Hat Trick 3: Penalty Shot (31 page)

“Falcons!” called our high school teammates.

“Wolverines!” was a counterpoint to the first call.

They sat down together.

Wow.

Someone choreographed that and I suspected Mimi had a hand in it.

Leo waited a few beats. “Anyone else?” When no one spoke up, he continued. “Thank you all. Simon and Alex have prepared vows. Since they couldn’t decide who’d go first, I’ve decided it’ll be alphabetical. Alex, you’re up.”

“No fair making me talk after all that,” he said. He wiped his face and cleared his throat quietly. He pulled a piece of paper from his inside pocket as he faced me.

“Simon, we’ve made so many declarations of love to each other over the years that it’s hard to come up with the ultimate one to mark this day. The love I have for you can hardly be contained in words or acts. I feel your love in every fiber of my being. In fact, I think I might be the most loved person on the planet. Even if I can’t find the words, I hope you know the deep, complete love I have for you. I knew from the moment I saw you when we were juniors on the first day of hockey practice that you were special. It’s been proven to me many times over that I was right about that. I can’t wait to see what the future holds, and while most of that will be a surprise what won’t be is the love we share. I’m honored to become your husband today.”

“Alex,” Leo said, “please place the ring on Simon’s finger.”

Danny offered the ring to Alex. I held out a quaking hand to him. He wrapped it in both of his to steady it. He raised his eyebrows and we held each other’s gaze. I used that to calm myself. I relaxed in a few seconds and he released me to take the ring. He slid the brushed gold band on my finger and it settled against the silver one I already wore.

I grabbed his hand before he pulled it away and gave it a squeeze. Keeping my emotions under control seemed like a losing battle.

I took a deep breath and reached into my pants pocket to get my notes. They weren’t there. I checked the other pockets I had. Nothing. I shot a panicked look at Alex. There was no way I’d remember what I wanted to say.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to find Zack, holding a folded paper.

“Mom made sure I had a copy this morning,” he said quietly. “Just in case.”

I sighed in relief. “Thanks.”

“It doesn’t matter how old you get,” I said to the crowd, “there are still times that Mom can save you.” I held up the paper to the audience as I smiled directly at her. I hastily unfolded it and began, trying to keep my voice even. “Over a pizza we discovered we had a thing for each other. I had no idea back then what it meant to be in love and that it was possible to love someone so completely. To be loved in a way that, even when I’m not in the same room with you, I know that you love me with all your heart.

“Our friends and family have always been part of our success. As much as we support each other, they support us and I’m glad those closest to us are here, witnessing this step.” I stopped reading and looked at Alex, going off my script. “I had no idea getting married would feel like this. We lived together through college and created a stronger relationship. Standing here, doing this, has a distinct feeling though. We’re making a lasting, formal declaration that we’re in this forever and that’s thrilling.”

I went back to my paper to make sure I got the rest right.

“I’m glad you picked me to share your life with. I’m honored you stuck with me through the rough times, and know that I’ll always be there through yours. I’m excited to see where we go from here. Most importantly, my heart is yours, forever.”

“Simon, please place the ring on Alex’s finger.”

Zack was right there with the ring. I slipped the ring on him so that it matched the set I wore. I continued to hold his hand after the ring was on.

“Alexander Logan Miller, do you take Simon to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do,” he said in a voice that didn’t waver at all.

“Simon Aaron Miller, do you take Alex to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do,” I said, steadying my voice. Those two words had to be clear.

“And now by the power vested in me by the State of Pennsylvania, and a handy website, I now proclaim you married. May you two have the most amazing life together. Now I present to you Mr. Simon and Alexander Miller-Roberts.”

There were awwws with the announcement. Leo was the only one who knew in advance that we were hyphenating our names. We decided to do it as one more way to join ourselves. We took a few days to decide the ordering and finally decided that Miller-Roberts rolled off the tongue better than Roberts-Miller.

“You may now seal this union with a kiss.”

Talk about silly grins. The one Alex wore was downright goofy and I was pretty sure mine was too. We stepped forward and loosely embraced each other. I’m not sure who led the kiss, but it was wonderfully soft and gentle. It gave me shudders and was the perfect end to the ceremony.

“Hi, husband.” I said so softly I wasn’t sure even Leo, who stood closest to us, heard it.

“Hi, back at you, husband. Wow, I like how that sounds.”

Hillary cued up the music again and we walked back the way we’d came. Mike, who was taking pictures for us, stepped to the front and started coordinating shots. We were only doing a few groupings because we didn’t want to spend forever with the photos. Plus there was a party waiting.

Derek came up to us while the photographer was positioning everyone. “Everything’s set for the game tomorrow morning. Everyone knows it’s at ten right here. We’ll do the traditional hat draw. Doug and Joey are good with swapping out in net. The jerseys came in yesterday to my parents house, so I’ll bring those with me. I think you’ll have a fair number of spectators, too.”

“Perfect,” Alex said. “Thanks for helping coordinate the game.”

“My pleasure,” he said, giving us quick hugs.

We were leaving on our week’s honeymoon to a cabin in Vermont tomorrow night. Alex wanted to do a pond hockey game with the players who’d made the trip. We had the Central rink as a backup if we needed it, but the ice was in our favor and the pond was solid. Derek had been checking it over the past week since he lived closest.

