Page 34 of Ethan

Ethan had almost decided to turn it off and go to bed early, even though it was not even nine, when suddenly his phone started buzzing.

He looked down and nearly vibrated out of his skin.

There was a call coming in from Hank. AFaceTimecall.

Ethan breathed in and breathed out. Considered finding a shirt before he answered, but decided that if Hank was calling, Hank could take him however he was. Bare chest and all.

“Hey,” Ethan answered, only a tiny bit embarrassed at how husky his voice suddenly was.

Hank was lying in bed too, in what looked like a hotel room. Not that Ethan had gotten many views of his apartment in Syracuse, but this looked like a hotel room. Like the impersonal shiny sameness that they all had in common.

That didn’t make sense until Hank said, suddenly a wide grin breaking over his face, “Guess where I’m at?”

“Uh,” Ethan said. Partly he wanted to change the subject and demand to know what had finally broken this FaceTime embargo, and partly he wanted to guess. Even something stupid. But his mind was blank, lulled into a state of bloodlessness by the three inches of flushed bare chest that he was seeing on his phone screen.

“You’re not guessing,” Hank teased, running a hand through his auburn curls, and if it was possible, there was now evenlessblood in Ethan’s brain.

“Um,” Ethan hesitated. “You decided to fly out here for Valentine’s Day?”

It was the stupidest thing he could’ve guessed, even if it was something he’d not even thought to hope for.

“That’s a good one,” Hank said, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “Maybe not quite as good as that. But I’m in New York. I got called up. That’s why I was quiet all day. Packing up and traveling and then I wanted to surprise you.”

Hank had said it wasn’t quite as good as them being in the same city, but honestly, after how hard Hank had worked all season to get his ass onto the Bandits’ roster, he was wrong, because thiswasbetter.

“Oh, that’s fucking awesome,” Ethan said, meaning it. “I’m so proud of you. You did it.”

“Yeah,” Hank agreed, still smiling like he couldn’t quite get himself to stop. “I can’t believe it, but it’s happening. And Inverness says for the rest of the season, through the playoffs, if the Bandits make it there.”

“They’re gonna make it there, if you’re on the team,” Ethan said, before he could stop himself. Even though he believed it was true, he hadn’t necessarily wanted to give away how fucking incredible he thought Hank was.

On the ice.Juston the ice.

Hank huffed out a laugh. “I don’t know about that.”

“I do,” Ethan said. “They need some good d-men, clearly. I know you’re gonna kick ass. Convince everyone you’re there to stay.”

“Oh yeah?” Hank smiled. “What about you? You gonna come join me?”

God, Ethan wanted to. There had been a handful of messages exchanged between Barty, his agent, and Inverness, about Ethan coming up to the Bandits if the Evergreens didn’t make the NCAA playoffs.

“We’ll see,” he said noncommittally, not wanting to promise Hank anything. Not wanting to promisehimselfanything, even though he already wanted it. He loved playing for Portland U, but being on a team with Charlie? With Max and Danny and all the other guys? WithHank, now that he’d been called up? He couldn’t pretend he didn’t crave that so fucking bad.

“I guess we gotta win some games, really get into the thick of the playoff race,” Hank said.

That was the truth; if there was no hope of making the playoffs this year, then Inverness wouldn’t bother suggesting Ethan sign his contract. He’d keep him in college and just bring him to camp next fall, like the original plan had always been.

“Yeah,” Ethan agreed. “I should text Charlie—oh, and Max.”

“I already got a message from Max.” Hank paused. “He’s a solid captain.”

“Seems like it.”

“But I’m sure Charlie’ll be welcoming too,” Hank said, though he sounded a bit more cautious. Like he wasn’t sure where or how he wanted to step around the Barnes brothers’ business. And that was fair. It wasn’t like Ethan had told Charlie that he and Hank talked all the time. Charlie didn’t know that they’d talkedat allsince meeting up for development camp in September.

Which . . . clearly now that Hank was in New York, with the Bandits, it was time for Ethan to tell him.

Butwhatto tell him? If he told Charlie about Hank, then Charlie would want to know why he’d kept it a secret and that would open up that whole otherqueerkettle of fish. Then Averywould inevitably get involved, and once Avery was involved, there was no way it wouldn’t be A Thing.