Page 195 of Pucking Strong

Cheryl smiles, her eyes going misty. “That’s a lovely thought, Henrik.”

“It’s the truth. Before Teddy and Karolina, I lived to work. My apartment was a place where I marked time, waiting to go back on the ice.”

“And now?”

“Now, I work to live. I’m one of the last in and first out. I do my job, and I do it well. And I still love hockey, don’t get me wrong. But my life is so much more now.” I look to Teddy, squeezing his hand. “I could never resent them. And I’ll never take them for granted.”

Teddy’s smile is dazzling as he looks at me, tears in his eyes. His love shines out like a beacon.

Across the table, Cheryl furiously types on her tablet. “Would you consider yourself a violent person, Henrik?”

I go still, my cup of coffee halfway to my lips. “What?”

Cheryl looks up over her tablet. Her tortoise shell–framed reading glasses have slipped to the tip of her nose. “There was recently a report made about an incident that happened at Riptide’s Bar and Grill. You were involved in an altercation?”

“No one pressed charges,” Teddy is quick to say. “It was all a big misunderstanding.”

I grimace, setting my coffee down.

Cheryl looks to me. “You became violent with a man who was being violent with Teddy. Is that correct?”

Teddy sucks in a breath, his bouncing knee freezing to stone.

“That’s correct,” I reply. “Teddy was cornered coming out of the bathroom by another hockey player who was trying to press sexual advances on him. Teddy rebuffed the man, and the man got agitated. He pushed Teddy against the wall and called him a whore and a tease … among other things.”

“And you attacked him?”

“I stopped him from further attacking Teddy,” I correct.

“Why not call for help? Surely, the restaurant manager could have intervened. Or you could have called the police.”

I huff, shaking my head. “You know nothing about the situation.”

Teddy winces, giving me a pained look. But I won’t feign politeness. Not about this. It’s too important.

“What don’t I know?” she replies. Her tone is open, nonjudgmental. She’s genuinely seeking my answer.

I take a deep breath, and let it out. “You’re assuming there was time for me to go through the motions of seeking out a higher authority, like a manager or the police. But have you ever heard your partner cry out in fear, Cheryl?”

“No,” she murmurs. “I haven’t.”

“Then you don’t know what you would have done in my position.”

She nods, conceding the point.

“And my partner is a Black man, Cheryl. Add to that, he’s gay. Do you really think it would have been safer for me to sit back and call in the support of a police officer while my Black gay husband was being attacked by a white man? A man with a multimillion-dollar contract on the line and the might of an NHL franchise at his back? You really think that would have deescalated the situation?”

“Probably not,” she replies, eyes on her tablet.

“I knew I could handle it,” I go on. “I’ve been handling men like Lamont all my life. There’s violence inherent to a sport like hockey, it’s true. Sometimes, the quickest way to solve a problem on or off the ice is just to tackle the man and wail on him for thirty seconds. I’ve found it’s a useful tool for behavior modification. But we’re all grown men, usually wearing protective equipment. And I promise you, he gave as good as he got.”

I lean forward, elbow on the table. “But if you’re questioning whether I know where the line is, if you’re implying I may turn the violence of my sport onto my own family? I’ll have to politely tell you to go fuck yourself.”

She blinks, leaning away.

Next to me, Teddy groans. “Henrik …”

“I love my niece,” I say over him, shrugging his hand off my shoulder. “I love her more than my own life. I would never raise a hand to her in anger. Not ever. Just as I would die before I’d raise a hand in anger at Teddy. They are my reasons for breathing. I will protect them from any harm. But I will never be the harm. Karolina is safe with me. So is Teddy. In that moment in the bar, tackling that brute to the ground with my own two hands was the most effective way to keep my Teddy safe. And before you ask, yes, I would do it again.”

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