CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Although Antoni was nervous about the fallout from the JockGossip article, Matty seemed totally unconcerned.

He seemed more worried about how the new coach was going to impact the team.

"I don't know," Matty said with a troubled frown later that evening, following the team's meeting with Michael Gilbert. "I don't think Gilly's a bad guy, exactly. Just tough. And I knew that going in but … he's not quite what I expected either."

As they cleaned up the kitchen together, Antoni listened and tried to be as supportive as he could be but he knew nothing about team sports or what most coaches were like.

"I wish I could be more help," Antoni said when Matty was done and he felt like all he'd contributed was "mmhmm" and "that's frustrating".

"No, it'll be fine." Matty smiled. "I just needed to vent, I guess."

"I'm always happy to listen. And if there's anything else I can do, let me know."

Matty had done so much for him and Antoni wanted to help him too, in any way he could. He wanted to support Matty the way Matty had already supported him.

"How about watching Northdale Heights with me tonight?" Matty said, tone hopeful. "Unless you have other plans."

Short of railing himself with a vibrating dildo and thinking of Matty, Antoni didn't have anything pressing that evening. He was all caught up on prep work and grading for school, so he couldn't really claim he had to work without lying.

And he never wanted to lie to Matty.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Antoni said, knowing he was going to spend more time feeling antsy and too aware of Matty than watching TV.

But in the end, he enjoyed the quiet evening together.

If they sat a little close on the couch and Matty spent most of the time with his arm on the back of the sofa, his fingers brushing against Antoni's shoulder and upper arm? Well, there was no one else to see it.

The next night, after Antoni did his workout, finished grading homework, got the kids off to bed and cleaned the kitchen, Matty asked if he wanted to watch TV together again.

Antoni nodded and followed him down to the basement. As Matty queued up their usual show and Antoni snagged a beer for each of them, he realized they were creating routines, finding a rhythm together.

He felt a funny little pang in his chest as he remembered doing that with Keith when they first moved in together.

"You okay?" Matty asked.

"Uh, yeah," Antoni said, clearing his throat. "I'm good."

As Antoni took a seat and handed the beer bottle over, he realized he'd sat a little bit closer to Matty than usual.

Matty shot him a smile and Antoni's heart stuttered. He was only able to look away when Matty did.

At one point, when they were talking about the show, he rested his hand on Matty's thigh to make his point, feeling the flex of strong muscles under his palm, and bit back the urge to slide higher and cup the soft bulge under the fabric of Matty's team sweats.

He glanced up to see Matty staring intently and Antoni forced himself to lift his hand and look back at the screen. His cheeks were warm and he took a nervous sip of his beer, belatedly realizing the bottle was empty.

"Hey, it's okay," Matty said, his voice soft and rough, like he was battling through the same feelings. He squeezed Antoni's shoulder, palm big and warm, and Antoni released a shuddering sigh.

On Thursday, when Antoni got home from school, he was both looking forward to their nightly TV watching and dreading it.

He said hi to Matty and Reese who both looked like they'd just woken up from their afternoon naps. He said goodbye to his parents who were off to another doctor's appointment for his mom.

Then he asked Matty if he minded watching the kids so he could get in his workout.

Matty, who was already reading to River while he fed Reese, gave Antoni a disgusted look. "Of course I don't mind. Go!"

Antoni was still smiling as he jogged down the steps to the basement to do his workout, already looking forward to using the resistance machine.

But just as he slipped some earbuds in and searched for his workout playlist, his phone lit up with a call from his lawyer, April Russell. She'd been a friend of Bethany and Corey and worked for a family law firm that was LGBTQ+ friendly.

"Hey, April," he greeted her.

"Hi, Antoni. Do you have some time to talk?"

"Sure," he said slowly, concerned by her serious tone. "What's going on?"

She cleared her throat. "Well, two things. We have a date for the settlement conference."

"Okay. When's that?"

She gave him the date and his chest tightened as he put the times in his calendar app. Shit, that was soon. Good thing Principal Cunningham was flexible about him taking time off for things like this.

"What else?" he asked when he'd saved the info.

"I was contacted by the lawyer representing Bill and Robin Swanson."

"What do they want now?" Antoni asked, confused.

"It appears the news about you dating Matt Carlson has strengthened their desire to get custody of the kids."

"Are you f—" He bit off the expletive. "Seriously?"

"I'm afraid so. It's flimsy, but they're going to try to prove that it makes you unfit."

"They're going to try to take the kids from me based on the grounds that they think I'm dating a man?"

"They think it will strengthen their case, yes."

"What the… This is so fucking stupid. The Swansons have always known I'm gay!" Apparently, he was done censoring himself. Oh well, April had probably heard worse.

