Stick By Me: A Nerd Jock Hockey MM Romance (Desert Ice Hockey Book 1)

Chapter 26

Afew hours later, I stomped into the hospital room, my insides boiling. I’d had a good long skate at the local rink, the place where I’d played my first games and held my first practices and now, I was pissed right the fuck off. There’d been one glaring question I hadn’t asked. I’d been too upset with dad’s condition to even think of it. Why the fuck did they keep Richard Dupont a secret from me? And not just Dad, it was Mom, too.

Leo rested in a recliner, watching some crime show when his gaze caught mine. He bolted out of his chair and strode to me. “Archer? What’s wrong?” He grabbed my arm, stopping me by dad’s bedside.

“Everything.” I glared at Dad and breathed in deeply. The doc had said he was fine now, so he could handle my anger.

“What do you mean?” Knitting his brows, Leo swayed his head as if attempting to see more clearly into my face.

Dad shifted higher in his bed, wincing. “Talk to me, Archer.”

Jabbing my finger into the bed by dad’s feet, I said, “Why didn’t you tell me I wasn’t yours? Why did you keep this secret from me?”

Leo pursed his lips, then said, “Archer, settle down. Let’s have a discussion and not an argument.”

I fought to calm the clashing emotions waging a war inside me. Deep down, I loved my parents. But the fuckers deceived me. “Tell me why.” I threw my hardened gaze at Dad.

Dad folded his hands over his stomach. “Truth is, we left it open. We never intended to keep it from you. We figured there’d come a good time and then we’d tell you.” He shrugged a shoulder, then shook his head, huffing a sigh. “Then your mother died and I…” He rubbed his eyes. “I just couldn’t.”

“How was there never a good time?” I held out my hand, blinking. It was plausible, with my crazy hockey schedule and school.

“There just wasn’t.” He focused on me. “When you were little, we didn’t want to upset you. Then you got older and the longer you went without knowing, the harder it became.”

“Deceit has a way of doing that.” Leo brushed his fingers up and down my arm. “Like me coming out to my family.” Wrinkling his brows, his gaze found mine.

Leo and Dad had obviously been getting close while I was out. Come to think of it, they were a lot alike. Fuck. My chest deflated. There hadn’t been any horrible conspiracy going on or malicious intent. “So…” I scowled, twisted, then fell into a recliner, holding my face in my hands.

“Archer, it was time and I told you. I’m sorry. I suppose we should have held a family meeting at some point. Maybe when you were in middle school?” Dad twisted his lips. “But you were sort of?—”

“Weird back then. Too focused on hockey to the point of skating even when my feet were bleeding from blisters because my skates were always too small.” I scrubbed my face. He was right. If they’d told me, what would it have done to me?

“You were growing so fast back then, it was hard to keep up with the equipment.” Dad sighed. “Mom never thought you were ready. She was afraid of what it would do to your game. She was afraid it would mess you up in the head.”

“It would have.” I huffed a laugh. “It sort of did.” I reached my arm out and Leo walked into my side.

After kissing the top of my head, Leo said, “There’s no point in living in the past. It’s behind you. Things fell into place. It’s what you do now that matters.”

I looked up at him, his gaze warming my soul. “Like how the fates put us together, they aligned to put me where I am now?” Maybe I shouldn’t be questioning it. I’d never been a parent. Not yet, anyways. How did I know what it was like for my mom and dad while I grew up?

“We only wanted what was best for you, Archer. All of us.” Dad gave me a sad look.

Leo crouched down and cupped my cheeks. “You know now, and Richard Dupont never abandoned you. Talk to him when we get home.”

“Oh, I’ll talk to him all right.” I scoffed, then brushed my cheek into Leo’s gentle touch. I couldn’t wait to get back and see the man in person. But first, I stood up and stepped to Dad’s bedside. “I’m sorry I got so angry. I just?—”

“Don’t apologize. I’d be angry, too, if it were me. Let me know if there’s anything I can do. I can talk to Richard for you if you want.” Dad peered at me.

“No, I need to do this myself.” I gripped the bedrail.

Leo stepped up behind me, winding his arms around my waist and nuzzling into my shoulder. “I can be there if you want.”

I patted Leo’s hand over my stomach. “Thanks, babe.”

A few days later,and I was finally home and tomorrow was New Year’s Eve. Dad had been released from the hospital into the care of my uncle and his loving wife. Leo was back at work, and I sat on the couch alone after a tough afternoon practice, my legs aching.

