Phil dropped his hand in shock.“Seriously?”
“Seriously.Being a Sinclair has given me nothing but misery.And we’re a family now, right?”
A slow smile spread across Phil’s face.“Yeah, we are.I told you I’d make you learn what that means.”
“You did.So I think we should make it official.”
Charlie looked between them.“I still think you’re gross, but in, like, a sweet way.”
Phil stuck his tongue out, and Charlie pulled a face in return, and then they had to pay before the restaurant kicked them out.They walked back to the car the long way, the one that led them past the ice cream place Ben found on his phone.
“You know,” Phil said to Charlie in a tone so conversational it had to be fake.“Just…throwing this out there.I’m really not trying to be your dad or anything, but if Ben does take my name, well.We’re married.We could legally adopt you some day.And then you wouldn’t have to keep your name either if it turns out to be a burden.”
Charlie stayed quiet for a very long time, studying the ice cream flavors.He picked pistachio, an awful choice.
“I’m going to have to think about it,” he said once he had his cone in hand.“But just so you know, you’re a fucking awesome dad.”
If, on the way to the car, Ben slipped his hand into Phil’s and squeezed very tightly, well, no one saw.
Epilogue
“Hockey season is coming back soon!After an absolute whirlwind of a 24/25 season in which the Sea Lions made it to the Western Conference Finals despite all the odds being against them—literally, after one of their coaches was arrested for running an illegal betting scheme where he made money off of players’ injuries—the boys are back and ready to prove they can do it again.But who are the new coaches?What will the lineup be?Can last year’s rookie Kilian Howard keep his place after an uneven performance record?And what about Phil Easton, who rejoined the team for an average of twelve minutes per game for the playoffs after being on LTIR all season?His contract runs out the day before training camp, and there has been no news so far.”
Top comments:
phileastonfanclub: Re-sign Phil!Re-sign Phil!No, but seriously.Dude rehabbed a whole-ass ACL in six months.If they trade him now, it would suck so bad.
sealions4lyfe: Yesss so excited to see the boys in action again!
hockeyfanofcolor88: Cool to see the same journalist who called for Easton’s trade in February acting like that wasn’t a totally ghoulish thing to do [upside down emoji]
(From “Hockey Season Starts Tomorrow” by Olivia Starling.Printed inThe San Francisco Herald, 09/15/2025)
“So, how are you feeling about the start of the season?”Michelle asked brightly.
“Didn’t we just talk about that for an hour?”Phil asked.
“No, I mean, like.Are the guys looking good?”
“Oh.”Phil considered.After the playoff disappointment of last year, it was hard to say.They’d made it to the Conference Finals, but they’d lost to Seattle.His last game would forever be a game six loss in their home arena, and it had taken a week of moping for that to sting less.Still, shortly after the New York Pioneers had taken the Cup for the third time in their history, the trial against Trout finally ended, and Ben was able to publish his articles on the matter.Sports media called it a miracle that the Sea Lions made it to the playoffs at all, let alone to the final four.
With the owner, GM, and the coaching staff all being replaced, summer trades were minimal despite everyone’s fears.No one in the new front office really knew the players, so no one knew what to do with them.They’d lost Mats to Calgary, which was a wrench, but otherwise, the team looked solid.Phil still wished Pulvermacher had faced the consequences for his actions, but by the time the news broke, he’d long since accepted the job in Arizona.They hadn’t fired him on the grounds that he hadn’t placed any bets himself and had, instead, tried to uncover the betting.As for the homophobia he’d displayed by choosing to leave rather than support the team’s work with the LGBTQIA+ community, well, Arizona hadn’t even bothered commenting.
Phil would love to comment, but he’d sat through several media strategy sessions with management recently, all of which told him he should not put more fuel on the fire.
Michelle had heard all of his comments about that situation already, though, probably at greater length than she wanted to.
“I think the team is ready to prove to everyone that they can go all the way,” he said.“I know I am.”
“Remember to—”
“Focus on the fun of the game, not how we’re perceived by everyone.I know,” Phil interrupted.“I thought we finished with therapy for the day?”
“Sorry.”Michelle grinned ruefully.“Force of habit.I’ll see you in two weeks?”
He gave her a little salute as he walked out the door.
On his way home, he stopped by the butcher’s and picked up his order.One of the compromises he’d made with Ben about being a normal family was to keep an eye on food waste.Before, Phil had a standing order that kept his pantry fully stocked at all times, but he had to admit there had been a road trip or two when a few things had gone bad before he could get to them.The compromise meant sitting down once a week to plan out their meals and order the necessities for those.Anything else they wanted or needed, they had to pick up at the store like everyone else.
