“What? That’s great!”
“Yeah …” He frowns. “In education.”
Huh? Okay, not what I was expecting. “Umm … education?”
His lips flatten. “Coaching, actually—a minor certificate—but this is why I haven’t said anything.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“There’s … there’s something I didn’t tell you about that call with my father.”
“What is it?”
“He technically gave me an out. He said if I can prove myself and create a future that will fund the type of lifestyle I want, then he won’t force me to do a job I clearly have no interest in.”
My face lights up. “That’s amazi—”
“No, it’s not. I mean, yeah, it will be if I can pull it off, but it’s a lot of pressure, and it’s a lot more classes. I thought I could handle it, but I’m already burning out.”
“What are you going to do with a business degree and coaching minor?”
Beck takes a deep breath. “I don’t know,” he mumbles.
Oh, he so knows.
“We’re a team. We just established that. I won’t judge you for anything you say.”
Beck cocks his brow at me.
“Okay, if you want to teach aliens how to play hockey on Mars, I will judge you, but I would never belittle what you want to do for the rest of your life.”
“Unless it’s aliens.”
I nod. “Exactly.”
Beck bites his lip. “I … I want to run a hockey camp that teaches high school kids how to play at the collegiate level.” His words come out hurried, but I catch every one of them.
“That’s …”
“It’s stupid.” He waves me off. “I don’t even know if it could make me money or give me a stable lifestyle. If not, my dad’s going to shut it down and force me to go to New York, and—”
I cut off his self-deprecating wallowing with a kiss, and when I think he won’t keep rambling, I kiss him some more for good measure.
When I pull back, he doesn’t say anything.
“You know, your dad can’t force you to go to New York and do anything.”
“He can. He controls all my finances, he pays my tuition, and … and you’re frowning at me.”
“I’m not. I’m … okay, maybe I am a little, but—”
Beck lifts me off him and stands, pacing the room. “This is why I didn’t say anything. I’m scrambling to keep myself from being cut off, and you hate my money to begin with, so I don’t expect you to understand.”
I slowly stand. “I do get it. If I had as much money as you, I wouldn’t want to lose it either. But some things are worth standing up for. Some things are worth fighting for.” I step closer to him. “And Teddy? You are worth fighting for. You deserve to be happy. Money or no money, you at least deserve that. Stop looking at the short-term win of placating your father. What do you want in the long run, and how can you work toward your ultimate goal?”
“I want to run my own camp,” Beck says with new determination. “I mean, I know it will be a lot of work, and I’d have to find a position as a coach for a few years and work my way up to it, but I thought …” He sucks in another deep breath. “I figured, with your degree—you did sports medicine courses, right? Having a physiotherapist on board would be smart, and you could coach too because you’re so good, and—”
I break into a smile. “You’ve thought about us together in years to come?”
Beck’s mouth drops open. “No? I mean … hypothetically?” His voice cracks, and it’s so damn adorable.
I move to wrap my arms around him. “Admit it. You love me,” I murmur in his ear.
He lowers his head and nods. “I love you too.”
I slap his ass. “Good. Then we have some work to do.”
“Work?”
“We’re going to figure out a way for you to get what you want, impress your dad, and start working toward your hockey camp idea all without killing yourself from exhaustion.”
“Y-you’re going to help?”
I take a seat at my desk and open my laptop. “What are teammates for?”
Beck kisses my head. “Partners.”
I lift my chin so I can look at him standing over me. “Partners. Whatever happens next year, I want to do it together.”
He leans over me, touching his lips to mine. “You’re pretty good at this boyfriend thing.”
Beck tries to pull away, but I grab the back of his neck to kiss him again, deeper and slower, with no thoughts of it leading further than where we’re at. And maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves, maybe this future we’re planning won’t happen at all, but the great thing is, we don’t need to figure it out right now.
As long as we have a plan, our stubborn asses will make it happen.
32
Beck
I have no idea why the thought of telling Jacobs about my father’s ultimatum and my plan to set myself free was so daunting.