Page 127 of The Shots You Take

“He’s very good. And it seems that he will be well taken care of at home.”

Riley blushed. “He will be.”

He followed Hassan onto an elevator, then down a hall, and then, finally, into the room where Adam was resting in bed, his chest and shoulders slightly elevated, his arm in a sling. He was pale and looked exhausted, but he managed a weak smile when he saw Riley.

“Hey,” Adam rasped. “How was your morning?”

A relieved laugh tumbled out of Riley as he approached the bed. He gently combed Adam’s hair with his fingers and said, “You look amazing.”

Adam laughed.

Hassan was still in the room, checking the monitors Adam was attached to, but Riley didn’t care about having an audience. He wished Adam had a free hand he could hold, but the one that wasn’t in a sling had an IV needle in the back of it and a heart rate monitor clamped to his index finger.

“How are you feeling?” Riley asked as he continued to stroke Adam’s hair.

“Brutal. But the drugs are nice.” Adam closed his eyes and tilted his head into Riley’s touch. “That feels nice.”

“We’ll be getting you out of bed and walking around a bit later today,” Hassan said. “But for now you rest, and I’ll make sure you’re comfortable. If the pain feels like too much, let me know and I can make adjustments.” He gestured to the call button.

“Thanks,” Adam mumbled.

“And I mean it,” Hassan said. “Tell me if you are in pain. This isn’t a hockey game.”

Riley smiled. “I’ll make sure he tells you.”

“He will,” Adam assured Hassan sleepily. “He’s bossy.”

Riley bit the inside of his cheek.

After Hassan left, Riley pulled a chair beside the bed and continued stroking Adam’s hair. He thought Adam had fallen asleep, but Adam surprised him by murmuring, “Hockey makes us into liars.”

Riley’s fingers stopped. “Hm?”

“Liars,” Adam repeated without opening his eyes. “About how much pain we’re in. Mental health, addiction, all of it.” He opened his eyes, gaze locked on Riley’s. “I lied about who I was. About my feelings for you.”

Riley swallowed and waited.

“Look where it got me,” Adam continued. “Divorced, fucked-up shoulder, lost you for years.”

Though none of what he was saying was news to Riley, it was shocking to hear Adam say it. Riley had never heard him say a bad word about hockey before. He didn’t know how to react to it now, so he just said, “I’m here now.”

Adam closed his eyes again. “I should have said it back to you. Should have been honest.”

It took Riley a moment to figure out what he was referring to. When he realized, he said, “Adam. Don’t. It doesn’t matter now.”

“I think we would have been happy,” Adam said, barely above a whisper. “I think we would have been fucking unstoppable together.”

“You need to rest,” Riley said desperately. This was all too much, for this moment. And, besides, Adam was probably high as a kite. “We can talk later.”

“Yeah,” Adam sighed, then smiled, just slightly. “We’ve got time.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

“Can I get you anything?” Riley asked for probably the fiftieth time that day, and probably the one billionth time that week.

“Not a thing,” Adam said sleepily. He was sitting in the shade under an awning, watching Riley swim laps in the pool. He already had a glass of ice water on the table next to him, along with his glasses, his book, and a plate of sliced fruit.

“Are you sure?”

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