CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The next morning, Matty awoke to Antoni sleeping soundly beside him. He blinked, unsure why he was awake. A glance at the clock told him he had at least forty minutes until he had to be up to help get the kids ready for school.

The vibration of his phone on the nightstand answered that question though and with a quiet groan, he rolled over to check it.

A text from Kate popped up. Mandatory meeting at my office one hour before practice. We need to talk.

Fuuuck,Matty thought, scrubbing a hand over his face. That wasn't a good sign.

By the time Matty walked into the practice facility, his stomach was in knots.

Video clips from last night were all over the internet. And they'd been edited in such a way that they looked damning as hell.

It made Matty look like the aggressor and made the Swansons out to be the helpless victims. Oh, there were the longer videos from different angles that showed the real story but those weren't the ones going viral right now.

Matty and Antoni had talked as they got ready for the day and they'd come to the same conclusion. There was nothing they could do to stop it. Matty had talked to his agent on the drive in and he'd confirmed that the story was too big to be contained.

Matty's agent would release a statement explaining the situation but most people were going to see the edited clips, rather than the whole video.

They didn't know the backstory or what was at stake. They only saw Matty threatening an older couple like some sort of … brute.

And it seemed like most of the internet already thought he was an asshole and this confirmed it.

Unfortunately, that was the way it went in hockey, sometimes. The guys who played an aggressive game, the ones who were an agitator like Trevor Underhill or an enforcer like Matty, they got painted as the bad guys.

Fans of the guy's team loved him and fans of their opponents loved to hate him.

Of course, in this case, even the non-hockey-watching side of the internet had jumped on board to get in their talking points about how hockey was a vicious, brutal sport and what did people expect when violence was glorified that way?

It made Matty feel a little sick.

Because, yeah, hockey had its problems but Matty had never tried to hurt anyone. He did his best to keep his hits clean and his elbows down and he'd been so fucking careful about headshots especially after he learned about Alain Theriault's CTE diagnosis.

Matty wasn't in it to hurt a guy or fuck him up for life.

He just wanted to play hockey and raise his kids and now everyone was calling him a monster.

It hurt and he wondered if they would ever understand what it felt like to be under the microscope of the public's scrutiny about everything they did.

Matty arrived at Kate's office ten minutes early and found her door closed and her assistant deep in conversation with Birdie.

"Uh, hey, Mitchell," Matty said hesitantly. "I have a meeting with Kate."

"Oh, hi, Matty," Mitchell said, glancing over. "Kate and Gilly are in a meeting right now but they'll be out for you shortly."

"Yeah, okay," Matty said with a weak smile. "Thanks. Sorry to interrupt."

"No, you're good," Mitchell said with a wave of his hand.

"Hi, Birdie," Matty said, giving her a hug.

"Hey, Matty." Birdie smiled as she drew back, her expression concerned as she wrapped her hand around a cardboard cup of coffee from the café in the lobby of the building. Mitchell had a matching one. "Sorry I didn't grab you a coffee. I would have if I'd have known you'd be here."

"Nah, you're good."

Mitchell glanced up. "Want me to grab you something?" He gestured to the coffeemaker across the room.

Matty shook his head. His stomach already felt like it was filled with battery acid. "No thanks. Appreciate it though."

He took a seat in one of the chairs in the waiting area outside of Kate's office, tapping his foot to get out some of the jittery energy in his body.

"You doing okay?" Birdie asked, wandering over to sit near him.

"No," Matty said morosely. "Did you see the clips?"

"Yeah." She grimaced. "I'm sorry. We all know it's bullshit but …"

But Matty and Antoni had to hope that the media attention wouldn't influence the family court judge.

"So, uh, how do you and Mitchell know each other? From around here or …" He waved vaguely between the two of them.

"No, we went to university together," Birdie said with a bright smile. "Mitchell graduated before me and snagged the best gig ever. I'm super jealous but happy for him."

Mitchell laughed, biting his lip as he looked up from his computer. "Honestly, I'm kind of a nepo baby. I, uh, my dad's the executive director for business operations here, actually."

"Oh, huh," Matty said. "I had no idea."

