Page 159 of The Husband Game

“Yeah, about that,” Dustin said, looking uneasily at him over the old ping pong table they were still using for dining. “My parents and Emily are going to be at the game. Obviously, they want to meet you.”

“Really?” Charlie gave Dustin an unimpressed look. “I couldn’t have met them any other time? In private. God. What if they hate me? What if I’m too … Charlie for them.”

Dustin leaned forward and took his hand. “Kitten, they’re not going to hate you and you are exactly the right amount of Charlie. I think you’re wonderful and they will too. Em already said she likes you. She follows you on Instagram, you know.”

Charlie groaned. “There’s so much pressure …”

Dustin’s face grew serious. “If it’s too much pressure, I’ll—I’ll figure something else out. They wouldn’t have to come although they’ve always been at my first game of the season. It’s kind of a tradition.”

Wincing, Charlie let out a deep breath. “No, I am not going to have you uninvite your family to save me a little stress. I’m a big boy. I can handle meeting the in-laws.”

Holy shit, he had in-laws.

It wasn’t like this was the first time he’d realized that but it hit a lot harder when Dustin’s family wasn’t this vague, far-off presence. They were suddenly a very real, very terrifying prospect.

Dustin squeezed his hand. “For what it’s worth, this isn’t what I would have picked for your first meeting with them either, but with their schedules, the only way they could make it was to fly into Toronto the morning of the game. And look at it this way, you’ll have the game to talk about so it’ll be easy to make conversation.”

“True.”

“And you don’t have to worry about them staying with us. They’ll rent a car and stay in a hotel while they’re here but I thought if we could all get to the arena a little early, we could meet in the family lounge. It’s either that or them showing up at our house, possibly unannounced and …”

“Yeah, we’ve seen what happens when people show up with no warning. Meeting your family at the game sounds great by comparison,” Charlie said with a rueful smile. “And by the way, while they’re in town, we are not having sex anywhere that doesn’t have a locking door. Matty and Colton walking in on us is one thing. Your parents? Absolutely not.”

Dustin laughed and agreed. “Good idea. Okay, I’ll let them know the plan.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Dustin set down his fork and looked him in the eye. “They’re going to love you.”

“Yeah?” Charlie gave him a little smile. “Why’s that?”

“I …” Dustin cleared his throat, glancing away, looking out the window at the trees in the backyard, turning rusty brown and vibrant red. “I’m crazy about you so of course they will be too.”

Charlie stared at Dustin’s profile as he let those words sink in. He wondered if Dustin had … but no, that was … he hadn’t really been about to say he loved Charlie, had he?

But what was love?

Charlie had talked about it with his therapists over the years and never quite felt like he understood it. What his parents had shown him certainly wasn’t love.

Charlie knew how he felt about Taylor and Taylor’s parents. That soft feeling in the center of his chest when he thought about them. Concern for them and knowing he’d do nearly anything for them.

Charlie knew how it felt to be loved by them. Their warm connection and trust. Their willingness to make him a part of their family.

At times he’d let his own fears get in the way of letting himself be loved by them. He’d doubted they would stick around when they knew the worst of him.

The ugly, broken parts.

But now he knew better.

Dustin had resumed eating, shoveling his food in like always because hockey players didn’t seem to be able to eat any other way.

Dustin now knew the ugly broken parts of Charlie. And he … he was still here.

His knee pressed into the side of Charlie’s thigh like it so often did. Dustin liked touching him. Liked that connection.

And Charlie would blow it off as him being a horny bastard and, well, maybe he was, but Charlie liked that in a man.

But if Dustin wanted sex, there were easier people to have it with.

If Dustin was pretending for the sake of the team or the league or the code of conduct, he wouldn’t have put in so much effort with Charlie.

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