I can tell as soon as I board the plane that Mac has talked to her dad. Coach, as I will have to call him for the foreseeable future. His eyes are on me as soon as I board and he calls my name. “Garrison! We need to talk.”
Okay, so much for me building up to it. I nod and drop my bag on a window seat before continuing to the back where Alex… Coach is standing next to the bathrooms. Everyone is busy getting settled in their seats and buckling up so no one is going to bother us back here. It’s as private as we’re going to get. I come to stand in front of him, squaring my shoulders and locking eyes with him.
I can see why Alex was such a great enforcer when he played. He can look scary as shit when he locks his jaw and narrows his eyes like he’s doing to me at the moment.
“Look, I know that you don’t really know me. You know my parents and my uncles, and I think you think they’re good people.”
“They’re some of the best people I’ve ever known.”
I nod. “Yeah me too. And I’ve spent my life trying to live up to that. I’ve been a good hockey player, a good cousin, a good son, and now I’m going to be a great boyfriend to your daughter.”
“Going to be?” Alex questions folding his beefy arms over his chest. “I thought you guys were already dating.”
“We are. And I was a good boyfriend, but I… I hurt her today,” I admit and holy fuck if looks could kill Alex would have me plastered to the ceiling of this private plane like a coat of paint "But I fixed it. She forgives me, but I don't forgive myself and probably won't for a while. Because Mac's the most amazing person I've ever known. I figured out how awesome she was when I was a kid. But I've never been man enough to let her know until now. Like literally today. Anyway, I could have ended it today, because we both know we're gonna get a lot of media attention neither of us wants when the world realizes I'm dating my coach's daughter, but I think she's worth going through a little drama. I know she is. So yeah, I'm dating your daughter, and as long as she lets me I will continue to do so. Are you okay with that?"
Alex stares at me for a long time. Just stares. It’s got every hair on the back of my neck standing up and a chill rippling down my spine. Thank Christ I don’t play guys with this level of intimidation skills. I would piss myself right there at center ice. “I have to be okay with it because Mackenzie told me that I have to be.”
I almost smile at that, but my self-preservation instincts tell me it’s not a good idea. Alex finally sighs, all that animosity he can command at the drop of a hat disappears and he lets his folded arms drop to his sides. “You the reason she’s chasing to stay in Portland after she graduates?”
I shake my head. “No. She really just likes the place and the job opportunity. For the record if she wanted to move back to New York or took a job in Idaho or wherever, I would still stick with her.”
He smiles. Actually smiles. And my lungs expand. I feel relief flood my veins. “She’s the most amazing person I’ve ever known. Honestly. Since the second I saw her in that alley, I knew she was special.”
“She makes me a better man,” I tell him and I feel the words in my gut. Nothing has ever been more true.
"I've always liked you Con. And between you and me, you might almost be good enough for her," he says and slaps my shoulder. "Now go sit down so we can get this bird in the air."
I make my way to the seat I left my bag on. Abbott has taken the seat beside me. He moves his knees so I can slink past. “Why do I get the feeling there’s an issue between you and the new coach? Please tell me I’m wrong because I really don’t want bad energy in the locker room.”
“You’re wrong. There’s no issue,” I promise him, and his shoulders start to droop in relief. “But I am dating his daughter.”
“Oh fuck.” Yeah, even the gay guy knows that’s a big no-no.
“He’s cool with it,” I reply. “I swear. We’re old friends. He’s good.”
“Yeah but dude, if you fuck up just once, there’s no way that stays out of the locker room.” Abbott sighs and shakes his head. “Coaches with daughters are dangerous. They will always screw you if you screw their daughters. Even I know that and I don’t screw daughters.”
I smile at that because he’s grinning at it himself. “It’s fine because I won’t screw up.”
"So you're going to date her the entire time he's your coach, no matter what?" Abbott raises an eyebrow like he doesn't think I could want to stay with someone that long. Maybe because it took him a while to commit to Declan.
“I’m hoping to stay with her indefinitely,” I confess and ignore the fear that kind of spikes in my belly. I don’t know if she feels the same. I hope she does. We haven’t said the L word yet.
“Well, obviously I hope it all works out, dude,” Abbott tells me before he puts on his headphones and closes his eyes.
* * *
I'm in the hallway between the home team locker room and the visitor one. Tate and I agreed to this PR stunt before the game because everyone always wants pictures of the cousins together when they play each other. My dad says it's worse when it's your siblings but I can't imagine being hounded more than we already are. Tate rounds the corner. He's in flip-flops, sweatpants, and an Under Armor shirt. His sandy brown hair is tucked under an L.A. Quake baseball cap.
He smirks at me as he approaches and the press gathered at the side all start snapping photos and likely taking video. I don’t look over to find out. “Ready to have your ass handed to you?”
“Language little cuz,” I chastise as we hug. “You west coasters are so crass.”
“Shut up. I’m a Mainer at heart, just like you,” Tate laughs. “You’re just jealous I don’t have to shovel snow off my car after a home game.”