Mitchell shrugged. "I used my mom's maiden name. Didn't want everyone to think that's the only reason I got the job, you know?"

Birdie scoffed. "Like Kate would let anyone work for her if they weren't qualified. Even if your dad was Lloyd Henderson, she'd never go along with that."

Matty managed a weak chuckle. Yeah, Kate wouldn't stand for that, even from the team's majority owner.

"I started out as an intern last season," Mitchell explained. "Made myself invaluable."

"Nice." Matty could appreciate anyone who earned a good position through hard work. "Congrats."

"Thanks!"

"Matthew. We're ready for you."

Matty jumped. He hadn't even heard Kate's door open.

"Be right there," he said, glancing over.

Kate nodded tightly and turned on her impossibly tall heels.

Ahh, fuck.

"Good luck," Birdie muttered.

"Yeah thanks," Matty whispered back. "I think I'm gonna need it."

Kate and Gilly were both waiting for him as he stepped into Kate's office. Their expressions were both grim.

The doorknob slipped in Matty's sweaty grip and he fumbled to shut it behind him.

"Have a seat," Kate said, her tone crisp and not to be argued with.

"Uh, so, I want to apologize. I know the video that's going around looks bad," Matty said when his butt was parked in a chair across from her desk.

"You're goddamn right it does!" Gilly said with a scowl. "What the fuck were you thinking, Carlson?"

Matty took a deep breath because shouting at his coach wasn't going to make this any better. Sure, some guys had ‘fuck you' matches with their coaches and sometimes the coaches respected them more for it but sometimes it pissed them off.

If Matty had to guess, Gilly was the second kind.

Besides, that was his coach. It might be a little old-fashioned but Matty felt like that demanded a certain amount of respect.

"Look, things got a little bit out of hand last night. I'm sorry we got recorded but—"

"I don't give a goddamn shit about your excuses. Someone is always watching or recording and the sooner you idiots get it through your thick skulls, the better. You're benched, Carlson."

"For how long?"

"For as long as it takes to sink in. Didn't you hear a fucking word I said before the season started?"

Kate cleared her throat. "Michael, that's maybe a little bit hasty. Let's not make any decisions until we hear the full story."

He gave Kate a skeptical look but sat back in his chair.

"Matty," Kate said. "Explain to me what actually happened."

He fidgeted, wondering exactly how much he should tell them? Everything from the beginning? What happened last night?

He and Antoni had talked about it this morning and Antoni had said he trusted Matty to tell them as much of the truth as he felt comfortable with. He'd been so sweet about it, so worried about Matty getting in trouble.

Honestly, considering the way Matty had acted, he probably deserved to get in trouble. He'd made a dumbass mistake and if that meant getting benched for a few games, so be it.

But he wanted Kate and Gilly to understand why he'd done it. Why the way this had been spun in the media mattered to him.

"This all started out as a fake marriage," Matty blurted out.

Kate blinked, her eyebrows lifting. "Excuse me?"

"Uh, look." Matty looked down at his hands. "It's … it's true."

"You're not bisexual?" Gilly asked, sounding surprised.

"No, I am," Matty said, looking up. "That part's not fake! Honestly, I'm not sure any of it is really fake anymore. But we … when Antoni and the kids moved in with me, it was to help a nice family out of a jam. And then—and then we became more concerned about the kids' grandparents trying to get custody and, well, we, uh, we thought getting married would help."

Kate rubbed her forehead. "I wish you guys would talk to me before you go off half-cocked with shit like this. You've managed it horribly."

Matty winced. "Probably. And I am sorry. We … we did what we thought was best. I am sorry though." Matty felt more miserable by the moment. He wanted to help Antoni but not at the expense of his team and the franchise.

He didn't want to be forced to choose between two things he loved.

"Look, Matty," Kate said, lacing her fingers together on her desk. "I'm sympathetic. The Swansons sound like they would be terrible guardians. It's clear you and Antoni love those kids."

"We do. And we have to protect them. Especially Eli," Matty explained. He went on to tell them about what the Swansons had done in the past and by the time he was done, both Kate's and Gilly's expressions were horrified.

