Page 129
“It’s all good, Benny.”
The responses were making Bennett a bit emotional, so he stared at the mats covering the floor and focused on trying to hold it together. He’d always hoped for a reaction like this, but now that it was happening, it was almost too much. His body felt lighter, like he’d shed fifty pounds, and he could actually take a proper deep breath for once in his life.
“Is this because of what happened with Thorn?” Pence asked from across the room. “About the word I used? Because, Cap, seriously. I’m not homophobic, I swear. I’m cool with whatever.”
“It’s not about that,” Bennett said. “But it was nice hearing that so many of you support people in the queer community.”
“You need to meet my sister,” Bergy said. “The one who’s a lesbian. She’s super cool and you guys can talk about stuff. Swap tips about being gay or whatever.”
The offer was touching, even if Bennett didn’t think he’d ever take the other man up on it. “Thanks, Bergy.”
“Sienna’s brother is trans,” McPherson said as he tugged a baseball hat onto his head. “I’ve met him. He’s cool.”
Singh threw an elbow pad at the rookie. “Oh, are you talking about Sienna Ray, your pop star girlfriend? Stop casually bringing her up in every conversation, dude.”
“Yeah, Mac,” Noah called. “We get it. You’re dating a celebrity. Fuck off already.”
For a few minutes, everyone’s attention was on McPherson, giving him shit for bragging about Sienna Ray all the time. Bennett breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that was the last of it. Hoping everyone had moved on from his Big Gay Announcement.
“So . . . Is there a guy in your life, Cap?” Nyström asked.
Bennett’s brain spun out at the question. Almost, he wanted to say. I was in love with someone recently but he left me. Exhaling, he said, “Not at the moment, no. There was someone, briefly. And I don’t want to talk about it. Now, does anyone else have any other questions for me or can we open the fucking door?”
Everyone looked around, but no one spoke up. Bennett ordered the room opened and guys finished taking off their gear. He noticed there were a few conservative players, like Falk, who hadn’t said anything yet. Maybe Bennett would try to connect with one or two of them over the summer—or maybe not. For fuck’s sake, he’d battled with some of these guys for more than a decade. If they were weirded out because Bennett liked dick? Fuck them.
Conversations about the off-season filled the room. Trips, weddings, concerts, golf tournaments . . . all the usual stuff. Normally, Bennett would be lying about spending the summer with Lauren. It was nice to not have to lie anymore.
Noah nudged Bennett’s shoulder. “That went well, right? Gotta love their enthusiasm. Better than the alternative.”
“Yeah, that’s for sure. Though not everyone seemed enthusiastic.”
“I noticed. Want me to talk to them?”
“Nah, let it go. We’ll deal with it in training camp this fall.”
CHAPTER 29
The news broke the next day. Bennett was sitting on his couch, miserable and scrolling social media, when he saw it. Shooting to his feet, he stared at the words, positive they weren’t real. But the headline was everywhere, dominating the Toronto media as well as the hockey world:
TORONTO REIGN & ALPINE ARENA SOLD FOR 4.8 BILLION
Someone bought the team. His team. The Reign. And the arena.
Holy shit.
Hockey franchises weren’t sold all that often, maybe one every four or five years, and the same family has owned the Reign since 1995. Why sell now? The team had been doing well, except for their first-round exit from the playoffs this year. And Bennett wasn’t sure, but shouldn’t he have received, as captain of the team, a heads-up about this? What the fuck?
His phone began buzzing with notifications.
Reporters, who he ignored. Social media mentions and DMs, which he also ignored. But the team group chat was exploding, so he opened it up.
Campbell: WHAT THE FUCK
Bergy: HOLY SHIT
Singh: I AM HAVING AN OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE
Singh: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