"Yes. And you being gay is not legal grounds for being declared an unfit guardian at all. However, they're probably hoping they can find evidence that this new situation, this new person in the kids' lives is a concern."

"I had a background check run!" Antoni protested. "Matty—Matt Carlson is a good person. He's been nothing but kind and generous to us. The housing market is a nightmare and this seemed like our best solution, you know?"

"I understand that." Her tone was reassuring. "I do wish you'd told me that you were dating someone new though. That does impact your case."

"Look, I think there's been some misunderstanding," Antoni protested. "We're not— Wait, what do you mean that impacts my case? In a positive or a negative way?"

"Well, that depends. I'll need to know more details. It was my understanding that you were single. I know the articles insinuate that you and Matt Carlson are living together now and I understand that the housing market may have pushed that scenario forward sooner than it would have otherwise, but—"

"Ugh." Antoni rubbed his face, trying to figure out what to say to her. He wasn't exactly a legal expert but he knew there was attorney-client privilege. But was that just in criminal cases? If he told her the truth, would she have to tell the social worker? He didn't know what the right call was.

And goddamn it, he'd been so worried about how the stupid trash gossip article was going to impact Matty, he'd never considered how it could impact him and the kids.

Antoni's head was swimming with thoughts and he didn't know where to fucking start. "Wait, before we get into anything else, I have a couple of questions," he said.

"Of course," April said. "I'm happy to answer anything I can."

"How did the Swansons even find out that I moved in with Matty? I mean, yeah, I know the story was on JockGossip but …" It seemed farfetched that they would read that site.

"I would assume they or their lawyer have your name flagged so they get alerts on any news items regarding you."

"I'm not in the news! Or at least I didn't think that site was considered a reputable source."

"It isn't. But the story seems to be gaining some steam. It was trending on social media this morning and is being discussed pretty widely."

"Are you … seriously?"

"Hockey is big, Antoni. And Matt Carlson is a huge name in Toronto. Your name has been linked to his. He hasn't publicly dated a man in the past. That's bound to get attention."

Antoni bit back another curse. "Okay, so what were you saying about how this could impact my case?"

"So, we've discussed the fact that the more stability you can show the better."

"Right, that's why we moved into Matty's place. It's a great place for the kids," Antoni said. "They all have their own rooms now and—"

"Which I'm sure is something Judy will be glad to see. But still, introducing a new person into their lives is also something she'll factor in," April said, her tone soothing.

"The kids love Matty," Antoni pointed out.

"And that will help too. Look, I still have every reason to believe you will be able to retain custody. You were named guardian in your friends' will, temporary guardianship has been extended, and both of those things go a long way."

"But?"

"But any evidence they can get about you moving quickly from partner to partner or anything like that is something they could use to try to impugn your character."

"I'm not moving from partner to partner to partner!" he protested.

"I know that. I'm just saying that anything you and Matty can do to show that you're a loving, stable couple will benefit your case. And be mindful of your behavior in public," she said.

Antoni huffed. "The photos were of Matty and I getting the kids out of the vehicle after going to the park. It's not like we got caught with our pants down!"

"Of course not. And you haven't done anything wrong. I just want you to be aware of what's happening and what some of the ramifications could be."

"Yeah, thanks," he said with a sigh. "I appreciate it. We'll be careful."

Matty jogged down the steps, wondering where Antoni was. He didn't usually do very long workouts.

Maybe he was taking a while in the steam shower?

Matty nearly tripped over his own feet as he pictured Antoni all naked and wet and he clutched at the railing to stop from falling on his face. God, he could just imagine telling the team and Coach Gilbert that he'd broken his nose tripping over his own feet.

He was a professional athlete for God's sake!

But as he rounded the corner, all thoughts of embarrassing injuries and Antoni in the shower immediately left his head at the sight of Antoni sitting on the weight bench, head in his hands.

"Hey," Matty said, worried. "Antoni? Are you okay?"

Antoni jerked in surprise and looked up. "Shit. Sorry. I …"

"What happened?" Matty stepped closer.

"Are the kids okay?" Antoni asked, rising to his feet. His face was drained of all color and he didn't look like he'd even done his workout.

Matty frowned. "Yeah, of course they are. Alexis and Eli are all done with homework, River's playing with some of those little plastic animals, and I put Reese in his playpen with some of those sensory toys. Are you okay?"

"No." Antoni's voice cracked. "The attorney called."

Matty listened carefully as Antoni went through everything he'd discussed with her.

When Antoni was done, Matty grimaced. "Shit, I'll have my agent issue a statement saying that we're just friends. That I'm helping out with the kids but—"

Antoni shook his head. "That's the thing. I think that might be worse at this point."

