Page 40 of The Home Game

Dustin shook his head a little like he thought Matty was going overboard but he didn’t protest and by the time they wrapped up, Matty was confident Charlie would work his magic.

He said as much when they walked him to the front door and Charlie hugged him. “Don’t you worry, sweetie. I certainly will do my best.” He looked up at Matty with a smile. “Gosh, this is so lovely of you.”

Matty shrugged, a little uncomfortable with the praise.

“Kitten, can I talk to Matty alone for a sec?” Dustin asked and Charlie nodded.

“Of course. I’ll send some mood boards with ideas to you tomorrow, Matty!” he said before he disappeared.

Dustin followed Matty out into the driveway. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” he asked, searching Matty’s face, a little frown furrowing his forehead.

“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life,” Matty said firmly. “This is the right thing to do.”

“Okay, well, we’ll be here to help then,” Dustin said.

And Matty hugged him because that was one of the things he loved best about the team. No matter what, even when they disagreed, they were always there for one another.

Antoni stacked another box on top of the first two. He’d been up most of the night but he’d nearly finished packing the kitchen.

It had been an exhausting week and a half and his head was still spinning from everything that had happened recently. School started next Monday and today he was moving in with Matt Carlson.

Andrea’s thoughts must have gone in the same direction because he shook his head and glanced over at Antoni.

“You’re really moving in with Matt Carlson. Fisher Cats defenseman Matt Carlson?” his brother said in an incredulous voice.

“Yes, Andrea,” Antoni said with a laugh. “I’ve told you three times.”

“What the fuck?” he said, pushing his dark hair off his forehead. “How in the hell did this happen?”

Antoni shook his head. “Look, he’s just helping me out. I don’t even know how long we’ll stay there. But this will give me some breathing room, you know? Time to save up a little money so we can get a better place of our own and—”

“I know. And that’s great. I’m glad you found something that’ll work. You know if we’d had space for you guys, we’d have let you move in with us.”

“I know that,” Antoni said. Andrea and Stephanie had been amazing but they had kids of their own and busy jobs and they could only do so much.

“You know, the fact that you even know an NHL star is weird enough but moving in with him is just …” Andrea shook his head. “That’s fucking wild.”

“I get it,” Antoni said drily. “I’m the least sports-y person ever and this is a weird fit.”

“Well …”

Antoni rolled his eyes. The thing was, he didn’t hate sports. He’d just been a skinny, awkward kid growing up and way more interested in books than shooting a puck or whatever.

He’d grown into himself in college and started working out regularly. He liked being active. Loved playing tennis with Bethany. He’d just never taken part in organized team sports or followed the pros on TV.

As a kid, when his parents and brother sat down to watch hockey, Antoni had always retreated to his bedroom to read, preferring to get lost in far-off lands and other worlds.

Bethany had been like that too.

She and Andrea were five years older than Antoni. She’d started out as Andrea’s friend and become Antoni’s babysitter when he was in elementary school.

They’d spent hours reading together and she’d always ruffled his hair and called him the easiest kid she babysat for.

Even when he’d grown out of needing someone to watch him, they’d stayed close. And when she was in grad school at University of Toronto and he’d gone there for his undergrad, she’d offered to let him move into the house she rented with Corey.

Corey had been a little bit older, a graduate advisor, and Bethany had still been in school when they’d gotten married and had Alexis. It had helped their budget to have Antoni pay rent and return the favor of babysitting.

Sometimes Antoni missed the dining room they’d turned into a study space, where he, Bethany, and Corey would set up their laptops and work. He missed the smell of the books lining the lopsided shelves they’d picked up at the curb, mismatched and groaning under the weight of the paperbacks and hardcovers.

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