This wasn’t his first hat trick, but he knew, without a doubt, itwould be the one he always remembered. With that in mind, he skated out before the rink attendants could shovel them all away. He passed Muskies hats in every color, a few red University of Wisconsin hats, and then he stopped.
There, half buried under a black snap-back, was a lavender beanie.
He skated over to it, bending down and picking it up. Before he could think better of it, he lifted the knit cotton to his nose and breathed in.
It was Tyler’s.
He looked up, scanning the crowd. There was no chance of finding his boyfriend among the thousands of fans, but that didn’t matter.
Jamie felt a wave of pride and joy all so tangled together there was no hope of separating them, and he was left breathless.
Tyler was there. He was there, and he was watching.
Jamie held the beanie to his chest, and reached a gloved hand up to his lips. He pressed a kiss to his fingers, and then lifted his hand to the crowd.
The fans' cheers grew louder. He smiled, turning and skating back to the bench. He handed the hat to one of the trainers. “Hang on to this one for me, please.”
When the clock ran out, the team spilled out onto the ice, gathering around Bergy as the crowd roared around them. Jamie basked in it all–the cheers, the flushed, smiling faces of his teammates, and the certainty that they’d played the best hockey they could. After shaking hands with Minnesota, the Muskies gathered in the middle of the ice, sticks lifted in thanks to their fans.
There was a final wave of applause, and Jamie reminded himself to notice the little things–the bite of cold air on his sweat-soaked cheeks, the throbbing in his ribcage where he’d taken a hit. The devotion of the crowd. The smiles on his teammates’ faces as they, too, soaked in this moment.
Finally they headed back to the locker room, exhausted and laughing, still buzzing from the win.
Guys started making plans for going out afterwards as they tore the tape from their pants and started stripping off their gear. Someone put on Beyoncé, and Jamie was bobbing his head to “Hold Up” as he unlaced his skates.
“You coming out tonight, Cap?” Cody asked from across the room.
Jamie thought about it. It would be good to celebrate with the team tonight. They’d done something incredible out there on the ice.
But tonight there was something he wanted more. Somewhere he’d rather be.
“I’ll join you for one, but then I’m going to head home and see my boys,” Jamie said. “You guys go out and have fun.” He chuckled, shaking his head as he tossed his jersey into the laundry cart. “But make sure you watch out for snowmen.”
Beside him, Mitch laughed. Jamie just smiled, ignoring the confused looks the rest of the guys gave him.
There was a particular energy that came in the wake of winning a big game. A hum in Jamie’s bones, a rolling boil that needed an outlet, somewhere to go. It cut through the exhaustion and the aches in his muscles.
He climbed out of his truck, the garage door closed behind him. He’d joined the guys for a beer at Caps, but had made a quick exit.
He was ready to be home.
He dropped his bag to the floor. It was quiet.
“Jamie?”
Tyler was sitting on the couch, legs tucked up under him, with a blanket wrapped tightly around his body. When he saw Jamie, his face transformed into a bright, radiant smile that hit Jamie like a blow to the chest.
Then Tyler was on his feet, running on bare feet across the rug.He jumped up into Jamie’s waiting arms, wrapping his arms and legs around his body like a koala. Jamie let out a laugh as he settled his hands under Tyler’s ass.
Jamie felt a warm puff of breath against his neck, and buried his face into Tyler’s hair.
“Hi,” Jamie breathed.
A kiss ghosted the side of his neck. “You were amazing,” Tyler said softly. “I mean, I knew you had to be good at hockey, but you arereally fucking good at hockey.”
Jamie laughed. “I’m so glad you were there.”
“Remember that one time when you were drunk and sad and shouting about how you couldn’t captain the Muskies for shit?”
