His love for the game had started then, and his parents had been supportive. He'd known from the beginning that he wanted to play professionally. At this point in his life, hockey was the only thing he knew.
"Play it," Spencer Kaufman, a.k.a. Optimus, called out to their goalie, Kingston Rush, who had slipped behind the net to grab the puck.
With Chicago's right wing barreling down on him, Seg shot to the corner boards as Mt. Rushmore tapped the puck toward him. A brief scuffle ensued as he tried to get the puck after getting plowed in the back. He caught a glimpse of Optimus, waiting. He got his stick on the biscuit, then shot it right to the captain, shoving the player off of him as he turned.
He put on some speed, chasing his teammates toward the opposite end of the ice. Optimus passed to Benne, who passed to Mattias. Optimus got control, moving down the ice at a blurring speed. While the opposing team's defense was distracted, Seg took the opportunity to move in closer to the goal. Optimus passed to Benne. In a fraction of a second, Seg made eye contact with Benne, who fired the puck toward him.
Seg shifted, turned, shot.
Goal!
Rather than go out to the bar after the game, Seg went straight to his room. He was bunking with Cullen Crosby, as he usually did, which meant he would likely have the room to himself for most of the night. Cullen was known to hang with friends wherever he went. The man didn't usually hook up with puck bunnies, choosing to stay unattached for whatever reason. Seg didn't mind the fact that he would be alone tonight though.
After taking a long shower, Seg pulled on some sweats, then grabbed his cell phone and crawled onto the bed. He propped himself up on pillows as he unlocked his phone.
His heart nearly pounded out of his chest when he noticed a text from Roan. He clicked on the picture of Liam, enlarging it so he could see it better. He laughed, seeing the baby wearing his jersey, all but buried in all that material.
Roan: He rooted for you the whole time. Thanks for the jersey, by the way. I'm sure he'll grow into it.
Seg wanted to make the picture his screen saver, but he thought better of it at the last second. As high as he was on life right now, he knew he had to be careful. It would be so easy for him to let his guard down when it came to Roan and Liam. Part of him didn't care if the world figured it out, but he knew that wouldn't be in his best interest. If he wanted something lasting with Roan, he had to do this the right way.
And yes, even as new as this thing was between them, Seg had already considered having a chat with the team's owner, Phoenix Pierce. It wasn't a secret that Phoenix was bisexual and that he was in a permanent relationship with both a man and a woman. In fact, the three of them had even had a wedding, which had been the talk of the sports world at one time.
If Seg intended to come out-which he was still on the fence about-he knew he would have to do it a certain way. Talking to the team's owner was the first step.
Well, technically, there was one other person he had to talk to first. The most important woman in his life deserved to be the first-well, technically third at this point-to know.
Before he could respond to Roan, his cell phone rang, his mother's phone number popping up on the screen.
"Hey, Ma," he greeted, leaning back on the pillows. Sometimes he wondered if they had some sort of psychic link. She always seemed to know when he was thinking of her.
"Seggy! You were amazing!"
He chuckled. Yeah, she always said that. "Thanks."
"Marjorie came over again. You'd think that woman would learn." His mother giggled. "She was not impressed that I wasn't having a bout of insanity all the other times. I think she knows it's permanent, so I really doubt she'll be back to watch another game."
She said that almost every time, too, yet Marjorie came over and watched every single game. It helped that Marjorie lived right next door to his mother.
"Ma, you're going to drive that poor woman to drink."
"Maybe. So, how are you? Are you feeling better than the last time I talked to you?"
"Yeah." It was the truth. He'd been preparing himself for this conversation. "Ma, you mentioned coming down."
"Yes."
"I'd like you to do so. Soon. I need to talk to you about something, and I don't want to do it over the phone."
"Just tell me when, honey. I'll be packed and ready to go. Just make sure I get tickets to the home games while I'm there."
He laughed. That was his mother for you. "Of course."
"But you're really doing okay?"
"I am," he assured her. "Let me look into flights, and I'll let you know."
"Okay, honey. Like I said, whenever you want me there, I'm there."
"Thanks, Ma. I love you."