Face Offs & Cheap Shots (CU Hockey Book 2)

I am really scared. Not of Beck’s dad. I could easily take him if it came to that, not that I think it would.

But this … it’s a lot. I can hear them yelling, and all that keeps looping through my head is I should have said no. If I hadn’t come here, this wouldn’t have happened, and now Beck has no choice but to come out to his family and force a label on us that we haven’t even talked about yet.

Do I want to be his boyfriend? The way I lit up inside when he said the word proves I do. Badly. But we should have had a chance to decide that ourselves.

The voices get louder, and I go to stand to go back out to him, but his mom—Jessica—quickly puts a hand on my arm.

“Don’t bother with them. This happens every break.”

“They fight?”

She nods. “Completely normal. Teddy will do something foolish to annoy his father, and his father gets loud.”

Beck’s dad barks something about responsibility, and for all Jessica says about it being normal, she jumps.

“Drinks! Yes, let’s have a little relaxer while we wait for them to finish up.”

She flits about pouring something into glasses and comes back over with a bright pink and sugary-looking concoction. She takes a quick sip and lets her eyes fall closed.

This is … concerning.

I lean forward and place my drink on the table, my gut way too unsettled to stomach anything. My entire body is tense, every muscle poised ready to go out there and give Beck’s dad a piece of my mind. We’ve come so far, the last thing I need is some shithead homophobe putting doubts in Beck’s head and making him feel like shit for being with me.

It’s not my place to get involved, but it’s not in my nature to sit here and let someone I care about go through this alone.

I push to my feet before Jessica can stop me, but I don’t even make it halfway to the door, when Beck throws it open and storms inside.

“We’re leaving.” His face is red, and I’m stunned for a moment at his anger.

“But, Teddy, you just got back.” Jessica tries to intercept him, but he brushes her off and grabs my arm.

“I’m not staying here with him.” Beck’s hold is tight as he drags me for the door.

“It’s late.” Her voice holds definite panic now. “Stay, and we can talk more in the morning.”

“Yeah, I’m not talking to that asshole again,” he throws back over his shoulder.

“Teddy Beckett, stop right there!”

He pauses, and I watch some of the tension drain from him. “What?”

“You will stay here tonight, and we’ll talk in the morning. If you still want to leave, I’ll find you somewhere nice.”

He shakes his head. “Dad won’t want someone like me under his roof.”

“Well, that’s not his decision.”

Beck finally looks at her, and I take a chance and slide my hand into his.

“You’re okay with this?” Beck asks his mom. He sounds young. Like he’s scared of getting in trouble.

Jessica sighs. “There’s nothing I need to be okay with. Besides, there’s plenty you don’t know about me—”

“And that’s how it’s going to stay.” Beck doesn’t quite smile, but he does give in. “Tonight only. I’m out of here in the morning.”

He drags me down the hall to his room. The expensive penthouse no longer holds the awe it did when I first walked in, and as soon as Beck closes the door to his lifeless room, I tug him into my arms.

It’s pure relief when he grips me just as tightly.

“What an asshole,” he says.

“Total shithead.” I turn my head and press a kiss to his temple. “You okay?”

“No. I wish you didn’t have to see that.”

I pull back so I can look at him. His eyes are red with the pressure of holding back tears, and his jaw is tight. “I’m glad I was here.”

His eyes narrow.

“I’m not glad that I’m the reason all that happened, but I’m glad I could be here afterward to remind you that this is okay. People like that don’t get to have an opinion on who we’re attracted to.”

Beck nods. “Will your parents mind if we head up there a few days early?”

“Are you kidding?” I finally let Beck go so I can peel off the wet swim trunks and grab some sleep shorts from my bag. “They’ll be ecstatic to have two extra sets of hands.”

“And …” His frown line deepens. I cross to his drawers and grab a random pair of sleep shorts that he takes from me without really knowing what he’s doing.

“And?”

“That’s … that’s not going to happen again, is it? I’d rather stay here than have your family shitty with you too.”

