“Thanks,” I said dryly.
Griffin’s lips twitched. “Did the performance issue start before the relationship?”
“Yeah. The relationship is the only thing that’s helped. Living with Marco, having his support—it’s made things better, not worse.”
“Then here’s the thing,” Griffin said. “If Greer is looking for a reason to trade you, he’ll find one whether you come out or not. You said your performance is down. That’s already his reason. Coming out doesn’t change that part of the equation.”
“But it could make it worse,” Marco said. “He could point to team chemistry concerns, media distraction, locker room issues?—”
“He could,” Wesley interjected. “But he could also do those things without you coming out. If he wants to move you, he’ll justify it however he needs to.”
Griffin met my eyes. “The question is—will coming out help or hurt your performance?”
I thought about Marco’s phone calls before games. “It helps,” I admitted. “Having Marco back in the locker room with me helps. Not having to hide from the team, not having to worry about being caught—that would help too.”
“Then you’re looking at this backwards,” Griffin said. “You’re not risking your career by coming out. You’re giving yourself the best chance to save it.” The breath caught in my lungs.
I glanced at Marco. He was staring at Griffin, hisexpression stunned, like he’d just been given the answer to a question he’d been asking for months.
“He’s right,” Marco said quietly. “Étienne, he’s right.”
“Okay,” I murmured to myself. Then stronger, “Okay. What’s next?”
“Then the full team,” Wesley said. “Before you go public. They need to hear it from you directly, not from social media or the news. Give them time to process, to ask questions if they need to.”
“And then?” Marco asked.
“Then you go public,” Wesley said. “Social media would be the smartest way for your situation. You write a joint statement, post a photo of you together, and control your own narrative. Just your truth, in your words.”
“We can help you with the statement,” Griffin offered. “Wesley’s brilliant at this stuff.”
Wesley grinned. “It’s literally my job.”
“What about timing?” I asked. The question that had been sitting heavy in my chest since we decided to talk to them. “When should we do it?”
Wesley and Griffin exchanged another look.
“Christmas is Thursday.” Wesley stated. “Are you going home to visit?”
Marco shook his head. “There’s not enough time with the game schedule. But I’ll video call when my family’s together.”
“I’ll call my father,” I said softly, thinking of my papa sitting alone in a cold, sterile house in Trois-Rivières.
Wesley was quiet for a moment, thinking. “Here’s my professional opinion. Don’t come out publicly right before Christmas. That puts too much pressure on everyone. It would be messy.”
“Tell your families early in the week,” Griffin said. “Monday or Tuesday. Give them the holiday to process, but you won’t have to lie during your calls.”
“Then come out to management and the team after Christmas,” Wesley continued. “When everyone’s back. Tell the team in person.”
Griffin added, “Give your teammates a day or two to process before the media storm hits. That way, they’re not blindsided.”
I did the math in my head. “So… tell families Monday or Tuesday. Tell a teammate—Kinnunen—maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. Then Christmas break. Then when we’re back…”
“Tell management and the team,” Wesley said. “Then go public a day or two later. That gives everyone time to prepare, time to process, but keeps the momentum going so you’re not sitting on it for too long.”
“When do you come back from Christmas break?” Griffin asked.
“We have a game Saturday,” Marco said. “At home, against Utah. Then another game at home on Monday.”
