Page 39 of Cross Checks

I slowly exhaled and fought to regain my composure. Still, anxiety gnawed at me for the rest of my shift, and I worried that our days as a secret couple might be numbered.

It wasn’t a big deal for me. I was confident that if I came clean, the guys in the firehouse would support me like they did Lyle. Chase feared it could be a different story for him, and my stomach clenched when I thought about him being forced to face negative judgments because of me.

As the last hours of my shift ticked away, I went through the motions of equipment checks and making sure the kitchen was spotless. My thoughts continuously returned to Chase and our relationship. How much longer could we keep it away from prying eyes?

That evening, I paced the length of my living room, each step heavier than the last, as I waited for Chase to join me. I desperately tried to put together a suggestion for a damage control strategy to get ahead of any possible rumor-mongering.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to bring it up with Chase without sounding like I knew he was about to be forced out into the open. The weight of the complicated situation threatened to drown me.

After a hefty sigh from me, I heard the front door open. I turned to watch Chase step inside. His face lit up with a radiant glow when he saw me.

I knew he’d spent much of his day teaching hockey skills to kids at a clinic hosted by the Cougars. Seeing him looking so happy indicated it was a success, and my happiness for him helped dissolve some of the stress that plagued me all day.

Chase reached out to fold me into a hug. “You wouldn’t believe how talented some of those kids are. It wasn’t only boys; some seriously skilled girls were there, too. By the time the clinic was over, we had them gliding across the ice like pros.”

I smiled broadly at his enthusiasm. His good mood was so infectious that I momentarily forgot about my morning’s awkward incident. I didn’t want to do anything to dim Chase’s cheerful mood.

“It sounds like you had a blast. I’m so glad you enjoyed yourself. It doesn’t surprise me. Everybody loves you five minutes after they meet you.”

“Well, not everybody,” he replied. “You should see the enforcer on the Thunderhawks. Fortunately, well, not really fortunately, but I think he has his eye on Jensen instead of me. I’ll defend my buddy to the death, but I don’t think I’m likely to get hurt.”

I groaned. Hockey was a dangerous sport, and I had a low level of worry in my heart for Chase every time he had a game. He just confirmed that it wasn’t wholly unwarranted.

He shrugged off his puffy jacket and draped it over the back of a chair. “Did you have any specific plans for tonight? How about a Netflix night with pizza? That’s about my speed.”

“I thought we’d do something like that.” I forced a cheerful tone into my voice, but my heart was heavy with the thought of what we might soon need to go through in public. “I’ll order the pizza, and you can pick the movie. Maybe a comedy? And not something Christmas. We get that every time we leave the house.”

Chase grinned. “That sounds perfect.” As he settled onto the couch, I took a deep breath and turned to my phone to order the pizza. The difficult conversation to come could wait; all that mattered at the moment was cuddling up to the man I loved.”

When the pizza arrived, Chase jumped into more stories about his day.

“Freddy was a natural,” he told me between bites of his pizza. “I swear, that kid was born with skates in the crib. And Julie? She had a wicked slapshot that caught me off guard. I bet she could push the puck past Waller.”

I couldn’t get enough of hearing about the nurturing coach side of Chase. I hadn’t gotten to see it before. His eyes lit up when he talked about their progress during the clinic hours, making me fall for him even more.

Unfortunately, the specter of rumors spreading around about us lingered in the back of my mind. They cast a shadow over my evening.

“Hey, are you okay?” Chase asked as I stared into the distance. “Something has you a little distracted. Did you have a tough call at the firehouse?”

“Uh, no, and yeah, I’m fine.” I forced a smile. “Just thinking about what those kids you helped might be like when they grow up. I wonder if any of them will be pros someday. They were lucky to meet you.”

Chase’s cheeks blushed a little pink at the compliment, and he picked up a second slice of pizza. When we finished dinner, we took all the scraps to the kitchen and settled on the couch in front of the fireplace.

As the flames flickered and I cuddled close to his warm body, I knew that I had to share the questions I got from Jerry. It was only fair.

My voice was hesitant, but I managed to get the words out. “Chase, something did happen at the station this morning, but it wasn’t a work call.”

He looked at me, concern in his eyes. “What was it?”

“One of the guys saw us together at Lou’s, and apparently, we were cozy enough that it raised questions. He asked me about it.”

Chase’s eyebrows furrowed. “And you said?”

“I played it as innocently as I could. I told him you were an old friend, but I’m worried. How many other people have the same questions?”

A tense silence settled between us as Chase processed the information. His excellent mood clouded over with worry. My chest ached as I thought about him feeling anxious over us.

“Maybe it’s time we face reality,” he said quietly. His voice cracked slightly. “We’ve been hiding for quite a while now. I don’t want to lose you, but we can’t pretend forever. Maybe we can control some of this if we get ahead of it.”

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