Page 90 of Ethan

Ethan made a face and tried to pretend Hank was wrong, but he wasn’t. That was the whole problem.

“What are you gonna do up in Toronto?” Ethan asked. He wasn’t going, obviously, but it made missing Hank less awful if he could visualize where he was, what he was doing.

Christmas was less than a week away, and Ethan hadn’t been trying to get his hopes up, though these days it felt like his hopes were permanently raised. Still, it hadn’t beenonlyhim. They hadn’t talked about their holiday plans, and Ethan had a feeling it was because Hank had been putting offmakingholiday plans. He’d been hoping too, that he’d be in New York instead of Syracuse by the time the end of the month rolled around.

“Try to stay warm,” Hank teased. “I don’t know. Annie’ll be home, too. So I’ll get to see her. Maybe I’ll drag her skating on one of the outdoor rinks.”

“Sounds fun.” Ethan was trying not to sound sulky, and he wasn’t sure he was quite pulling it off.

“Would be more fun if you could be there, too,” Hank admitted.

“Yeah?” They hadn’t talked about meeting parents—obviously Ethan wanted that but they weren’t even officially dating yet.Unfortunately.Ethan mentally cursed out Inverness, even though he usuallylikedInverness.

“I was actually thinking.” Hank let out an unsteady breath. Looked nervous. “I was thinking I’d tell my parents and Annie about us. Aboutmetoo, I guess.”

It was not what Ethan had expected, but he wasn’t upset about it. “Yeah? You think it’s gonna be okay?”

Hank rolled his eyes but the relief lingering in the depths of them was reassuring.

“Yeah, it’s not gonna be a big deal. Mom’s probably going to throw me aCongrats, you’re gay nowparty.”

“God, would she?”

“Yeah.” Hank laughed. “But if she wants to, I’m gonna tell her to hold off so she can do it with you there, too.”

“I’d love aCongrats, you’re gay nowparty. When I told my parents, they barely blinked.”

“Well, yeah, both your brothers did it first,” Hank said.

“Exactly. They’re good for something.”

Hank laughed. “So it’s settled, then. Next summer, my mom’s throwing us aCongrats, you’re gay nowparty.”

“I’ll be there with my rainbows on,” Ethan said. “Can I bring my brothers or do they not count because they were already gay?”

Hank choked out a laugh as he drank out of his water bottle. “They’re welcome, for sure.”

“If I go to Toronto, you’ll come to Michigan, right?” Ethan asked, even though he already knew the answer. Last summer, when he’d initially made the invite, everything had been heading in this direction, so notthatdifferent, but it still felt like night and day between then and now.

“You won’t be able to keep me away.” Hank’s smile was warm.

“Good. And let me know how it goes with your parents and Annie,” Ethan said.

Hank made a scoffing noise. “Like I wouldn’t. I’m just sorry you won’t be there, too.”

“Me too.” Ethan made a noise. “It all fucking sucks, honestly.”

That was the thing—and it was unfair, and if Ethan ever got a chance, he was going to bitch to the commissioner about it—the AHL had a much longer holiday break than the NHL. The NHL’swas,at best, like three freaking days. But less, sometimes, if a team had to travel.

But Hank would have almost a week, plenty of time to head up to Toronto. No time for Ethan to join him.

Because his own parents had come to New York for Thanksgiving, they were heading to the West Coast for Christmas, Livvy flying down to LA to meet them and Avery. Ethan wasn’t reallythatpissy about it. Or else he might not have been, if he’d gotten Hank. But clearly he wasn’t going to get Hank.

Instead, he was going to spend the whole three days watching Charlie and Max wind themselves closer and then closer, still.

He shouldn’t be jealous, but he was kinda jealous.

“You know I’m trying,” Hank said, and Ethan couldn’t miss the sudden hopeless bitter edge to his voice, the one that Ethan hated hearing. The one he’d been hearing more and more lately.