“Okay. Thanks, Dad. I love you.”

  He leans down and kisses me on the forehead like he used to do when I was a little kid. “I love you, too, Son. And don’t forget, your old man has your back, no matter what.”

  I relax, knowing the only other person who truly matters to me knows about my relationship with Eric and is happy for me. I close my eyes and let the steady strum of the monitor lull me to sleep.

  “Thanks. Yes, he’s fine, just a slight concussion. I think they’re going to let him go tomorrow. Okay, tell dad I love him too. Yes, I promise I’ll come visit the first chance I get. Bye.”

  Eric’s gruff voice pulls me from the dream I was having of us curled up together in front of the fire pit behind his house. It’s more of a memory, really. One of the times we’d stayed out late and snuggled under the stars in his backyard in the early fall. I knew after that night I could spend the rest of my days like that with him.

  “There’s sleeping beauty.”

  The street lamp from the parking lot shines through the window in the darkened room, highlighting his frame. “How long have I been asleep?” I croak out like I’ve been sick instead of getting knocked in the head. It still feels like someone is pounding out their frustration on my brain, but I’m not as nauseous.

  “Almost ten hours. The doctor said it was normal. As long as you stirred here or there, we left you alone.” I go to sit up, and he rushes to use the controls to raise the head of the bed. When I’m comfortable, he grabs the cup off the bed tray table and brings the straw to my lips. “Just take a few sips to make sure you’re not going to be sick.”

  I do as he says and wave him off when I’ve had enough. “Was that your mom?”

  “Yeah. She and my dad were watching the game on television and saw you get hurt. I texted and told them I’d call them with an update.”

  I glance over at him. “Did you tell them about us?”

  He grimaces. “No, not yet. I wasn’t sure how you felt about everyone knowing. My family, at least.”

  “Well, my dad knows. He’s okay with it. Are you worried about what your family will think?” I know Eric loves his family, and I never want to stand between them. I’d just have to convince them the way I did Eric that we belong together.

  He chuckles. “Hardly. My sister is seven years older than my brother-in-law, and my mom is nine years younger than my dad. I think it runs in the family.”

  “Nice,” I say, breaking into a yawn. How can I still be tired after sleeping for so long? “What time is it?”

  “After midnight.”

  “Where’s my dad?” I ask when suddenly realizing he’s not there.

  “He’ll be back in the morning. I told him to go home and get some rest, and I’d stay.”

  Warmth fills me, and the gooey feeling I get whenever I’m with Eric returns.

  “We have one issue, though.” I don’t like the pinched look on his face. Even though he talked about me meeting his family not five minutes ago, I can’t help but fear he’ll want to call everything off. This concussion has my emotions all over the place, and I can hardly think straight.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He sits in the chair beside the bed and takes my hand. “The guys on the team probably know. I couldn’t control my emotions when you got hurt, and Zack… said some derogatory things about you and us. I will report him to the school for his homophobic behavior, but when I do…”

  “They’ll ask questions,” I fill in for him as my heart sinks. This is exactly what we wanted to avoid, being outed before we’re ready.

  He strokes his thumb over my hand. “Yes. I don’t know what they’ll do to me, but I’ve decided I won’t lie, not unless you tell me you don’t want it to be known.”

  “I want nothing more than for us to be out in the open, but what about coaching? I don’t want you to lose your job over this. I can quit, or change schools, or—”

  He cuts me off with a kiss. “No. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’m sure I can get a job somewhere else, but you need to stay with the team. It’s what you were meant to do.”

  “I don’t know if I want to be there if you’re not.” Like I told my dad, there’s finally something I care more about than football.

  “Baby, you’ll be fine. You have a good career ahead of you. Stay here, finish your classes and be the best damn football player I know you can be.” I only nod because any words I say will come out in a jumbled mess. “And look at the bright side.”

  “What’s that,” I finally say.

  “Now we can go out on dates without having to sneak to the next town. It won’t matter who knows about us then.”

