Page 115 of Play Maker

Coach was silent and still. I looked at Jace, who was fighting a smile and shaking his head.

“What?” I asked.

“Maybe use a little more finesse next time,” Jace replied, the edge of his lips curled up.

“It is what it is. We’re boyfriends,” I stated bluntly. “We’re together, as in having se?—”

“Okay, Lund,” Coach held his hand up. “I get it. Well, I don’t, because I thought you two couldn’t stand each other, but what do I know? Hockey’s my specialty, not human relations.”

“I’m going to come out to the team,” I offered. “But given my past behavior when it came to Maddox and Kayden, I’d like to tell them first. Dane already knows.”

Banning sighed and rubbed a hand over his head.

“This concerns me,” Coach started. “Not just because of how you’ve acted around each other since September but the fact that you often play the same line. That’s a lot of pressure for any player, and at this level, even more so. How are you going to cope with that? Axel, I know you were angry about my decision to name Jace center, and, Jace, sometimes your temper runs just as hot. Throw in a relationship, and we’re talking about a lot of emotions.”

“I know I wasn’t ready for that role,” I admitted, my face flushing hot. “I just didn’t want to accept it. Maybe I will be, someday, but not yet. I’ve still got work to do when it comes to my confidence and my game.”

That wasn’t easy to admit, not about myself, and not about Jace. But it was the truth.

Coach glanced at Jace.

“We can do this. I can do this,” Jace replied. “I can separate the personal from the game. It’s why you trust me as the center. I swear, Axel and I are good. Well, better than good, obviously.”

Jace and I shared a heated look and it had me swallowing hard.

Banning steepled his hands together and leaned forward on his desk.

“Personally, it’s none of my business, but professionally, if your relationship affects the team, it is. Stick to your job when you step into this rink. That means no personal stuff while you’re in uniform, got it?”

“Yes, Coach,” we answered in unison.

“Even at practice,” he emphasized. “Like today.”

“Yes, Coach,” we repeated.

He motioned to the door.

“Go on. Get. And send me an update on the fundraiser first thing Monday morning,” he added. “And don’t say ‘yes, Coach’, just go.”

Relieved, I got up and headed for the door first, opening it for Jace.

“I think that went well,” I whispered when we finally hit the hallway and were alone again.

“Are you sure?” Jace leaned in. “That’s not exactly how I pictured Coach finding out about us. I mean, are you okay after that talk?”

I nodded. “I feel relieved. No more hiding.”

“You heard what he said though. Are you sure you’re going to be able to resist me in uniform?”

I returned Jace’s smile.

“That, I don’t know.”

I made big decisions this week and felt like I was finally coming into my own.

I texted Kayden later that day and asked him and Maddox to meet up with me, Jace, and Dane in my room. After everyone settled down with a soda and a slice of pizza, I was ready to tellthem about me and Jace. And to apologize to my teammates, yet again.

Maddox seemed shocked by the news, but Kayden, not so much.

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