CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

"How are you holding up?" Charlie asked as he stepped into the small private waiting area, August trailing on his heels and holding two big cups of coffee. Charlie had a cup of tea.

"Oh, not too bad." Shea glanced at his phone to check the time. "They took him in about half an hour ago."

"It's a relatively short procedure, right?" August asked, handing over one of the coffee cups. "Nico's brain surgery went so long I thought I'd lose my mind."

"I'll bet." Shea took the coffee gratefully. "Thanks for this and for volunteering to sit with me."

"Of course." Charlie took a seat on one side of him and pried the lid off his cup, dunking the tea bag. "We didn't want you to be alone."

"My sister offered to come. But it's so early and I didn't want her to have to drive all the way from Ottawa and miss work and all that."

Charlie shot him a little smile. "That's thoughtful of you."

Shea shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. Audra would've been here too of course, but the potential for her to be spotted and for something to end up in JockGossip was simply too large.

"It means a lot to Dom that you're here," Shea said. "And to me too."

"Honestly, the whole team wanted to be here," Charlie said, getting up to toss the teabag in the trash. "But A: that's too many large, loud men in a hospital and B: they're on a road trip. So we figured it was a job for the SAPs. Especially since you're one of us now."

Shea wasn't, not really, but did Charlie and August know that?

Fuck, their cover stories were getting much, much too tangled to keep track of. And frankly, at least to Shea, they were starting to feel like they weren't cover stories at all.

He still couldn't get over how open Dom had been about the stuff with his father. Day by day, Dom was learning how to communicate.

How to be a partner.

Shea glanced over at August who gave him a small smile. "Seriously, Shea. I was in your shoes last year and it's not fun. Having company made a huge difference. I would have lost my mind without Nico's best friend, Skylar, to distract me."

"It's definitely not how I'd like to spend my time," Shea agreed, taking a sip of his coffee. "And this isn't even brain surgery."

"No." August chuckled. "Hey, you want to hear a funny story about how Nico and I ended up together though?"

"Sure." Shea grinned. "Lay it on me."

His jaw dropped as August told him about their hookup in Evanston, the JockGossip article, Nico's seizure, the hospital visit from Nico's ex-girlfriend and rather unusual family, and how August had accidentally ended up pretending to be engaged to a guy he barely knew.

"No way," Shea said, laughing. "That's wild . So you were totally faking the whole thing?"

"Up to a point." August shrugged. "But I think it got pretty real long before either of us were ready to admit it."

"It was like that for Dustin and me too," Charlie said.

"Wait," Shea looked between August and Charlie. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." Charlie shot him a little grin. "I think Dustin just told Dom about the whole thing recently, actually."

August looked gobsmacked. "I had no idea you and Dustin had faked a relationship too."

Charlie giggled. "We had a very hasty drunken Vegas wedding that needed to get covered up. At the time, I couldn't stand the thought of being married to him but Dustin has become one of the best things that's ever happened to me."

Shea smiled. "That's sweet."

"There's been a rash of fake relationships on the team lately, actually. Dustin and me, apparently you and Nico, August—which I kinda suspected but didn't know for sure until now—Jonah and Felix, Matty and Antoni …"

"No way." Shea blinked. "This is crazy ."

"After the code of conduct passed, things got a little … nuts. The media here is intense to begin with and there has been so much scrutiny on the team, especially after everything that happened in Evanston two seasons ago. Kate's been scrambling to keep things out of the press and well, a good romance covers a multitude of sins."

"Tell me about it," Shea muttered.

August narrowed his eyes. "Wait, does this mean you and Dom …"

For a moment, Shea hesitated. But if he couldn't trust these guys, who could he trust?

"Please don't tell anyone else because I'm not sure how Dom would feel about everyone else on the team knowing but it's true that I used to work as an escort and Dom hired me," he admitted. "We're not ashamed of it at all but we're both realistic about how that'll go over with the general public. Plus, Dom's so private about everything and there's my family and my career as a PT and …"

"Of course," Charlie said, patting his knee. "Totally understandable and you both have a right to keep things private if you want."

"But you and Dom are together now , right?" August asked with a frown. "Romantically, I mean."

"It definitely feels like it sometimes but Dom has been so closed off for so long. I don't want to push him past what he's comfortable with."

"Honey," Charlie said, taking a sip of his tea. "The man came out of the damn closet for you. He took you on a public date. He brought you to a team event ."

"All of which also help cover his ass and protect the team," Shea reminded him. "But it's not that I think Dom doesn't care. He does. But is he ready to be in an actual relationship? Is he willing to say he's in love? I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"I think he may surprise you." Charlie crossed his legs. "And the good news is, the team seems to have very good luck when it comes to PR relationships turning into real ones."

Shea chuckled. "There is that."

August frowned. "Has anyone figured out who the leak is yet?"

"Not officially." Shea sighed and tipped his cup back to drain the rest of his coffee. "It sounds like Kate is working on it but there isn't any concrete proof yet. Unfortunately."

