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Their flight landed at Sky Harbor Airport, it was 98oF(370 C) when they left Dallas just before noon, hot and humid the AC on the plane was a comforting feel. Somehow landing just a little after one in the afternoon the 111oF(44oC), the family steps off the plane feeling like they walked into a brick wall of heat. Whoever said, “but it’s a dry heat” was clearly a liar.
Brad and Oliver are pacing in the charter terminal when the group walks in from their plane. Alex finds this concept of constantly walking in from heat to AC is going to take some getting used to. Brad looks at the size of Alex’s posse and understands why the team sent him with a small bus rather than a car, SUV, or even limo.
Brad walks up to the bunch, “Alex, and umm… Brendan? And who are these two young little darlings? Yours?” Brad asks looking up at Alex and walking toward Sasha and Brendan Jr.
“Yes, they’re ours.” Alex starts point motioning between himself and Brendan. The one who looks like he’s piercing your soul is Sasha and the other is Brendan Alexandrovich.”
Brad’s voice cracks and Oliver hides his face in his hand laughing. Brad snaps a look at Oliver, “What joke am I missing out on?”
Oliver can’t stop laughing, even long enough to answer Brad’s question. “They’ve been married for two years, you don’t think Jamie and Tyler are the only ones, do you?”
It takes Brad a minute to catch what Oliver was hinting at, but when it hits him, he turns redder than sunburn. “They’re, together?”
Brendan grins in the way that usually starts a fight on the ice and starts laughing. “Yeah, we are.” He laughs out at Brad’s confusion.
“And those four?” Brad says pointing at Nate and his husband, the Gallys’ nanny.
Alex smiles, “Well you know Nate, he now plays in Buffalo. That his husband, our nanny Adam and their twins.”
Brad gulps then starts guiding the group back to the bus parked outside, the heat again feels like and impenetrable brick wall. “You get used to the heat eventually. It isn’t so bad mid-season, but still can get quite toasty. The practice facility is kept about 50 degrees and Gila River, which is where we are heading after we check you into your hotel downtown, is your standard hockey arena temp on the inside. Lots of us like a lukewarm shower after practice or ice bath so the heat isn’t overbearing, but after games the temp plummets so it’s tolerable sometimes actually chilly.
“The team has arranged for a rental vehicle for you while you are here until you can get moved down. It’ll be waiting at the arena for you after your press scrum.” Oliver notes.
The hotel was an easy check-in, Alex leaves Brendan and the kids along with Nate and his family at the hotel to get settled while he goes off to handle legalities and press scrums.
Nate asks the hotel concierge to arrange a rental car for his family so that they don’t have to rent a bus to get around town with 8 people. He makes it back to the room just in time to see Alex’s interview hit the internet. “God does this sound familiar, he’s acting just like I did last year. New year, new team, new possibilities, acts excited, looks freaked.” Nate notes as he watches Alex’s body language.
Alex arrives back to the hotel with pizza for everyone as they look over the real estate listings. “I like the downtown one, that’s only a couple blocks from here. What are the details on it?” Alex asks looking at their nanny’s notes.
“Three-bedroom, 2.5 bath, walking closest in master bath, 2-story, building has an outdoor pool and fitness center about 35 minutes to the practice rink and 30 to Gila River.” The nanny comments.
“Okay well that is a definite. I’m not really into the whole rental home thing, so let’s rule that one out. The last is a townhouse with rooftop deck?” Alex says throwing out the listing he doesn’t like.
Nate clears his throat and describes the unit. “That townhouse is 3-story, 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom, with a rooftop access that can be used as entertainment space, the garage is enclosed and unit specific fitting 2 cars. There is a back yard shared pool there also.”
“Alright.” Alex sighs. “The team realtor said she’ll meet us at 11, let’s quickly look these two over and lock one up so I can get furniture in this thing by September.” He deadpans and reacting like he really doesn’t want to do this. Alex looks at his family and gives a very sad look to Brendan, the reality of life has finally hit him.
Alex spends the remainder of the evening looking at his new team’s schedule, smiling at the placement of the bye week. He was beaming when he told Brendan, “Bye week starts the night after we play you in January in Montreal.”
Brendan types up the Habs schedule, “Ours too, hey Adam can we kidnap our children and spend a week in Miami?”
