Page 16 of The Home Game: An M/M Hockey Romance

Matty had just finished cleaning the kitchen when he got a text from Antoni. It was early—before school even started—and he wondered if Antoni had forgotten something.

But when he checked, he found a message saying, Uhh, I think I screwed things up for you.

Matty frowned and typed out a response. What do you mean?

A link popped up. They think we’re dating.

Matty clicked on the link, unsurprised to find it was from JockGossip. He fucking hated that site. They always seemed to know way more about what was going on with the team than they should.

Matty read the article, rolled his eyes at the quote from Courtney—of course she’d gotten her thirty seconds of fame in—and dialed Antoni’s number.

“Uhh, hey,” Antoni said. “So, did you read it?”

“Yep.”

“I am so sorry. I really shouldn’t have—”

“Whoa, hey, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Matty assured him. “They’re the scumbags who print shit like that.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Antoni, it’s fine,” Matty said. “I don’t care.”

“But you—you aren’t out.”

Matty shrugged. “Technically, I’m still not. It’s not any worse than anything else they’ve said in the past either. You should see the stuff they said after Court and I split.”

“I think I have actually. I, uh, kinda googled you after we met and I’m pretty sure that’s the site I read it on. The purple logo looks familiar, anyway.”

“Ahh, well, no harm, no foul,” Matty said. “You probably didn’t believe it, right?”

“No, I just assumed it was a trash gossip site—oh, that’s what you mean. You don’t think people will take it seriously?”

“Some will,” Matty admitted. “Most of them though? Nah. Even if they did though, it’s not exactly a huge scandal if people think I’m dating a teacher who’s raising four kids. Compared to Nico’s sex tape a few years ago, this is like … totally boring. Must’ve been a slow news day for them to bother to post this.”

Antoni chuckled. “Okay, but what about the fact that the teacher is a guy?”

“I’m fine with it. I’ve never come out publicly as bi or anything but I’m not ashamed of it either. At first, you know, it took me a while to get used to the idea. Where I was raised, it just wasn’t something you saw. And the lower levels of hockey …” Matty winced. “They weren’t the friendliest place for some guys. It’s not that it never happened. We all knew that some guys were okay with handies or a blowjob from a teammate. But no one talked about it. And those guys didn’t date. Or at least not that I ever heard about. The whole thing was written off as stress relief and that was it, you know? But things are changing in hockey and that’s good.”

“And your family? What about them?” Antoni’s voice was filled with worry.

Matty shrugged. “They love me. Do they get me being bi? Ehh, not really. They don’t really get being demi either though. According to my mom, that’s just what relationships are supposed to be like. She wasn’t super impressed with me marrying Courtney so quickly or buying a yacht either but it doesn’t mean she loves me any less. And my dad’s the same.”

Antoni chuckled. “Fair enough. I just …”

“Don’t worry so much about me,” Matty said softly.

“Oh, like you don’t worry about me?” Antoni shot back.

“Well …” Matty smiled. “Okay, that’s fair. But honestly, the team doesn’t give a shit. I’ll let my agent know so he’ll be ready with a ‘no comment’ if anyone asks. And people who don’t actually know me will think whatever they want to think.”

“If you’re sure it won’t cause you problems …”

“Nope,” Matty assured him. “But I like that you care. And, you know, I’d be happy to have people think we were dating. I’d be proud of dating you.”

“Matty …”

He grimaced. “I know. Sorry.”

“No, I get it. I … for a minute there, in the driveway last night, I did want to kiss you.”

“Just then?” Matty asked.

“No,” Antoni admitted with a sigh. “I want to kiss you all the damn time. It’s just, you’ve done so much for us already. I can’t …”

When he didn’t finish, Matty nodded because he was pretty sure he knew what Antoni was struggling to say. The kids had to come first. “It’s okay, I get it. No pressure.”

“Thanks. I’ve gotta go though. Students are lining up outside my door and I don’t usually lock them out. I just needed a private place to talk for a minute, you know?”

