Chapter 37
Jamal King
Theo and I duck out of the side door of the hotel and into the waiting black SUV. Finn’s in the back.
“Great news, my little chocolate chips,” he says as soon as the door shuts.
“Are you constantly hungry? You’re always calling us food.” Theo scoots closer to me.
“I’m chocolate-deprived. My BFF left me for Patrik Liska and took the good stuff with him. But you don’t care about that.” Finn waves his hand as if we understand what he’s saying.
“Anyhoo, you two.” He beams at us. “The podcast broke records, and it’s blowing up online.
Every time I check, the number of reposts is up by thousands.
And I spent the day fielding offers for interviews from major news outlets.
Everything from Hello America to EN, Entertainment News.
Exciting!” He pauses. “What’s with the faces? ” His finger circles in front of us.
“We’ve got a game tonight and are going to focus on hockey,” I say to protect Theo from being subjected to the media.
“I understand my little lambs.” He raises an eyebrow at Theo as if to say “See, I can use non-food words.” He taps both our knees. “But the beast must be fed, and if you don’t feed it, it’ll stalk you until you do.” He throws his hands up. “Fine. I use a lot of food analogies.”
“It’s so much, so fast,” Theo says quietly.
“I know.” He gives us sympathetic glances. “But we can negotiate the type of questions with a reputable news outlet. The pressroom is a free-for-all, and the internet is the Wild West. I’ve emailed you the offers, so think about them and let me know.”
The SUV pulls up to the loading dock of the arena, and Finn slips us in unnoticed.
We need hockey to focus on. Every time I tell Theo I love him, he looks like I’ve punched him.
I asked my dad’s advice, and he said to give Theo space to believe me.
And most importantly, keep showing up because actions speak louder than words.
I asked Dad about people saying I’m selling out by being with Theo, a rich white guy.
Dad reminded me I’m a rich Black man, and if I date someone poor, they’ll be portrayed as a gold digger.
If I date another rich Black man, haters will find another reason to tear us down.
The only way to combat them is by being true to ourselves.
Whenever I leave the room, Theo acts like he’ll never see me again. I have to wonder if he has unresolved trauma from his dad’s death. I’m holding his hand on our way to the locker room, giving him the reassurance that I mean what I say.
“Hey, my favorite hockey couple, we need a plan,” Brant says as we walk in.
“I resent that,” Ace teases.
“Me too,” Benz chimes in.
“I miss being half of a couple.” Mav plops onto the bench.
“Sorry, fellas, King is my fake ex-BF and Keefer is my liney. They win.” Brant motions us over. “I’ve been thinking, I’m on the ice with Mr. Overprotective the most. So if someone goes after him, I’ll take care of it unless you’re on the ice and want to do it.” He says the last part to me.
Do I want to fight? I’ve never considered it before, but all the comments online are about Theo and me as a couple, and that’s why I dropped my gloves for the first time. The narrative isn’t about an angry Black man fighting.
“We don’t want too many penalties if the refs get upset,” Brant explains when I don’t say anything.
“Thanks, man, great plan.” I fist-bump Brant. This isn’t about me, it’s about Theo.
“No, not happening.” Theo grips my forearm. “You aren’t changing for the worse because of me.”
“It’s not for the worse to protect my boyfriend. I never had anyone specifically to stand up for.” I clasp his arm like we’re making a pact. “This is for me too. I’m showing the hockey world that I fight for what’s mine.”
Theo swallows hard and squeezes my arm.
“Dance party,” Lucky shouts to lighten the mood.
We’re up by one at the end of the first period, and the team is playing phenomenally. Theo and Brant have played well together, and now they’re an unstoppable duo. From where I’m sittin’, Theo knowing that Brant has his back makes them a better team. Theo would never admit it, and I won’t tell.
I tap my helmet on Theo’s before he takes the ice for the second period.
“Thanks, Maj.” He holds the back of my helmet to his for an extra second. Then he’s gone.