Nate’s husband looks up at Brendan and Alex who are smiling for the first time since the plane landed in Phoenix. “Yeah, Nate has bye week the week of that game, so maybe we’ll just spend it in Montreal, then Nate goes on the road after he gets back to work.” Nate and Adam smirk, “That is if Brendan still has any pull in getting us all tickets.” Brendan throws a pillow at Adam.
**
“So, this unit gives you quite a view of the downtown area and the pool has an equally nice view. For an apartment of this caliber it is a nice size though the bedrooms are about the same size as the other townhouse we are visiting today.” The realtor drones on with Alex half listing, focusing his attention on the brochure from the landlord. She continues, “And it’s fairly close to the highways you need to travel to practice and games.” Alex nods as if he’s listening.
“Just looks so sterile. All white walls, really?” He notes as he wanders into the master bedroom.
“Well they will do accent walls and have colors for you to choose from, so you can have touches of color in any room.” His realtor beams.
Alex huffs, “Okay, let’s check out the other place.” His voice is monotone and sounds deflated.
Brendan holds Alex’s hand on the trip over to the townhouse on the outskirts of downtown. “Alex, get out of your head and talk to me. I’ve never heard you sound so depressed.”
“This team is going to expect a lot from me, I’m not sure I can live up to the hype. I get I’m exercising some of the mental torture of Montreal, that fiasco with Chanel and Bergevin hating my guts, and I’m also thinking of cutting my dad out of my hockey life. What really pisses me off, you and I made great hockey together, but they wouldn’t put us on the same line just in case you and I scored and we kissed on the ice. What homophobic bullshit in the era of You Can Play! To top it all off, I just can’t wrap my mind around the 2700 miles that are going to separate us 9 months of every hockey season because Bergevin wants to be an asshole.” Alex barks.
“Well it’s a good thing Nate’s kids are in this car and not ours, but I get how you feel. I wish every day that I could come with you. You think I’m going to enjoy being apart? I want to walk right into Marc’s office and ask to be sent to here or Vegas.” Brendan argues back.
“You’re the next captain of the Habs, there is little doubt about that. You are the soul of that team. They need you.” Alex laments.
“At the expense of the happiness of my family?” Brendan questions.
Alex gives Brendan the knowing look from the passenger seat as Brendan drives the car. “You know this is the business, this is the game.”
“We aren’t the first and won’t be the last players who live away from their families all season. But the solution in helping us deal with this is here with us.” Brendan notes.
“Nate and Adam?” Alex inflects.
“Yeah, Adam said he’d help. So…” Brendan starts. “Here’s your homework the week I’m in Boston with my family. You, Adam, and Nate and our families are going to work out how to live life split apart. When I’m back, we’re shipping Adam to Miami with the 4 kids and you, Nate, and I are going to talk about making a long-distance marriage work. I said until death parts us, so did you. Remember, in front of like 25,000 people in Centre Bell?” Brendan says triggering the memory in Alex’s head.
“I can’t believe you convinced me to get propose to you and get married in front of the Habs faithful.” Alex says in shock as he throws on his tux-styled Habs jersey.
“Hey at least they support us.” Brendan answers in his trademark smile.
“Until the end?” Alex poses holding out a fist to Brendan.
Brendan bumps fists with Alex exclaiming, “Until the end!”
“Okay Alex we’re here. Alex?” Brendan says snapping his fingers in front of Alex’s face.
“Sorry, day dream.” Alex says. “Well this is cute and edgy on the outside.” He says with a low whistle looking at the grey, red, and white townhouse.
“Fits your style Alex.” Brendan says with a grin. A faint fake smile displays behind the beard on Alex’s face.
The realtor brings them in through the garage and starts to go through her spiel. “So from the garage you enter into a first floor bed and bath perfect for your nanny when he brings the kids down to stay with you.”
Adam walks through the space, “not bad.” He replies with an approving look.
“Then we walk upstairs to the main living space. It has a nice open concept with a powder room here on the first floor, kitchen has granite countertops and new appliances since this is a new build. In the back yard here, you can go out into the patio space that is shared with your neighbors and has a pool.” The realtor continues. Alex shrugs, it isn’t bad.
She finishes off leading upstairs, “and then up here we have 2 more bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and the master bedroom has a deck overlooking the patio. Closet in the master is a walk-in with plenty of storage.”
