Page 188 of The Husband Game

Noah stepped away as the crowd cheered and the Jumbotron lit up, displaying former teammates and guys around the league talking about the three players’ legacies and wishing them well.

It was interspersed with highlight reels and by the time it was done, Charlie had to blow his nose.

Damn it, he was turning into a total sap. He blamed Dustin. Clearly it was catching.

Someone else came out to speak, some bigwig Charlie didn’t recognize, and spoke to the crowd for a few minutes. He wasn’t nearly as well-spoken or handsome as La Bouche so Charlie only half paid attention, but he clapped when he was done.

The guys’ extended families were also introduced to lots of applause before the speaker continued. “It is my honor to introduce the men of the hour who will be taking their rightful place tonight as some of the greatest among us to ever wear an Evanston jersey. Please welcome Anders Lindholm, Zane Murphy, and Ryan Hartinger!”

Charlie clapped until his palms ached, grinning from ear to ear.

Murphy and Hartinger took each other’s hands, and Kelly O’Shea, dressed in his game jersey and sneakers, stepped up beside Anders Lindholm.

Charlie sniffled, touched by the gesture.

Although he’d once derided the sport as one filled with homophobes and wife beaters, he regretted that now.

Maybe hockey still had a long way to go but there were good people too. People working for change.

People who had seen that it could be better and done what they could to make that happen.

It was thanks to guys like the three whose numbers were being retired tonight that allowed Charlie to even be married to Dustin.

“Pretty amazing, huh?” Taylor whispered and Charlie nodded, reaching for his hand.

Next, several people came out to speak more about the players’ accomplishments. Each of the guys being honored tonight spoke briefly too, moving and humorous words about their careers and the people who had helped them along the way.

From this distance, it was hard to tell how emotional the guys were but Charlie could imagine how a ceremony like this would feel for them.

They were more than hockey legends; they were people who had changed the game forever.

Charlie held his breath as the music swelled and three banners with their names and numbers were lifted into the rafters.

Charlie’s eyes watered and he thought about his own retirement.

There were no retirement ceremonies for figure skaters but even if there had been, he wouldn’t have agreed to go to one when he left the sport.

Instead, he’d simply disappeared from the public eye and spent the weeks and months following his Olympic win in a hospital bed, then a rehab facility, slowly, painfully healing.

Huge crowds would never again chant Charlie’s name to celebrate his accomplishments.

At various points in his life, that would have stung.

But Charlie didn’t need that anymore.

Living a long, happy life with Dustin meant far more to him than the silver medal he’d won and given to Taylor’s parents for safekeeping.

* * *

Dustin grunted as a stick smacked the side of his thigh but he pushed harder, skating toward the goal.

Before he could blink, Gabriel Theriault stripped the puck from him, wheeling away with a little wink.

“Putain!” Dustin called out, calling Gabriel a whore in his native Quebecois but Dustin was grinning as he tore after him.

The Fisher Cats were ahead by two points and while Dustin wasn’t pleased about his former teammate stealing the puck, he had to admit, it had been a damn good move.

Dustin spotted Nico briefly tangling with Theriault but before Dustin could see what happened, he heard the shrill sound of the whistle.

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