Chapter Thirty-One Theo
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: THEO
T onight was the night–the final elimination in the Frozen Four. A National Championship for Southeastern was so close we could practically reach out to touch it. But first, we had to get through one last game and face a team that was ranked just as good as we were.
For me, it wasn’t just a championship on the line. While there had been scouts from several NHL teams watching players throughout the championships, I’d been contacted this morning that the South Carolina Swarm out of Charleston would be deciding on me after tonight’s game.
As fucking stoked as I was at the prospect, I was also worried. Joining the team would mean a move to South Carolina, at least for the hockey season. I mean, I couldn’t possibly expect to uproot Vivian with a new baby. She needed her parents too much. And I had to think about the guys. At the same time, I couldn’t imagine being away from Vivian and the guys for months on end.
But I couldn’t say no to my dream. I’d never forgive myself. In the end, it wouldn’t be forever. And the crew could come out to see me, and I could go to them. We could make it work. I mean, we’d managed to make a foursome work. Surely we could have a long-distance relationship.
As we suited up in the locker room, electricity hummed in the air. When I dropped one of my gloves, Bennett reached over to grab it for me. “Steady on with those hands,” he teased.
“Easier said than done,” I replied.
He smacked the glove playfully against my naked chest. After his hand lingered a little longer than it should have, I felt another pair of eyes on me. I threw a glance over my shoulder to find Vinnie Petransky staring at me and Bennett through narrowed eyes. As a second-line goalie, he’d never been a fan of mine.
Immediately, I went on guard. A few of our teammates might’ve guessed Bennett and I were seeing each other, but we hadn’t come out and said anything officially. It wasn’t out of shame or any bullshit like that. It was more about wanting to keep our private life private. We weren’t talking about seeing Vivian either. Of course, our quad some was way more problematic than two dudes dating.
“You got a problem, Petransky?” I asked.
“I didn’t say anything,” he shot back.
“You didn’t have to. It’s written all over that fucking ugly mug of yours.”
Clapping his hand on my shoulder, Bennett warned, “Theo, don’t.”
With a sneer, Vinnie said, “That’s right. Get your boyfriend in check.”
And there it was.
Bennie and I were officially outed. Some of the other guys stopped getting into uniforms to gawk at us. Most of them were freshman and sophomore second-liners. The guys we’d played with the longest appeared surprised, but their expressions were different than Vinnie’s. I couldn’t blame them. It wasn’t like I wasn’t known for being a manwhore with women.
With a shark-like smile, I said to Vinnie, “I knew you were a second-line jackass, but I didn’t peg you for a homophobic cunt.”
This time Grayson stepped in front of me. “Let it go.”
“But he?—”
“Is a homophobic cunt who is not worth fucking up your night over,” Grayson replied emphatically.
Jace Malone moved into my line of sight, blocking me from seeing Vinnie. “Listen to Gray, man.”
A shudder ran through me as I exhaled raggedly. “Just this once, Petransky.”
Silence hung heavy in the locker room as slowly everyone went back to their own business. “Uh, when did you stop banging chicks?” Jace asked in a low voice.
I snorted. “I haven’t.”
With creased brows, Jace glanced between me and Bennie. “But?—”
Winking, Bennett replied, “Let’s just say we’re together, but we’re still into pussy.”
“Specifically one that belongs to a very sexy redhead.”
At Bennie’s sharp intake of breath, Grayson’s eyes bulged. Fucking hell. I’d said too much. If anyone paid attention, they would’ve remembered Vivian being in the stands. My gaze flickered around us to see if anyone was listening.
Chuckling somewhat nervously, Grayson said, “You guys still jerking it to that redhead on the Hub?”
“Fantasy is perfectly healthy,” Bennie chimed in.
“Exactly,” I said.
Jace laughed. “I need her name. I fucking love redheads.” He wagged his brows. “Especially the natural ones.”
As I tensed at the thought of Jace lusting after Vivian, Bennie cleared his throat. “Another time. We need to hurry up. Coach will have our asses when he comes in and finds us not ready.”
Nodding, Jace went back to his locker. “You good?” Grayson asked.