"So we should go along with letting people think we're dating?" Matty asked, scratching his neck.

"I … I don't know. That's crazy, right?" Antoni said, a little frown furrowing his brow.

Matty's mind immediately flashed to Jonah and Felix pretending to be engaged. "I mean, a little bit. But maybe it does make the most sense in this situation."

"I'm not saying we'd need to do anything crazy," Antoni said slowly. "Just maybe not deny it if people ask."

Matty shrugged. "Yeah, of course. Whatever you and the kids need."

"You sure you don't mind?"

"Hey, of course not. Come here," Matty said. He pulled Antoni close, liking the way Antoni's head fit against his shoulder and his arms automatically went around Matty's waist. "We'll get through this. No one is going to take the kids from you. They'll have to go through me first."

"I'll go upstairs and check on the kiddos," Matty said, squeezing Antoni's upper arm as he reluctantly pulled away. "And get started on dinner. Everything's prepped so we should be ready to eat in like twenty minutes, half an hour, tops."

"Thanks." Antoni shot him a weak smile. "I'll be up in a sec."

After Matty went upstairs, Antoni moved more slowly. He probably should squeeze in a quick workout now but he wasn't sure he had the energy.

Instead, he tucked his earbud case into his pocket along with his phone, then walked slowly toward the stairs. As he passed the guest bedroom, he paused, confused by the muffled thump coming from inside.

And then another. And another.

Hmm. The door was usually shut but it was open a crack now.

With a frown, Antoni pushed the door wide open. The room was dim, the only light coming from the egress windows at ground level. He heard a muffled sniffling noise, then another thump, and blinked when he spotted someone huddled in the corner of the room.

He flicked on the light switch and a lamp across the room turned on. The person jerked and hastily wiped their eyes.

"Alexis? Are you okay?" Antoni asked, concerned. Was she down here crying?

"Hey, what's going on?" He immediately stepped forward, noticing the pillow on the floor and the quiet thumps finally made sense. She'd probably been throwing it at the wall over and over.

"I can't believe Grandma and Grandpa Swanson are going to get custody of us!" she said furiously as she got to her feet. "How could you let that happen?"

"What?" Antoni said, taken aback. "Were you listening—" He took a deep breath. "Okay, no. Let's start at the beginning here. Come over here and talk to me, please."

He took a seat on the bed and patted the spot beside him but although Alexis stood and came over, she didn't take a seat. She remained standing, her expression wary and defiant as she crossed her arms.

It wasn't worth arguing about, so Antoni looked her in the eye. "First of all, I'm not upset at you. I just want to know what you were doing down here and how much you overheard."

"I came down to practice my shooting!" she said, her tone defensive. "I wasn't trying to listen in!"

"Hey, I get that," he said gently. "I'm not suggesting you did anything wrong."

It was his fault. He should be more careful about where he had conversations like that.

"But I heard you telling Matty that Grandma and Grandpa are going to use you moving in with him to try to get custody and … you can't let them take us!" She clenched her fists.

"I promise, I'm going to do everything I can to stop it," he assured her.

"They'll hurt Eli!"

"I won't let that happen," he promised. "They're just trying to intimidate me so I'll cave at the settlement hearing. But nothing would ever make me do that. I will fight for all four of you. It's what your parents wanted and it's what I want."

A little of her anger seemed to leech out and her shoulders slumped. "So why do they think you're dating Matty?" she asked.

"Well, moving in together for one," he admitted. "And there were some fan photos of us taken the other day after we got back from the park. They were published on a gossip site and—"

"Wow! Did you and Matty make JockGossip? That's actually kinda cool."

Antoni sighed. "You really shouldn't read that site."

She rolled her eyes. "I've read worse."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he said drily. "Look, the point is, that's what the public thinks. April—our lawyer—she's just covering her bases and keeping me informed of what's going on. Absolutely nothing has been decided yet."

"But this means the social worker will come visit again, right?" She crossed her arms again. "I thought we were done with all that. I don't like the way she pokes around and asks weird questions."

"Mrs. Chapman probably will drop by," Antoni agreed. "But she only has the best interests of you and your siblings at heart. She'll see how well you're all doing and that living here with Matty is a good thing. Your grandparents won't have a leg to stand on in their custody case. There's nothing to worry about."

"So you're not worried?" she shot back.

"It's my job to worry about everything to do with the four of you," he explained calmly. "It's your job to go to school and grow up to be a decent person. Let me do the worrying for this family, okay?"

Alexis' nod was grudging but when he stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, she didn't flinch away.

"Now, why don't you wash your face and come have dinner? Matty made vegetarian burritos just for you."