Page 103 of Overtime Goal
“No, you don’t. You’re the one who was brave enough to decide to go. That’s not always an easy decision.”
He pressed his lips together and scratched his head. “True, but…”
“But what?”
“I’ve never been great at taking care of myself, mostly because of my past. I didn’t think I was worth it. If I weren’t in love with you and wanting to be the best I can be for us, I may never have found the courage to go.”
“Oh, babe.” I pressed a kiss against the top of his head. “You deserve to have a wonderful life, and I hope this will help you put some of your ghosts to rest. Maybe it’s time I went back to therapy, make sure I’m giving the best of me.”
He looked up, widening his eyes. “You’ve been through therapy?”
“Sure. I never told you about that?”
“No.”
“It was when I was in college. I’d known I was gay for years, but hockey was different back then. I hate to say it, but the culture of the game was homophobic. Since staying in the closetwas hurting me emotionally, I finally realized I had two choices. It was either go get help or quit playing.”
“That was before Nick Johnson came out, right?”
I nodded. “Nick changed everything. Hockey culture is more accepting because of him.”
“I’ve heard about what happened, and I read an article about him once.”
“He’s a great man.” I paused, wanting to put the focus back on Riles. “And so are you, Ade. You deserve everything good. Are you happy about your new therapist?”
He let my hand go and rubbed his cheek. “As much as I can be before meeting her. Luca said she’s helped him resolve problems he’s had for years. He thinks that since she’s married to a football player, she understands some of the problems facing professional athletes. I have high hopes I can leave a lot of my issues behind once and for all.”
“My old therapist always said determination to improve is the biggest part of successful therapy, and you seem to have that. If you’re as stubborn about it as you are everything else?—”
“Hey! I’m stubborn?”
I couldn’t help laughing. “You know you are. And stubbornness can be a valuable trait, so make the most of it.”
He brushed his lips over mine and said, “I’ve always heard happiness slips up on you, and I guess it’s true. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been happy to have you as a friend. But I was so busy trying to keep up my image as the world’s most active straight guy, I never thought about us being more.”
“You’re young, and you were sowing your wild oats. Were you attracted to me at all?”
He rolled his eyes. “Hello, remember LA?”
“I mean before that.”
“For a while. It kept growing, but I didn’t know what to do with it. You said you were attracted to me for a long time. Will you tell me how long?”
I let the words roll out before I could second-guess myself. “Since you walked into the Warriors locker room the first time. My stomach flipped, and my heart did a crazy dance. When it became obvious you were straight, or at least thought you were, I tried to let those feelings go. No luck.”
He studied his hands for a moment, then looked into my eyes and said, “I’m not sure when I fell in love with you. I always liked you so much, but I kept telling myself you were only my best friend. Loving you wasn’t a new thing in Positano, but it had taken me too long to realize what I felt.”
“I’ll never forget the way you came charging into that bar, ready to go to war for me. You may have been in overtime, but you scored the perfect goal.”
Riles shrugged, flashing a grin. “Hey, everyone says I’m a clutch player. I just hate it took me so long to come after you.”
I brushed his hair back and kissed the tip of his nose. “I’ve loved you for years. As much as I wanted us to be together, I never thought it would actually happen.”
He gave me one of his playful looks, all mischief and bright eyes. “Look at us now, madly in love and here to stay.”
“We sure are. I can’t wait to see what’s ahead.”
A crooked smile tugged at his lips, and he bounced his eyebrows. “I’ve got a pretty good idea of what’ll be coming in a little while. Or should I saywhowill be coming?”