“Nah, they’ll be fine. In fact”—I grab his biceps once he’s finished dressing—“I think they’ll prefer you’re a big, strong man.”

“I guess we’ll see.”

“We will.” I duck down and lift him off his feet. His legs close around my waist.

“You really like this trick.” Beck finally smiles, still a long way from being real, but it’s a start.

I carry him to the bed and drop down onto my back without letting him go. His weight when he lies on top of me is comforting and familiar, and his skin is warm under my fingertips as I run them down his back. “Boyfriends?” I whisper.

Beck squirms. “Sorry, teammates didn’t seem right.”

“Agreed.”

He tilts his head up. “Are we?”

“Boyfriends?”

“Well, obviously. I mean we’re fucking and dating and we’re kinda past the hating each other thing …”

“We’re definitely past that.” I hug him tighter, sure he can hear the way my heart is beating louder. “Yeah. I, ah—yeah. I want that.”

“Me too.”

I’m not sure how it’ll work moving forward. His dad doesn’t seem in a hurry to support him, and I have no idea how some of the guys on the team will react. Yeah, they’re mostly cool, but it’s one thing to know Grant liked dudes, it’s a whole other thing when two teammates are in a relationship. A breakup could really fuck our chances when it comes to the Frozen Four.

But I refuse to keep Beck a secret. It might have made sense early on when I’d been sure things were only physical, but now we’re actually together, now we’re both committed to this thing, I’m going to claim him.

Beck is mine.

And everyone is gonna know it.

Beck’s alarm goes off at the ass crack of dawn, and I’d hate him for waking me so early on a day where we can technically sleep in if it weren’t for the reason he set the alarm in the first place. He wants to sneak out of here and avoid talking with his mom. He’s already dressed and throws clothes my way as he urges me to get ready.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay and talk?”

“Hell no.”

“Figured I should check. I’m not keen to stick around either.”

We hurry quietly through the penthouse and make our way down to Beck’s car. When we’re finally on the road again, he lets out a long breath. “Are you going to plug your music in, or what?”

“Sure, but you’re taking us through drive-thru. I’m starving.” I moan dramatically and rub my stomach which makes Beck laugh. Hearing it again is instant relief.

While he concentrates on driving, I set my hand on his thigh like he had me do yesterday.

“Now, I’m pretty sure the answer is no, but I feel like it’s my boyfriendly duty to ask if you’re okay?”

Beck snorts. “We both know what went down, and now I want to move on and forget about it.”

If it was anyone other than Beck, I’d push, but I’m pretty sure he means it. He does want to move on.

We go through a drive-thru, and the smell of bacon and coffee makes my mouth water.

“How do you know your parents won’t care?” he asks after we’ve put away two breakfast sandwiches.

“I remember a few years back, after my first year of college, we had a booth at the Dorset Summer Festival and Mom put up a little rainbow sign saying ‘ladies, gaydies, and theydies all welcome.’”

Beck laughs and I cringe.

“She got some complaints about political agenda or whatever, so the next year she made the sign bigger.”

Beck’s still laughing. “And this happened just after you started college?”

“Yep.”

“Right after you met Grant.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “And?”

“Oh, Topher.” He pats my hand. “A blowjob says literally no one is surprised when you introduce me as your boyfriend.”

“Fuck off, they don’t know.”

“Mmhmm.”

“I wasn’t like that with Grant.”

“Okay, honey.”

“Could you make that sound any more patronizing?”

“I could try.”

I can’t even be mad when he gives me a cocky smile because it feels so good to see him happy. “Better start relaxing those throat muscles.”

It takes us three hours to get to Dorset, and I direct Beck toward the farm. We used to deal mainly with vegetables, but since our apple trees grew in and Mom started running weekend events, it’s more of an orchard than a farm.

The whole front entrance has been rebranded over the past few years to look welcoming and inviting. There’s a gazebo where we usually have live music during the summer, the good apple trees for family picking, and the shed where we make cider and donuts. It’s all open to the public, and the summer months are when the farm gets a real boost in profit.

