"I know this might change how some of you feel about my leadership,"Rylan continues."I'll understand if--"
"Oh, fuck that noise,"Louis interrupts, standing up."You're our captain. End of story."
A murmur of agreement ripples through the room.
Austin stands, and for one horrible second, I think he's going to walk out. But he moves toward Rylan instead. He's wearing his usual scowl, but I think that ornery look is hiding a loadof emotions right now."You're the best team captain I've ever played with,"he saysfinally."Nothing changes that. Anyone who has a problem with this is going to have to deal with me."
They exchange a hug, and the look on Rylan's face is pure relief mixed with gratitude.
"Should've told us sooner, Cap,"Santucci rumbles from his seat in the corner."Could've set you up with my cousin Marco. He's a doctor."
A surprised laugh escapes Rylan, and the smile on his face is one of his rare genuine ones. He's so fucking gorgeous when he's happy.
"I appreciate the thought, Santucci, but..."His eyes find mine again."I'mactually... taken..."
My heart stops.
"Jamie and I..."He takes a deep breath."We're...together. I mean, I hope we are. But either way, I'm done hiding."
Just then Carson Wells clears his throat from where he's standing at the back of the room. I must have missed him coming in.
"The team stands behind both of you.Completely."His eyes sweep the room."If anyone has a problem with that, they can come see me."
"Fuck that,"Louis sayscheerfully."They'll have to get through us first."He stands to wrap his best friend in a bear hug, and just like that, the tension in the room shatters.
I'm moving before I realize it. As I make my way down to the front of the room, Austin catches my eye for a moment before dipping his chin in my direction. I take it as both a blessing and a warning all at once.
Louis releases Rylan, who watches me approach with wide, vulnerable eyes.
"Hey."My voice is rough. Everything I want to say crowds my throat: how proud I am, how brave he is, how fucking much I love him. But the only thing that comes out is,"You okay?"
A small, tentative smile crosses his face."I don't know yet."He reaches for my hand and squeezes it hard."But I think I will be."
The room erupts around us. Charlie starts calling for a celebration party at Bigfoot's, as Coach Shaw gathers his notes with a satisfied smile. Louis has a proud smile on his face as he chats with Tanner,and the group of rookies in the back start talking about some video game tournament they're running among themselves.
But Ibarelynotice any of it. Because Rylan's hand is still in mine, and for the first time since I've known him, his captain's mask is nowhere to be found.
"Jamie..."he starts, but Charlie interrupts by throwing an arm around both our shoulders.
"Right then! We're going for drinks at Bigfoot's. No arguments! This calls for a proper celebration."
"He's right."Louis's voice is rough, but there's a proud smile on his face."Plus you owe us drinks for keeping this secret for so long."
"Deal,"Rylan laughs, his fingers tightening around mine."But I think we might need a minute first."
Louisimmediatelystarts herding everyone toward the door, ignoring Charlie's protests."Come on, you animals. Let's go, first round's on me. We'll save you both a seat,"he calls over his shoulder, pulling the door closed behind him.
As the room empties, Rylan turns to face me. His hand trembles in mine, but his eyes are clear. Sure. Like he's found his way home.
Chapter 39
The makeup artist's brush feels strange against my skin as lights and cameras get adjusted around me. Twenty-four hours ago, I was sitting in my car in the practice facility parking lot, gathering the courage to call my dad. Now I'm about to come out to the entire hockey world.
"Nervous?" Declan asks quietly as the crew does final checks on the lighting. He's ditched his usual press pass and rumpled journalist look for a proper suit - this is going out live on the network's website and social platforms.
"Surprisingly not." And it's true. After telling my dad, after standing in front of my team... this feels like the natural next step. The PR team worked through the night to set this up, wanting to control the narrative before rumors could spread. Carson's choice of Declan for the interview wasn't random - he's proven himself an ally, someone who refused to out us even when Nathan was shopping the story around.
"Just let me tell my story," I'd told Carson yesterday when we were planning this. "No ambush questions, no speculation about other players. Just... my truth."
