Page 67 of Puck Lust

My voice trails off.

“It’s gonna destroy him,” I finally say. “It will ruin him in so many ways,ifhe makes it out alive.”

“I think that’s a little dramatic.” Sam sinks into a chair. “But fine, let’s talk about how this plays out. One, we confront him and we’re wrong. You embarrass the dad and the kid and maybe the dad decides not to bring him anymore, which would be terrible because Jeremy has a lot of talent. Two, we confront the guy and we’re right, which, by the way, we wouldn’t know because he’d never admit to it. So the end result is we send the kid home with the deadbeat dad and he beats on him some more because he feels like the kid sold him out. Three, we do nothing and wait.”

“Wait for what? The longer the kid is in that kind of place without any protection, the more desperate he’s gonna get. We don’t know his circumstances. He might not have anyone else in his life or anywhere else to go. The time will come for him to make a decision. And it could be the wrong one. We might be able to stop that from happening. Don’t we owe it to him to try?”

Sam drums his fingers on the top of the Formica table.

Carter stands up. “I’m going to help out the coach and give you guys some time to talk privately.”

He smiles at me and gives my shoulder a squeeze before walking out of the office. My gaze lingers on him for a second too long, and when I turn back to Sam, his lips crook.

“So, you and Van Kleef? I had a feeling about him after the night at Electric Lunch. I guess the rivalry is dead and buried?”

“We’ve moved on. This is just…friendly teammate shit.”

“That’s all?” Sam crosses his arms behind his head. “Looks like more to me than just friendly teammate shit.”

I shrug. “Believe what you want. But you know I don’t like to get deep.”

Sam’s smile fades. “Yeah, I remember.”

A deep sigh slumps my shoulders. “I know. I was a sucky boyfriend and I’m sorry. You deserved better and it looks like you got it. So I’m happy for you.”

“Yeah, but what about what you deserve?” Sam reaches out to clap me on the shoulder. “Isn’t it time?”

“It’s never time to get your heart stomped on.”

“And you think he’d do that?”

“I think he’s confused. And I also think he’s afraid. Those throw up really big red flags for me. Fuck buddies, I can handle. But anything more with someone who really isn’t in it?”

“What makes you say that? Did he tell you he was scared?”

“No, but I know him and how he is. He wouldn’t be able to handle it. It’s a lot. You know it, I know it. Professional athletes who are openly gay get a lot of criticism. You’ve gotta be ready to deal with it, and I just don’t know if he’s really considered everything that would change for him.”

“Maybe he thinks you’re worth it.”

“And maybe we need to get back to the reason we’re in here.” I crack each one of my knuckles and Sam winces.

“I really hate when you do that.”

“Sorry, it helps me think.” I tap my palms on the table and let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. You win this time. I’ll be good and keep my mouth shut. For now. But if I see anything off, I’m gonna fucking blow.”

“Jack, why the focus on Jeremy? I mean, I get wanting to protect the kid but why?—?”

“Because my own father was an abusive asshole, okay? I had to deal with the same shit every day of my life. Burns,scars, bruises. I know you’ve seen them and you accepted my bullshit excuses about where they came from, which I appreciated. I had nobody besides him. Nowhere else to go. I was stuck. I don’t want any other kid to feel stuck like that. So if his dad really is hurting him, just know that I won’t sit back and let it happen. Fair warning.”

Sam nods. “I appreciate the heads up. And I’m sorry about your dad. I would have liked the chance to help you through all that.”

I scrub a hand down the front of my face. “I know I was a sucky communicator, too. It was just easier to bury it than to rehash it all and let my mind go back to that hell I managed to escape.”

He doesn’t know the extent of the hell.

Only one person does.

I give Sam a fist bump, walk out of the office, and head toward the rink. A smile tugs at the corners of my lips when I see Carter on the ice with Jeremy, showing him a few moves he’s used during the last few games.

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