Chapter Fourteen #3
You won’t believe what happened.
If you haven’t started cooking something, let’s go out.
Could they make a relationship work? It wasn’t long distance, not exactly, but Nate was away a lot. They could try, though, right?
If Wesley was interested.
They’d grown rather domestic, and Nate had found contentment in their simple, shared moments. Their easy routines, however, were gonna come to an end. Wesley had school and Nate had the upcoming season, but they could start fresh. Go on actual dates.
Management didn’t care if he dated a man.
Dating a man would come with a lot of drama.
The team’s acceptance was one thing. Social media, the rest of the hockey world, the rest of the regular world…
that was another shitshow entirely. Was he ready for everything a gay relationship entailed?
Aside from Tommy, how would the rest of his teammates feel about a queer in the room?
Would the captain still have his back then?
Of course, he didn’t have to come out. He could remain an “ally.”
Nate backed out of his parking spot and headed home.
The trill of his phone filled the cab, and his heart somersaulted. The name on caller ID was Claire, not Wesley. He swallowed his disappointment. He really was happy to hear from his sister.
“Claire Bear, you’re not going to believe what just happened.”
“Hi Nate. I’m fine, thanks. How are you?”
“Fuck you.”
“No, thanks. That’s gross.”
“Ain’t that the truth. Hello, Claire, how are you? To what do I owe this honor.”
“Har har har,” she said and laughed. “I was just checking in. Hadn’t heard from you in a few days.”
“Where to begin.” Pure joy poured out of him in sudden laughter.
“How about with whatever’s got you laughing like a lunatic.”
“The Locomotives signed me because I’m gay.”
A long silence ensued and then, “I’m sorry, what? Are you shitting me?” Her voice echoed with disbelief.
“That’s gross, too. And no.”
“What the hell?”
“Right? Apparently once the word got out Portland was looking to trade me, the Locomotives had me investigated. Weren’t deterred by those fucking pictures.
They want to affect change, they said, and needed a presence in the locker room.
” He laughed again. “Well, they got one. Jesus Christ.” He swiped a hand down his face.
“How’d you find this out?”
“By fucking being that presence in the locker room. You know Tomlinson, the wunderkind D-man?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s a real piece of shit. He trash-talked Wesley last week, and I threatened him if he talked that way in front of me again. Well, we had a scrum yesterday and afterward, in the dressing room, guess who started spouting bullshit about gays?”
“Um, Tomlinson?” Amusement laced her tone.
“Gee, how’d you guess? So I jacked him up, I mean physically. Right up against his stall. The other guys were stunned. You know as well as I do that there’s a players’ code. High on the list is that new guys stay in their lanes. And I sure as hell didn’t.”
“Oh my God, were you fined or what?”
“Called up to the executive office and given—drum roll, please—a slap on the wrist. A letter in my player file and a promise from me, quote-unquote, that I won’t do it again.”
“What the hell?”
“Right? No, they want to change the culture, top down and bottom up, so I’m the guy in the room.” He kept silent about Montgomery and Boudreaux, of course. First of all, that was classified info. Second of all, he’d never out someone.
“So, like, keep an eye on that guy and call him out?”
“Pretty much, yeah. And get this—they don’t care if I date men.”
“Really?”
Nate snorted. “Yup. Said they weren’t the relationship police.”
“Oh, my God. That’s great.”
“If I wanted to come out, it is. Which I’m not sure about. There’s a guy in Portland out to the team, but he’s in a committed relationship, and he and his partner keep it pretty quiet. I don’t know that the league as a whole really knows.
“And I really don’t know how the rest of the guys here feel about queers in the dressing room. Nader and PawPaw seemed to like Wesley, but accepting gays in general and having them in the room are two different things.” Thoughts raced through his mind.
“Oh, and get this— After the official meeting with the brass, I had a one-on-one with the captain. He basically said that the whole team was glad someone finally called Tommy on his bullshit.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope.” Nate waited for the automatic gate to his building to open and rolled into the parking garage.
“There are gays in the room somewhere. More than you realize. You’re a prime example.”
“No, I know, percentages and all that shit. But no one’s talking, and for good reason. But until I get a read on the rest of my new teammates, I’ll just have to lie like a rug. Say my heart was broke back in Oregon when I left and they’ll leave me be for a while.”
Which wasn’t a lie. Only the team had broken his heart and not a romantic partner. But no one would look past the surface of his words.
“What about Wesley?”
“Speaking of Wesley, I’m home. Other than that, I’m still pondering. As stupid as this sounds, he fills something in me. I’ve felt like a complete person since he’s been staying with me, and it feels real fucking good, Claire. But I don’t know if I’m ready to be the poster boy for You Can Play.”
“I get it, but he seems like a keeper, Brother Bear.”
“I know. I want to. I just...” Nate exhaled. “It’s fucking scary.”
“I know. I’m here for you, for what it’s worth.”
“It’s worth a lot, thanks.” He wasn’t sure what he’d have done if Claire had rejected him when he’d confessed his sexuality to her when he was in college and she’d been a senior in high school. But she’d hugged him and told him she loved him and that he would always be her Brother Bear.
He wasn’t sure where his parents stood on the matter, although he’d given up worrying about their opinion years ago. Coming out had never been a possibility. Not in pro hockey. Now, there was Wesley. And this team. But he’d cross that threshold when he got there. “Gotta go.”
“Okay. Bye.”
The call disconnected, and he grabbed his suit coat off the passenger seat. He couldn’t wait to tell Wesley about the amazing turn of events. The future now had options Nate never thought possible. He wasn’t sure he was ready, but they were his for taking.