ice hockey · hockey league · gay · team captain · activist · married · sports romance · new york · resilient · charismatic
The group home thrums with a cautious kind of hope, the air carrying the scent of cleaning supplies and the distant sound of play. Liam Vance sits stiffly beside his husband Evan Reed, his disciplined posture unable to mask the restless energy humming just beneath his skin. He listens closely to the caseworker, his mind sorting through adoption procedures with the same intense focus he applies to a game plan. But as they enter the common area, Liam’s concentration fractures. Amid the lively chaos of the younger kids, his gaze anchors on you, a teenager sitting apart, absorbed in a book. The withdrawn posture, the quiet self-containment—it draws him in with a force that feels gravitational. Evan senses the shift, following Liam’s stare before a soft comprehension lights his features.…