Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
They all volleyed questions in my direction at the same time, not giving me enough time to answer before someone asked me something else. I opened my mouth to respond to one of them—I didn’t even know which one—when the walls of the room vibrated with Larry’s “That’s enough!” The whole room went silent. I’d been with the Rush my whole career and had never heard him use that stern of a voice. Larry turned to me. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it…this isn’t good. You’re telling us you’re in a relationship with a player from our biggest rival team.”
“There’s nothing in the rule books against this,” Travis said.
“Who the hell thought it would ever happen?” the GM tossed out.
“Why not? Because football players can’t be queer?” I bit out. That wasn’t what he meant, and I knew it, but I was already over this.
“That’s not what he said,” Coach added. “We’re just trying to figure this out.”
“But it needs to be figured out without any discrimination.” Travis had come to play. He was definitely making sure they knew that they had to tread carefully here.
“Have you ever shared private Rush information with Patrick Whitt?” Cynthia asked.
“No.”
“Has Patrick ever asked you to? Has he asked you about plays? Game plans when we play them?” she continued.
“Fuck no.”
“Has he asked you to go easy on them…screw up a play…I mean, he’s your boyfriend. It would just be a favor, right?” She cocked a brow, and I knew she wasn’t asking me those questions herself—well, maybe partially she was—but she was also telling me what was to come, what everyone would ask, and what they would think.
“We didn’t do that. We would never do that.” I rubbed a hand over my head, frustration making my muscles twitch.
“How important is this to you?” Larry asked. “How important is he to you? Once this ball starts rolling, we can’t stop it, and I can’t promise you’re going to come out of this unscathed. I’m not telling you to end it. I can’t do that, but if this isn’t the real deal, maybe you cut your losses now.”
I didn’t have to think about it. Being with Patrick was more important than anything to me. “It’s the real deal.”
There were a lot of groans around me that made it clear they wished that wasn’t my answer.
“Get the Royals on the phone. We need to figure out how to handle this together before it gets out.”
I wasn’t the type of guy to let nerves get the best of me, but my stomach had been tied up in knots ever since I left the Rush facility. The first thing I did was send a message to Ramsey, Baby G, and Atwood, asking the three of them to meet me at my place. I wasn’t sure how long it would take the Rush and the Royals to decide my and Patrick’s fate, but I wanted to tell them before shit got out on its own.
I cared about the whole team. We were a family in a lot of ways, but it was different with the three of them, and I couldn’t in good conscience not go to them first.
I was still trying to wrap my head around all of the possibilities. I wanted to wring the PR crew’s neck when they were asking me all those questions about throwing games and shit like that, but it was the first thing Barker had said to Patrick, too.
Everyone would think it…wonder about it. Fans would be fucking livid. This was just the beginning.
I’d gotten nothing done except pacing my living room when there was a knock at the door. For a split second, I considered pretending I wasn’t home, but I’d never been the type to back down from a challenge, and I sure as shit didn’t plan to start now.
“Couldn’t wait for practice tomorrow to see me, huh? You miss me that much?” Garrett wrapped a hand around the back of my head and pretended to try and give me a kiss on the cheek, but I playfully fought him off.
Ramsey gave a deep growl in response.
“I love it when he gets all possessive.” Garrett pumped his brows. My best friend really had his work cut out for him when it came to his man.
“Everything okay?” Rams asked. Leave it to him to realize this was something important, or I wouldn’t have called them over.
“It’s good.” I just hoped it stayed that way and hoped the people in this room would have my back. Patrick had told Houston, and he was cool about it, so I was expecting the same response here.
He frowned, the perceptive fucker, but moved out of the way for me to greet Atwood. “This better be good. I was about to have a FaceTime jerk-off session with Houston. I almost didn’t come over here, but he forced me to.”