CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
C al
Bright lights move through the Blizzards Arena to the rhythm of a cheerful pop song, and I follow the usher.
Sebastian Archer is already seated, and he waves to me.
Sebastian is dating Luke Hawthorne, the brawny, blond, impossibly sweet hockey player who made headlines when he went on a dating show and ended up picking Sebastian, the host.
“I heard you might show.” He pats the seat beside him. “Welcome! Great interview by the way.”
I chuckle. “It was public.”
“Luke and I are glad to see Jason happy. I didn’t know Jason’s lips were capable of moving upward.”
We chatter happily together. Sebastian is in the entertainment industry, and by the time the players get on the ice, I’ve already arranged for Jason and me to go to dinner with Luke and him.
“There’s Jason,” Sebastian points as the second line takes the ice. “They’ve been playing well together,” Sebastian continues. “Luke says Jason’s like a different player since he came back from Fiji.”
I watch Jason streak down the ice, his movements fluid and confident. He’s always been a consistent player, but Sebastian’s right—there’s something different about him now. He seems more present, more engaged with his linemates.
As if to prove Sebastian’s point, Luke sets up a perfect pass that Jason receives in stride. He dekes around a defender and fires a shot that goes just wide of the net.
“Ooh, close!” Sebastian cheers.
The period continues with fast-paced action. Jason gets several more good shots, and I find myself holding my breath every time he touches the puck. It’s different watching him play now that I know him, now that I love him.
Midway through the second period, Jason’s line is back on the ice. Luke wins the faceoff and slides the puck back to the defenseman, who immediately sends it up to Jason on the wing. He makes a perfect cross-ice pass to Luke.
Luke controls the puck and heads toward the net, but the goalie is ready for him. Instead of shooting, Luke shoots the puck back to Jason, who’s trailing the play.
Jason doesn’t hesitate. He fires a shot that finds the top corner of the net with surgical precision.
The arena explodes. Sebastian jumps up beside me, cheering wildly, and I find myself on my feet too, yelling Jason’s name.
On the ice, Jason’s linemates mob him in celebration. Luke pulls him into a bear hug while the rest of the team crowds around. Jason’s grin is visible even from our seats, and he looks up toward the crowd, toward me, and gives a small wave.
My heart practically bursts.
The game continues, and when the final buzzer sounds and the Blizzards celebrate their 3-2 victory, I watch Jason embrace his teammates with joy. This is what he was always meant to be. He’s no longer the angry, isolated player who kept everyone away. He’s engaged, supportive, and one of the team.
“He looks happy,” Sebastian observes.
“Yes.” I watch Jason skate toward the tunnel, smile in place. “He does.”
“You know,” Sebastian says as we gather our things, “Luke was worried about him for a while. Jason barely talked to anyone. It’s nice to see him connecting with the team.”
As we make our way down to wait for the players, I can’t stop smiling. Jason scored tonight. He looked genuinely happy out there.
And tonight, I get to congratulate him in person.
Life is incredible.
JASON
Everyone chatters happily in the locker room. We won. I helped.
“Party at my place,” Finn announces to everyone as he towels off. “Chicken wings and beer. You should come, Jason.”
I pause. “Me?”
“Yeah, you.” Finn grins. “It’s been a while since you’ve come to one of my things.”
The understatement of the century.
“I don’t know...” I hedge.
“Come on,” Noah chimes in from across the room. “Bring Cal. I want to properly meet the guy who turned our grumpy teammate into a human being.”
A few of the other guys chuckle, and heat creeps up my neck.
“I was always human,” I mutter.
“Debatable,” Troy calls out, but he’s grinning.
“Seriously though,” Finn says, his voice gentler now. “I’d like you there. Both of you.”
I can feel the weight of everyone’s attention, the careful hopefulness in their faces. They want me to say yes. They want me to be part of this again, part of the team in a way I never let myself be before.
“Okay,” I say before I can lose my nerve. “Yeah. We’ll be there.”
Finn’s face lights up. “Great! You know where I live.”
I do know. Finn lives three floors above me in the same Seaport building.
Now, as I stand outside his penthouse door with Cal beside me, I’m wondering if I made a mistake.
“You sure about this?” I ask Cal for the third time. “I mean, Finn’s place is... it’s really nice. Like, stupidly nice. Makes my apartment look like a studio.”
“Jason.” Cal straightens my collar with patient fingers. “It’s a party. With your friends.”
“Teammates,” I correct automatically.
“Friends,” Cal says firmly. “People who don’t care about you don’t invite you to their homes.”
“Okay.” I square my shoulders, ignoring the nervous energy thrumming through my veins. “Let’s do this.”
I ring the doorbell, and within seconds, Finn’s voice comes through the intercom.