“No worries,” Matty said. “Have a good day at school.”

“Thanks. Have fun at practice. Say hi to the guys for me.”

“I will. See you when you get home.”

They said their goodbyes and Matty finished cleaning the kitchen. He thought about Antoni’s words and how much he was worried about him.

And Matty wondered if he’d lied when he’d said the team wouldn’t care. They would.

They’d give him so much shit for this.

“Matty and Antoni, sittin’ in a tree …”

Matty shoved his nasty, sweaty glove in Colton’s face to shut him up. “How do you even know that stupid nursery rhyme? It’s older than Olds here.”

Dom sputtered. “Fuck you, it’s older than that.”

“Nothing’s older than that,” Jordan chirped.

“You’re all assholes,” Dom muttered. “Now, are we gonna keep practicing or what?”

“Practicing! Yes, thank you!” Matty said, relieved. “C’mon, guys. Let’s get some more drills in.”

But when practice was over, the interrogation started up again. This time more seriously.

“Are you dating Antoni?” Dustin asked seriously as they stripped off their gear after practice.

“I’d like to,” Matty admitted. “But Antoni … he’s worried about the kids. And I get it.”

“Yeah, they always have to come first for him.”

“Of course,” Matty said. “I’m not mad about that. I’m not mad about any of it, honestly. It’s just … you know, it’s hard. When you do want a relationship and you meet someone who seems perfect for you and …”

“I didn’t think you wanted to date men,” Dustin said with a little frown. “And that’s fine. No judgement. You just always seemed a little … I don’t know, uncomfortable with the idea.”

Matty shrugged. “I think I just hadn’t met a guy I wanted to date before.”

“Even the one you had the threesome with?”

Matty winced, thinking about the awkward way his friendship with Dale had ended. “Maybe if I hadn’t been married to Courtney, I would have been into that? But I dunno, then I wasn’t really as comfortable with the idea. I just … I don’t know. It’s complicated, right?”

“Sure,” Dustin said.

“But Antoni’s just … he’s a good person, he loves kids, he’s smart, and he doesn’t make me feel dumb even when it’s obvious he knows way more than I do.”

“About some things, maybe,” Dustin agreed. “But not hockey.”

Matty grinned. “True. He doesn’t know hockey.”

“Hey, speaking of, when do you wanna invite him and the kids to a practice? If I know, I’ll see if Charlie wants to come that day. He could teach Antoni a little about the game, maybe. They seemed to hit it off pretty well.”

“Who doesn’t hit it off with Charlie?” Matty scoffed. “He’s the best. But yeah, I’ll ask. Maybe next weekend? We’ll see.”

“Sure, no rush. I just know the kids would enjoy it.”

“They would,” Matty agreed. “And I’d love to have them there.”

“Don’t forget!” Dustin said, raising his voice enough that everyone could hear him. “Meeting with Coach Gilbert after practice tomorrow!”

Matty nodded and checked to be sure it was on his phone calendar. Good, it was. There was no way in hell he was missing that. He was both nervous and excited about officially meeting Michael Gilbert.

Matty, Dom, and Dustin had met with him via Zoom in July just after the new coach had been hired. He’d seemed like a nice enough guy and Matty knew a lot of players around the league spoke highly of him as a coach. But he was also known as kind of a hardass.

His reputation was being the kind of coach who made guys work for it. No matter how skilled they were, no matter how famous or well-established their careers were, it didn’t guarantee making it in the lineup.

That wasn’t all bad—and he’d had a lot of success, bringing several teams to a Cup win—but man, it was going to be a way different approach than Coach Casey.

And Matty wasn’t sure how everyone would do with him.

For some of the guys, it would be a piece of cake.

Others … maybe not.

Matty thought he’d probably be okay. He’d always worked hard, always had to fight for everything he wanted.