Guilt over going to college and doing the summer camp at school always cuts deep whenever I think about it too hard, so I try not to.

My parents are the ones who insisted I go to college—especially if the school is paying for it. They understand I don’t want to be a farmer and want me to have the normal college experience which is why they’re lax about my schedule and don’t force me to help out, but the guilt over leaving them shorthanded … gah, it sucks. It’s that deep-seated sense of responsibility I can never seem to shake.

I direct Beck to the back entrance. There’s a long dirt road with shrubs growing tight at the edges. This is the side that feels more like home because growing up, the farm was always a little overgrown and chaotic.

We pull up out the back before ten, so everyone should be out working, but we’ve barely parked when the back door flies open and Mom hurries out. My brothers and Dad aren’t far behind her.

“I thought you’d be working,” I say, jumping out of the car and swamping her in a tight hug.

“You really think we’re not going to be here to welcome you home? When I got your text, we rushed through morning chores.”

The other car door opens, and Mom’s attention shoots to Beck. I try to picture how he must look through her eyes, but all I can see is golden hair and a smile that makes my chest swell.

“Who’s this?” Dad asks, clapping Beck heavily on the shoulder, and it makes me laugh to see the way Beck’s eyes widen. My dad is … intimidating, I guess. He’s got half a foot and about fifty pounds on Beck, and with his shaved head and thick moustache, he doesn’t look like someone you’d mess with.

Until he smiles.

The deep lines at his eyes make him look instantly kinder.

“Ah, I’m Beck, sir.”

Dad throws his head back and laughs. “Sir? Hell no. Call me Lenny.”

Beck smiles, but I can tell he still doesn’t know how to take my dad, or my brothers, who are slowly starting to surround him. Taking pity on him, I walk over and slide my arm around his waist. “Dad’s harmless—Mom’s the one who bites. These brats,” I say, pointing to my brothers, “are Tony, Rafter, and Cole.”

“Hey, nice to meet you all.” He sounds like he’s getting some confidence back.

“Guys, this is my boyfriend, Beck.” I get it all out with only the slightest hitch to my words. I wasn’t lying when I told Beck they’d be cool with it, but damn it if I’m not nervous anyway.

Mom walks closer, arms crossed tight, the lines around her mouth marring her features. Then she smiles. “Finally, he gets the hint. I’ve been trying to get you to bring your boyfriends to help for years.”

Excuse me?

Beck bursts out laughing.

“I’ve never had a boyfriend before!” I splutter.

“Uh-huh, sweetie.” She pats my cheek. “Whatever you say.”

“I haven’t.”

Dad nods. “He looks strong. Good pick, son.”

My face contorts because while I want them to be supportive, I don’t want them sizing my boyfriend up.

“Eww, Chris is in love.” Cole pretends to gag, and Dad whacks the back of his head. He’s gotten pimplier and weedier than I last saw him, and he looks exactly like I did at thirteen.

“See this?” Mom asks my brothers, pointing at us. “This is the standard of partner you need to bring home. Anyone else gay? Bi? Pan? We need some more hockey players to round out the family.”

Rafter laughs. “Who needs hockey players when Tony’s girlfriend could kick all our asses?”

Tony shoves him, and they immediately begin to wrestle as I pull Beck around to the back of the car. He pops the trunk, and I duck down behind it.

“And you thought the farm would be quiet,” I taunt to the sound of my brothers’ laughter.

Beck’s smiling full force. “I think I kind of love it.”

“Aw, Teddy.” I shove his bag at his chest. “Just wait. They weren’t joking when they said they’re putting you to work.”

For some reason his smile gets wider. “And I wasn’t joking about my bet.” He leans in. “Lucky I have a blowjob to cash in on.”

Beck slams the trunk and slings his bag over his shoulder before walking back toward the farmhouse. All his nervousness has disappeared, and damn it, I kinda love that he loves it here too.

I’m standing there, stupidly watching him when Cole starts to make gagging sounds and catches Beck’s attention.

Our eyes clash for a moment, and then he winks and lifts his voice to say, “Okay, family, show me where I’m sleeping.”