Page 96 of Game On

“He found out what I did to you.”

“I didn’t tell him,” Jamie was quick to deny. He’d known that if Scott found out how badly his brother had treated him, it would affect their relationship. No matter how pissed he was at Henty, he’d never wanted that, at least for Scott’s sake.

“I didn’t think you had,” Henty replied.

Okay then. Jamie waited some more, but when Henty still didn’t say anything, he huffed out a breath. “If there’s nothing else, I?—”

“I’m sorry.”

His heart skipping a beat, Jamie waited for the punchline. When none came, he asked, “Did Scott put you up to this?”

“What? No.” At Jamie’s disbelieving snort, Henty raised a hand, a gesture for peace. “Truly. Getting traded because of my poor behaviour, as our old GM put it, despite my record with the Cobras, and then given a piece of Scott’s mind—loudly, for several hours... It’s made me re-evaluate some things. Face some truths about myself. You know it was just him and me after our mom died, right?”

Jamie nodded. She’d died about a decade ago, leaving Henty as the caregiver for his younger brother, a role he’d embraced while also keeping up with hockey. Their father—hockey legend Arnold Henty—had been an absentee parent, even after his wife passed away, leaving John and Scott to look after themselves and each other.

It must’ve devastated the brothers when Henty got traded to a team so far away from their hometown.

“I raised him, okay?” A determined expression crossed Henty’s face, the lines bracketing his mouth deepening. “I sacrificed a lot for him—willingly—because all I ever wanted was to see him happy. So when the two of you broke up and he showed up on my doorstep all...” He released a breath through his teeth. “He practically dripped sorrow, Jamie. I thought someone had died the way he couldn’t draw enough air to speak. I sort of... lost it after that and took it out on you. I have overprotective instincts when it comes to Scott, something I didn’t fully realize until recently. And you bore the brunt of me dealing with what I saw as a failure in myself to ensure his happiness. So.” A flush crept up his neck, and his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. “I’m sorry, Jamie.”

Shock and gratitude created an odd mess of feelings in Jamie’s chest. Although Henty’s apology didn’t erase what had happened, maybe it could act as closure on a part of Jamie’s life that was better left in his rearview mirror. Whatever Scott had said to his brother—loudly and for several hours—it had clearly impacted the older Henty.

Jamie made a mental note to get in touch with Scott soon to let him know that his brother had heard him.

“Thanks,” he said through a thick throat. “Thank you. For the apology.”

“Yeah.” Henty’s smile was strained. “Sure. Anyway, I?—”

“Hey!”

Jamie jumped at the shout and turned to find Toussaint barrelling down on them, thunderclouds on his face. Behind him were half a dozen of their teammates, looking equally murderous, their gazes trained on Henty.

“Who do you think you are?” Toussaint demanded. “You don’t get to come here and attack my teammate, you ass?—”

“It’s fine,” Jamie interrupted, barely swallowing a hysterical laugh. “It’s all good. We’re good.”

Toussaint stared daggers at Henty, and his shoulder pressed into Jamie’s in a show of solidarity that nearly made Jamie cry with gratitude.

“If you’re sure?” Toussaint murmured.

Henty nodded once, a resigned nod that was like a knife in Jamie’s stomach, though he couldn’t say why. “You’ve got a good group here, Jamie,” he said quietly.

“Yeah.” Jamie looked at his teammates and felt his nose burn. “I know.”

“Take care, yeah?”

“You too, Hen,” Jamie said to his retreating back. “Tell Scott I said hey.”

Henty turned back to grin at him, a real one this time. “He’s seeing someone.” He kept his eyes trained on Jamie like he was hoping the news would hurt—or at least bruise a little.

Jamie laughed, genuine happiness lightening a load off his shoulders that he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying. “Good for him.”

Henty rounded the corner to the visitor’s locker room with a chuckle, disappearing from view. And with his departure ended any hold he’d ever had over Jamie.

Toussaint slung an arm over his shoulders. “Drinks, JJ? My treat.”

Jamie almost declined out of habit. “I’ve got a friend visiting from out of town.” Before Toussaint could list all the reasons why that shouldn’t preclude both Jamie and his friend from hanging out with them, he added, “Text me where you’re going and I’ll meet you there with him and Dorian.”

“Sweet,” Toussaint whispered feverishly, drawing the word out.

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