  I exaggerate a big pout. “But then, no more sex in your office or the locker room showers.”

  “Oh, I’m sure we can work something out.”

  I melt at his devilish grin.

  12

  Luke arrives back at the hospital in the morning, looking well-rested. “How is he?” he whispers, careful not to disturb Avery, who’s still sleeping.

  “He slept well all night.”

  “Well, you look like shit,” he says. His smirk softens the blow.

  “Thanks,” I drawl.

  “Why don’t you go home and get cleaned up? Rest a bit. I’ll have Avery call you when he wakes.”

  “I don’t want him to be upset I left him.”

  “He won’t be. You have to take care of yourself, too. I’ll tell him I shoved you out the door if it makes you feel better.”

  “Like you could.” Luke’s a fairly big guy, but I still have a couple of inches and a good twenty pounds on him.

  His laugh causes me to smile, and I know he’s on his way to accepting me as a part of Avery’s life. I’m sure we’ll be good friends as well.

  I drag myself inside my house, grab a bottle of water, and force myself into the shower. I slept like shit in the hard-ass chair next to Avery’s bed. I hated leaving him, but Luke’s right. I need a little shuteye before I tackle the day. When Avery comes home, I need to be able to take care of him without running myself down, too. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I’m out.

  I’m not sure what wakes me, but I’m disoriented at first. Images of Avery lying in his hospital bed flutter through my mind, and I jump up to check the time. My phone shows a missed call, so I quickly listen to the message, suddenly afraid. My stomach clenches at the thought that something had happened to Avery and I wasn’t there.

  “Eric, this is Dean Withers. I’ve set up an appointment for us to meet tomorrow morning at nine sharp. Don’t be late.”

  My heart kicks up its rhythm, and I know the proverbial shoe just dropped. I’m positive he’s heard about Avery and me. It’s not surprising how I acted when he was injured at the game or the way the team reacted to Zack’s remarks.

  I glance at the clock. Four a.m. Might as well get up, do some laundry, and clean up. That way, when Avery comes here to recover, everything will be ready for him. I’d asked Luke, and he didn’t have any issues with it as long as it’s what Avery wants. If Avery decides he would rather go home, I’ll make sure I’m there for him, but I’m hoping he’d rather stay with me.

  I check the time again. I’m dying to call Luke and ask how Avery’s doing, but it’s still too early, and I don’t want to wake him if he’s been able to sleep. I’ll be there as soon as I get this meeting over with.

  I throw on jeans and a t-shirt rather than my professional attire. I intend to go straight to the hospital as soon as this meeting is over.

  I arrive at the school and trudge to the Dean’s office. I’d thought long and hard about what to do before making a decision that worked for everyone. It was simple, really. A quick phone call this morning took care of my problem. It doesn’t stop my palms from growing clammy as I stand outside the office door. I’m not nervous about the outcome, only that I’ve disappointed Coach Brown. He’s the only reason I’m here in the first place.

  I think back to my time spent with Avery. Every smile, every kiss, and especially knowing he loves me are what brought me to this point. He’s my choice and always will be.

  I rub my sweaty palms on my pants before knocking on the door.

  “Come in.”

  I stroll into the office, no longer nervous but ready to move on to the next chapter in my life with Avery. “Dean Withers. How are you?”

  He looks up from his computer and motions to the chair in front of his desk. “Coach Nash. Please sit.”

  I pull an envelope from my pocket and take the offered seat. “Before you get to why you called me here, I want to give you this.”

  He slides the envelope toward him. “What is it?”

  “My resignation letter, sir.”

  His eyes flare for a moment, and he sits back, steepling his fingers under his chin. “You’re certainly making this a much easier conversation than I was prepared for.”

  “I understand, sir.”

  “So the rumors are true, then?”