"Dom? Are you awake?"

The sound of a familiar voice made Dom blink, his eyelids so heavy they didn't want to move. Everything was blurry for a moment before he focused on a handsome face.

"Wow." Dom tried to reach out and touch him. "So beauuutiful . Are you an angel?"

The man laughed lowly, capturing his hand in a gentle grip. "No, baby. I'm Shea, remember?"

"Shea?" Dom blinked. "Do I know you?"

"Yeah. You definitely do." His smile widened.

"Mr. Olson," a woman said and it took a lot of effort for Dom to turn his head. An older woman in scrubs stood nearby. "Hi. Glad to see you're awake. I'm your nurse, Gloria, and that's your boyfriend."

"Really," Dom said, awed. "He's mine ?"

She grinned. "Sure looks like it. He was in the waiting room all morning with your friends and he's been right by your side since you got out of recovery. He seems pretty smitten with you to me."

"Wow." Dom turned his head to stare at Shea again. "How'd I get so lucky?"

Shea smiled.

Gloria said, "Well, you're not half-bad either. And I hear you're a pretty good hockey player too."

"Used to be."

"Hey, none of that," Shea said, reaching out to stroke his hair. "You're still an incredible player. And once you heal up from this surgery, you're gonna get back on the ice and show everyone that."

"You promise?'

"Yeah, baby, I promise."

"K." Dom sighed and closed his eyes.

When Dom opened his eyes again, he wasn't sure if it had been minutes or hours.

A nurse stood beside him, taking his pulse and he could see her badge said Gloria.

"Welcome back," she said, smiling.

"Where'd he go?" Dom asked, frowning at some hazy memories that made no sense. "Where's my boyfriend? You said I had a boyfriend."

"I'm right here," Shea said and Dom looked at the foot of the bed

"Oooh yeah. That's my boyfriend," he told Gloria. "He's sooo beautiful, isn't he?"

She smiled. "He sure is."

Dom smiled, relieved. "He's so smart too. He's a PT and he worked with Travis Rogers."

"Oh, did you now?" She glanced over at Shea.

"Yep. He fixed his knee," Dom said proudly. "I didn't like that Travis was flirty with him but Shea likes him so I have to be nice."

Gloria let out a quiet choking noise.

"You have no reason to be jealous of Travis, baby. He's only a friend. And I didn't fix his knee." Shea laughed. "I just had some thoughts on his recovery."

"You did fix it. You're sooo smart."

"Well, I'm with you, aren't I?"

Dom frowned, feeling like he was forgetting something. "Are you?"

"Yeah, baby," Shea said with a little sigh, touching his shin over the blanket. "I am."

Something was wrong though. Shea was here but he might go after … after something was over. Dom couldn't remember what but he knew he didn't want that.

A jaw-cracking yawn interrupted his thoughts, his eyelids growing too heavy to keep open. "I'm so tired."

"I know. You get some sleep, okay?"

"K. You'll be here when I get back?" Dom reached out and Shea came around to the other side of the bed and took his hand.

"Yeah, I'll be here."

"Okay. Love you."

Dom stopped fighting sleep and allowed his eyes to close again.

Do not read anything into it , Shea sternly reminded himself as he watched Dom sleep, his mouth a little slack, his face turned toward Shea. He didn't mean it. He's just groggy and confused from the anesthesia and pain meds.

Shea knew that as well as anyone else. He'd said some wacky stuff after his surgeries, half of which hadn't made any sense. He'd talked about riding a unicorn in a candy shop for fuck's sake.

Emma had teased him about it for years.

But God, the hope Shea felt at Dom's declaration …

Because no matter how much he tried to view it logically and convince himself that Dom was only muttering nonsense, the sound of the man he loved saying that he loved Shea back was everything he'd ever wanted to hear.

"He's very sweet," Gloria said, straightening the line on Dom's IV. "How long have you been together?"

Shea tried to do the math to when Dom had first hired him. "Four years? Almost five, I think? It's been a while. And we obviously had to keep things quiet for a long time."

"Wow. I'm glad you two are able to be open about your relationship now."

"Thank you," Shea said hoarsely. "I appreciate that."

"Well, I've taken his vitals and he's doing great," she said. "So I'm going to check on my other patients. You let me know if you need anything or if he wakes up and needs me, okay?"

"Yes, thank you," Shea managed. "I will."

For a long while, Shea sat by Dom's bedside, watching the slow, steady rise and fall of Dom's breath, the flutter of his lashes, and the color returning to his face.

Dom had been pale at first but he looked good now.

The surgeon had been all smiles when he came into the waiting room after the surgery, and had told Shea, Charlie, and August that everything had gone according to plan. There had been no issues with the stent and graft and Dom would stay in the hospital for a couple of days to be monitored.

Dom was now on the road to recovery.

Shea wasn't sure he was going to survive Dom being all dazed and vulnerable from anesthetic and pain medication.

It reminded him a little of the night Dom had mixed his meds.

