Page 105 of Melting the Ice

“You’re gonna end up like one of these guys,” Ramsey said.

It was harsh. But then Ramsey rarely varnished his truths.

Brody rolled his eyes. “You think I’m gonna regret not playing if I decide not to.”

“Look at these guys. They’re all trying to remember what it feels like, even for a minute. It’s pathetic.”

“Don’t sugarcoat it or anything,” Brody tried joking. But hewasafraid of that. Would he wake up at twenty-seven or thirty-one and wish he’d made different choices?

“Okay, this isn’t me sugarcoating it,” Ramsey said. “You spent God knows how much money on these fucking seats so you can get a better view of your boyfriend’s ass in those tight white pants, so enjoy it.”

“He’s not my boyfriend—”

Ramsey raised an eyebrow and Brody stopped.

“He’snot,”Brody restarted. He didn’t know if he wanted a boyfriend. Of course, if he did, then there was only one person he’d be interested in occupying that position, and hewason the field below them, wearing those aforementioned tight white pants.

Brody had seen him totally naked, not a stitch of clothing in sight, and yet those white pants still made his heart beat a little faster.

“If he’s not your boyfriend, then you’re stupider than I thought you were.”

“What if we just want to hook up? Don’tyoudo that?” Brody retorted. “Why can’t I want that?”

Ramsey shot him another one of those looks that said, explicitly,you’re a fucking moron.“Because you’re Brody Faulkner,” he said with exaggerated patience. “You want the picket fence and the white house and the two-point-five children.”

“I never said I wanted any of those things. Picket fences are stupid—pointless, really. They can’t even keep a dog in. And two-point-five children are gonna be harder for me, if . . .” Brody trailed off. He wasn’t thinking that way, hewasn’t. And yet he’d stillalmostthought,if Dean and I could go the distance.

They couldn’t fucking go the distance. Their paths might be aligned right now, but in a year or two, they’d diverge radically.

They both knew that, which was one—but not theonly—reason they were keeping this thing between them casual.

“If what?” Ramsey demanded.

Brody glared at him.

“If you and Dean end up together? Wildly in love? If you follow him to whatever city he’s drafted to? Is that what you’re gonna do, Brody? Follow him like a good little WAG? Do exactly what Marcus is gonna do with Wes?”

“WAG’s an offensive term,” Brody said stiffly.

“And so is puck bunny, and lots of idiots still use it.” Ramsey took a deep breath. “I don’t want to fight with you again, but here’s the thing, you idiot, the longer you pretend this isn’t serious, that you don’t have big fat feelings for each other, the tougher it’s gonna be to figure out what to do about it.”

“Trust me,” Brody muttered, “we’re doingplentyabout it.”

“And believeme, I’m fucking thrilled you’ve finally discovered sex. But that’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Oh, look, the game’s starting,” Brody said, attempting to change the subject.

Ramsey elbowed him. “You know what Ijustsaid about regret? About you waking up in ten years and wondering what you did with your fucking life, when you could’ve been playing in the NHL? Well, same thing with Dean. You wanna wake up in a year or two or five and wonder what happened to him? Wonder why you never felt this way again?”

Brody opened his mouth and then snapped it shut again.

He didn’t know what to say.

“It’s complicated,” was what he finally settled for.

But Ramsey only rolled his eyes. “It’salwayscomplicated.”

“If I knew you were gonna ride my ass the whole game, I’d have invited someone else.” Brody sniffed.

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