.” Cooper sipped some water. “We’ll keep quiet.”

“How are Zoma and Leo getting the tickets?” Zoma would probably walk into the house at any minute.

“I emailed them. They’re digital.” Dad dropped into the end of the couch with his water in his hand. “What do you boys want for dinner? I’ll treat.” He flashed a smile at Cooper.

“Thanks, Allen. How about we order some Thai? There’s an excellent restaurant close to here.” Cooper sat at my feet.

“I’ll let you two work it out.”

I plucked my phone from the coffee table, dialed Dean, and held the phone to my ear. He would probably be sorry he signed me. Hell, what if he unsigned me over this? I swallowed through the dryness in my throat.

Cooper and Dad watched me.

The phone rang a few times and clicked. “Hi Myles. What’s up?”

“Hi, Dean. I have, uh, some bad news.” I teased the hem of my athletic shirt. He’d sounded so cheerful when he picked up. I was about to ruin his day.

“Okay. Lay it on me,” Dean said.

“A guy on a scooter ran into me on campus and I sprained my knee. I’ll be out for about a month.” I tensed my mouth. “I can’t play for the scout from Seattle.”

“Damn, that’s too bad.” He huffed a sigh. “Well, I’ll let him know. I’m sure he’ll keep in touch and we can arrange another time for him to see you. He was, uh, pretty excited about your skill set.”

“He was?” I gripped the phone tighter. I really messed this up. How had I not been able to dodge the fucking scooter?

“He was. Keep me informed about your progress.” He inhaled. “Myles, it’s not the end of the world. There’s still plenty of hockey season left. These things happen, albeit usually on the ice.” He chuckled.

My pulse relaxed. “Sure, thanks.” He was being so kind about this.

“Talk to you soon.”

“Yep, talk to you later. Bye.” I hung up the call and tucked my phone into my pocket.

“Well?” Dad raised his brows.

Shrugging a shoulder, I said, “He’ll talk with the scout and see if he’ll schedule another time to meet.” But all this waiting was killing me. I wish I could have come home next week with something started. I glanced at my knee.

Zoma strode in from the garage. “Myles, oh my God. I heard and I’m so sorry.” He dropped his backpack on the kitchen island and jogged to me. “How are you doing?” He glanced at my knee.

“As well as expected.” I hung my head. This sucked.

Cooper and Dad stood with Cooper, saying, “Zoma, this is Allen. Myles’s father.”

“Oh, it’s so nice to meet you and thank you for the tickets.” Zoma stepped to Dad and shook his hand.