After the game, he followed his teammates to the locker room. Kelsey and the camera crew stood by the door, interviewing Dylan. Both of the Fraser siblings beamed. Rod jumped in, throwing his arms around them and completing the trio.
Leo ducked his head, intending to pass in the background along with the rest of the guys. Dylan looked over and then grabbed his arm and pulled him into the camera's view.
Slinging his arm around Leo's shoulder, he stared into the camera. "In addition to thanking the fans for their well wishes for my recovery, I have something to say. We're lucky to have Leo Brennan on our team. I know some of you are still giving him grief and talking trash about that hit. For the record, it was clean. Seriously, watch the video. I'm fine. I'm back. And as you can see, Leo and I are friends. Rod and Leo are friends. Kelsey and Leo are friends. We need every member of the team if we're going to have a successful payoff run. Leo is a part of our Bedlam family now. Treat him like it."
Leo gaped at Dylan, sure that his expression matched Rod's comically shocked face, but the captain just smiled.
Kelsey pulled the microphone back to herself. "And that's a wrap from Kelsey's Corner."
The camera turned off and Kelsey lowered her mic, her gaze darting from Dylan to him and back again. "What was that?"
"That was the captain taking a stand." Dylan nodded toward the locker room. "Let's get through the media interviews. And then, I'm taking my friend here out for a beer. Kels, you should join us. We're going to Tap Out."
Titling her head to the side, she surveyed them. "I'll be there."
Other than Vince, none of the guys had invited him out prior to Dylan's offer. Leo allowed Dylan to pull him toward the locker room. "That was a nice thing you just did."
"You and I both are sick of talking about the hit. Some of those sports radio guys don't help things. They keep riling up the fans because they need controversy, even if they have to invent it." Dylan pushed through the door. "You can follow Rod and me to the bar. You know his car, right? The brown SUV that smells like coffee?"
"Keep it up, and you can walk there." Rod grumbled from behind Leo, but then he grinned at his brother.
A swift pang of loneliness shot through Leo. He missed his brothers. A lot.
He arrived at Tap Out right after Dylan and Rod. The bar, tucked in the Buffalo suburb of Holiday, was covered from wall to wall with hockey and other sports memorabilia.
Dylan commandeered a high-top table by the bar. "Celek, Krieder, and Vince are on their way. I'll buy the first round."
Before he'd finished speaking, two pitchers of beer were delivered to the table, compliments of the owner.
Rod took a long pull from his glass then he set it aside. "I guess I'm sorry that I punched you."
Leo snorted over his drink. "You guess?"
"Okay, I'm not really sorry." A wicked smile sliced across Rod's face and his eyes crinkled. "But Dylan wanted me to apologize anyway."
Wearing a pained expression, Dylan sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Nice job, Rod."
Laughing, Leo toasted Rod. "Rod's reaction on the ice was what mine would have been. In the heat of the moment, all you see is that someone hurt your family and you want revenge. No one messes with family and gets away with it."
Rod twisted toward Dylan and then slung a companionable arm around Leo's shoulder. "See? He gets it."
Dylan shook his head and reached for his own beer. "Even so. You still needed to apologize."
Leo looked at the grinning goalie. "I have to admit, your expression when Dylan announced that you and I were friends tonight was pretty funny."
"Yeah, a little warning would've been nice, D." Rod refilled his glass. "I'm hoping the camera was zeroed in on you for that part. Leo and I didn't look very convincing."
Celek, Krieder, and Vince headed their way. Vince claimed the bar stool next to Leo and the discussion fell to dissecting the game and talking about the upcoming outdoor game held at the frozen rink the league had created at the football field. Having the guys treat him like a regular member of their group went a long way toward easing his pangs of not belonging.
Leo turned in his stool to ask Celek a question but his gaze caught Kelsey and a shorter woman with curly hair making their way across the crowded space. Abandoning his question mid-sentence, he stood and found a second free chair.
The curly-haired woman snuggled up to Rod before introducing herself as his fiancée Arielle.
Kelsey started off next to Dylan, but slowly made her way over to Leo. He curled his fingers into his palm to avoid touching her. He'd agreed to give her time. "Can I buy you a drink?"
"Sure."
They moved to the far end of the bar, away from the eyes and ears of their friends. Aside from the end of game interview, he hadn't seen her since leaving the ice cream shop four days earlier. "You know, Dylan and I are buddies now."
"I saw that during the game, and afterward when he made his announcement. Apparently you and Rod are buddies now too?" She tilted her head back to keep her gaze connected to his. "I know he hasn't been super friendly, but he seems to be better now."
"It was a slow thaw, but tonight we bonded a little." He moved closer, drawn by her nearness. "And you and I are friends too. Anyone who watched Kelsey's Corner tonight knows it, thanks to Dylan."
"I think that part was settled after we went to Duff's. Of course, we're friends."
He couldn't resist playing with the
