Page 94 of The Home Game

But what could any of them do at this point? They’d just make it worse if they tried to untangle this mess now.

“So, how did you two meet?” Judy asked.

“Uhhh,” Antoni said. “Um …”

“Well, come on, tell her about the fact that you took one look at Matty and knew he was the one,” Alexis said, her tone teasing.

Antoni smiled while trying not to have a panic attack. The little shit was having fun with this! And God, he loved seeing Alexis happy and playful again, but not like this!

“That sounds an awful lot like the story of when my parents met,” Antoni managed tightly, though he kept a smile on his face.

“Yep!” Alexis grinned. “Just like that. Make sense that you and Matty would run into each other though since Uncle Enzo and Aunt Eliza live two streets over, right?”

“That does make sense,” Antoni admitted through clenched teeth.

“Oh how sweet,” Judy said with a smile. “I knew my wife was the one when I met her too.”

“Yeah?” Antoni asked. He hadn’t even known Judy was a lesbian. Or bi. He shouldn’t assume. After all, look at Matty. He’d totally missed that one.

“Yeah, we were at a Pride event actually,” Judy said, her tone fond.

“Oh, I love marching at Pride,” Matty said, grinning. “Did you know the team has been doing that for years? Before anyone on the roster came out.”

“I did know that. I’ve been really pleased to see how supportive the Fisher Cats organization is. It really makes you feel like things are changing for the better, doesn’t it?” She looked between Matty and Antoni. “So what about you, Matty? Did you know Antoni was the one for you the moment you met?”

“Ahh, well,” Matty said. “Not quite. I, uh, I’m demisexual. So it was a little slower. But I just … I immediately felt a draw to get to know him and the kids.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “You weren’t dating before he had the kids? Did I misunderstand?”

Matty’s eyes widened.

Antoni scrambled to explain. Fuck, they really needed to get their stories straight. “Um, well, you see—”

“We started off as friends,” Matty blurted out and Antoni shot him a grateful look.

“Well, that’s always a great basis for a relationship,” Judy commented with an approving look.

“My mom always says it’s the best one!” Matty said with a charming smile. “That’s how my parents met and they’ve been married for decades.”

Judy tilted her head to study both of their faces. “So, just to be clear about this …”

Antoni sighed. “Judy, the truth is, I was dating a guy named Keith when Bethany and Corey died. He bailed on us. After I had some time to come to terms with it and realize that was for the best, I was—I was in the neighborhood and Matty found me in my van crying. He invited me in for a snack and to talk, and he was—he was like no one I’d ever met before. The kindest, most caring man I’d ever encountered. As we got to know each other better, our feelings grew and when it was time for me to move, it seemed like a natural choice to move in here. I hope that’s not going to create problems for my custody but I do want to be honest with you.”

Damn it, he hated lying. It didn’t feel right. This was as close to the truth as he could get without making this whole situation worse. Lying by omission was better than flat-out being dishonest, right?

Or was that just a weak attempt on his part to make himself feel better?

Judy’s smile was soft. “Of course. I don’t necessarily think there’s an issue. We just want to be sure that the children are in a stable, loving home with adequate support.”

“They are,” Antoni said firmly.

“Oh! You should tell Judy about the wedding plans!” Alexis said brightly.

Antoni let out a strangled noise. She’d been so quiet he’d almost forgotten she was there. “The wedding?”

“Yeah.” She sauntered over to the refrigerator and pulled out a can of the flavored carbonated water she was obsessed with. “You know, you and Matty getting hitched.”

Antoni stole a glance at Matty and the tips of his ears were red. Jesus, Matty was going to regret that he’d ever met Antoni and the kids.

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