Hockey Holidays Read online

  “Maybe I will,” I lied. “I’ll see you at home.”

  By the time I left the arena, I had a plan, and I needed space to think. I caught a cab and ended up in the park that Archie and I had found. My mom was the first person I called; she always knew the right thing to say, and maybe she could make the big decisions for me.

  I wanted what Alex and Jo had. Hell, I wanted what my mom and dad had. Of course, I did. I wanted love, a happy ever after, a big family, lots of kids, the whole deal. Professional athletes didn’t always have that.

  Mom listened to me patiently as I explained it all. About what had happened with Archie, about being seen, about my overwhelming fear of losing everything.

  “You’ve never been a quitter,” she interrupted as I was heading into full flow, but her tone was softer. “I don’t recognize this version of you.”

  “What? Mom, I’m—”

  “Scared? Of what will happen? Of the team? Have you talked to them?”

  She was right. I was scared. More like terrified. “Not all of them.”

  “What about your captain? Have you talked to Alex?”

  This was the point where I could either be entirely honest with her or just let it go. She always knew when one of us was lying; being a mom to six kids gave her scary skills. That innate respect I had for her made me all kinds of honest.

  “The man I was seeing? It’s Archie Simard, the captain’s brother.”

  She went very quiet, and then I could imagine her nodding with that determined look on her face.

  “Which makes it even more important to talk to your team, but Alex first.”

  “He’s already talked to me. He knows.”

  “And?”

  “He doesn’t want me to hurt Archie. But it’s not my fault, Mom. It’s not as if I have any choice here.”

  “Logan, you have to follow your heart,” she said after a small pause.

  “I can’t. It means giving up everything. It’s impossible—”

  “Logan Edward Maxwell, now you listen to me. Love is supposed to be impossible.”

  She couldn’t say that. She and Dad had met on a blind date. They’d been fourteen, childhood sweethearts, and they’d been together ever since. They fell in love so easily, and nothing stood in their way.

  “It was easy for you—”

  “Easy!” she shouted down the phone. I could hear the anger in her voice, and I hated that I had upset her. I knew I’d said it all wrong.

  “Mom, I didn’t mean—”

  “It wasn’t easy to fall pregnant at sixteen. Every single person who knew me told me that your dad would leave, that I would be a single mom, stuck in the same town I grew up in, with no future. I could have moved on then, but I loved your dad, and we worked hard every single day to keep ourselves in love, to fight everything put in our way.”

  “I’m sorry—”

  “So don’t tell me that what you have with Archie is too hard. If you love him, you fight for him.” She never pulled her punches, even when we were kids, and it didn’t look like she was starting now.

  Archie’s words were right there: I’ll fight for you if you say you love me.

  Was I quitting love before I had to make the big choices?

  I stood in the cool Dallas sunshine, wishing there was snow. Maybe everything would feel right if there was snow.

  “I love you, Mom,” I whispered.

  “I love you too, Logan. Please remember hockey isn’t everything.”

  We said our goodbyes, and at least I knew she wasn’t angry with me. Then, I called my agent, right from the middle of the park, and didn’t even let him speak.

  “I want sports endorsements for who I am, not where I’m pretending to be something I’m not. Oh, and I’m coming out to the team, so you may want to put things in place.”

  He spluttered something about money and timing, punctuated with swear words. I ended the call when he was in mid-flow.

  I could get a new agent, but I couldn’t get a new Archie.

  I pulled up the last text from Archie, the one I couldn’t seem to bring myself to delete.

  I won’t stop loving you. A, xx

  And I hit reply.

  It didn’t take him long to get to the park, and I watched as he walked toward me, back into the trees where we’d hidden for that kiss. His hands were forced into his jacket pockets, his expression unchanging, even when he saw me. He looked so good, and even though the rest of what I was doing was going to be a mess we’d have to wade through, we could at least do it together.

  I moved toward him when he stopped.

  “Archie,” I murmured and smiled, waited for him to return the smile with the affection he usually showed. Nothing. If anything, he was stoic as if he was expecting the worst.

  I reached a hand out to him, the words I wanted to say tight in my throat. This was everything; this was my whole life ahead of me with the man I loved at my side.

  At least, I hoped it would be, and that he’d meant what he said.

  I waited until he finally took one hand from his pocket and held mine. His eyes were bright with emotion, and I just had to say the words.

  “I love you,” I said.

  For a moment he was still, utterly silent, surprise etched into his face.

  “Logan?”

  I don’t think he believed me, and I stepped closer, released my hold on his hand, and cradled his face. “I love you,” I repeated.

  And waited.

  Then he smiled so wide and kissed me with passion and love, and when we parted, he was serious again.

  “I’ll fight for you.” He covered my hand with his. “With you,” he amended.

  “This won’t be easy,” I said. “But Alex says he has my back.”

  “You spoke to Alex?” Archie was surprised, then wary. “How does he know? You have to know I never told him about us—”

  I cut off his words with another kiss and held him tight.

  “He just knew. I think maybe more people know than I thought. But we have the team, the fans who won’t care, friends watching out for us, and most of all we have each other, and that’s something worth fighting for.”

  Hand in hand we walked back to the house, and it was Connor who saw us first. He snapped a quick shot of us that he said we could use on Instagram for when I made an official announcement.

  But it wasn’t that photo I had plans to use. No, the image I wanted to show the world was the one of Archie and me on that first perfect day.

  The day I’d fallen in love, and everything had become possible.

  THE END

  The Burlington Dragons Hockey Team

  Read Ryan and Katherine’s story in The Code

  Read Simba and Josephine’s story in The Heart

  rjscott.co.uk/dragons-hockey

  Books by RJ Scott

  Hockey Romance

  The Vermont Dragons (Male/Female)

  The Code (#1)

  The Heart (#2)

  The Legacy (#3) (Coming soon)

  Harrisburg Railers (MM/Gay Romance)

  Changing Lines (#1)

  First Season (#2)

  Deep Edge (#3)

  Poke Check (#4)

  Last Defense (#5)

  Goal Line (#6)

  Neutral Zone (#7) (Railers Novella - 25 November)

  Hat Trick (#8) (Railers Novella - 14 February)

  Owatonna U (New Adult MM/Gay Romance)

  Ryker (#1)

  Scott (#2)

  Benoit (#3)

  Standalone Hockey Romance (MM/Gay Romance)

  Secrets

  For all other RJ Scott books please visit rjscott.co.uk

  About RJ Scott

  RJ is the author of the over one hundred published novels and discovered romance in books at a very young age. She realized that if there wasn’t romance on the page, she could create it in her head, and is a lifelong writer.

  She lives and works out of her home in the beautiful English countryside, spends her spare t