Making the NHL had been a long shot. He was undrafted, a grinder who no one had ever expected to get this far.

He’d had plenty of people kindly—or sometimes not so kindly—tell him that he should be more realistic. That he should accept that he wasn’t the kind of guy who teams needed anymore. He wasn’t skilled enough.

He was a tough guy—and that was great—but the league was moving away from fighting and heavy hits. But Matty had always believed somewhere deep down, that he’d be the guy a team needed. He just had to be ready at the right moment to show them what he could do.

And it was exactly what he’d done. Exactly how he’d earned a spot on this roster, earned the title of alternate captain. Earned a fat contract.

He’d worked his tail off to be in the right place at the right time.

He’d proven himself to his teammates, to the organization. And if he had to prove himself to their new coach, he’d do that too.

“Aww, look, he’s mooning about Antoni,” Jordan teased.

Matty shook himself out the thoughts he’d gotten lost in and rolled his eyes. “I’m not fucking mooning about Antoni,” he grumbled. “I’m thinking about our new coach.”

He realized how that sounded the moment it left his mouth and as the hooting and hollering rose around him, he had the overwhelming urge to bang his head against the nearest flat surface.

He loved his team, really he did.

The chirps flew hot and fast after that and Matty fired them back as best he could before he disappeared into the showers with a raised middle finger.

Sometimes that was the only language that got through to those idiots.

Michael Gilbert wasn’t exactly what Matty had expected.

Oh, Matty had seen him on the opposing team’s bench plenty of times over the years and the Zoom call last summer, so he didn’t look any different than Matty expected.

He still had the same thinning gray hair, pale blue eyes, and fair skin crisscrossed with deep wrinkles that he’d always had. But his smile was warmer than Matty anticipated.

“Great to officially meet you,” Gilbert said, shaking Matty’s hand.

Considering the guy had screamed his head off at Matty for the hit he’d put on their second line center the last time Toronto played against St. Louis, Matty had been expecting a slightly cooler response.

But he supposed it was like anything else in hockey, the disagreements on the ice didn’t follow them off the ice.

“Great to meet you too,” Matty said as he settled into his usual spot next to Dom. The meeting was being held at the team’s practice facility, in the room they usually used for video review.

Once everyone was seated, Coach Gilbert spoke. “So, first of all, feel free to call me Gilly. Everyone does whether I want them to or not.”

The team laughed politely.

“Second of all, I want you to know I’m nothing like Claude Casey.” Gilly smirked as he looked out over the team but there was nothing amused in his voice. “I have the utmost respect for him as a coach but I think as a team, you’ve all grown complacent. I think you’ve gotten lazy and entitled and you think someone owes you another Cup.”

A couple of the guys shifted in their seats.

“But no one owes you shit,” Gilly said. “You want the Cup? You’re going to have to earn it. You’re going to have to work your balls off for it. And I’m not gonna kiss your ass the way Casey did. I’m gonna work you until you throw up and then I’m going to push you past that. I’m old-school.”

Matty caught a glimpse of Dustin and Nico sharing worried glances with Jonah and Felix. Gilbert apparently did too.

“Ahh.” Gilly scoffed. “Yeah, you think that means I’ve got a problem with LGBTQ+ people? Well, I don’t. My daughter’s a lesbian and if you think for one fucking minute I wouldn’t fight anyone to the death for her, you’re wrong. And I’ll do the same for my team. You’ve got nothing to worry about there. You love who you love and that’s great. But any one of you—gay, straight, bi, any single one of you—who gets this team in the news for anything other than charity work or winning fucking games? Your ass is mine. Do you understand?”

The team nodded.

“Oh no,” he said with a laugh. “I wanna hear you. I wanna know you heard me. So if I ask you a question, I want a loud, clear ‘Yes, Gilly’. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Gilly,” they all chorused.

“So, remember that. Arents, I know you like to get your name out there but we’re done with that, you hear me?”

