Page 167 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 1

“I know who you are,” Uncle Nate said. “I watched you play, Caden. You’re a talented guy. And you make my Beckett happy.”

Caden’s ears twitched and his eyes lit up. “He deserves it. We gave each other hell for a while, Sir.”

“Oh, drop the ‘Sir.’ I’m Nate.” My uncle had the effortless charisma of a guy who had spent his life in the spotlight. He released Caden and tucked his hands into his pockets. Our breaths were misty in the cold night, but Uncle Nate wasn’t rushing to get anywhere. “Beckett tells me he was afraid of what I’d say. What do you make of that? Does your family know? Don’t answer if it’s too personal.” Uncle Nate chuckled and shrugged like an innocent boy. It was an odd thing to see a thirty-nine-year-old do, but he could pull it off.

Caden gave his question some thought, then shook his head. “I’m not surprised.” He inhaled and looked from me to Uncle Nate. “That’s what coming out does to you. We learn about ourselves in the shadows. And when the time comes to tell people, you start questioning even the strongest relationships you have.” His attention turned back to my eyes like I was the only person on the planet. “Even those who love you no matter what, you start doubting they can get past the truth of who you are. But they love you. And love’s a promise as much as it is an emotion.”

Silence settled for a little while, and we looked into each other’s eyes. I wanted to inscribe those words in my heart. I wanted to make that promise to Caden.

Uncle Nate cleared his throat. “That’s wonderful, Caden. And I think I’ll leave you now, huh? I’ll catch you at the bar.”

I nodded at Uncle Nate, but my attention returned to Caden in the next instant. “I love you,” I whispered. “I almost can’t believe it, Caden, considering how we kicked things off, but you’re all that makes me happy.”

Caden blinked quickly, like there was a threat of tears to deal with, and stepped closer. Our big winter jackets brushed one against the other. “You make me happy, Beckett. Maybe you used to be my sworn enemy, but you became my friend. And you’re my captain. And you’re the guy I love.”

“Do you really mean that?” I asked.

He knew which part. He chuckled. “I do. You deserve the captaincy, Beckett. And it’s my honor to follow you.”

I took the lapels of his jacket and pulled him in. “If it means anything, I really expected Coach Murray to name you.”

He snorted. “I knew I saw the surprise on your face. I knew it.”

I pulled him in and wiped the smugness of his face with a searing kiss on his lips. I slipped my tongue in just to see how far I could take him, but he followed me eagerly. Suddenly, the prospect of partying with the team seemed less exciting than other things I could do. But I was the captain. Even if I had to suffer the anticipation of some private time with Caden for the rest of the night, I would because the team had questions and we had the answers.

“My love,” I murmured over his lips.

“I’ll never get used to hearing that,” Caden huffed.

I could have kissed him all night when he said that. “My love,” I purred. “Let’s have some fun. The sooner we get there…”

“…the sooner we can leave,” he finished for me.

We kissed again, snickering, and forced ourselves to walk. We held hands and my heart danced and danced without a break. And each step we made brought me closer to another destination. Each step was a moment in time and each moment reminded me that all of this was real.

Sure, we were going to the Thirsty Thinker to toast our victory. But as we put one foot in front of the other, we moved toward a life filled with lust, joy, and love.

EPILOGUE

Christmas Eve - One Year Later

“Sweet Baby Jesus,” Beckett whimpered. “That’s cold.”

I watched him tiptoe on the thin layer of fresh snow over the huge wooden deck. He had a towel around his waist, but that did little to protect his bare torso against the thick snowflakes that were falling around us. The early evening resembled night this deep in the forest. The only source of light was coming from Nate’s sprawling vacation home. The subdued glow of yellow lights, dimmed for our evening coziness, touched the deck and the giant hot tub Beckett was tackling.

“I don’t think I want to do this,” I said. My comfort zone was stretched already simply by being here. It seemed like a huge responsibility to visit a man’s house for the first time and treat it like my own home, all the while Nate was in the city. Trying out the hot tub in the flurry of snow was maybe a little too much.

But Beckett stood next to it and dipped one hand into the steaming, bubbling water. “Oh, yeah. That’s the good stuff.” He ignored my words and untied the towel. Even though there wasn’t another house for miles, my muscles stiffened. He was totally naked, out in the open, while snow covered the deck I had cleared just a few hours earlier. “Come, baby, before my balls freeze off.”

I let out a disgruntled sound and stomped across the deck. It was like walking on needles. Each freezing step punctured my feet and sent icicles through my veins. Wherever a snowflake kissed my bare torso, a searing sensation remained. It confused my senses. “There’s no way this can be worth it.”

Beckett shivered and gave me his hand. “Get in. It gets better.”

I didn’t believe him. When I was a boy, we opened our pool during the summer. And in the winter, we built snowmen. It was the right way.

I tossed my towel next to Beckett’s. They would be buried under snow soon, I was sure.

We climbed a few stairs and entered the tub. Instantly, I remembered the story of cooking a living frog. This was not what human bodies were meant for. The bubbling surface made me think of boiling water, especially since no snowflake survived long enough in the rising steam to touch me once I lowered my body into the hot water.