Chapter Ten

Nine months later…

Even for a Tuesday night, Plethora Sports was unusually dead. Rocky enjoyed working from the bar, responding to emails while enjoying a beer. He lifted his head every few minutes and eyed the countless screens lining the walls. Live games and various matches competed for his attention. His gaze swept the room, not really seeing a thing before returning to work. Rocky waded through different offers and queries from potential clients. Ninety percent of the time, he moved the emails that begged for his help to the trash. While a lot of athletes wanted him to represent them, Rocky preferred to scout his clients. For him, it wasn’t only about the stats. He needed to see their hearts. Plus, he had a slight preference. Gay athletes were overlooked by the best agents more often than not. It didn’t matter how talented they were. A lot of agents didn’t want to deal with the publicity drama. As one of the most sought-after agents in the world, Rocky could and would represent whoever the fuck he wanted. As a gay man who struggled with hiding himself throughout his basketball career, he wanted to help other talented people avoid that bullshit. He wanted them to be free and get everything they deserved based solely on their talent—exactly as it should be.

“Tonight, the Tornadoes honor Pierre Tremblay. Husband of Tornadoes legend, Lennox Tremblay.”

Rocky’s chin shot up. Pierre was on the screen, blushing as the cameras highlighted his seat behind the Tornadoes’ bench. The team’s mascot was making everyone laugh by nonstop handing Pierre bouquets of purple flowers.

“On behalf of the team and the fans, we’d like to thank Pierre for his tireless work, ensuring Tremblay made his way back on the ice as quickly as possible and as strong as ever.”

The camera panned to Lennox, bowing toward his husband and looking every bit as proud and in love as he had from day one.

Rocky shook his head at his antics.

“I didn’t know Tremblay was married to a man. That’s cool.”

Rocky glanced over at the words. A guy, likely in his late twenties, nursed a beer nearby. Rocky smiled. “Yeah. I think they’ve been married close to a year now.” He didn’t want to give away that he knew the pair.

The guy shrugged. “I guess hockey has always been more inclusive than most sports.”

“True.”

Light brown eyes swung his way. “More of that is needed in professional sports.”

Rocky bit back a smile. “Yeah. Someone should work on that.” Rocky wanted the job.

It felt good to be back on the ice. It felt even better to be home afterward, holding his baby. He loved the way Pierre’s lips kept shaping a sweet smile—like secret thoughts fluttered through his mind. Lennox loved everything about him. After nine months of marriage, he swore that what he felt got more powerful every day. He wondered how he would handle the intensity in twenty years.

“Did I embarrass you tonight? With the team honoring you, I mean?”

Pierre lifted his chin and met Lennox’s stare. Their feet brushed where they were tangled together on the foot of the recliner. “Not at all. I’m proud as hell of being your husband.”

Lennox’s gaze moved over Pierre’s face. It was obvious by the way Pierre looked at him—like he felt same intense love—that he meant every word. “If I could’ve held your hand and introduced you to everyone personally in the arena, I would have.”

Pierre laughed. The way his eyes crinkled in the corners fascinated Lennox. God, he was just sickeningly obsessed. “That would’ve taken too long. We would’ve missed this part of the night.”

That was true. Lennox wouldn’t want to give this up for anything.

Pierre’s expression shifted, turning unsure. “Now that your house has officially sold, do you regret giving it up to live here? I know it was your suggestion, but I don’t want you to resent me later.”

A snort escaped Lennox before he could call it back. “Not going to happen. I’m on the road half the time. It would be crazy to move you farther from work into a house I won’t be in for half of the week. Plus, I selfishly want as much of you as possible. Between hiring Grandpa Tony’s nephew to run your office and you only going down the hall to work, I get more of you to myself. If you had to drive here every time the family needed you, I’d never get any quality time.” That wasn’t exactly true. They still had more time together than most couples. It was just that no amount of time together was enough for Lennox’s heart. Pierre made him greedy.

“I know you’ve said all that before, but you had an amazing place. This is just a suite inside someone else’s house.”

Lennox kissed the tip of Pierre’s nose. “Even if it was a room inside a no-tell motel, I wouldn’t care as long as you were there with me. Plus, when I retire, we can reevaluate. Or maybe a house on this street will come up for sale. Who knows? For now, this is what’s right for us. I have no regrets. Except,” Lennox paused for dramatic effect. “Someone has a birthday tomorrow and has been acting like they hope I’ll forget.”

Pierre laughed and buried his face against Lennox’s chest. “No. I don’t want to get a year older.” He pretended to cry. “One day you’ll wake up and realize you married an old man. I don’t want that.”

Lennox’s chest squeezed as he realized Pierre was only half joking. He truly worried Lennox would wake up one day and their age gap would sideswipe him. It was like the guy didn’t realize how Lennox ate, breathed, and slept Pierre. The guy was literally his everything. Lennox was a hundred percent certain he would already be dead without Pierre. There was nothing more important in his life.

“Remind me to spank you for that later.” Even Lennox heard how serious his tone turned.

Pierre’s gaze moved over his face before pulling him down for a kiss. It was sweet until it turned heated—the way their kisses always did. As much as Lennox hated it, he had to cool things down. He hit the button to lower their legs. In one swift motion, he stood while sweeping Pierre into his arms.

“Come on, beautiful. I can’t be distracted from this.” Lennox headed for the door that led to the family home. “Get that for me.”

Pierre opened the door.

Lennox carried him down the corridor, traversing the hallways until he neared the huge family room where Christmas was always celebrated. He stole another quick kiss, distracting Pierre as he stepped through the doorway. The lights flared to life.

“Surprise!”

Pierre nearly flew from his grip as he startled at the chorus of words. His eyes were wide as his head turned, inspecting the crowd of people there to celebrate him. Lennox lowered his feet to the floor.

Pierre covered his mouth. He looked every bit as shocked as Lennox hoped. It had been harder than Lennox expected to keep this party from him. Pierre was entirely too knowledgeable about everything going on in the house. Lennox had been forced to be nearly hands off from the planning just to keep Pierre in the dark. It was worth it to see his face.

“ Mon Dieu .” His wide-eyed gaze slid Lennox’s way. “How did you do this?”

Lennox felt the huge grin stretching his face. He couldn’t call it back. “With lots of help.” Lennox watched with pride filling his chest as people took turns wishing Pierre happy birthday. Nothing made him happier than making Pierre happy.

“You did good.”

Lennox glanced over, finding Travis waiting. “Thanks. It’s all you, though. All I did was pay and keep him too busy to notice. If you and Allison hadn’t volunteered to do everything else, he would’ve caught on immediately.”

Travis’ ice-blond hair was perfectly styled. He looked as put together as always, but his smile made him look human. “It was nothing. Pierre has always been there for us. We wanted to help.”

Lennox dipped his chin. “Nonetheless. I appreciate it.”

Travis squeezed his shoulder and moved to hold his wife’s hand. The way they smiled at each other—like they hadn’t been married forever—warmed Lennox’s heart. This was a house filled with love. That was one of the biggest reasons he had chosen to give up his home for this. They had their privacy when they wanted it. But they also had this overflowing love they could join anytime they wanted. For someone whose family was like Lennox’s, this felt like having a real family of his own for the first time. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

Pierre’s gaze slid his way. For a moment, they held each other’s stare. Lennox couldn’t imagine any life other than this one he shared with Pierre. They were all he wanted until the end of time. He would make sure Pierre always knew it.

Rocky’s book will be the first in a new series, Sporting Pride, titled: Running Back .