I rolled my phone in my hand. What was I going to say to Richard? If I didn’t set up a time to meet up with him, I’d never have the talk. I called him and pressed my phone to my ear, my heart pattering in my chest.

“Hello, Archer?” Richard asked.

“Hello, yes, Coach Dupont.” I clenched my jaw. “I hope this is a good time to call.” I’d start there. No point in talking to him if he didn’t have time.

“Sure, it’s fine. I was just in my office, finishing up my day.”

Good. I inhaled quickly. “I was hoping I could have a word with you,” I said. “In person.” I bit my lower lip and fisted the hem of my athletic shirt. “And probably in private.”

His breath caught. “Of course.” He paused. “I’m available tonight. Where would you like to meet?”

Shit, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I stammered. “Um, h-how about at a restaurant maybe?” Idiot. It sounded like you were asking the guy out. Okay, but he’s not queer, so he’s not going to think that.

“We’re both in Tempe, since the Coyotes are playing at ASU’s stadium for now. How about the Postino’s over on Mill? It’s quiet and relatively private.” Papers rustled in the background.

“Yeah, perfect.” I nodded. It was a wine bar and not many college students would be in there. Hell, not many college students were around campus with it being the holidays. “Meet you there in thirty minutes?”

“That works. See you soon.” He hung up the phone.

I shifted sideways on the couch and stared out our patio doors at the swimming pool in our backyard. Holy shit, I was going to find out Richard’s side of the story tonight. I blinked a few times. I’d better call Leo. I dialed his number and rose from the couch, then paced to the patio doors the phone clicking in my ear.

“Hey, babe,” he said with a smile hanging on his voice.

God, he sounded fucking good. “Hey. I wanted to let you know, I called Richard and I’m meeting with him tonight.” My pulse kicked and I held my breath. It was real if I was telling Leo about it.

“Really? When and where?” Shuffling carried through the phone. “Do you want me there? I can leave now if you?—”

“No, Leo. I think I’m going to do this alone.” I swallowed a lump climbing up my throat. Like Leo had said, Richard hadn’t abandoned me. It wasn’t like he didn’t know who I really was.

“Are you sure?” His voice rose in tone. “I don’t mind, really. I was about done here, anyways.”

A small ache crept through my chest. He wanted so badly to help. “I know, but I’ll be okay.” I sucked in a breath. “How about if I call you after?” Leo was going into work early tomorrow, so he could leave early, and he’d made special plans for us for New Year’s Eve. All the time spent with me in Minnesota had meant he’d gotten a little behind at work. If I went to his house tonight, I’d surely keep him up too late.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

I ran my index finger down the cold glass of the patio door. “Yeah, I’m sure. Thanks, though. I’ll FaceTime you after. I’m looking forward to tomorrow night.” We might be ringing in the best year of my life.

“Okay. But Archer, where are you meeting him?”

“Oh, at Postino’s on Mill. I’m having dinner with him.” As I sighed, I stepped away from the window. Leo wouldn’t just show up, would he? His brother did things like that. Shit, that wasn’t Leo’s style.

“Oh, okay,” he said. “I’ll be waiting for your call. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” I hung up and grabbed my car keys, then swiped my jacket, which was lying across the back of the couch. It was time to see my biological father.

After parking my car,I strolled into the wine bar, taking in the cozy darkness of the place, the soft glow of the lamps over the tables and the comfy looking cushions on chairs.

A man waved a hand over his head and smiled.

“Shit, Richard.” I eyed him as I strode to the corner table he sat at, my heart beating out of control.

He was dressed more casually than the last time I’d seen him, in a navy-blue cable knit sweater and jeans. The closer I came to the table, the more his resemblance to me became obvious. How had I not seen it before?

I slid into the booth seat across from him. “Hi, uh, Coach Dupont.” I didn’t know what to call him at this point.

“Hi, Archer.” He sipped a red wine. “I’m pretty sure I know what this is about, since you were just home visiting your family.” His gaze found mine and softened.

I swallowed hard, my mouth going dry. “Yeah, my dad um, my dad had a heart attack.” I dropped my mouth open. What a thing to blurt out.

“What? Is he okay?” Shifting in his seat, he wrinkled his forehead.

“Yeah, sorry, he’s going to be okay. He’s out of the hospital now and staying with my Uncle Tad for a few weeks.” I fingered the napkin rolled around my silverware at my place setting. I assumed he knew my uncle since he’d talked about Richard so much.

“Oh, good.” Richard nodded. “You’ve already lost a mother, I’d hate for you to lose?—”

“He told me you were my biological father.” I popped my eyes open. Fuck my mouth. It was totally out of control right now. What was wrong with me?