That was a fucking loaded question. At my hesitation, Bennett said, “He will be when he gets on the ice.”
As I stared into his intense gaze, my heart overflowed with love. Just like Vivian, Bennett always saw right through me. And I fucking loved him for it.
Without giving a shit what the others thought, I pulled him into my arms. And right there in front of everyone, I laid the biggest fucking kiss on him. To my surprise, a few whistles echoed around us.
When I pulled away, Bennie had an almost comical look on his face. “What did you do that for?”
“Because I love you.”
His lips quirked. “I know that. But why now?”
“Because I needed it.” With a wink, I added, “For luck.”
“For luck,” he echoed before leaning in to kiss me.
After an epic pep talk from Coach Murano, we started down the tunnel to the ice. Every molecule in my body was on adrenaline overload. It was a feeling I’d experienced many times before, but the fact that we were so fucking close to the ultimate championship had it ramped up to the extreme.
It had been a whirlwind couple of days. After our outing at the baby shower, we’d all flown to St. Louis. Unlike our other games, this one was played in an NHL arena. While we’d sailed through the two semifinal games, tonight wouldn’t be so easy. The team we were playing was equally ranked with us.
As I skated out for warmups, a roar went through the crowd. Among the fans were Vivian and her parents. They were seated a row above my parents. Of course, they had no idea who Vivian was. I’d yet to introduce her, nor had I mentioned that we were dating or that I was part of a quadruple. I intended to keep that part of my life a secret for as long as I possibly could.
Gray’s parents and brothers were also in attendance, along with some of his aunts, uncles, and cousins. To my surprise and Bennett’s, his mom and sisters were sitting with Vivian. From Bennett’s expression, I could tell he was about to lose it with happiness and pride.
“Keep it together, man.” When his wild gaze spun to mine, I nodded encouragingly. “Make them proud.”
A smile then curved on his lips. “I sure as hell will.”
“Good.”
Warmups went by in a blur, and before I knew it we were getting in position for the puck drop. Our center, Xavier Zebretsky, faced off in front of our opponent. As the referee held up the puck, I sucked in a breath. When it dropped onto the ice, Xavier got to it first, slinging it over to Bennett, who was ready and waiting.
From my position at the far end, I craned my neck to watch him fight to get it to the goal. Just as he started to shoot it, he got overtaken by another dude, sending the puck skittering to one of the other team’s guys.
As they started skating back to my end, I got ready to deflect any hits, but they didn’t make it to me.
I knew then it was going to be a long, fucking game.
After the final intermission, we were tied at 3-3 when we took the ice. With three minutes left, we finally scored again. Our fans in the crowd went wild, and I thought I was going to lose my mind. We were so fucking close to victory.
With the clock ticking down, a Ravens winger charged down the ice. With my gaze locked on him, I swayed back and forth. When Bennett swept in to stop him, he got slammed by another Ravens teammate, sending him crashing onto the ice. As my chest clenched, all I could focus on was his crumpled form.
“Move, Bennie. Come on, move,” I muttered under my breath.
But then I agonizingly separated my head from my heart. I had to keep my mind on the game. It was too important.
Instead of shooting the puck from where he was, the winger wasn’t taking any chances. He was going to get as close as possible before he let go of his precious cargo. Tuning out the roar of the crowd and the grunts and groans of my teammates, I focused everything I had on that puck.
Not the teammate coming in the clutch for a pass, or Grayson being knocked into the plexiglass, or Bennie appearing dazed as he stumbled to his feet.
I had my eyes on the puck.
Just before it became airborne, instinct said to go left. But something in the back of my head said no. That a switch was coming.
As the player’s stick scraped across the ice, I made my decision. I whirled my body to the right, blocking the goal, and sealing our victory.
“HELL FUCKING YEAH!” I bellowed.
My teammates began dogpiling me, smacking my helmet with their hands and hugging me. Through the madness, I tried to find my guys. I heaved a relieved breath when Grayson’s grinning face came before me. “Holy shit, bro, that was amazing!” he shouted over the deafening roar.
“Thanks, man.”
I searched each player’s face, but I still didn’t see Bennett. Panic started to replace my euphoria. He had gotten up, hadn’t he?
