Page 3 of One Touch

If I at least got hockey back, then I could be happy again. Hopefully.

The door was opened, and the GM waved me in. He was on the phone but motioned for me to take a seat. I glanced around the opulent office, but despite the finery, I wasn’t taking any of it in. I was too nervous to focus on the details.

“Sounds good, Chris. I have Miller in my office right now. Uh-huh. I’ll call you back once I have Fletcher on the line.” He hung up and looked at me. “I must say, hearing you wanted a trade wasn’t how I expected to end my day.”

“It wasn’t a planned thing, sir. I love playing for Chicago and the team here, but the opportunity to get more ice time is there.”

“Hmm, well, I’m glad to hear you like playing for my team and that your request to leave isn’t because of dissatisfaction. We strive to ensure our facility and team are inclusive, and if you ever felt?—”

I raised my hand to stop him. “No one has ever made me feel anything other than accepted here. This has nothing to do with my sexuality and everything to do with me being a hockey player who wants to play the game.”

“All right.” He held up his hands in surrender. “Coach assured me that was the case, but I had to ask before something blew up in my face. Normally, I wouldn’t entertain a player’s request to be traded, but Coach spoke up for you and pleaded your case. And it just so happens that Austin has a player I’ve wanted to add to our roster for years.”

My breath caught at the news. Did that mean…

“We still need to iron out the details, and Fletcher would like to speak to you before it’s finalized, but Austin has agreed to our preliminary trade offer. So, if everything goes through, your last day as an Ice Fox could be today.”

Excitement mixed with apprehension filled me with the notion.

The next few hours went by in a whirlwind as I spoke with my agent—who only slightly yelled at me for springing this on him—Fletcher, and Coach Mack from the Austin Aces.

By the time I left the arena, I was exhausted but had a renewed energy in my bones. I’d cleaned out my locker, said goodbye to the few players who were still there, handed in all of my key cards, and said goodbye to the first team who’d given me a chance in the NHL.

My phone buzzed like crazy as I drove home, and when I stepped through my front door, there were several messages and news alerts about the trade. I looked around the apartment, realizing I’d never really made it home despite living here for two years already. I had two days to pack up all my belongings and get to Austin. Not that I would need it. Most of the furniture and decor had come with the apartment.

Deciding to leave it until tomorrow, I fell into bed with my phone in my hand, prepared to ignore everyone. But then I saw my college roommate’s text, and everything inside of me froze.

Landon: Are you really being traded to Austin? That’s my stepbrother’s team. How cool! Do you remember meeting him?

How could I forget the man who not only made me realize I was gay but also that I could feel something so powerful with one touch that no one else had ever compared?

I’d asked for this trade for a chance to feel something again, and somehow, I’d walked myself right into the path of the one man who made me feel too much.

What had I done?

CHAPTER2

LATHAN

The dayI’d been waiting for had finally arrived—the start of hockey. Life would make sense again for the next six months, hopefully longer. The summer had been hell without hockey. My mother had filled every spare moment with her agenda.

This wasn’t new. I’d been playing my mother’s puppet my whole life. As a Silver, there were certain obligations and expectations required of me. Except lately, they seemed to strip me of everything that was me.

I’d gotten so used to playing the son my mother wanted that I’d lost sight of the man I was. I no longer knew if there was a difference. But hockey was back, and the strings my mother controlled would slacken. Hockey was the only place I got to be me.

“Good morning, Mr. Silver,” James, my driver, said in greeting.

I nodded hello and slid into the backseat. He’d worked for the family for several years and was used to the fact that I didn’t like talking to people. He was discreet and, as far as I could tell, didn’t report back to my mother like so many of the other people she employed. That alone was the only reason I allowed him to be my driver. I hated having one, but it was the one concession my mother wouldn’t back down on, and I knew how to pick my battles.

Classical music filled the car as he pulled away from my apartment building. I downed the rest of my protein shake before shutting off my phone. I had a set routine, and I did not deviate. Once I put my phone away, I closed my eyes and rested my head back for my meditation. The drive was fifteen minutes, allowing me time to clear my mind and focus on the only thing that mattered—hockey.

My stepbrother called me rigid, but this routine had served me well over the years. Last season had been the best one of my career, and I’d been made alternate captain for the upcoming season. That meant something to me, and I wanted this season to be the best. Our team had the talent to win the Stanley Cup, but if the antics some of my teammates had pulled during the offseason continued, we’d flop. I couldn’t have that, so I would lead by example.

Not many people understood my commitment to the sport, but hockey was the only thing that mattered. Everything else was noise. I didn’t have relationships of any kind. They were a distraction I didn’t need. My focus was solely on hockey and being the best.

Just as I finished my meditation, the car slowed to a stop outside the practice arena. Adrenaline pumped in my veins, and I wanted to do nothing more than jump out of the car and scream at the top of my lungs that hockey was back. Instead, I calmly opened the door and stepped out with my bag over my shoulder. I still had an image to portray.

“See you in a few hours,” James said. I shut the door in answer and strolled toward the back door. I nodded at the guard and flashed my ID card.

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