"Assholes," Gilly spat.

Matty blinked, surprised, and Gilly must have picked up on it because he looked Matty in the eye. "Carlson, I don't like any of the decisions you made, but that doesn't mean I'm not sympathetic to the reasoning behind them. My daughter—well, she's trans. Trust me when I say that I understand the kind of bigotry coming Eli's way. And I'm ashamed to say that I didn't handle it well when my daughter came out."

"Oh," Matty said and then ran out of words. Because shit, what was a person supposed to say after something like that?

Gilly was silent for a moment before he cleared his throat.

"Look, it's no secret. Alexandra talks about it publicly. And we've spoken together at some of the various hockey inclusion initiatives. When my wife gave birth, I was excited about having a son. I wanted a little boy I could teach hockey to and I was so damn proud of him. When Alexandra told us who she really was … well, it rocked the family pretty hard. Me especially. It took Alexandra and me a long time to work things out. Which is my fault. Not hers."

Gilly leaned forward.

"So when I say that you did the right thing, Carlson, I mean it. What you and Antoni are doing … supporting the kids, fighting for them, it's what I should have done from the beginning. But it's also why I know there's a line. I've been there. Once Alexandra and I were on good terms again, I went a little overboard, trying to protect her from the assholes out there. I lost my shit a few times until she made me see that while she appreciated it, it wasn't doing anyone any good except getting me in trouble at work."

Matty nodded.

"And you crossed that line last night, Carlson," Gilly said. "You took it too far. When you accepted the responsibility that comes with being an alternate captain that meant you don't get to lose your cool in public like that. Ever."

Swallowing hard, Matty nodded again.

"There's also the matter of the code of conduct," Kate pointed out.

Matty winced. "True."

Gilly pursed his lips. "So I'm benching you for two games with a warning. This isn't the kind of behavior you're known for and I think you were coming from a good place when you did it, but it's not going to happen again, you hear me?"

"Yes, Gilly."

"Good. Because if you do it again, I will bench you and bag skate you until your feet fall off."

"Yes, Gilly."

He nodded like that was settled, then stood. "I need to get to practice."

"I need to speak to Matty for a few more minutes alone," Kate said.

"Sure. When you're done, get your ass on the ice as fast as possible, Carlson," Gilly said as he strode to the door. He opened it, frowning. "And shut the damn door behind you, next time. I don't need our private conversations making it out into the world either."

He left with a scowl, the door rattling shut. Matty winced.

"Okay, now let's work on the statement we're going to release to the media," Kate said.

"I really am sorry," Matty said.

Her expression softened. "I know you are. I just wish you and your teammates would learn to think before you make decisions."

"Yeah, but think how many people would be out of a job if we did," Matty teased.

Kate managed a small wry smile. "You may be on to something there."

Fake Marriage Confirmed: Carlson in Hot Water Following Heated Custody Altercation

Toronto Fisher Cat enforcer, Matt Carlson, was spotted in a heated altercation following a youth hockey practice on Thursday evening. In attendance were Carlson and new husband, Antoni Bianchi, along with two of the four children in Bianchi's care.

But that guardianship may not last long.

Carlson's argument with the children's grandparents ended with him shoving their sixty-eight-year-old grandfather to the ground while onlookers watched in horror.

The video quickly went viral and sources close to the Fisher Cats organization reveal that management is not pleased with the headlines.

"They're really trying to clean up the drama that the team has been involved in lately," the source said on condition of anonymity. "What's really crazy is that at the same time, the truth came out about Carlson and Bianchi's marriage. Carlson himself confirmed that they only got married for custody reasons. Looks like that's going to bite him in the ass."

While some fans have stated their approval, saying, "The Swansons sound like assholes. I don't blame Carlson and Bianchi for doing whatever it takes to keep the kids safe," others aren't convinced.

Another fan stated, "If you ask me, this is a clear sign that Carlson is a loose cannon. If I were a judge, there's no way in hell I'd give Bianchi custody. A fight and a fake marriage? That's shady as hell."

A fake marriage, a custody dispute, and an off-ice fight?

What's next for Matty Carlson?