Page 167 of Cheap Shot

“I get that.” He tucked her arm into his and they kept walking. “But you can’t bubble wrap her, Brie. You can take precautions, but she’s going to have to go to school someday. She’s going to want to ride bikes and do ‘normal’ kid stuff. And some of it you’ll have to tell her no about, but some of it you’re going to have to say yes to. Because it’s the best thing for her.”

“I know. I hate it, but I know that.”

“And some things you’re going to have to say yes to for yourself,” he said gently. “Like having friends and going out for dinner and a drink and maybe even somedaydatingagain.”

“I suppose.”

“So stop beating yourself up about what happened,” he continued, still keeping his tone gentle. “Harper had a setback, but she’s tough. She’s a strong little girl and the two of you will get through this. Hopefully with the help of those of us who care about you.”

“You’re right.” Brie said. She glanced over at him. “But speaking of people who care about us … you and Luke, huh?”

“Yeah.” Sebastian smiled.

“I remember you saying ‘fuck the NHL’ when you quit the sport,” she teased. “I didn’t expect you to take that quite so literally.”

Sebastian laughed. “Well, I always did love hockey …”

Later that evening, Sebastian blinked at the riot of rainbow-colored decor inside the Irish pub. He’d never been to O’Neill’s before, but Luke had described it as a low-key, relaxing place that the team had been using as an official hangout spot for decades.

There wasnothinglow-key about it tonight and he laughed when he saw a hand-lettered sign with the wordsWelcome to the Rainbow Side.

Behind him, Luke muttered, “Fuck my life,” and turned like he was going to head right back out of the building.

Sebastian grabbed his arm and held on. Could he physically stop Luke from leaving? Probably not. But the gesture did the job because Luke sighed and turned back to face the Harriers players who were lined up inside the pub.

“This is your official welcome to the rainbow side!” Tanner shouted and Jesse shot a confetti cannon.

A shower of brightly colored paper rained down over them and Luke shook his head, dislodging another sprinkle of them. Sebastian didn’t even want to think about how much of it was caught in his own curls.

“I thought this was a fucking meeting about how to help Brie?” Luke grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

“It is,” Jesse said. “We just wanted to also throw you a coming-out party. And a ‘welcome to the SAPs’ party for Sebastian.”

“Thanks,” Sebastian said with a laugh, tilting his head and shaking it, confetti fluttering to the floor below. “I feel very … welcomed.”

“Oh, that reminds me, I need to add you to the SAPs app,” Jesse said, taking his arm and guiding him off to one side.

Sebastian’s head spun a little as Jesse chattered enthusiastically about an app for spouses and partners of players and all the resources they had available to them.

He glanced over to see a couple of the guys talking to Luke too. He looked massively uncomfortable, but when he glanced over and their gazes met, his expression softened just a little, the corner of his mouth lifting.

“Uhh, someone’s smitten,” Jesse said with a soft laugh.

“Yeah,” Sebastian admitted, turning back to face him, a little embarrassed that he’d been caught staring so blatantly. “Sorry.”

Jesse’s smile widened. “I meanthim.”

“Oh.” Sebastian’s face warmed. “You think so?”

Jesse gave him a thoughtful look. “You know, I didn’t like Luke when I first got to the team. I knew he was a valuable player, but I didn’t think much of him as a person. But since then, I’ve really gotten to see a different side of him. He’s gruff but … there’s a kindness lurking underneath there that I wouldn’t have expected.”

“I hear you.” Sebastian chuckled. “I fuckinghatedthe guy when we first started hooking up.”

Jesse laughed. “So that part wasn’t a cover?”

“God no. But he’s … there’s a lot more to him than most people see,” Sebastian admitted.

“I believe that.”