I’ve never set out to take Ace’s position on first line, but I’m jealous of his ice time with Theo.
I wouldn’t care about lines if I could play more with him, but realistically one of us would have to switch, and he would be devastated if they demoted him.
Wishing to be on first line, I’d be tempting fate with the hockey gods. That’s the worst karma.
As soon as Ace reaches the boards, I’m over and racing to the puck. Theo’s at my back, and it’s exhilarating. I poke the puck loose, and Mav is there to pick it up. We switch direction, and he crosses it over to Griff.
Brant follows us, and Theo hangs back. We close in on the goalie and circle the crease to divide his attention.
Griff fakes a shot and passes it to Mav.
Before Mav can shoot, their defender knocks it away to clear it.
It’s time for a defensive line change, but Theo nabs the puck, and I skate wide.
They’ve forgotten about me. Theo passes me the puck, and I slap it at the goal.
The lamp lights up, and Theo crushes me in a hug, followed by our teammates.
Theo grins as he returns to the bench, and I’m soaring. I hear my mom over the crowd.
“That’s my babies,” she shouts.
I laugh and wonder if Theo hears her too. But there’s no time to check as I take my place at center ice. I love scoring with an assist from Theo.
My shift ends, and Theo greets me with another helmet tap. We hear a chirp from the crowd, but it doesn’t touch us. There is nothing greater than sharing my success with the man I love.
If everyone could feel this, they wouldn’t be as afraid to come out. Other people’s opinions can’t steal our joy unless we let them.
The other team scores, and Ace follows it with another goal, so by the end of the second period, we’re up by two.
In the locker room, Theo pulls me onto his lap, and I go willingly.
“Not fair,” Benz grumbles.
“You want trolls accusing you of incest? We can trade,” Theo retorts without heat.
“We’re all jealous.” Brant winks.
“Truth.” Mav grins.
Finn ushers us off the ice so fast after the game I don’t get to speak to my parents. We won, but Finn’s not smiling or calling us ridiculous names.
“John King is holding a press conference on public property across the street from the arena. We prevented him from doing it here, but there’s nothing we can do to stop him where he is.
He hasn’t started yet, but all the major news organizations have trucks nearby, and the usual paparazzi are there as well,” Finn says in a rush.
I wrap my arm around Theo. “We can ignore him and live our lives.”
“He won’t go away on his own. He’s a bully.” Theo pinches the bridge of his nose. “What if we stand in the background of his media spectacle? If the press asks us questions, we can decide to answer them.”
Finn nods. “Could work. I can go with you, and it’ll be like the pressroom outside. But it’ll be a madhouse, and I won’t actually have control. Do we have a megaphone? I could be the loudest.”
Mr. Dimon and our bodyguard enter the room, and Finn outlines our plan. “You’ll need more security.”
“Are you sure?” I ask Theo.
He looks me straight in the eye and lies. “Totally.”
Fifteen minutes later, we’re outside in heavy Enforcer coats, flanked by Finn and three bodyguards. The team wanted to come too, but Mr. Dimon nixed that idea. He had a weird staring contest with Brant, but in the end, he’s the boss and the team does what he says.
I look nothing like my biological father. An unknown father would be better than him.
He’s speaking as if he’s holding court. Authoritative and wearing clothes that probably cost more than a month of my rent. He has no doubt that everyone will be on his side.
We weave our way through the crowd until we’re directly behind him and in view of the cameras.
John falters in his pious speech about upholding family values. The man actually uses the word abomination. When I think nothing he says could hurt me, he proves me wrong. A murmur rushes through the crowd at our presence.
Reporters fire questions at us, forcing John to stop and acknowledge us.
Honest to God, Finn pulls out a megaphone to speak. “We will take questions at the end. Please allow Mr. John King to continue.”
John wants to rage at us, but he can’t. Finn demanded that the press let him speak. He returns to his pre-rehearsed speech, but he’s lost some swagger, and after a minute, questions are yelled at him.
