Page 96 of Snapping the Ice
“What happened?” My heart pounded as if it would break free. I scanned his body. He didn’t look upset, or was he?
Snatching my hand, he pulled me into the studio, slammed the door shut and locked it. “Things will be fine, but right now I’m dealingwith a shit show.”
I stared at him. “For the love of God, tell me what happened. Did practice go badly?” I raked my gaze over him again. He didn’t seem injured.
“Let’s sit down.” Grabbing my hand again, he hauled me to the makeup chairs, and we sat facing each other. Holding both of my hands, he said, “Tate took photos of us and plastered them all over social media. This was just after the team announced me as Berg’s replacement for tomorrow’s game.”
“Oh, no…” I shook my head, keeping my gaze fixed on him. Would my bullshit end his career just as it started?
“Yeah, well, my parents caught wind of it, so I came out to them. Mason softened the blow…” He chuckled. “Well, tried to soften the blow, but you know my brother.”
I snorted despite myself. Mason always meant well, but he was a hothead. “How did they take it?”
“They were shocked, but they support me. It’s not anything to worry about. They want to meet you. When this blows over, we’ll have a FaceTime call with them, okay?” He squeezed my hands, his gaze darting across my face.
“Okay, so what else?” I braced myself. How bad would the fallout be for his career?
“I met with my agent and the Cardinal’s PR team. We’re setting up an interview after the game and I’m coming out formally.” He winced. “Ezra, have you checked any of your social media accounts today?”
“I…why?” With my heart jolting, I jumped up, strode to my desk and grabbed my phone. “I keep my social notifications off, so they don’t disturb me when I’m working.” I opened my Instagram app. There were over a hundred notifications. “What’s going on?” I stared at the heart icon and all the numbers underneath.
“When Tate went public, he tagged both of us in his photos, so now everyone knows who you are.” He rose andstepped toward me. “Remember my Instagram stalker? Don’t read her messages. In fact, delete them and block her.” He pushed my phone down. “And…maybe don’t look at most of them. Around eighty percent of the comments are supportive, but there are a few real fuckers out there.”
Jesus, he’d been dealing with this all on his own. Looking at him straight on, I said, “Lucas, I’m stronger than that. I can handle it.” I’d been through worse, and he needed me now. “Tell me what I can do to help you.”
With a sigh, he said, “Knowing you’re with me is enough.” He dipped his head. “Fuck, I was afraid you might want out, so you wouldn’t have to deal with it.”
“Never.” Hooking my arms around his waist, I pulled him against me. After all the shit he’d been through with me, he thought I’d leave him now? Besides, this was still my shit, causing problems for him. “It’d take a hell of a lot more than homophobic pricks on social media to scare me off.”
“Thank you, babe.” He lifted his head, his gaze finding mine, his brows furrowing. “I have a question.”
“What’s that?” I studied him. Whatever he was about to ask, it was hard for him.
“Would you want to be at the press interview tomorrow night? The PR team thought showing a relatable person behind the social media accounts would help.” He flinched. “It’s okay if you don’t want to. I’m just concerned about backlash with your business.”
My brows ticked. Oh fuck, I hadn’t thought of that. I’d never hidden my sexuality from my clients, but then I’d never come out and announced it either. “What do you want me to do?”
“I…I don’t know. If my PR team thinks we’d be better off, then I guess I’d go with their suggestion. These people make a living knowing about this shit.” He cupped my cheek, gazing deeply into my eyes. “Ezra, if you lose clients over this, I?—”
“Those are not the clients I want to have.” I gritted my teeth. My business was thriving already. I could be picky. “I’ll go to the interview.”
A smile spread over his mouth. “Good. I have a ticket for you too. Leo and Zoma will be at the game, and you can sit with them.”
My heart sputtered with warmth. “I can’t wait.” They’d be a wealth of support as well. I glanced at my desk. I still had a heavy workload.
“Okay then. Jessica, who you worked with on the calendar, will call you to give you some training on how to handle the press. She’s pretty fucking good, so she’ll prepare you.” He pressed a soft kiss on my mouth and dropped his hand from my cheek. “Don’t worry, you’re in expert hands.”
“I have no doubt.” I gave him my best smile. Tate wouldn’t win this battle. We’d make it backfire on him.
He scanned my studio and then threw me a coy grin. “I’d love to take you to my bed now, but I still have a million things to do before the game tomorrow. We’ll be together after the game, though.” He kissed me again, more urgently, his tongue slipping between my lips. With a soft moan, he pulled away. “Fuck, I can’t wait for this shit to blow over and have you in my bed.”
“Me too. It’ll come soon enough.” I hugged him, lingering in his arms for a moment, and then shoved him away. “Go, get your shit done. I have work to finish.”
“Okay.” He ambled toward the door. “Love you, babe.”
“Love you too.” I followed him and with one last kiss, he left, and I locked the door behind him. I’d never had to keep my door locked until Tate started messing with me. Maybe someday I wouldn’t have to.
The next day, I met with Jessica for my media training and she’d surprisingly found a way to plug my business at the interview. I didn’t know if it would help, but it was worth a shot. I still had one of Lucas’s jerseys at my place and so I’d put it on for tonight. It wasn’t a Cardinals jersey, but it had his name on it.
