Page 39 of Overtime Goal (Buffalo Warriors Hockey #4)
“I’ll cherish it forever.” I smirked and went on. “But I’d rather remember it with your giant dong.”
Heat flashed in his eyes, and he brushed a hand against mine. We stared at each other until someone cleared their throat and asked to get by.
For lunch, we ate meatball sandwiches. Afterward, we walked on and soon came to a boutique specializing in linen shirts. Being the clotheshorses we were, we each found one we couldn’t live without, Logan’s the color of the Mediterranean and mine in pale pink.
As we left the shop, I heard people calling our names, and when I glanced around, there were paparazzi nearby.
After the pictures of Natalie and me, they may have been on the lookout, but that didn’t mean we had to talk to them.
Logan and I had dealt with reporters enough to know how to look straight ahead and keep walking.
Since it was a hot afternoon and we were tired of shopping, we treated ourselves to gelato and took our treasures home.
There, we poured glasses of lemonade and sat on a couch in the living room. Two big ceiling fans whispered overhead, and the cool breeze felt good after our time outside. We were talking about our upcoming Vespa tour when my phone buzzed.
“Shit,” I said, digging it out of my pocket. “I meant to turn the damn thing off and leave it in the bedroom.”
“Who is it?”
I glanced at the screen. “Holky.”
HOLKY: Dog and I went out of town but we’re back. Want to come over for dinner tonight? We could play hoops and grill steaks.
“He wants me to come for dinner tonight,” I told Logan. “What should I say?”
He shrugged. “Maybe that you’re away. Since you are.”
“What if he asks where? They don’t know we’re together.”
“Put him off, and we’ll talk about our situation.”
“Okay. That works.”
RILEY: I’d love to, but I’m out of town now. Another time?
HOLKY: Too bad, but anytime’s good. When will you be back?
Goddammit. Despite all the shit I’d pulled over the years, I hated lying, and I was terrible at it.
RILEY: Couple of weeks.
HOLKY: Damn. Where are you?
Where the hell could I be?
RILEY: The beach.
HOLKY: That’s cool. You with someone special?
I looked at Logan. “Holky is so fucking nosy. He thinks everything is his damn business, and I don’t know how he could be that way. Hasn’t he ever heard of boundaries?”
Logan’s snarky grin reappeared, and he raised an eyebrow. “He’s not the only nosy Warrior. I seem to remember you being very interested in what was going on with him and Dog last fall.”
“Like you weren’t?” I sighed. “I have to get rid of him until we decide what to do.”
RILEY: Maybe. Got to run now. See you when I get back.
I was setting my phone down when it buzzed again.
HOLKY: Okay. Have fun with supermodels and Logan or whoever.
Muttering a curse, I stared at the screen. Apparently, he’d seen a photo of Natalie and me, and if he had, he probably wasn’t the only one. I turned off my phone and tossed it onto a table.
“Breathe,” Logan said. “It will be okay.”
It all spilled out in one breath. “What do we do now? How should we act in public? And what do we tell people? If we want to tell them anything, that is.”
He held up a hand. “Whoa. Slow down.”
“We have to talk and make sure we’re on the same page.” I hesitated, hoping I wasn’t about to make him angry. “I’m pretty sure Holky knows where I am. In his last message, he mentioned me having fun with supermodels and you. And if he knows…”
“I get it. But so what if he knows you went out with Natalie? Thinking you and I may be on vacation together isn’t the same as knowing. If he’s figured out where we are, it can only be from those photos the paparazzi took today.”
“All right.” I was too loud, so I lowered my voice. “Please tell me how you’d like to handle this.”
He scratched his chin. “I think this has to be mostly your call. And Natalie’s a nonissue, unless you want to pretend there was something romantic.”
“I don’t,” I said. “It’s us I’m talking about because I’m not in this alone.”