He blinked at me, then his lips twitched with the tease of a smile. “And how do you feel about that?”

“I uh, I’m not sure.” I bit the corner of my bottom lip, glancing at his wine. I could sure use a drink about now. But he wasn’t denying it. I breathed in deeply. “Actually, I’m okay with it. It was a shock, but I found out like a week ago now.”

“I’m sure you have questions.” He brushed his fingers up and down the stem of his glass, furrowing his brows.

“I do.” I scanned the restaurant. “But first, I need a drink.” I flagged down a waiter and ordered a beer. I didn’t think wine was going to sit too well with my stomach flip flopping the way it was.

“First thing I think you should know is, your invitation to the Coyotes’ development camp is because you’re a good player. Not because you’re my son.” His gaze locked on mine.

He called me his son. I stared at him, my heart almost stopping. “O-kay. I guess I was sort of wondering that.” I glanced at the waiter as he dropped off my beer, then downed a few gulps of it and plunked it on the table.

“Archer, how much did your dad tell you? How about we start with what you know?” He tented his fingers over his wine.

With a slow nod, I ran my fingers over the condensation on my beer glass, my heartbeat slowing. “He told me you had an affair with my mom and that when she found out she was pregnant, you all decided that my mom and dad would raise me. He told me you were there to help, financially, when needed.” I lifted my gaze to his. “He said they wanted to tell me sooner, but there was never a good time.”

He pursed his lips, then freed a long sigh. “I wanted them to tell you sooner, but I also didn’t want to interfere. I figured they knew best.” Raising his brows he said, “Your mom was afraid it would mess with your head too much to tell you. She really wanted to see you become a professional hockey player.” He huffed a breath. “So did I.” He arched a brow. “You have, or had, a tendency to let your emotions get the better of you when you played. Especially when you were younger.”

“Yeah, that’s true and that’s also what my dad said.” What he probably didn’t know was my dad had tried to steer me away from hockey. I took deep, calming breaths. This Richard wasn’t so bad. In fact, he seemed like a genuinely good guy. “Are you married?” Could I have a half-brother or sister somewhere I didn’t know about? I hadn’t thought to check on Google. I’d been too focused on Dad and his recovery.

“I’m not.” He lifted the edge of his mouth. “I’ve been living with a very nice woman for a few years, but we’re not at that point yet.”

“Does she know about me?” So, no half-brothers or sisters. I sipped my beer, relaxing into my seat.

“She does in fact, know about you. I told her the situation when we decided to move in together.” He picked up a menu and perused it. “Should we order some food?”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” I looked over the menu. All I wanted was a juicy burger. I didn’t care if it was a wine bar with fancy stuff on the menu.

The waiter stopped by our table, and Richard ordered a few bruschetta boards while I ordered my burger.

“What other questions do you have?” He drank some of his wine down.

Leo…“Do you know that I’m bisexual?” I narrowed my eyes at him. Would the university have disclosed it to him, with student privacy laws and all?

“I do. Your coach mentioned your squad, as you and you friends call yourselves.” He twisted his lips. “I’m sort of, well, not completely straight myself.” His gaze locked to mine. “I’ve had my fair share of men. I’ve been discreet about it.” He shifted in his seat. “Archer, I’m hoping your generation will be the one to make it a non-issue.”

My chest swelled with warmth and a smile grew over my lips. “Yeah we’re trying.” I was more like him than I’d ever imagined. “Oh. I have a boyfriend. His name is Leo and he…he works in high tech with data.” I chuckled. “I don’t even really know exactly what he does.” My gaze dipped to my beer, then refocused on him. “He was there with me in Minnesota. He grounds me. Even makes me a better player.”

“Really.” With a nod and a smirk, he said, “I’d like to meet him sometime.”

“Definitely. Maybe we can get together for dinner. He’s a great cook, too.” I scratched my cheek. What else was there to talk about? “Hey, uh, where do we go from here?” My gut clenched. What did I want from him anyways?

“Well, Archer, that depends on you.” He swirled his wine in his glass, then set it down and peered at me. “I’d like to get to know you better, for starters. And if you still want it, I’d like to offer you a formal invitation to the Coyotes’ development camp.”

“Uh, what?” My heart jolted. Was he offering because of the situation? “Why are you asking me this now?”

He shifted back in his seat and blew out a breath. “I was going to call and tell you after the holidays were over. The head coach approved it last week after watching some highlights of your last few games. He thinks you’d be a good fit with one of our other D-men we’re looking at.” He cocked his head. “Do you want to play hockey with me, knowing I’m your father?”

