Page 60 of Broken Ice, Mended Hearts

Kev grinned. “No worries. I already ordered beer for the carts.”

As we walked outside, Stick asked, “You guys ready for training camp? Only a week away.”

My stomach clenched. I’d been trying not to think about it because I didn’t want to be separated from Sven. Since the Cudas were using the arena for our camp, the Congressmen had to look for another location, since their training facility was too small to accommodate all the tryouts who would be there. The Carolina Hounds held their camp at a university in Arizona, so the Congressmen would use the Hounds’ arena in Charlotte.

“Guess so,” I said. “No choice, so I may as well be.”

Sven brushed his hand against mine. “Same.” He didn’t sound any happier than I had.

We claimed one cart, and Stick and Kev shared the other. The game began well, with none of us embarrassing ourselves. Sven turned out to be the best golfer in the bunch, by far. Kev and I held our own, but Stick struggled with a wicked slice. After the third hole, he asked for Sven’s advice. Since no one was breathing down our necks, Sven gave him a mini lesson.

Afterward, noticeably improved, Stick grinned. “Thanks, Meatballs. I owe you.”

Sven looked confused. “Meatballs? No one ever called me that until I came here, so how do you know about it?”

Stick chuckled as he slid his club back into his bag. “Eckie told me. He heard it from Jack.”

I snorted. “The gossip pool must have gotten pretty low this summer if people are talking about nicknames.”

Kev broke into a crooked smile. “You know the hockey world. We have no secrets from each other.”

Sven glanced at me, then back at Kev. “I’m proud of the name.” Cupping his nuts through his shorts like he had with Jack and Eckie a couple of months earlier, he said, “Nice that everybody’s jealous of my massive meatballs.”

Chortling, we all climbed back into the carts. On the way to the fourth hole, Sven sighed and mimicked Kev’s voice. “You know the hockey world. We have no secrets from each other.”

“Complete with a fucking smirk that reached all the way to Baltimore,” I said. “I’ll ask if they know. If they don’t, it’s time to tell them.”

At the next hole, Sven teed off, and we all watched his ball soar most of the way to the green. Stick looked at his club and played with the grip. Without glancing up, he said, “Heard you guys had lunch with Blake and Sako one day.”

“Sako said they enjoyed it a lot,” Kev added.

I loved Stick and Kev, but they were being so transparent it made them seem stupid. Shaking my head, I asked, “All right, you clowns, what else have you heard?”

Stick raised his head and grinned at me. “That you two spent the summer together.”

“Blake said you’ve been seeing each other,” Kev threw in. “And Eckie and Jack said you were eye-fucking one day before a workout.”

“What if we were?” I asked, glancing at Sven. He was smiling, so I relaxed.

“Tyler and I were glad to hear it,” Kev said. “We know you didn’t go on vacation, and we’d have hated to think you were lonely.”

“Jacob and I were happy about it too,” Stick said, then nodded at Sven. “Jacob’s my better half, if you don’t already know. He said he’s always thought you were handsome, and he’s glad you and Gags are…”

Stick glanced at Kev, who said, “Hanging out.”

“Fuck off, you two.” I tried to sound serious, but it didn’t work. “You’re both assholes.”

Laughing, they looked back and forth between Sven and me. “It’s true, then?” Stick asked. “You’re a couple?”

Sven stepped closer and reached for my hand. “We are.”

“Fuck yeah!” Kev said. “I’m happy for both of you, but there was a time I’d never have believed it.” He smirked, then used a terrible fake French accent to say, “There’s nothing wrong with being gay, but Gagné’s a man’s man, you know? Can you imagine him giving it up to another dude?”

Stick shook his head. “No, I can’t. I mean, we’re all real tough, but Gagné’s a different kind of man.”

They broke into laughter and turned to Sven and me. I glanced at Sven, panicked because I hadn’t wanted him to know what I’d said. It was shameful, and I hoped it wouldn’t make him back away from me. Irritation and embarrassment merged into pissed-off frustration, and I caught Nick and Kev in a stare. “Fuck you both. I’m sorry, okay? I was confused back then and didn’t know what I was saying.”

“What the hell is this about?” Sven asked.

---