“That better be Jason with his mystery boyfriend!”
Cal grins. “Mystery boyfriend?”
“I may have been... private about you with the team. Before.”
“Private. Right.” But Cal’s still smiling as the door buzzes open.
Finn’s penthouse is as ridiculous as I remember—floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the harbor, a kitchen that costs more than most people’s cars, and enough space to host half the team comfortably.
“Jason!” Finn appears at the elevator doors, pulling me into a hug that’s surprisingly fierce. “And you must be Cal. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“All good things, I hope,” Cal says with a laugh.
“Mostly.” Finn winks. “Come on, everyone’s dying to meet you properly.”
As we step into the main living area, conversation doesn’t stop, but I can feel curious glances turning our way. Troy and Axel are in some deep conversation. Luke and Sebastian are curled up together in one of the armchairs by the windows.
“Larvik!” Troy calls out, raising his beer in greeting. “About time you showed up to one of these things again.”
“Yeah, well,” I say, suddenly feeling awkward. “I’m here now.”
“And you brought the famous Cal,” Noah says, bounding over with his characteristic enthusiasm. “I’ve read your articles. That piece on goalie statistics last month was brilliant.”
Cal’s face lights up. “You actually read that? I wasn’t sure anyone would be interested in—”
“Are you kidding? Come on, I want to introduce you to everyone properly.”
As Noah leads Cal away, chattering excitedly about advanced analytics, Finn touches my arm.
“You okay?” he asks quietly.
I watch Cal seamlessly fall into conversation with my teammates, already making Sebastian laugh at something. The knot in my stomach starts to loosen.
“I should have done this sooner. I’m sorry I was so terrible.”
“You’re here now,” Finn says. “That’s what matters. I’m sorry I didn’t know what you were going through.”
The next hours pass more easily than I expected. Cal fits in like he’s been part of this group forever, bonding with Troy over obscure hockey trivia. I find myself actually relaxing, enjoying watching my boyfriend charm my teammates.
We’re interrupted by Noah calling from across the room. “Hey guys, Dmitri’s online! Should we video call him?”
A hush falls over the room. All eyes turn to me, and I can feel the weight of their collective concern. They’re wondering if I’ll be uncomfortable, if this will bring up bad memories.
Cal appears at my side as if summoned, close enough that our shoulders touch. “That sounds great,” he says easily. “I’d love to meet him properly.”
“Jason?” Finn asks carefully. “You okay with that?”
Three weeks ago, the answer would have been no way. Back then, I would have made an excuse and left rather than face Dmitri and the guilt over what my words had cost him.
But that was before. Before the island, before Cal, before I learned to stop running from hard conversations.
“Yes,” I say, and I mean it. “I want to talk to him.”
“Ready for this?” Finn asks, opening Zoom on his massive TV.
Noah peers over his shoulder. “Stop fussing with your hair. You look fine.”
I glance at Cal, who gives me an encouraging nod.
The call connects, and suddenly Dmitri and Oskar fill the screen, looking slightly rumpled and happy in what must be morning light in Sweden.
“Gang is all here!” Dmitri exclaims, his English still heavily accented but his smile genuine.
There’s a moment of awkward silence, because he’s not here. He’s missing.
Then I lean forward. “Dmitri, I wanted to apologize. What I said to the press—”
He waves a hand. “Is past. Was complicated situation.”
“Still,” I continue, knowing I need to say this. “I’m sorry. And I’m working with an attorney who thinks we might have options for getting you back to the US.”
Dmitri blinks. “Really?”
I nod multiple times. “My pleasure.”
“Immigration lawyers are expensive,” Dmitri says. “I had bad experience with team one...”
“I can’t make promises,” I say. “It’s my expense, not yours. Please let me.”
Dmitri’s forehead creases, then he smiles. “Well, if it would make you happy...”
“It would.”
Finn looks at me, surprise evident on his face, before turning back to the screen. “Jason’s been different lately. In a good way.”
“New boyfriend will do that,” Dmitri says with a knowing grin.
“How did you know?” I ask.
“We have the internet in Sweden.” Oskar smirks. “Your interview was super romantic.”
I glance toward Cal, and the soft smile on his face makes something warm bloom in my chest.
I wave Cal over. He settles behind me, and I allow myself to sink into his generous form, his comfortable padding and non-angular limbs. He sweeps his arms around my waist, his citrus scent filling my nostrils. I tangle my fingers around his, then raise our joined hands and kiss his hand.
Awes break out immediately, a happy rumble around me that settles every cell.
“Look at you, being all domestic,” Troy calls out, his eyes shimmering.
“Shut up,” I say, but I’m smiling.
And for the first time in longer than I can remember, I’m exactly where I belong.