  “I’m not sure what rumors you’ve heard, but I’m going to be honest. I’m in love with one of my players. We didn’t mean for it to happen, but somewhere along the way, it did. I’m sure there are rules we’ve broken, and we’ll have to accept the consequences of our actions, but I won’t give him up for anything. I’m grateful for the opportunity you’ve given me, and I’m proud of ‌every member of the team, but in the best interest of everyone, I’m going to take a position elsewhere.”

  “Are you done?”

  I can’t get a read on him, but I have to know what will happen to Avery. “I need to ask if this will affect Avery in any way?” If he gets kicked off the team or expelled, I’ll do everything I can to make sure he plays somewhere, even if we have to move across the country.

  He studies me a moment before answering. “Since you’re being honest, so will I. It could have had adverse repercussions for him, but now that you’ve resigned, I think we can consider the matter resolved without any further issues. After all, this team did better this season than any other in the school’s history. The alumni are thrilled, which in turn opens their pockets.”

  Of course, it comes down to money, but I won’t complain. Everything works out the way it’s supposed to.

  “I would suggest, for both of your sakes, you not flaunt the fact you were together while you were his coach and instead make it seem like this happened after the season.”

  “I’m afraid that ship has sailed, but we’ll do our best.” I stand and extend my hand toward him.

  He takes it and gives it a hearty shake. “It’s been a pleasure working with you, Coach Nash. You will be missed. I wish you the best, and I hope this boy is worth it.”

  “More than you’ll ever know. Thank you, sir.” I turn and walk out of his office, feeling lighter than I have in years.

  “I can walk, Dad.” I glare at the wheelchair like it’s personally offended me.

  I’ve been on edge all morning, waiting for Eric to come by before I’m released, but he hasn’t shown up yet. I bite back my disappointment. He’d told me he had a meeting or something this morning and would try to make it.

  “I know you can, but you and I both know it’s the damn hospital policy you leave in one, so just sit your ass down, and we can get the hell out of here.” I ease off the bed and into the chair. When Pop doesn’t immediately push me out, I turn to find him griping the handles, knuckles white and head hung low.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He takes a deep breath and lets it out before speaking. “It just hit me how this could have turned out very differently. I could have lost you,” he chokes out.

  “You know I’ve got a hard head. I’m fine,” I say, downplaying my injuries and hoping to lighten the mood.

  He chuckles and wipes his eyes. “Yeah, that you do.”

  I hadn’t realized how much this upset him. To me, it’s all part of the game—players get hurt all the time—but if I look at it from his perspective, it can’t be easy watching your only son get carried away on a stretcher, especially after losing my mom. It suddenly hits me; I’m all he has left. “I’m sorry, dad.”

  “What are you sorry for now?”

  I roll my eyes. He talks like I’ve spent my life in trouble. Well, maybe a little, but he’d continued the easy-going parenting they’d used when my mom was alive. I just didn’t feel the need to rebel.

  Much.

  “I know it couldn’t have been easy seeing me hurt like that.”

  “It wasn’t, but you know what shocked me more than anything?” he asks, wheeling me out of the room and into the elevator.

  “What?”

  “Seeing Eric just as upset as I was. I knew right away he felt more for you than just a coach worried about his player.”

  I can’t help the goofy grin spreading across my face as we exit the elevator.

  “There’s the dork who thought he could stop two hundred pounds of muscle with his head,” Billy yells across the hospital lobby. Emmett and Jacob trail behind him.

  “I’ll pull the car around,” Dad says and walks toward the group.

  An audible gasp escapes Emmett. “L-Luke?” he sputters.

  Dad stops in his tracks. “Uh, hey, Emmett.”

  “You two know each other?” I ask, looking between the two. Emmett’s cheeks pinken, and dad shifts nervously on his feet.

  “Uh, yeah. He came in for a tattoo a few months ago.”

  “Cool, man. You never showed it to us. Where is it? Let me guess. It’s on your butt, right? That’s why we haven’t seen it,” Billy says, circling Emmett like he can see it through his clothes.

