Page 90 of Puck'n Bully
“My friend’s a bit dramatic but yeah,” Logan says, grabbing a tumbler of coffee. “We have no problem if you’re dating Hayden.”
“Hayden’s our teammate and our friend,” Pavel says in a grim tone. “Even if he doesn’t think so of us, we want to be there for him. People on the team admire him for his talent on the ice, not what he does behind closed doors with a consenting adult. We just want him to feel comfortable with us.”
A strange emotion takes root in my chest.
Hayden’s been so scared to come out of the closet, fearing his teammates would reproach him for being gay. He’s always dreading the day someone will find out about our relationship and his hockey career would go up in flames.
And now, Logan and Pavel are telling me they don’t care if Hayden’s gay and dating me. They’re here, talking to a stranger because they can’t directly speak to him.
Pavel’s little lie with the waitress is proof enough that he isn’t embarrassed about dating a guy. Even Logan acted like they were both truly on a date with me here.
I exhale a heavy breath, realizing I can trust both Logan and Pavel.
“All right,” I say, meeting both their gazes. “Hayden and I are together. He spent the weekend with me at my home in Long Island. The reason I took him there was to keep him safe from his dad.”
“Wait,” Logan says, looking grim. “Can you tell us what happened between Hayden and his dad?”
Anger shoots through me as I remember the scene I’d witnessed. “Hayden’s dad is a horrible man. He verbally and physically abused Hayden after the game. By the time he was finished, Hayden could barely stand on his two feet.”
“Shit.” Pavel’s expression turns angry. “Hayden was bruised and beaten like the rest of us but when he left the locker room that night, he was still fine. I can’t believe his dad of all people would attack him like that.”
“Hayden didn’t tell me much but I believe he was abused as a child too,” I tell them. “I didn’t want to push him too hard, so I didn’t ask him too many questions.”
Logan lets out a sigh. “That’s okay. Hayden will tell you everything in time.”
Pavel’s expression darkens. “I knew there was something off about the man when I met him during our game last season. He was openly drinking and staring at Hayden like he wanted to go at him with a hockey stick for scoring goals.”
“I don’t know what to do to help Hayden,” I say, looking toward Logan. “I just want him to be safe...” My voice wavers. “I can’t let him go through another episode with his dad. Do you know he doesn’t even protect himself? He didn’t retaliate once while he was being kicked and beaten. He just kept taking the hits like he’s used to it.”
“That son-of-a,” Pavel hisses, looking angry. For the first time since I met him, I’m getting a glimpse of the ruthlessness he hides under his cheerful grin.
Logan’s gaze softens. “You’re not alone, Liam. We’ll make sure Hayden’s dad never touches him again.”
There’s a silent promise in Pavel’s grim gaze as he places a hand on my shoulder.
“Do you want me to talk to Hayden?” I ask them. “Let him know that you guys are cool about me and everything?”
Logan nods. “You can let Hayden know that we have no problems with him and his choice of partner. As long as he keeps up that fighting spirit, we’ll do everything we can to keep him on the team.”
“We’ll protect him from that asshole dad of his too,” Pavel says with an icy look in his eyes.
Warmth and relief flow through me. With both Logan's and Pavel's reassurances, I don’t feel so alone anymore in my fight against Hayden’s father.
Suddenly, I can’t wait to get out of here and run to Hayden. He has to know he doesn’t have to live another day in fear and that we can be together without jeopardizing his hockey career.
For the first time, I feel hopeful of a happy future with Hayden.
30
Hayden
My muscles burn from skating over the past hour. Since a lot of us are still recovering from the injuries we sustained at our last game, Coach Sullivan took it easy on us this evening.
Even though the session wasn’t as hardcore as our usual routine, I still feel exhausted. All I want to do is take a hot shower and find out what Liam is up to.
Reaching the locker room, I’m about to break open a bottle of energy drink when someone calls my name. Turning around, I see it’s Logan.
“Hey, shouldn’t you be resting?” I say, walking up to him.
