“He hugged me.” The wonder in Skyler’s voice was audible. “Erik Lindqvist grabbed me with the biggest hands in human history, pulled me into his mountainous chest, and hugged me in the middle of a parking garage. Then he told me he was proud of me for being brave enough to be honest.”
My cheeks pinched from the smile parting my lips. “That’s amazing, Sky.”
“He said Linnea’s going to love you because you make me happy, and anyone who makes me happyis family.” Skyler’s laugh was shaky with emotion. “Family, Jacks. He called youfamilybefore he’s even met you.”
“I might cry.”
“I already did. Twice. In the parking garage. Then again before I called. I’m becoming the guy who has emotional breakdowns in concrete structures.”
I laughed. “Could be worse places, I guess.”
“At least parking garages have good acoustics for sobbing.” He paused. “I feel like I could take on the world right now. Tyler and Erik, they made it all seem so simple, like this is just another part of who I am, not some earth-shattering revelation.”
“Because itissimple. To the people who matter, it’s you being happy.”
“Exactly.” His voice gained momentum again. “Which is why I want to tell everyone: my parents, the team, the front office—”
“Sky.” I kept my tone gentle. “Remember what we talked about? About pacing yourself and building your support system first.”
He was quiet for a moment, and I could almost hear the air whooshing out of the balloon. That hadn’t been my intention, but it was necessary.
“You’re right,” he said. “I know you’re right. I’m so . . . God, I feel like I’m buzzing, like I could run a marathon or bench-press a car.”
“Channel that energy into something productive. Call your parents. They should hear it from you before anyone else.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” He took a breath. “Will you help me figure out the timing for everything else? When I’m ready to go bigger?”
“Of course. We’ll do it together if you want, but only when you’re sure. This isn’t something you can say and take back.”
“Okay. I’ll let you get back to work. See you at the game tomorrow?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
After we hung up, I stood in the hallway for a moment, grinning like an idiot. Two teammates down, and both had been everything Skyler needed them to be. Maybe this would be easier than I’d feared.
I made my way back to the bar, slipping behind the counter to continue restocking. The evening flow swirled around me. Orders were taken, drinks were poured, and conversations hummed over the background music.
It was the normal Tuesday night rhythm.
About thirty minutes later, the front door opened, and I looked up to greet the new customer.
Skyler walked in.
But he didn’t walk in. He practically bounced through the doorway.
He moved through the space with the kinetic energy of someone who’d scaled Mount Everest and was still processing the reality of it. His eyes found mine, and that puppyish smile spread across his face like a sunrise painting the whole damn sky.
He made a beeline for the bar and slid onto his usual stool at the end.
“Hey,” he said.
Before I could respond, Benji materialized beside me like he’d been launched from a cannon.
“Well, well, well,” Benji said, propping his elbows on the bar and grinning at Skyler with unholy glee. “Look who couldn’t stay away. Miss us already, my tasty little lightning bolt?”
“I was in the neighborhood,” Skyler said, which was a lie since we were nowhere near his neighborhood. Notably, he didn’t so much as flinch at Benji’s taunt. He usually crawled under the barstool.
“Uh-huh, and I’m sure it has nothing to do with our dear Jacks here.” Benji’s grin widened. “You know, it’s funny. Ever since you started coming around, Jacks has been . . . different.”
