Page 229 of Wrong Pucking Jersey

“B-Boyfriends?” She looks between Maddox and Damien.

Neither of them corrects him, which is both amusing and surely intriguing to our current audience.

“You three aren’t dating?” Mr. Souza ponders. “I swore they said on the news you three were.”

“I thought it was just O’Riley,” Mr. Mowakie notes.

“Wait, so Winchester doesn’t play a role in any of this?” Mr. Campbell mutters.

“No.” It’s crazy how all four of us end up responding in unison, leaving Mishka blushing and Mr. Hamilton chuckling.

“It’s good to be young,” he praises.

“Would it be an issue if Miss Johnson was dating more than one player, Mr. Hamilton?” Damien surprisingly asks.

All eyes are on him as he shrugs like it really isn’t a Big. Deal.

“We’re in a time and age where the expression of love is changing and evolving. Less focus revolving around all the rules that tie one down to walk one path and more power being given to those who wish to walk a different path,” he reveals. “Who am I to judge another for who they love? Whether it’s one person or multiple. As long as you’re able to remain professional and perform well in your careers, I really don’t care about any of that.”

I’m surprised and damn impressed by how casually and yet confident he is in saying it openly before his peers.

“I’m sure every culture is different,” Mr. Souza points out.

“Indeed,” Mr. Mowakie admits. “But I’m also not one to judge. As long as you do your jobs, your personal life and activities aren’t anyone’s business.”

“I’m pretty sure Mr. Champion made sure in your contracts it clearly states your outside relations and commitments will not interfere with your careers, yes?” Mr. Campbell brings up.

“It did,” Maddox notes. I can tell he’s squeezing Mishka’s hand, just like Damien, who’s taken her hand back into his grasp. “I guess we’re intrigued whether it stands or not.”

“It stands,” Mr. Hamilton emphasizes with a smile. “Love should have no boundaries. If anyone does try to box you in, just let me know, yes?”

“Y-Yes,” Mishka replies, and I can see the relief in her eyes.

“Now, shall we head inside and get talking, Miss Johnson? I’d rather get this professional stuff out of the way now, so you can enjoy the rest of the night making connections,” he encourages and looks at Maddox and Damien. “You two don’t mind, yes?”

I notice how they both blush at his comment before they let go of Mikayla’s hands.

“See you in a bit, Baby Girl,” Maddox encourages and dares to kiss her left temple.

“We’ll save some cocktails for you, Jagiya,” Damien adds with a smirk and kisses her cheek.

“Honestly, I’m just gonna be here to make sure these two don’t get antsy with your absence,” Ace teases, which has the other two punching him. “Ow! Teammate abuse!”

“Shut up,” Maddox laughs.

“We better find Coach Cyrus. We promised we’d get a group picture.”

“Wait till Mkaykay is back,” Maddox encourages.

“Alright. Shall we go check out the fundraisers? Let’s see if we can contribute to the local ones.”

“That’s cool,” Damien agrees. “I think my parents should be around. They wanted to speak with you guys.”

“Sure,” Ace beams and looks my way. “Yo, Wolfgang. You coming?”

I glance back to see Mikayla is already farther away with Mr. Hamilton as well as Mr. Campbell in tow. The three of them are smiling, the conversation surely promising with whatever they’re planning to offer.

“We’ll be around,” Mr. Mowakie announces and looks my way. “Hope to see more of your performance on the ice, Mr. Augustus.”

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