And then there he was.
He still appeared dazed from his hit as he stood on the outer ring of players. Since he couldn’t get to me, I decided to get to him. As I pushed and shoved my way through my teammates, I didn’t stop until I reached him.
“Are you in pain?”
“Not really.”
“Then why the hell are you crying?”
He laughed. “Because I’m so fucking happy for you!”
At that moment, I didn’t care about anything but the two of us. I threw my arms around him, hugging him tight. As my lips hovered against his ear, I said, “I love you.”
He jerked back to stare wide-eyed at me. With a playful roll of my eyes, I said, “Yeah, you heard me say it within hearing distance of our teammates.”
He grinned. “I love you, too.”
“You fucking better.”
“Come on, let’s go get a feel of that trophy,” Bennett suggested.
“Works for me.”
The next half hour was a blur with the team’s trophy presentation. While it was amazing sharing it with my teammates, nothing could compare when they called my name for winning the Most Outstanding Player award. I was so overwhelmed I thought my heart was going to explode right out of my chest.
While I had Bennett and Grayson with me, my gaze went to the stands where Vivian was. She, along with my parents, had moved down to the edge of the ice. Raising his fist in the air, my father pumped it at me.
I’d never seen such pride reflected on his face. Or my mother’s for that matter. Although it was euphoric, I knew it would be erased as he discovered my feelings for Bennett as well as my relationship with Vivian.
Their love and pride were conditional, and it hurt like a bitch.
My attention swept to the reporters who had made their way onto the ice. After fielding questions, I headed back to the locker room. Champagne started being sprayed in my face the minute I entered the door.
Grabbing a towel, I dried my face. “Novak, come over here,” Coach Murano bellowed. I made my way through the celebratory melee to a room off the main locker room. A podium stood at the front, and a group of reporters stood in the back.
For a moment, I froze. Coach patted me on the back. “These guys have some questions for the Most Outstanding Player award winner,” he informed me with a grin.
I laughed. “I’m happy to answer them.”
After stepping up to the podium, I pointed to one of the reporters. “Go ahead.”
“Theo, with that last shot, most goalies would’ve naturally gone left. What made you change up?”
“Just a little voice in my head I’ve learned to trust over the years.”
The reporter smiled. “I’d say it did you well.”
“Thanks. I like to think so.
“After tonight’s impressive performance, I think we can all say your NHL call-up is guaranteed.”
I fought the cocky smirk itching to curve on my lips. While I wanted to say that unless the scouts had shit for brains, then hell yes, I was getting drafted for next year. But since reputation was such a huge part of it, I tempered myself.
Giving them my best humble smile, I replied, “I thank you for the compliment, but I know from the past four years there are no guarantees when it comes to placement in the NHL. However, I would be honored if the hard work of my teammates tonight helped to solidify my place there.”
When I cut my eyes over to Grayson, he mimed jerking off on his stick to signify the absolute bullshit I was spewing. His lewd gesture earned him a smack on the back of the head from Bennie. I bit down on my lip to keep from laughing.
I continued fielding question after question. Just before they were going to go to Coach Murano, I pointed to a final reporter. “Yes. What’s your question?”
“Is it true that you, along with Grayson Collins, and Bennett Masterson are involved in a polyamorous relationship with a Southeastern librarian?”
Holy fucking shit.
The world around me spun in a dizzying flurry. As it came shuddering to a stop, I gripped the podium to keep myself upright. Blinking furiously, I desperately prayed that I was hallucinating.
But the buzzing hum from the press corps told me it was real. When I tried to speak, my mouth had run so dry that my tongue stuck to the top of my mouth. “I…uh.”
“Is it also true that she is pregnant and one of you is the father?”
The bomb of a question detonated, sending a deafening roar through the reporters. Cameras started flashing maniacally. When the press corps surged forward, Coach Murano grabbed my arm and dragged me off the podium. But as we tried to make our escape, the reporters followed us. Bennett and Grayson barely made it into the locker room before Coach and I slammed the door.
After glancing at the three of us, Coach cocked his brows. “Would you three like to tell me what the hell is going on?”