We shot the photos and most of the guests filed away quickly. Finally, I stood alone, silently, looking over the pond. After a bit, Alex slipped his hand in mine and stood next to me.

“What’re you thinking?” he asked.

“How awesome this place is. I love that we did this here. Although it feels like tomorrow will be the end of an era of sorts. Even more than when we played the game after our senior winter formal.”

We stood silently, taking in the scenery for a few minutes before I spoke again. “Do you feel like something changed today? Or was that just me being silly?”

“No. It was there. This was an important day. It was more than I love you. More than just asking you out the first time. More than anything we’ve said or done before. And it was wonderful.”

“Yeah. It was.” I smiled at him and stole a kiss, too. “We should get going, I guess. People will wonder why we’re late to our own party.”

“I wish we had skates here. Now. I’d love to skate with you while we’re dressed up.”

I grinned big.

“The gear’s in the car. I never took it out.”

“Could we?”

“It’s our day, so yes. I’ll get the skates.”

His face lit up. I left him standing there and went as fast as I could to the car. After I got the skates, I sent a text to Leo, telling him we’d be late so no one would worry. Alex stood where I left him, hands in his pockets, looking at the landscape.

“Did someone here order skates?”

We laced up hurriedly, using the chairs, which were due to be picked up any minute now. Once we were laced, we headed for the ice.

We skated around the oval, slowly, holding hands, soaking up the silence. I pulled out my phone and set it to record us while I held it. Alex leaned in to make sure he was visible on the screen.

“What do you do right after you get married at a frozen pond in Pennsylvania?” I asked as we kept moving.

“Go to Disney World?”

I fought cracking up at his answer. “No, you skate on it while still in your tux.”

“The most dashing skating duo ever!” he proclaimed.

You could see some of the background going by between our heads. I recorded a few more seconds before turning it off.

“That will be an awesome post later.”

“Can I tell you a secret?” Alex asked, sounding like it was going to be embarrassing.

“Of course.”

He looked at me as we kept skating. “Every time we skate here, I think of
A
Charlie Brown Christmas
. You know the scene at the beginning where they’re all on the pond and Snoopy ultimately spins everyone around until they fly off the ice? That music always plays in my head.”

He started to hum and I joined in as we went around and around. This would be a moment I’d never forget, maybe even more than the ceremony. Completely unexpected, and magical.

THE END

There are a number of people to thank who helped make this story into the book you’re reading. Will Knauss, my awesome husband, leads the list for all his love, his support, and his critical reading eye. Scott McQuiston, Elvis Murks, Lynn Schmitz, Michael Spires, and Chad Woodard also made valuable contributions. They’re listed alphabetically because each is very important in their own way.

I met Skyler Cruz playing hockey while we both played with the New York City Gay Hockey Association. There were many games where I was a defenseman while Skyler played goalie. I am proud to call him a friend, and can’t thank him enough for having candid conversations with me so I could gain an understanding of some aspects of a transgender person’s life. His openness helped me create the character of TJ. While TJ’s story is nothing like Skyler’s, without Skyler’s help, I wouldn’t have felt confident putting TJ in this book. Skyler’s work with youth in NYC (for a time at the LGBT Center and now in a school) continues to be an inspiration for Simon’s career choice, not to mention an inspiration to me personally. Skyler helped with some of Simon’s dialogue and with TJ’s story to make sure those elements were authentic. Thank you, Skyler, for your guidance and your friendship.

Many thanks must be given to J.M. Snyder for believing in this series back in 2013 when it all started. JMS Books has given Simon and Alex a great home and I’m glad my first foray into novel writing has been with J.M. and her company.

As I was writing this book, I discovered I needed middle names for Simon and Alex. I decided the best way to name them was to ask the fans. Many stepped up with suggestions, but it was Alli Martin and John Boccanfuso who came up with the names I ultimately picked. John suggested “Logan” for Alex and Alexander Logan Miller rolled off the tongue so well I picked it. Alli went one step beyond with her suggestions, providing the reasons behind her choices. She noted that brothers Simon and Zack both had biblical names and so it was likely their middle names were biblical, also. She offered “Aaron” for Simon because Aaron was a teacher and she thought that was a good fit. I couldn’t agree more so Simon became Simon Aaron Roberts. Thanks to Alli and John for the winning suggestions, and thanks to all the
Hat Trick
fans who participated in the name game.

Of course, there wouldn't be a book three without the awesome readers who’ve embraced Simon and Alex. Thanks to all of you for your support. I’m glad you love these guys as much as I do. While this is the end of their story arc, I suspect you’ll see them crop up in future stories.

ABOUT JEFF ADAMS

Jeff Adams has written stories since he was in middle school and became a gay romance writer in 2009 when his first short stories were published. Since then he’s written several more shorts and novels, including some in the young adult genre, and he plans to keep writing as long as wonderful readers keeping picking up his books.

Jeff lives in rural Northern California with his husband of twenty years, Will. Some of his favorite things include the musicals
Rent
and
title of show
, the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey teams, and the reality TV competition,
So You Think You Can Dance
. If forced to pick his favorite book, it would be a tie between Michael Chabon’s
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
and David Levithan’s
Every Day
.

You can learn more at
jeffadamswrites.com
.

ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC

JMS Books LLC is a small queer press with competitive royalty rates publishing LGBT romance, erotic romance, and young adult fiction. Visit
jms-books.com
for our latest releases and submission guidelines!