“Fair. One thing to remember is that I’ve been out for years. Every player in the league and anybody who follows hockey knows I’m gay. But you…” He trailed off. “As far as I know, you and I are the only ones who know you’re bi.”
“Yeah,” I said. “But I don’t want to have to hide.”
“I’d be excited for the whole world to know we’re together. Maybe go on national TV and shout, Aidan Riley loves me !”
I held out a hand. “Let’s do that, then.”
“Not so fast.” He sighed. “The only person I think you have to tell is your agent. If he will, he can help you a lot with this. But after the way he insisted on you going out with Natalie, I wouldn’t bet on it.”
“Jesus.”
“Ade, if he’s an asshole, sign on with someone else. They’ll be lining up to represent you.”
“I guess,” I said. “But back to what I said. I don’t want to hide, and I sure as hell don’t want to send you back in the closet.”
“Nobody’s going in the closet, but coming out’s a big step. You need to be sure you’re ready. We play in a liberal city, and the Warriors organization is very accepting, but the whole world isn’t like that. You’ve seen some of the hate I get on socials.”
“I’m not ashamed of who I am. I won’t be.”
“It’s not about shame. It’s about being ready for everything that comes with being out.”
I’d known LGBTQ people all my life, and I’d heard the stories. Some queer people had a rough time, but it seemed like others didn’t. Most of the guys I knew said being out was totally worth it. “Holky and Dog aren’t getting a lot of hate.”
“No, which kind of surprises me considering Holky’s reputation.” He sighed. “Look, you’ve got a rep too. You’re a ladies’ man and the Warriors’ resident playboy, especially now that Holky’s taken. Are you ready for that image to change? For people to see you in a new light?”
I looked him in the eye. “As ready as I’ll ever be. There’s this incredible guy named Logan Grayson, and we love each other. Will it take some getting used to people seeing me differently? Sure. But isn’t that always part of coming out?”
“It is.”
“I’ve said it a couple of times: I don’t want to hide.”
He took a minute before saying, “You don’t have to. Trying to hide would be an awful situation long-term. I’m only talking about coming out on your timetable.”
“Good, because hiding anything sucks. I spent my childhood hiding because I never knew what would set my folks off. Shit that seemed innocent could turn into a beating in a hot second. I got used to disappearing, even when I was right there in the room.”
Logan shook his head. “I’m sorry, babe.”
“Thanks, but it’s more than that. I’ve been hiding parts of myself ever since. I’m done, though. I don’t want to flinch every time I brush your hand in public, or pretend we’re just teammates when we go places. And I damn sure don’t want to lie to the boys. They’d figure it out real quick.”
Logan tilted his head. “Some of them probably already think we’re fucking.”
“Exactly. After Gabe and Brody, and Holky and Dog, it won’t take a genius to do the math.”
For a while, the only sounds were from kids playing outside somewhere nearby. When Logan looked at me again, his eyes were serious.
“I hear you,” he said, “and I’m glad you want to be open. May I offer a suggestion?”
“This is about us, not just me, so please do.”
He brought my hand to his lips for a kiss. “Let’s start simple. Be ourselves, touch when we want to, and answer questions honestly. We don’t have to make a big announcement or put up a dramatic Instagram post unless you want to. We won’t be hiding. We’ll simply be us, doing our thing.”
I thought about it, and he was right. “That’s a terrific idea,” I said. “It’ll be a great way to do it.”
“Glad you think so, but that said, we might already be trending. Remember the paparazzi who snapped us leaving the shirt shop?”
I groaned, but I was smiling too. “At least I looked hot.”
He nodded. “Scorching.”
“Look who’s talking.” I took a second to gather my thoughts. “I know it won’t all be smooth sailing, but as long as we’re in it together, I’ll be able to handle anything. If it ever gets hard, we’ll have each other to lean on.”
“Aidan Riley, you are the most amazing man.” He sat back and put an arm around my shoulders. “We’re good, then?”
“Yeah. Really fucking good.”