  “I’m going to get the car. Nice to see you again, Emmett.” Since when did my dad’s voice get all husky like that? I shiver a little at the gross thought. Emmett turns beet red but doesn’t say anything. Hmmm…

  “He’s your father?” Emmett chokes out.

  Before I can respond, Billy grabs the wheelchair handles and starts pushing me outside. “I bet we can do a wheely in this thing.”

  “Chill out, man,” Jacob mumbles, almost too low to hear.

  “I wasn’t going to try it, not while Avery’s still hurt,” Billy says, clearly offended.

  “So, is it true? Are you and Coach Nash a thing?” Jacob asks.

  Billy slows us to a stop right outside the doors.

  “Well, the thing is—”

  Eric comes rushing up the sidewalk. “There you are. I thought I was going to miss you. Ready to go?”

  I glance back at the guys. Billy smirks, and Emmett and Jacob stand wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

  “Guess that answers that question,” Billy announces, breaking their stupor.

  “Boys.” Eric nods toward them.

  “Hey, Coach,” they reply in unison.

  “I met your father in the parking lot. He’ll be here in a minute.”

  Right on cue, my dad pulls up to the curb and jumps out, coming to the passenger side to open the door. I wave to the guys still standing there. Jacob and Billy wave back. Emmett shoots a wistful look over at my dad before throwing his hand up, too. It looks like Dad and I need to have a little heart-to-heart.

  Eric wheels me over. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

  “Yes. Let’s go home.” I smile up at him. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine being this happy, even as the little niggle of anxiety rears its ugly head. We still don’t know how this will affect either of us, but we’ll make it through together.

  When I arrive, Avery’s sitting outside the hospital in a wheelchair, surrounded by his friends. Luke told me he’d be there when I passed him in the parking lot. As I approach the group, I hear them asking Avery about the rumors of us being together. Billy’s response of “guess that answers that question” makes me smile.

  I walk right up to Avery and kiss him on the lips. No more hiding in the shadows. I want the whole world to know he’s mine. The shock on his face when I pull back amuses me.

  “So, I’ll meet you at your place and help you pack a bag. You can stay with me while you heal.”

  He nods, and his smile gets impossibly wider. I vow to put that look on his face every day for the rest of our lives.

  His dad pulls up to the curb, and I help Avery into the car. “I’ll be right behind you.” I place a quick kiss on his lips and buckle him in. When they pull away from the curb, I run to my car to follow them.

  I don’t waste any time grabbing him a few changes of clothes and his toiletries as he sits on the bed, directing me. Luke only shakes his head and pulls a beer from the refrigerator. He hugs Avery and whispers something in his ear before I quickly usher him out the door. I don’t know why, but the need to get him home and settled rides me hard until we pull into the driveway. It’s like some primal neanderthal urge pushing me to sequester my vulnerable mate away from everything and everyone. I’d never tell Avery that—he’d rip me a new one if he thought I was trying to protect him or keep him away from his dad.

  I help him inside and set him up to relax on the couch, even as he grumbles a little that he’s not feeble.

  “Are you hungry?” I ask as I fluff the pillows behind him.

  “Always. I’m a growing boy, ya know?” He rubs his taut belly. My dick perks up, but now’s not the time to think about sex. He’s still recovering and needs to rest. We’ll have plenty of time for that later.

  Once I call for takeout, I sit on the couch, putting his feet across my lap. I grab the blanket off the back and cover his legs.

  “Okay, I can’t take it anymore. What happened so now it’s okay for us to be out in the open all of a sudden? You kissed me right in front of the guys.”

  “I resigned today.”

  “You, what?” he shouts and goes to sit up. I grab his legs to keep him from moving.

  “I resigned. I talked to an old acquaintance of mine who’s the principal of West Side High. Their football coach, who also happened to be the athletic director of the school system, moved to take a job at a university out of state so they needed someone. I told him what was going on and he hired me on the spot for both positions.”

 

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