Page 71 of Pucking Strong

“Quiet on set,” someone calls out, which makes Teddy stiffen.

Reaching over, I take his hand, weaving our fingers together. He relaxes a little, scooting closer to me. Behind the row of cameras, Poppy stands watch, giving us both a nod of encouragement. If Janine tries to do anything fishy, Poppy will go full Godzilla and knock over the cameras to help us save face.

At the signal from her cameraman, Janine begins, her focus straight down the main camera’s lens. “Good evening, I’m Janine Marsh with ESPN. Tonight, I’m sitting down for an exclusive interview with one of the most elusive players in the National Hockey League. Hailing from a little seaside town outside of Stockholm, he’s a five-time member of the NHL All-Stars and an Olympic silver medalist for Team Sweden. A founding player of the Jacksonville Rays, now their starting forward, please join me in welcoming Henrik Karlsson.” She turns to me. “Henrik, hello. It’s so great to finally meet you.”

My years of media training click on as I smile too. “And you, Janine. Thanks for having me.”

“Oh, it’s my pleasure. I’d like to add that we’re actually not alone for this interview, are we?” She smiles warmly at Teddy.

If he were ever going to run, now would be the moment. He didn’t ask for any of this. But he sits still, hand clasped in mine, waiting for me to speak. Clearing my throat, I squeeze his hand. “Yes, this is Doctor Teddy O’Connor. He’s the assistant rehabilitation therapist for the Jacksonville Rays … and he’s my partner.”

“Oh my goodness.” Janine feigns surprise. “When you say he’s your partner, do you mean he’s your husband? Are you two married?”

“Yes, we’re married.”

“Well, congratulations. Wow, that’s so exciting!”

Teddy flashes a nervous smile and lifts his left hand, wiggling his ring finger for the camera. “He’s officially off the market.”

Janine laughs. “Is that why you wanted to sit down with me tonight? To tell the sports world that you’re an out and proud gay athlete?”

My gaze darts to Poppy. She told me Janine wouldn’t ask thequestion quite so bluntly. I’m about to speak before Teddy leans forward. “Oh, come on, Janine. Do we really need to put labels on everything? Let’s just say he’s married to me and let the fans draw their own conclusions.”

“Fair enough,” she replies. “Well, how did you two first meet? Because—now, correct me if I’m wrong, Doctor O’Connor—but you were once an intern with the Rays, right?”

He rests our joined hands on his knee. “I was, yeah. But that was six years ago. Another life, really. I joined the team as a PT intern while I was still in undergrad.”

“That must have been so exciting for you.”

He laughs. “If by ‘exciting,’ you mean wrapping this guy’s shoulder in ice after every game? Sure, very exciting. Oh, and don’t forget about the Mario Kart. It turns out being an intern on a pro hockey team means playing hours and hours of Mario Kart.”

“So, how did it go? Did your eyes connect over an exercise bike? Was it love at first sight?”

“Hardly,” Teddy replies. He’s so good at this. The nerves have clearly worn off. Now he’s just talking, charming her like he does everyone. “I had to make him work for it a little.”

Finding my voice, I nudge him with my shoulder. “Actually, I swept him off his feet. Remember, babe?”

That’s the other piece of advice Poppy gave us: Use pet names. Couples in love don’t use each other’s first names. We decided he would call me “baby” and I’d call him “babe.” Though it sounds strange now in the moment, like trying to wear a shoe that doesn’t fit.

Janine glances between us. “Oh, is that so?”

Next to me, Teddy stiffens. I know we rehearsed the gym meeting story, but Poppy also said to layer in as much truth as possible. “The moment I first met Teddy is the moment I saved his life.”

She gasps. “Wait, do you mean literally? You saved his life?”

“I mean, I tackled him to the ground before I ever knew his name.”

“Goodness, why?”

“I had to. A truck was about to squash him into jelly. That’s how we met. One moment, I was Henrik, walking to work on a Monday morning. The next, I was on the ground, with this stranger in myarms, his cold coffee leaking all over my shirt. We both fell. And we’ve been falling for each other ever since. Right, babe?”

Teddy nods, his smile tight.

“Well, that sounds just like a fairy tale.”

“I guess when you know, you know.” I look to Teddy, squeezing his hand. “Right?”

“Yeah. I’d say from that first moment, I just knew.”

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