Page 135 of The Locker Room

“You never dress up,” he murmured.

“Neither do you!” Xander responded, without thinking. Then he

realized that Chris was dressed in slacks and a dress shirt and a sport

coat, and he blushed. “You do,” he said, thinking about it now. Chris

dressed down when Xander dressed down, but he liked to look good.

When had that happened?

“Don"t worry about it,” Chris said softly. “It"s just… you look

good, Xan. You play it down, and you play down your role on the team

and… it"s like you"ve spent ten years trying to be the invisible six-foot-

116 Amy Lane

nine guy who can carry the team. You"ve got to step up, man. You"ve

got to be important.”

Xander remembered that long ago night, the one when he"d been

outside in the cold, playing with shaking hands, until an angel had

showed up, all brightness and joy, and taken his game to a thing sublime.

“I was important to you,” he said, seeing his angel, seeing his love of the

game, and feeling like they had both become bigger than that dark night

behind them.

Chris shook his head and bent to pat Mercury"s placid yellow head

and fondle Max"s golden ears. “You guys take care of him,” he told them

softly, as they rolled over into a belly-rub invitation like the shameless

attention whores they were. “He"s going to need you.”

“Where are you staying?” Xander asked belatedly, letting Chris

have his time with their babies.

“While you were out at the car, Cliff called. He heard about the

trade and he"s got a couple of guest rooms. He said I could put up there

until the end of the season.”

Xander grinned for a second. “Bet his wife"lllovethat.” They had

both stood up with Cliff when he"d gotten married to an Amazon with

the loveliest ebony skin, a passionate love of ornate golden hoop