Page 147 of The Home Game

Fuuuuck. When Matty got home tonight …

But his jock was beginning to pinch and he was going to get so much chirping from the team if he wasn’t careful, so he turned his attention away from thoughts of fucking Antoni in his jersey to what everyone else was doing.

He greeted Enzo and Eliza, then grinned at the kids. He spent a little time with each of them, shouting at them and pantomiming if they had trouble reading his lips. He fist-bumped Alexis and River and waved at Eli, who beamed back and held up a book they were reading.

About hockey.

Matty laughed, loving it. Eli might not be Antoni’s biologically, but yeah, Eli was definitely Antoni’s kid.

Reese was wide-eyed, too distracted by the lights and sounds and people around him to really focus on Matty, but Matty didn’t care.

He loved this. He loved every second of it. All he’d ever wanted was a big family to cheer him on, to share in the one thing he loved so much.

The arena was packed and Matty was vaguely aware of people with their phones pointed at him, probably getting tons of photos. Matty knew the pros with their long lenses and excellent video cameras were getting great footage too.

Kate had made sure of that.

“Good luck!” Antoni shouted, and though Matty couldn’t hear it—the words snatched away by the sound of the crowd and the pounding music—he smiled and mouthed ‘thanks’.

Matty ripped off his glove and made half a heart against the glass, watching puzzlement flicker across Antoni’s face before he laughed and completed it with his hand, the glass between them the only thing keeping the tips of their fingers and thumbs from touching.

For a few heartbeats they looked at each other and Matty saw the question in Antoni’s eyes, that flicker of wonder if this was real or all for show.

And the truth was, Matty didn’t know.

Of course it was for show but that didn’t mean it wasn’t real too, right?

All Matty was certain of was that he’d never been happier. He was certain he loved this little family they’d created together and loved the possibilities ahead of them. He knew he wanted Antoni and the kids in his life even if he didn’t know if it would last.

But he reminded himself that just because their relationship started out one way didn’t mean it had to end the same.

Maybe it didn’t have to end at all.

If Matty worked hard enough, if he proved himself enough, surely Antoni would see how good they were together. Surely, he would see what a great family they were.

Surely, he would love him.

Still, as Matty skated away with a final wave to Antoni and the kids, it hit him how much his feelings had grown. He and Antoni had only been married for a few weeks but he was no longer hoping that he and Antoni would fall in love with each other.

Now he was hoping that Antoni would grow to love him back.

The weight of Matty’s feelings made him stumble and he tripped over his own skates.

“Nice moves there, slick!” Nico called out, thwacking him in the butt with his stick as he sped by.

Matty laughed, shooting one final lingering look over his shoulder at Antoni before he pushed all those thoughts away.

He’d worry about his feelings later.

Now, he had some fucking hockey to play.

He couldn’t wait.

“Oh my God, why am I nervous?” Antoni said into Charlie’s ear as the team left the ice after warmups. “Is that normal?”

Laughing, Charlie shrugged. “I don’t know. Are you nervous about the game or the uh, publicity of things?”

“Hmm.” Antoni considered the question. “Maybe a little bit of both?”

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