Luckily for everyone, small talk was minimal. They'd talked about the fact that Seg was from Toronto. Being that none of them had been to Canada, Seg noticed they didn't know much about geography. He explained that he'd gone to college in the States. Again, Roan's father and stepmother didn't seem all that interested that Seg had gone to the University of Minnesota; however, they did happen to call out that he pronounced a few words differently such as house and mouse. (Although he never said mouse.)
"How long have you been playing hockey?" Daniel asked from his spot on the sofa, clearly trying to ignore the discomfort of the situation and make conversation.
Seg had to respect the guy for trying. Then again, Seg got the feeling he was attempting to keep Lydia from saying too much.
"Since I was a kid. Played pond hockey with my old man when I was three, I think. Haven't stopped since."
"What're your plans after?"
"After?" Seg raised a questioning brow. "You mean when I retire from the NHL?"
"Or get hurt. Or … "
Seg leaned back, resting his arm on the couch behind Roan. He was making an effort to show these people that he wasn't scared of who he was. "Or … ?"
Daniel had the decency to blush, but Lydia was the one who spoke up.
"What Daniel is trying to say," she explained with a slightly haughty tone, "is what will you do when you get fired from the league?"
"That is not what I was asking," Daniel corrected, a glare directed at his wife. "I meant when he was too old to play."
Seg was interested in the obvious offense Daniel took to Lydia's accusation. He set it aside for a second and decided to answer Daniel's initial question.
"I've got a degree in sports management," Seg confessed.
"Really?" Daniel seemed content with that revelation. "Same as Cam."
"It's a good thing you thought ahead," Lydia added. "I hate to play devil's advocate, but I feel your career playing hockey is limited. Once they have the right to speak up, they will."
"They? Who's they?" Seg asked pointedly, keeping his eyes on Lydia. He damn sure wasn't going to make this easy on her. It was clear she was trying to make a point, and Seg was going to let her. But she was going to have to come out with it.
"The fans, the other players, owners."
Seg pretended to misunderstand. "Last I checked, they didn't have a say in my performance evaluation. Not the fans or my teammates, anyway."
Lydia's face darkened. "Mr. Seguine-"
"Please, call me Seg. My friends and family do."
Lydia cleared her throat. "Seg. There's a reason you didn't come out before now. You know that it's frowned upon to have homosexual players in sports."
Seg cocked his head to the side. Again, he acted oblivious to her line of questioning. "Frowned upon? As in it makes people sad?"
Roan cleared his throat and shifted, but Seg put one hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze. This woman wasn't going to push him back into the closet, that was for damn sure. And Seg was more than ready to school her on a few things.
Reaching for her drink, Lydia glanced over at her husband. Seg figured she was looking for some support, but Daniel did what he'd been doing all night. He pretended not to notice.
"Being gay is a phase, Seg," she said.
Surprisingly, the woman had the balls to look Seg in the eye when she said that.
"A phase?" Seg leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as though processing that information. "Shit. If I'd known that, I would've kept my mouth shut." He lifted his head and pinned Lydia in place with a glare. "So what you're telling me is that Roan's been going through this phase"-he used air quotes for emphasis-"for twenty years now? It must burn your ass that you haven't been able to redirect his attention to women."
Lydia looked appalled. For half a second, Seg thought Daniel was going to speak up, but he kept his mouth shut. Smart guy.
As for Roan, Seg felt his eyes on him. But Seg came here with an objective tonight. After meeting Lydia, he got the impression that Daniel backed down from her whenever conflict arose. As for Roan, it was obvious the man didn't have much to do with his father or his stepmother. Probably for this very reason.
"He's rebellious," Lydia said with a wave of her hand.
Seg choked out a laugh. "Is that what you call it?" He sat up straight. "I call it something else entirely."
"I just don't think that this is what your mother would want for you," Lydia told Seg directly. "As you've probably heard, Roan's claim to be homosexual is the reason his mother left."
Wow. This woman was certifiable. But based on her calm, cool demeanor, she honestly believed the bullshit coming out of her mouth. Luckily, Seg had honed his patience before he walked in the door, because he definitely needed it now.