Page 24 of The Waiting Game

Felix grumbled, but slid half of it onto Jonah’s plate.

Jonah grunted at him in thanks, then wandered off to get the rest of his breakfast.

“So, boys, I hear congratulations are in order,” Nico teased when they were both seated.

Nico still wasn’t skating with the team but he traveled with them now, doing marketing stuff and working as one of the glue guys in the locker room to keep spirits high.

“Huh?” Jonah blinked at Nico.

His grin widened. “Well, we all saw the JockGossip article and Colton said you spent the night in Brewer’s room last night, Hale.”

“You’re all a bunch of gossipy fucks,” Jonah muttered into his breakfast and Felix silently agreed.

“Hey, I’m just glad I couldn’t hear anything,” Colton chirped. “Unlike that time Charlie came to visit you during All-Star weekend, D.”

“Ha-ha,” Felix muttered.

Dustin grinned, smug and self-satisfied. “Hey, what can I say? I’m a lucky, lucky man.”

Damn right he was. And damn was Felix envious.

And no, a guy like Charlie didn’t do anything for Felix—and just as well, because that would be hell and a half, crushing on his captain’s husband—but there was no denying that silvery knife of pain that slid in between his ribs at the thought of how happy they were together.

Dustin had someone who loved him. Someone he came home to after every trip. Someone who missed him so much that he flew out just to be with him.

And that, Felix would kill for.

Jonah spent the morning at practice trying to ignore the teasing of their teammates and the stupid, stupid JockGossip article.

Growing up, Felix and Jonah had been teased about being gay. About how close they were.

They’d both ignored it.

Even when Jonah realized he was actually gay and Felix had, almost apologetically, confessed he wasn’t into guys, Jonah had never cared what anyone said about them.

Felix had never seemed to care either.

He’d shrugged the teasing off, secure enough in his sexuality that it hadn’t appeared to faze him.

And why would it?

It wasn’t like anyone was taking this seriously.

And if Jonah didn’t get his head out of his ass about it, he was going to make the whole thing weird.

“You ready to go?” Felix asked after practice, all freshly showered and impossibly handsome.

Damn the man. Was it really necessary to look that good all the time?

“Yep,” Jonah said, shrugging on his coat. “Let’s do this thing.”

The cab ride to the Missouri Botanical Garden was only about twenty minutes long but when Jonah got out, it still felt good to move.

He’d landed awkwardly during practice and his leg was sore. He rubbed his thigh a little as they walked to the entrance of the gardens.

“Where to today?” Felix asked.

For as long as Jonah could remember, his pregame ritual had involved visiting the gardens of whatever city they were currently in.

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