Page 36 of Blindsided

After a groan, I decided I owed Brax an explanation. He wasn’t wrong that I’d teased him mercilessly to find a little. I hadn’t expected him to end up with his roommate, but they were a match made in Daddy/little heaven. “Lincoln read a book about a guy who wore panties and he’s interested now.” It wasn’t like me to be unsure of myself, but I glanced over at Brax and gave an uncomfortable shrug. “The idea is hot, not gonna lie about that. It’s just, I have no idea what happened in this book that he found so hot, and I don’t want to fuck it up for him.”

In true best friend fashion, Brax gave an exaggerated, dreamy sigh. “Aww, that’s so sweet! You really like him!”

“Oh my god, you are fucking impossible!”

He sobered. “Seriously, East, it’s sweet. I’ve honestly never seen you this wrapped up in a guy.”

I adjusted in my seat to be able to look at Brax more easily. “He did a number on me when he ghosted me after I got called up to the NHL. We’ve been talking about the reasons he left. While I don’t agree with them and I still think he should have given me a chance, I do think he thought he was doing the right thing.”

“Are you okay with it? I mean, are you going to be able to just pick up right where you left off, forgive and forget?”

I fought laughter at the absurdity of being able to forget while nodding my head. “I’m getting to be okay with it. I’m not there yet. As for forgetting? I don't think there is a way to just forget it. I think it’s something I am going to have to learn to live with, forgive, and understand that everyone makes mistakes.”

Brax hummed. “That’s really mature of you. Shockingly mature coming from the man who couldn’t load a dishwasher two and a half years ago.”

“Fuck you.”

He raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to disagree with him. When I didn’t say anything, he just smirked. “You conveniently skipped over the part where you two picked up right where you left off.”

“Because that is way more complicated than we have time for. We’re figuring it out. Let’s put it that way.” We’d sort of unintentionally picked up where we’d left off—Lincoln bent over while I spanked his ass and made him come… twice.

Except that hadn’t really been picking up, at least from my perspective. It had been more akin to closing a chapter while simultaneously starting a new one. And I couldn’t figure out a way to explain how it was different; I just knew it was. Those first two angry hookups had helped us both work through some of the pain our breakup had caused. Now we were focusing on the present and potentially the future.

“One day you’re going to tell me what you aren’t telling me today. Today you’re going to let me help you find this book.” He pulled out his phone and we started looking together.

The book I’d thought held promise hadn’t actually been the right one, but it had been by the same author. It took us a bit more searching, but within a few minutes, we both had the book I was confident was the right one on our phones and were glued to the story.

“Damn.” Brax whistled about five minutes into the book. “The man in the panties sounds so damn hot.”

I nodded. “I’m liking Phantom. He’s all tall, dark, and mysterious.”

Brax scoffed. “You would.”

We read for another hour, only stopping when Gretzky got out of the pool and shook water all over us. He then curled up in the sun to nap while he dried, and Brax and I continued to read.

“Okay, my brain hurts. I think it’s time for lunch,” I said, finally pocketing my phone.

Brax looked up from his. “My phone’s almost dead. Let me bum a charger and we can figure out food.”

I nodded as we headed to the house. “So where’s your boy?”

“Out with some of the other guys. He and Seth are doing some planning shit with the coaches today. Something about team building and potentially a team trip? I don’t know. I just do what they tell me.”

“Ahh. I see how it is. Dom in the sheets, sub in the streets.” Brax’s answering growl was satisfying and, still grinning, I handed over a phone charger. “Okay, let’s figure out something for lunch.”

CHAPTER 17

LINCOLN

“This was the worst idea in the history of ideas. You should be here, not me!”

Daisy blinked at me through the video call on my laptop. “Dramatic much?”

I lifted my arm from my eyes and peered at the phone in my hand. “Not dramatic enough. Daisy, I have no idea what I’m doing. They are talking about promotions and events and sponsorships and rule changes! Did you know the NHL canceled Pride Night this year? Something about it being too divisive?”

The noise Daisy let out was primal and the way her nostrils flared with anger told me I’d hit a sore spot. Just before I could apologize, she closed her eyes and shook her head. When she found words, her voice was filled with sadness that instantly made my heart go out to her. “I know. It’s stupid. And because so many AHL teams are owned by their NHL affiliates, I can almost guarantee the events will be canceled at our level too.”

I’d already gathered that. Though some of the owners had been visibly upset by the remark, I had also seen a number of the stodgy, constipated-looking white-haired men around the room nod in approval. “The league didn’t say we couldn’t have a Pride event.” I’d listened very closely for any stipulation that precluded AHL teams from hosting an event. There hadn’t been anything said nor had there been anything in the handouts that had banned it.

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