“I never thought I’d see the day,” says a man who looks like a slightly shorter and younger version of Beck. “My scary big bro, laughing and smiling while he hugs hisdate.Definitely wasn’t on my bingo card.”
His tone is teasing, and he holds out his hand with a laugh, “You must be Cody. This guy hasn’t shut up about you for weeks.” He pats Beck on the back with his other hand as we shake ours. “I’m Lincoln, his youngest and favorite brother. Thank fuck you’re here. I was starting to worry that Beck was going to disappear in the middle of the night and ditch the playoffs to go see you,” he says, actually sounding relieved.
After Lincoln steps away, I find a line of people waiting to be introduced to me. The whole family is here. I meet Beck’s three other brothers, Oakley, Harrison, and Dominic, then his grandparents, his other best friend, Jordan, and even some of his brothers’ friends who seem just as close to him as his actual family members.
Finally, an attractive, slightly older couple approaches with warm smiles on their faces. The woman ignores my outstretched hand and pulls me in for a tight hug. While she squeezes me, she goes up on her tiptoes and whispers, “Thank you,” into my ear. “I don’t think he’s ever been this happy,” she continues. “I know the situation isn’t perfect, but it’s like something’s settled in him since he met you. He doesn’t seem to be so on edge.” She steps back and takes both of my hands in hers, giving them a tight squeeze before letting go. “I’m Beck’s mom, Susan, and this is his dad, Greg. We’re so excited to finally meet you.”
“Great to meet you, son,” his dad says as he takes my hand and uses it to pull me in for a one-armed, back-slap, guy hug that makes me laugh.
I knew that I’d love his family from everything Beck’s told me and how he always talks of them with such fondness. I wasn’t expecting to meet them today, though, and I certainly wouldn’t have expected this warm of a welcome when Beck and I aren’t even dating.
My parents are nice people, but they’re always so busy that I only get to talk to them every few weeks for quick hellos and updates. I know they both love me and want me to be happy, but I can’t imagine my mom being so genuinely excited to meet someone I’ve only been talking to for a few weeks. I’ve told her about Beck, but I doubt she’ll remember his name the next time we catch up.
I’m surprised by how emotional this warm welcome has made me. I’ve always craved this sense of family and belonging. It feels like a cruel joke from the universe to tie everything I’ve ever wanted to Beck, knowing there’s no realistic way for us to be together.
Even if I wanted to leave Kyla… I don’t think I actually can with the ways that I’ve tied myself to the company. I’ve been trying not to focus on that, though. Who knows if Beck even wants a relationship anyway? No use stressing over a possibility that doesn’t exist.
It makes me so happy to hear his family talk about the positive changes in Beck since meeting me, but for all I know, that could have been from the programs he’s taken with Kyla, not because of oursituation.
He’s told me that he’s never wanted a relationship. Just because we’ve agreed to be exclusive doesn't mean he suddenly wants us to be together for the rest of our lives or anything.
I’ve found some good friends through Kyla, but most of what we talk about is related to work in one way or another. Nick is probably my best friend in Linna, but I can’t imagine him meeting my parents or me his. Most of the people in our town have moved there for Kyla, so we’re away from our extended families and don’t see them much. Now that I think about it, other than a few people who have had to cut contact with their toxic family members, I can’t think of any of my friends ever really talking about their families.
Adrian and Jordan fit in with Beck’s family seamlessly, as do his siblings’ friends. The only people here who look slightly out of place are the two attractive girls sitting on an armchair in the corner. Beck’s brother, Oakley, explained that one of the girls is his girlfriend, and the other is dating his best friend, Parker. They look so comfortable with each other that I wonder if they’re sisters—one is sitting on the other’s lap, both laughing at something on the phone they're looking at.
Maybe I need to make more of an effort with my friends, to learn more about them outside of Kyla and work-related topics. It’s just hard when so much of our time in Montana is structured, and so many of us travel for the programs.
“I grabbed us some food,” Beck says, interrupting my thoughts as he comes up beside me. He places his hand on my lower back and hands me a plate of delicious-looking fruits and veggies. “I’ve noticed you tend to go for the clean stuff, so I grabbed the healthiest-looking options. If you want to watch warm-ups, we can go sit in the balcony seats.”
“Thanks! That would be awesome,” I agree, trying to shake off my jealous thoughts about how amazing Beck’s family and friends seem. Instead, focusing on how sweet it was of him to notice the kinds of foods I like to eat.
He leads us to the door at the back of the large suite. We pass a full bar with a bartender, a private bathroom, couches, tables, and more food than this group could possibly eat in one night. Through the door is a balcony with two stadium-style rows of plush seating. Adrian and Jordan are already in the front row, and I follow Beck toward them. Beck has me sit next to Jordan while he sits on my other side.
They all include me like an old friend, not someone they met less than an hour ago, and it makes my chest feel like it could burst with how grateful I am to be so welcomed.
We spend the warmups with them pointing out specific players and telling me more about their positions, stats, and even personal lives.
“So, do you have favorite players when you personally know them all?” I question the group.
Beck gives me a very serious look as he answers. “No, with my position, it is imperative that I remain impartial to specific players and focus on the team’s success as a whole.” His tone is flat, but at the last second, he winks, and I know he’s fucking with me.
“Bell,” Jordan coughs the star rookie’s last name in answer, and we all laugh.
“I have a favorite!” Adrian declares, and Beck and Jordan snicker and start making kissing noises.
“Are you dating a player or something?” I ask based on their responses.
“Ugh, I wish!” Adrian deflates a bit. “I don’t know of any out players on the team. There are a couple in the league, but their reception has been pretty mixed.”
“You’d think that with an out CEO of the team, if anyone wanted to come out, they would,” Jordan adds.
“It’s not that simple,” Beck argues, sounding defeated. “No one’s buying a ticket to see me here, and it’s not my name on the jersey they’re paying hundreds of dollars to buy. Even with Chicago being a fairly accepting city, the Midwest isn’t always as kind. A lot of the rural states west of us don’t have an NHL team, so they root for the Werewolves.
“Plus, hockey players tend to be a superstitious group. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are guys in the league who’d love to come out but don’t want to risk it affecting their game at all.”
“That’s sad,” I respond, thinking about how easy it was for me to embrace being bi. Apparently, my closest friend thought that I was already out. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for people who are forced to deny who they truly are.
Beck nods. “I’ve been trying to think of ways to improve the situation, and I’ve dropped some pretty blatant hints to our guys that there’s no need to hide anything from our staff, even if they had something about their personal life they didn’t want fans to know. So far, though, no one’s said anything.”
