Page 68 of Stick By Me

The music picked up and pounded a relentless beat through the bar. Lights flashed and everyone hopped up and down, swaying their hips, smiling, and laughing.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

LEO

Oh my God, I’d told Archer I loved him. I crept my gaze to him as he laughed at something Myles had told him while we sat at the tables next to the wall. Dancing with him to that song had made me realize I had to tell him. He needed to know I was all in with him. And his reaction had been everything I could ever hope for. He’d almost made me lose my shit, but I held it together.

“Hey, I gotta piss. Be right back.” Archer kissed my cheek, squeezed my arm, then left with Myles.

Jonah eyed me, lifting the edge of his mouth, then sipped his beer and scooted his chair closer to mine.

Oh, here we go.“Hello, Jonah.” I gave him a quick grin. There was obviously something he needed to say without Archer around.

“Hello, Leo.” He skimmed his index finger over the lip of his beer glass. “So, how are you two doing?”

“We’re doing great.” I shifted in my seat to face him.

Mason strolled over to stand behind Jonah, placing his elbow on Jonah’s muscled shoulder. “We having the talk?” He glanced at Jonah.

“Yes, we are.” His brows knitted for a beat, then relaxed. “We all like you, Leo, but you’ve got to?—”

“I came out to my best friend today.” I held my palm up. I knew what they were going to say. If a guy was dating Axel and keeping it secret, I’d do the same thing. Okay, I would have done the same thing, had I known Remy was doing that. Jesus fuck, this was a weird dynamic. “I’m working on coming out to my brother and the rest of my family. I’ve already spoken to Archer about it. It’s…” I huffed sigh. “It’s complicated.”

Mason’s gaze met with Jonah’s, then he turned it on me. “We only want the best for Archer. He’s having a hard enough time with his dad not talking to him.”

“His dad isn’t talking to him?” My gut clenched for a beat. I sort of knew that, but it sounded different, more urgent coming from them. “He said he told his dad about me tonight. He said he left a message with him.”

Jonah eyed me. “Yeah, see, his dad calls at least every few days, especially after a game. But they haven’t spoken since?—"

“Since the Knot Me show at the casino. I know. I was there when he spoke to him last.” I let my gaze run over the table, the empty shot glasses. “The call ended badly, with Archer hanging up on his dad, but I didn’t think it would warrant the two of them not speaking.” Or maybe I wasn’t used to dealing with parents like his. Mine would never do that, would they?

“What exactly happened during the phone call?” Mason narrowed his eyes and leaned in.

“I think his dad told him to forget about hockey and school and go back to Minnesota to work with him.” I scoffed. “It was the night he was already down on himself about that stupid faceoff. I think he felt like he lost the game for you guys.”

“That’s bullshit. We’re a team and when we lose, it’s a team effort,” Jonah said.

“Dude, seriously?” With a half-smirk, Mason arched a brow at Jonah.

“You know what I meant.” Jonah scoffed and drank somebeer. “Anyways, no wonder Archer hung up on him. Fuck, I’d do that, too, if my dad ever said that to me.”

“Yeah, but your dad isn’t a dick.” Mason sipped beer from his bottle.

“So, let’s keep an ear out. His dad should call him in the next day or so after Archer left that message. If he doesn’t, then I think there’s more to it.” Jonah pursed his lips. “I don’t know, I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Yeah, okay.” I drank some beer. “I’ll help any way I can. You guys just say the word.”

“Thanks, Leo.” Jonah, dipped his head, then focused on me. “I know it’s hard and complicated, but Archer’s worth it.”

“I know he is. We’re in love.” Take that. I lifted my brows.

“Ho-ly shit.” A wide smile spread over Mason’s mouth. “Dude, I’m so happy for you both.” He did a little dance, wiggling his hips and pumping his arms.

“Me, too, man.” Jonah held out his fist and I bumped it with my own. “He deserves the love of a good man.”

“I’m determined to be a good man for him.” My gaze caught Archer and Myles winding through people and working their way toward our tables. Hopefully I’d given his friends what they needed to know and now they understood how serious I was about Archer.

After a fun nightat the gay bar with Archer and his friends, we all found Ubers home, and everyone had retired into their bedrooms. I’d already texted Remy to let him know I was staying the night and just as I knew he would, he was happy to cover for me with Axel. I was pretty sure he was telling my brother I was out with the fictitious Angie. But I’d deal with that mess when the time came.

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