“Fuck yeah.” I slapped my hand over my mouth. “Sorry, I mean, yeah.” My heart soared. Why the hell wouldn’t I?

With a sharp chuckle, he fingered the bottom of his wine glass. “You can swear, Archer. We’re hockey players.” He focused on me.

I gazed into the brown eyes that mirrored my own. “That we are, Dad.” My eyes stung and I cleared my throat. Holy hell, I’d lost a mother, but gained a second father.

He reached across the table and patted my hand, resting on the table. “I’ve been waiting a long time to hear you call me that.”

The waiter dropped off our food and left.

“Now, tell me what you think about Boston this year.” He bit into a bruschetta slice, thick with salmon and cream cheese.

I stared at the bruschetta, so much like the bagel I made myself for my Sunday treat. This was weird. “Boston? Overrated. Seems to me they’ve got a lot of goons and grinders on the team this year.” I bit into my burger.

“My thoughts exactly.” He beamed at me.

Later that night,I sat on my bed with my phone in my hand, my head swimming with the conversation I’d had with Dad Richard. That’s how I’d decided to refer to him in my head and with my friends. Otherwise, it would get too confusing. Now, it was time to call Leo. I dialed him and held the phone to my face.

The phone barely rang before Leo picked up. “Hey, babe. How are you?” He gave me a tentative smile, the back of his couch showing through the screen behind him.

“I’m good, really fucking good.” With an exhale, I raked my fingers through my bangs. There was so much to say. “Richard is a good man. We had a great talk, and he really wants to be in my life. He wants to meet you and he formally invited me to join the Coyotes’ development camp.”

Leo’s face broke out in a full-on smile. “Seriously? That’s fucking great!” He pumped his fist. “You’re going to be a Coyote, I can feel it.”

I scraped my teeth over my lower lip. “Yeah, I think I can feel it, too.” I cocked my head, admiring Leo’s gorgeous face. “He’s so much like me, Leo. It’s uncanny.”

“You share DNA. I’m not surprised.” His smile waned. “Are you still angry you didn’t know about him sooner?”

I choked out a long breath. “I don’t know. I suppose if I really think about it, a part of me feels like I missed out on so much. But at the same time, my mom and dad gave me a stable home to grow up in and things Dad Richard wouldn’t have been able to give me. So, it is what it is.”

“Dad Richard?” The corner of Leo’s lips tugged up.

“Yeah, I called him Dad tonight and he was happy about it. So, I’ve decided to start referring to him as Dad Richard.” I freed a soft giggle. It sounded childish now that I’d said it out loud.

“Okay, yeah, I mean, you have two dads. I guess you have to find a way to separate them.” Leo looked off camera. “Yes, I’m heading to bed now.” He came back. “Axel wants to watch something with Remy on the TV, and he’s been accusing me of hogging it all night.”

Axel’s face popped into the phone. “He refused to go to bed until you called.”

I chortled. “That’s my Leo.”

The next afternoon,I packed an overnight bag. Leo had made plans for us to stay somewhere, but he was keeping the details a secret. He’d be here any minute to pick me up.

Yelling and thumping swept in from the main room. “What the hell?” Grabbing my bag, I ambled out of my room and into the hallway.

“You’re so crushing on that guy!” Mason shouted.

“Fuck off. Am not.” Jonah slapped at Mason’s shoulder, but Mason ducked out of the way. “He’s a god damned coach.”

“A young and very hot coach.” Mason jogged around the other side of the dinette from Jonah.

“What the hell is going on out here?” I scanned the room, planting a hand on my hip. These guys had all decided to stay in for New Year’s this year.

Myles, Ace, and Tyler sat on the couch, playing a video game, drinking beer, and laughing, while Jonah gave Mason a death look.

“Shut up.” Jonah pointed at Mason.

My gaze cut to Mason. Something was up. “Spill, Mason.”

“You didn’t get to meet the new coach.” He snuck a glance at Jonah. “He’s fucking hot.” He stepped toward me. “You should have seen Jonah’s tongue drop to the floor when the guy walked into our locker room.”

“When was this? Yesterday?” I tilted my head. I’d left as soon as practice was over yesterday. Coach had given me a pass after all the shit I’d been through on the break.

“Yeah, Coach Patterson introduced us to him. We’ve started calling him, Coach Hot Stuff.” Tyler snorted, then died in his video game. “Fuck.”

