Page 85 of Sliding into Love
The relief on their faces is visible. Walter's boyfriend, Marcus, I remind myself, smiles genuinely. "Thank you for including me. Not every team is so welcoming."
"Well, this team is," I say firmly. "Everyone's family here."
Kenneth moves through the crowd with ease, shaking hands and making small talk. He's good at this. Better than he gives himself credit for. The players respect him, and it shows in the way they gravitate toward him, asking his opinion on practice this past week and sharing inside jokes I’ve yet to learn.
I'm watching him laugh at whatever Gillies said when I hear my brother's voice.
"Royce!"
I turn to see Bellamy entering with Finn at his side, and behind them?—
"Bishop? Atlas? What are you doing here?"
Bishop grins at me, the look far too intimidating even though I know that’s not the intent. The guy is just fucking huge. "Your brother said there was free food. You know I can't resist that."
Atlas, slightly more reserved but smiling nonetheless, adds, "Plus, Daddy needed to get out more. He's been holed up watching game tape for weeks. He knows I won’t go out without him."
"It's important to keep up to date on things," Bishop protests. "I have to study the competition."
"You have to remember you're human and need social interaction, Daddy," Atlas corrects, but his tone is fond. He slides an arm around Bishop's waist, and Bishop leans down to kiss him. Those two are such opposites, yet they make sense too.
I look at my brother, raising an eyebrow. "You brought a hockey player to a baseball team dinner?"
"Bishop's practically family," Bellamy says with a shrug. "Besides, I figured it couldn't hurt to have some inter-sport bonding. Who knows? Maybe we can get some of your players interested in coming to hockey and football games."
"Or," Bishop interjects, "we could convince some of them that hockey is the superior sport."
"Don't start," Bellamy and Finn say in unison.
I laugh, pulling my brother into a hug. "Thanks for coming. It means a lot."
"Wouldn't miss it," Bellamy says, then lowers his voice. "Plus, I wanted to see how you and Kenneth are doing. You know, publicly."
"We're fine. Professional."
"Uh-huh." He doesn't sound convinced. "Is that why he's been staring at you for the past five minutes?"
I glance over and, sure enough, Kenneth's eyes are on me even as he's nodding along to whatever Naymon is saying. When our gazes meet, he smiles—soft and private, just for me.
"Okay, maybe not entirely professional," I admit.
Bellamy grins. "That's what I thought. Go, mingle. We'll catch up later."
I gesture toward the tables. "Go, sit, eat. Just don't let Bishop start any fights about which sport is superior."
"That was one time," Bishop calls over his shoulder as they head toward the seating area.
"It was three times," Finn corrects, but he's smiling as he says it. He hangs back for a moment, giving me a quick hug. "This is really nice, what you're doing. Building team culture like this matters. Atlas and I will keep our Daddies in line for you. Don’t worry about them."
"I had the best example of how to lead a team," I tell him, nodding toward Bellamy.
"He learned from you too," Finn says with a knowing smile before following his husband.
Kenneth reappears at my side. "Everyone's here. Should we get started?"
"Yeah." I take a breath, then move to the center of the room, raising my voice slightly. "Hey, everyone? Can I have your attention for just a moment?"
The chatter dies down as faces turn toward me.