Which … that was another tick in the column of maybe Dom was telling the truth right now. Maybe it was only when his guard was down that he was able to say the things he kept so tight to his chest.

Or was that wishful thinking on Shea's part?

Honestly, Shea wasn't entirely sure that Dom would know love if it hit him in the face. Not that he didn't love his teammates too but that was different.

He didn't love easily, Shea was sure of that.

But there was no way to know how Dom felt, and all Shea could do was wait and see.

He'd been patient this long. He could be patient a little longer, right?

Half an hour later, Dom blinked again, smiling woozily up at Shea. "You're still here."

"Of course I am." Shea set his phone on the bed next to Dom and smoothed a hand over his hair again.

Dom leaned into the touch.

"You're so beautiful. Too good for me." Dom's eyes got a little wet.

"Hey, no," Shea said. "Of course I'm not."

"You'd never have looked twice at me if I hadn't—"

Shea cleared his throat because he didn't want Dom to start talking about hiring or paying him. Not when the hospital room door was open and anyone could walk by. "You do know I've had a hockey crush on you since your playing days in LA, right?"

"What?" Dom blinked, looking confused. "You did?"

Shea had honestly hoped to go to his grave with that information but if there was any time to tell Dom that, it was now when he might not remember it.

"Yeah, I was about seventeen when my dad and I went to a game in Toronto where they played LA. Your playing—fuck. You were on the opposing team but I still couldn't take my eyes off you. Your skating and puck handling was so damn beautiful. At the time, I thought I was admiring your skills but now I don't know. We had pretty good seats and I went down to the glass to watch warmups. I remember thinking you looked like a model out there, skating with no bucket on, your hair blowing in the breeze."

Dom laughed. "Just a hockey player who liked to show off by not wearing a helmet."

Shea dragged the side of his finger along Dom's cheek. "A hockey player with beautiful eyes and great cheekbones and a stunning smile."

"Stunning?"

"Stunning," Shea said firmly. "Absolutely stunning."

"Guess I'll have to smile more for you." Dom yawned, clearly still sleepy, but definitely getting more coherent.

"Guess you will. Maybe I'll have to make you smile more."

Dom smiled at that. And while it wasn't the big, laughing smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes, it was soft and fond and it made Shea's heart clench just the same.

"How are you feeling, baby? Do you need anything?" he asked.

"I'm okay. Just tired," Dom admitted.

"That's fine." Shea smoothed his hair. "You get all the rest you need. I'll be here."

"Hey," Dom rasped and Shea glanced up from his phone, looking a little startled. "What are you doing here? What's wrong?"

Fuck. Why did he feel so groggy? Had he gone out drinking or something? Oh no, what if he'd mixed up his meds again?

He tried to sit upright but Shea settled a warm hand on his chest. "Hey, lie still. You just got out of surgery a few hours ago and you need to remain flat on your back for a little while longer."

Dom sighed. Right. His aneurysm. It all came flooding back.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"The procedure went perfectly," a woman said and Dom blinked, turning his head to look at her. She was an older woman, dressed in scrubs. "I'm Gloria, and I'm your nurse. How are you feeling?"

"A little out of it," he admitted. "But okay."

"That's to be expected. Your vitals look great though."

"Glad to hear it." Dom coughed, throat a little raspy.

"Do you need some ice chips?" Shea asked and Dom nodded gratefully.

His mouth was dry and his throat was sore. He was used to it after the surgeries he'd had on his wrists and his foot but it was a horrible feeling.

"Please."

"I'll go get you some," Gloria offered with smile. "I'll be right back."

"Thank you."

When she was gone, Dom looked over at Shea. "How bored are you right now?"

Shea frowned. "Bored? Why would I be bored?"

"Because it can't be very exciting sitting here waiting for me to wake up."

"Oh, this isn't the first time you've woken up." Shea chuckled. "Maybe the third or fourth? I'm losing track. But you were very talkative. I definitely wasn't bored."

"Oh God." Dom groaned. "Please tell me I didn't say anything I shouldn't have."

"Nothing like that ," Shea said and Dom assumed he meant the escort business. "However, you did keep telling me I was beautiful and you called me an angel at one point."

Dom threw his right arm over his eyes. "I am so sorry."

"Why are you sorry? It was adorable." Shea's voice was warm.

"It's also horribly embarrassing."

"Yes, yes." Shea laughed, patting his chest. "You're my emotionally repressed oyster, baby."

Dom lowered his arm to glare at Shea. "Seriously?" Although he didn't hate the slightly possessive tone when Shea called him his .

"You called yourself that last night!"

"Ugh." Dom returned to covering his eyes. "You know, I don't think I like you very much right now."

Shea chuckled. "I don't believe that for a minute."

"I didn't say anything else, right?" Dom asked with a frown. "I know I talked all sorts of nonsense after my previous surgeries."

When Shea didn't answer, he lowered his arm and looked at him. Shea had his head turned so he was looking out the window.

"Shea?" Dom asked.

He shook his head. "No. You didn't say anything else."