I peered at Jonah, his cheeks growing pink. “You do like him, don’t you.” I strutted to him, then wound an arm around his neck to scruff his head.

He wriggled out of my hold. “I don’t need you messing with me, too.” With a huff, Jonah strode into the kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator. “Don’t you have some special night out with Leo to go to?”

Knocking sounded on the door.

“Yeah, that must be him.” With my heart kicking, I snatched up my duffle and jogged to the door. I’d see this new coach soon enough at the next practice. Flinging the door open, I gave Leo a broad smile. “Babe.”

He flung his arms around my shoulders and kissed the side of my head. “Archer.” He breathed me in. “We’re going to have so much fun tonight.”

Leo parkedin a garage at Tempe’s Westin hotel. It was one of the glass high-rises you could see from campus and glowed in copper tones when the sun was out. “Leo, tell me you didn’t spend a fortune on tonight.”

“Nope, I can’t tell you that.” He leaned over the center console and kissed my cheek. “You can pay me back by taking me someplace nice after you get your NHL contract.” He beamed at me.

Rolling my eyes, I said, “Sure.” But now, it was a reality. I just needed to get through the rest of the season and next semester.

We climbed out of the car, and I met him at the back of it to get our bags.

I grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles. “When are you going to tell me what you have planned?” I walked with him to the elevator.

“I suppose I can tell you while we go.” He pushed the call button.

“Okay.” I glanced out between the openings in the concrete structure at the jagged, clay-colored mountains in the distance, the puffy clouds forming shadows across them in the late evening sun. Below us, traffic moved slowly along Mill Avenue and people strolled all bundled up for a night out in the cold, desert air.

“We’ll check in, then start our evening with a five-course meal at the Terra Tempe restaurant, then we’ll head up to the rooftop sky bar for the New Year’s party.” He squeezed my hand as the elevator dinged and the door opened, then led me inside. “How’s that?”

“Shit, Leo, that’s awesome.” I edged into his side, my cheeks hurting from smiling so much. “We’ll be able to see the fireworks all across the valley from up there.” This might be the best New Year’s Eve ever.

“We sure will.” He hugged me into his side.

It was almostmidnight and I’d shared an amazing meal with Leo. We stood at the thick metal railing of the rooftop bar, a sleek, modern place with outdoor gas fireplaces in the tables and fancy drinks. Wrapping my arm around Leo’s waist, I drew him into my side, peeking up and down at him. He’d changed into a nice black suit jacket before dinner and wore a thin grey sweater underneath. Yeah, he was my nerdy, but metro-sexual man. The love of my life.

He edged closer into my side. “What are you looking at?” He sipped from his tall champagne glass.

“You. Sometimes I find it hard to believe you’re mine.” A soft grin floated over my lips. With him and his unwavering support, I knew I could have it all.

“Well, get used to it.” He planted a kiss on my cheek, then glanced behind us toward the countdown clock on the television screen over the bar.

I peeked around us at all the other partiers, women in fancy dresses chatting with men, all nicely coiffed. Everyone holding champagne glasses.

“Archer.” Leo bumped into my side.

“Yeah?” I sipped my champagne, watching him from over the lip of the glass.

His grin waned. “I want us to move in together.” His gaze searched my face.

With a sputter, my heart jolted. “You do?” That had come out of nowhere.

“I do. I understand you probably need to stay with the guys in the house for now, but Axel said his old band house is really full with three couples living in it and I thought maybe…well, maybe we could find a place for ourselves.” He studied me.

All the revelry around me disappeared and I focused on only him. “So, like, we’d get a house or an apartment or something?” I lifted my brows. In a few months I’d be graduating anyways and most of the guys would be going home for the summer or off to camps.

Leo dipped his head, then faced me. “I’ve got some money saved up. We could maybe buy something, or rent, whatever you want to do. I’m sure when you get your contract, you’ll want to buy something, right?” He held his breath for a beat. “All I know is, I want to be with you as much as possible.”

“I want to be with you, too.” I cupped his cheek. “Yes, Leo, I’ll move in with you. We can rent somewhere over the summer while I’m in camp, but…yeah.” This was a big step, but I was ready for it.

“Good. It’s settled then.” He pressed his lips to mine, giving me a lingering kiss.

Everyone behind us counted down from ten, then cheered as fireworks raced into the sky from all over the valley and burst into vivid colors, lighting up the jagged mountains around us.

Leo wrapped his hand around my neck and rested his forehead on mine. “Love you, babe.”

“Love you more.” I lifted my head and tapped my glass against his. “Happy New Year, Leo.”