"Your team is literally named after a catastrophic event that happens weekly here," I remind him. "I'll take the snow."
The press actually laugh. They love this, the way we give each other shit, and Tate and I excel at it. We know the game and we like playing it, on and off the ice.
We turn to face our audience now, wrapping our arms around each other and letting them snap some more shots.
“Okay.” The Quake coach claps his hands. His name is Jude Braddock and he’s an ex-player just like Alex. “You guys got your Family Ties moment now let’s go back to being opponents.”
“You got it Coach,” Tate says and turns to me. “Later cuz.”
I turn and head back to the visitors' locker room. I have to pass the visitor's guest lounge and that's when I see her. I swear to god it's a mirage. Hallucination. I stop so abruptly that my dress shoes squeak on the polished concrete floor.
She turns away from her dad and smiles. “Surprise.”
I smile so big and so fast that I might have to see a trainer about pulled muscles in my face. I walk right up to her as fast as I can and scoop her off her feet in a giant hug. “She’s actually here to see me,” Coach grumbles.
“No honey,” Mac’s mom says from where she’s standing next to Coach, patting his arm. “We’re here to see you. I’m pretty sure she just wanted to see him.”
“My mom wanted to surprise my dad on his first road trip with his new team,” Mac explains, her lips against my neck as she’s still hanging from my embrace a half inch off the ground. “I couldn’t resist joining.”
“Can you introduce me to your boyfriend already?”
I put Mac down and she takes my hand and turns to face her family. I've met her mom before, but not her sister who has been a new addition to her family in the last decade. It's the sister who demanded an introduction and as soon as we're facing her, she steps forward and gives me her hand. "I'm Cassia."
“Cassia, I’m Conner. Great to meet you.” I turn to her mom. “Nice seeing you again Mrs. Larue.”
I extend my hand but she ignores it and pulls me into a hug. “Call me Brie. You used to when you were a kid and there’s no point getting more formal now.”
“Okay, Brie.” I smile and hug her back with one hand because I don’t want to let go of Mac’s with my other.
“I’m still Coach, not Alex,” he reminds me even though I don’t need it. “And I need you to go suit up.”
“Sure. Of course.” I turn back to Mac and steal a kiss, hoping it doesn’t get me killed. “Can I see you later? We are spending the night at—”
“The Beverly Wilshire, I know,” she finishes. “Us too. We fly home tomorrow when you go to San Diego.”
Brie leans in and wraps an arm around both of us before whispering. “Maybe don’t plan your booty calls in front of your dad, Mac honey.”
Right. Oops. “I’ll text you.”
I squeeze her hand and jog off.
* * *
We win the game, and much to Tate’s annoyance I’m the reason why. I score both goals. He scores the Quakes’ only goal so the media is eating this up. Garrison Boys Carry Their Teams on Their Backs in East-West Late Season Battle, is the only headline I see online as we’re boarding the bus back to the hotel.
I’m about to settle in next to Abbott when I hear the coach speak. “Okay guys, we have hitchhikers tonight,” he announces as Brie, Cassia, and Mac climb up the stairs. “My wife and kids are here.”
The guys shout out hellos and I immediately move to the empty seats behind Abbott. Coach clears his throat. “My daughter Cassia, my wife Mrs. Larue to you motley crew, and my daughter Mac who is also, for some inexplicable reason, Garrison’s girlfriend.”
The bus erupts in a chorus of whistles until Coach's glare steals all the noise from the bus. "Yeah. So now you know and that's the last we'll speak of it. Great game guys. Thanks for pushing. One more to win before we head back home."
Mac walks right past her dad and sits down next to me. I try not to grin too hard as I lace my fingers through hers.
* * *
An hour later, after I’ve made her come apart on my tongue, and again on my cock, she lays curled up with her head on my chest while I wrap one of her curls around my index finger.
“So Dad’s handling it okay,” Mac says softly.
“Can we not talk about Coach when we’re naked?” I request and I feel a laugh rumble out of her. “But yeah, I think we’re going to be okay.”
“We are.”
I let go of her curl and pull her up, sliding onto my side so we’re face-to-face, heads resting on the same pillow. “I’m still so sorry for that moment of stupidity.”
“I forgive you. I told you.”
“I know,” I sigh. She takes one of my hands in hers and kisses the back of it. “But I just wanted to plead my case a little more because I’ve done nothing but think about it since. I wanted to let you know that I’ve never been in love before. So, like, I have no idea what the hell I’m doing. I think my brain just short-circuits a bit the closer I get to blurting out the L-word. It’s closer and closer every single day. Bit by bit.”
She looks… well, gorgeous, shocked, and nervous. I panic I might be scaring her off but then she smiles and nods. “Yeah, I can see why new emotions are a little overwhelming.”
“Yeah. Exactly, but I want you to know.” I move my hand to her waist and pull her closer. “That I intend to bring my A-game from here on out, princess.”
She laughs. “I guess I better bring mine then too.”
I graze my lips against hers. “Sounds like a plan.”
And then I kiss her, long and hard, like we have forever. Because it sure as hell feels like we do.