Nico protested. “I don’t—”

“Nope. That sounds like an excuse to me, and I don’t accept excuses. You take responsibility for your actions and their consequences. Do you understand, Arents?”

Nico’s jaw tightened but he nodded. “Yes, Gilly.”

Gilbert’s gaze swept the room. “That goes for all of you. I don’t want a whiff of a scandal. The ownership is tired of the drama and that’s why they brought me on.”

Ohh,Matty thought. Well that explained a lot.

“I’m not gonna go easy on any of you. I’m not gonna be your friend the way Casey was. That’s his style and it won you a Cup but it’s not mine. Winning one Cup was hard. Winning a second is going to make that first one feel like a walk in the park. I am going to ask you to give me your best and then I’m going to demand more.”

Several guys straightened, squaring their shoulders.

“You’re going to have to earn a place on my roster. I don’t care who you are or how you’ve performed in the past. We take it a game at a time. A practice at a time. Your reputation means shit to me. Your past accomplishments mean shit to me. All I’m going to look at is how much you’re proving to me that you deserve to be on the ice. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Gilly!” they shouted.

Matty hid a grimace. Oh yeah, this was going to be a very different season than the last one.

The meeting wrapped up after that and Matty watched guys give one another sidelong glances on the way out. There was a team lunch scheduled after this and he knew they’d be talking about everything Coach Gilbert had said.

But before Matty could follow Dustin out the door, Gilly called his name. “I’d like a word with you, Fowler, Carlson, and Olson.”

Ahh fuck, Matty thought.

“Yes, Gilly,” Matty said with what he hoped was a smile and the other guys did the same.

When everyone else had left and the door had shut behind them, Gilbert looked at the three of them. “I want to be clear. I have no problem whatsoever with who you all date. I mean that. I do have a problem with this team’s tendency to make the news for anything other than winning games.”

Dustin nodded. “Understood.”

“I need you three to lead by example. Fowler, I understand you’re happily married, so hopefully things will be quiet on that front?”

“Absolutely,” Dustin said. “I love Charlie and I would never do anything to jeopardize him or the team. The stuff the summer before this one about our marriage in Vegas … it was a fluke. We’ll be on our best behavior.”

“Good. Carlson, I understand you’re dating a man. A schoolteacher or something?”

Matty sputtered. “Oh, well—”

Gilbert raised a hand. “No, I don’t want to hear it. All I want to hear is that the two of you will be aware of the way you behave in public. Understood?”

Matty swallowed his protests that he and Antoni weren’t actually dating and nodded. “Yes, Gilly.”

“And Olson, I’ve never gotten a whiff of scandal from you. You’ve never dated anyone publicly, which I’ll admit, makes me a little nervous. I don’t fucking like surprises. So I need your assurance that whoever you date, it will not create any sort of issues for the team.”

“Absolutely, Gilly. It won’t be a problem.” Dominic’s jaw was tight.

“Good. Now, would you like to grab lunch with me? My treat.” Gilbert was all smiles now, his tone upbeat and cheerful.

Matty’s head spun at the 180-degree shift in mood.

“We’d like that,” Dustin said, clearing his throat. “However, we have a lunch planned for the team. Some early bonding and to get some of the guys we acquired over the summer familiar with the group.”

“Ahh, no problem,” Gilbert said, still smiling. “Glad to see you being proactive as a leader.”

Dustin nodded like he wasn’t quite sure how else to respond.

“Maybe some other time for lunch?” Gilbert suggested.

“Sure,” Dustin said slowly. “That sounds good.”

Matty and Dom both nodded.

Gilbert nodded toward the door. “Well, get out of here then. Oh, and before the season starts, my wife and I would like to invite the entire team and staff over for a meal. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great,” Matty said, aiming for another friendly smile. “Thanks, uh, Gilly.”

With some more handshakes and warm goodbyes, they left.

It wasn’t until they were outside the rink that Dom looked at both of them and said, “What the actual fuck was that?”