“Okay, let me think these two options over tonight. I’ll call you with an answer in the morning.” Alex says with a fake grin, he makes eye contacts and shakes her hand as he walks out.
They two families go back to their hotel, “Adam, you picked two good options and I’m felling queasy thinking about a place I’m barely going to be in. Neither feels like home.”
Adam decides it’s time for Alex’s first intervention. “You asked me to get you rentals why?”
Alex ponders the question, “This is where I work, it isn’t home.”
Nate grabs Adam’s thought, “Right, where is home Alex?” Nate’s question sends Alex back in time again.
“Miami, you bought a condo in Miami. You realize we’ll spend the hottest season of the year in one of the hottest places in the country?” Brendan cheeses.
“It’s right on the beach, we can train in the sand it’ll be awesome! You know how much the sand makes your muscles work harder.” Alex exclaims.
Brendan shrugs at Alex, can’t argue with that logic. He balls Alex’s shirt in his fist and tugs him into a kiss that catches Alex completely off-guard.
Nate snaps in Alex’s face, “Yo buddy, you still there.”
“Sorry, memories.” Alex says sadly.
“I get it life has been turned upside down in the last couple of weeks, but Alex, you haven’t answered my question. Where is home?” Nate inquires again.
Alex blinks looks at Nate, “Miami with my family.”
“Then understanding Phoenix is where you work and Miami with your family is home then you step to making this work.”
Nate turns to Brendan, “Brendan, what is Montreal to you?”
“What the fuck are you doing on my doorstep at 1am… Gally?” Alex swears being shaken awake by the pounding on his townhouse door just after laying down and trying to forget the dejecting loss. He also wanted to forget the ass-beating his beard girlfriend had given him the previous morning.
Brendan pulls Alex by the shirt leading him again to a place he didn’t expect, “This.” He says breathlessly an inch from Alex’s face. He closes the distance until their lips meet.
“You’ve been with me through my darkest days in this town, why do you love me Brendan?” Alex says grimly.
Brendan doesn’t even ponder the question, “Because underneath that serious, grumpy exterior is a heart of gold.” Alex cracks a smile and tugs Brendan into the next kiss. “I think we need to finish this in my bedroom.” Alex exhales into Brendan’s face.
Adam snaps into Brendan’s face this time, “Gally, get out of your head and answer the question. Use your words.” Alex chuckles as their nanny chirps Brendan, this never gets old. For Alex, this is what home feels like.
“Montreal gave me my family and wants to take it away.” Brendan answers.
Nate stands up and lets out a groan rubbing his eyes, “Alright friends, this is where the real work begins. Brendan, Montreal is not taking away your family. It’s still here. We’re still here. Your twins are still here, Alex is still here. Nobody’s died. You are both doing what you must because that is what the business dictates you do.” Nate knows one lecture isn’t going to cure the longing for each other that they’re about to endure. They should be glad they have the technology of 2018.
For Adam, when he went through the first round of a long-distance relationship was decades ago, and was a 1am phone call with his partner on the other end threatening suicide.
“I took them all Adam.” Said the disembodied voice on the other side of the conversation.
Adam felt so powerless 57 miles away listening to the love of his life at the time threaten to end his life. How does one handle this? “Donald, please I love you don’t do this.” He says crying into the headset.
Adam goes to his student teaching site five short hours late. “Take the day off Adam, go be there.” His mentor teachers tell him.
Adam looks at his mentor teachers, his hands covering his nose over his nose and mouth. “I can’t right now, I need something else to occupy my mind. I will take tomorrow off and let my supervisor know.”
Adam has tears streaming down his face now. Nate looks over at him, “It hit you again didn’t it. I won’t do that to you.” Nate pulls Adam into a hug letting his sobs hit him on the shoulder. It was at that moment, the gravity of what the next season holds hits all 4 adults in the room.
**
“I want the condo in the building downtown.” Alex says to the realtor. “I’ll move in September 1st.”
The realtor replies, “Perfect, I’ll drop by with the paperwork in an hour.”
An hour later, Alex had a place to store a bed and some furniture in Phoenix. Both families headed back to Miami to spend a couple of weeks with each other before Brendan has his big baseball trip Boston with his family, and Alex had long-distance relationship bootcamp with Nate and Adam.