“What are we gonna tell the guys?” Damon asks.
“That I’m way smarter than you because I worked out we were soul mates before you even wanted to fuck me?”
“About the non-engagement, dumbass.”
“It’s not nice to call your soul mate a dumbass.”
“Dearest soul mate, love of my life, not my future husband … what are we going to tell the guys?”
I shrug. “Whatever you want to tell them. Nothing sounds good. How about nothing?”
“Stacy was the only one who knew your plan?”
“And my parents.”
Damon nods. “I’m good with nothing, then.”
Only, someone gets distracted all afternoon—definitely not my fault—and by the time dinner rolls around, Damon forgets he’s still wearing the ring.
So when Damon stands and raises his glass to toast Matt and Noah’s announcement that they’re going to have a baby, Noah’s gaze catches on Damon’s hand.
“What the fuck is that?”
Damon’s eyes widen. “Shit.”
With a sigh and a smile, I stand. It doesn’t matter to me if the guys find out, but explaining it a million times over is what I wanted to avoid. Damon and I understand it, but I know others won’t. At least everyone’s here at the same time so we don’t have to repeat it—a rare feat for our group lately. “We have an announcement as well.”
Damon and I stare at each other, and then together, we say, “We’re not getting married!”
And yep, as predicted, we have to explain it to all the confused faces in the room. That only seems to confuse them more.
“So no wedding, but you’re going to live like husbands?” Miller asks.
“Exactly.”
Miller turns to Talon. “Maybe we should do that.”
“No wedding?” Talon exclaims. “No way. We’re doing it and selling the pics for a shit ton of money.”
“Like we need more money?”
While they argue over their upcoming nuptials, Damon and I share a look. One that says we definitely made the right decision, because who wants to deal with wedding venues and catering and everything else that comes with planning a wedding? I shudder. No, thanks.
They talk details, while Damon and I share our own toast.
“To not getting married,” he whispers in my ear.
“Amen.”
We click our glasses together and take a sip, but then Noah catches my eye.
He throws his arm around Lennon. “So, Beatle. Matt and I are raising babies. Maddox and Damon are not getting married, but kinda are, but not really. Talon and Miller are walking down the aisle. What are you and Ollie gonna do?”
Ooooh, if looks could kill, Matt would be a widower.
Everyone at the table blinks and does that awkward thing where we know we should look away but can’t wait for the train wreck we see coming.
Ollie and Lennon’s mouths hang open, but nothing comes out.
Noah grins. “Did I put you guys into a pressure cooker and set it on high?”
Fucking Noah, the shit stirrer.
Lennon breaks first. “You’re so ready to be a parent.”
He escapes an answer by going the sarcasm route, but I think everyone can see the question floating around in both their heads.
All I can say is good luck to them, and I hope they know what they both want.
I will be forever grateful for finding maybe the one singular person in the world who understands me even better than myself.
I’m never letting Damon go.
III
OLLIE AND LENNON
Chapter Fourteen
OLLIE
Nothing puts your relationship under a microscope faster than everyone around you taking giant steps forward.
Noah and Matt are going to be parents, Talon and Miller are getting married, and Damon and Maddox are … well, they’re staying Damon and Maddox.
It works for them.
What Lennon and I have has been working for us.
I’m happy. So happy.
Then why is there something in the back of my mind telling me that I shouldn’t be happy and content with what we have? That I should want more.
In the last three years, we’ve been there for each other while we’ve both gone through a lot in our professional lives.
Lennon gave up his dream job of working for Sports Illustrated to take a shitty media position with my team so he could be with me. That only lasted one hockey season before he was re-offered his dream job but for a position where he could be based out of New York. He also still has his running feature of queer athletes for the magazine and has been killing it. With more and more athletes slowly coming out of closets, he has a steady stream of articles to write.
He’s even been headhunted to audition for on-air positions with different networks, but he hates public speaking and keeps turning them down.
Meanwhile, I’ve worked my way from being a player with one of the highest assist records in the league to being one of the highest scorers. I’m becoming invaluable, and Stanley Cup whispers have been happening for the last three seasons. We’ve made the playoffs every year since I was traded to the team.