“Taylor Piers,” a voice beckoned from behind him. Taylor turned and faced Sean Armstrong and gave him a polite smile and nod.
He offered his hand out to give Sean a handshake, but Sean took his hand and pulled him in for a hug. “Welcome to Jacksonville,” he said. For some reason it made the hairs on the back of Taylor’s neck stand up when he said that.
“Thanks for having me. I’m looking forward to helping with the camps,” Taylor told him kindly. He told himself to put on a brave face and to hold himself together for Fletcher’s sake.
Sean looked at Fletcher and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s so good to see you,” he told him before pulling Fletcher in for a hug that probably lasted a little longer than it should. Fromthe look Fletcher gave him from behind Sean’s back, Taylor got the idea that this was out of character for Sean to act like this.
“Your grandfather will be so glad to see you again. It’s been too long, son,” Sean told Fletcher.
“I know,” Fletcher said plainly. Sean shifted past them both to sit next to his wife. Lauren was in the middle and Taylor and Fletcher were at the end of the aisle.
“I’m really fucking weirded out,” Fletcher whispered to Taylor.
Lauren must’ve overheard because she poked her head out and mouthed “see what I mean?” to Fletcher. Fletcher just nodded as the lights went dim.
A band walked up on stage and told everyone to stand up while they played three or four songs. Taylor didn’t really catch what any of them were saying because he was too focused on the fact that they had fog machines, strobe lights, and other little special effects that added to their performance.
This was a concert church, Taylor decided to call it. It was a full-on concert.
Finally, the lead guitarist told everyone that they were allowed to take their seats. Taylor held his breath as William “Bubba” Armstrong walked onto the stage. Probably one of the greatest hockey legends in the NHL to date. He was starstruck to say the least.
Although Fletcher and his dad had a horrible relationship, Fletcher had still looked up to his grandfather and valued a lot of his principles. Bubba Armstrong was known as a force to be reckoned with on the ice and a major philanthropist. And a pastor.
It was honestly intimidating to date Fletcher knowing he came from such an influential family. Not because they were rich, but because the Armstrongs were so beloved by most NHLfans. Bubba Armstrong put Florida on the map as one of the major teams to beat. Even Taylor could admit that the Manatees were good. It wasn’t until Sean Armstrong signed with the Manatees that a huge rivalry between the Manatees and the Seaporters was formed. Sean Armstrong was two years older than Pancek, but they had been pitted against one another since Pancek joined the NHL because of an interview Armstrong did, claiming that Pancek was a joke.
Taylor had been obsessed with Bubba Armstrong long before he knew Fletcher. He was even a huge Sean Armstrong fan when he was younger. When he learned that he would be playing with Bubba Armstrong’s grandson at the first hockey camp he attended, Taylor was excited. Until Sean Armstrong steamrolled over everything and crushed Taylor’s dream of being a team captain.
Regardless, it was still kind of surreal seeing him up on the stage, even if he was preaching about something Taylor couldn’t really bother to pay much attention to.
Not when his boyfriend sat next to him, tapping his foot and fidgeting with his hands. Taylor hated that he couldn’t reach over and hold Fletcher’s hand or even rest one on Fletcher’s leg to try and help calm him. He couldn’t bear to see Fletcher so nervous. He was going to be whoever Fletcher needed him to be while they were in Florida for the next two weeks. He would be his teammate. His best friend. And in the privacy of Fletcher’s apartment Taylor would be his boyfriend and do his best to take care of him.
The service went by pretty quick. Taylor honestly didn’t even hear a lick of what Bubba was trying to preach about. After the service ended, they all stood up. Taylor was introduced to a few of the retired Manatees players he knew briefly about. It kindof startled him to know they had all heard his name. Taylor didn’t want to think of himself as famous or anything, but it made him feel proud of himself that he had made a name for himself in the NHL. Enough that even retired players had been keeping tabs on him.
Fletcher’s mom asked if they were going to join everyone back at his parent’s house for brunch, but Fletcher told her that he was going to show Taylor the beach. Taylor had never seen the East Coast beach, so he was pretty excited.
Before they went to the beach, though, Fletcher stopped at a car wash. He shot off the occasional complaint about the fact that Lauren had his car all scratched up as the car went through the automatic car wash line. He pulled into a spot that had vacuums and Taylor helped Fletcher collect all of the trash to dispose of it.
“What if we drove back to Seattle?” Fletcher asked once they were nearing the beach. “I’m not leaving this here for anyone in my family to mess up.”
Taylor looked at him and smiled. “A last-minute cross-country road trip? That’ll take us, what, a week maybe?”
Fletcher shrugged but kept his eyes on the road. “Could be fun. Just the two of us.”
“Gas, hotels, food. How are we going to afford my in-unit laundry?” Taylor joked.
“Honestly, I think my rich hockey player boyfriend could swing it,” Fletcher said, reaching over to hold Taylor’s hand to kiss it.
“Well, I hope you and him live a happy life together,” he laughed.
“We will.”
36
The Fourth of July
Fletcher’s parents owned a decent sized home on the St. John’s River. It was an older home compared to a lot of new homes in the area. Believe it or not, ninety percent of the homes within a five-mile radius of Fletcher’s hadn’t even been built twenty years ago.
He really liked his family’s home. It was a classic Florida suburban home built in the seventies. His parents renovated it when Fletcher was younger, but his mom had an appreciation for the natural wood built-ins and the asymmetrical slope of the roof. There were tons of skylights and overhead windows that filled the home with natural light. It was a good place to grow up.