“Mr. King, did you know about their relationship?”
“Is it true you didn’t financially support your son, Jamal?”
“Why did you keep them apart as boys?”
John gives them a strained smile that I can see on the media van’s monitor. “I’d like to finish my statement, and then you can ask them questions.”
“Are you saying you won’t take questions?”
John holds up his hands, but the onslaught of questions keeps coming. He’s growing more and more irritated at questions challenging his integrity.
All Theo and I have to do is stand here, together. And not lose our shit. Between his temper and my anxiety, that’s a big ask. I pray for the strength for us to make it through this mess.
A hand lands on my shoulder, and I hear my mom. “Hi, sweeties.”
Finn distracts the reporters by stepping in front of John. “One at a time. State who you want to answer the question. You in the puffy red coat, go first.” The megaphone leaves no doubt that he’s in charge.
“Mr. King, can you clarify your relationship with Theo O’Keefe?”
John begins to answer but is cut off. “No, Mr. Jamal King. Sorry.” He doesn’t look sorry, and John’s hands clench.
I straighten up and clear my throat. “Theo O’Keefe is an incredible hockey player and one of the best men I know.
John using the word abomination in the same sentence as members of his family says more about his character than ours.
We haven’t known each other long, but he’s one of the most important people in my life.
I’m proud to be with him.” I shift so my shoulder presses against his.
Finn picks another person to ask a question.
“My question is for Theo O’Keefe. You and King connected for a score in tonight’s game. What’s it like playing together?”
Outwardly, Theo seems unbothered, but he’s stiff and cautious. “Anytime you get to play with great players is a good game. It’s a bonus to be on the ice with Jamal King and be a part of his success. Ten outta ten, would recommend.”
The same reporter shouts, “Will you get more ice time together?”
Finn tells Theo he doesn’t have to answer that question, but he does. “Neither of us controls who we’re on the ice with. We both want to do our best for our line and our team. Teamwork is what it’s all about.”
I’m grinning like a damn fool at Theo because he means what he says. A total turnaround from when he joined the team.
Finn says, “You in the Enforcer ball cap.”
A pretty woman smiles at John. “Can you explain your reasoning for keeping the boys apart when they were young?”
John shifts uncomfortably and clenches his jaw. “That’s irrelevant. I’m here to talk about family values and upholding the traditions this great country was built on.”
If he had more to say, it’s inaudible when Theo snatches the megaphone from Finn.
“Family values? What kind of man abandons his child and offers zero financial support? Is it family values to ship your stepson off to boarding school to cover the lie that your son doesn’t live with you?
How about every single Christmas you left my mother and me to spend with your son, only you never saw Jamal, not once?
What traditions are you trying to uphold?
Racism and homophobia? Leave my boyfriend and me alone.
We don’t want anything from you.” Theo calmly hands the megaphone back to Finn.
My heart swells with love and pride. He called me his boyfriend in public, and he’s finally confronting the man who made his life difficult.
Finn purses his lips, holding back a smirk, and speaks into the megaphone. “Mr. John King, we are prepared to wait for your answer.”
John remains silent, and I reach for the megaphone.
“This man’s words are empty, and all you need to do is observe his actions to find the truth. Family values are important, and I’ve learned that from my mom and stepdad. They gave me the courage to love someone, even though not everyone will approve. Living with love is a true gift.”
I hand the megaphone to Finn and see Theo’s eyes shining with unshed tears.
John turns his back on the crowd to face us and forgets he’s mic’d up. “You’ll both be sorry. You profited off of my name, and I’ll put an end to it. You’re hockey players for God’s sake. Not a brain cell between you.”
“You don’t even have a job,” Theo fires back, then freezes. His gaze sweeps the crowd as if he’s looking for someone.
“Are you okay?” I whisper.
Theo nods but says to Finn, “I think I need a lawyer or a financial accountant or both.”