Page 75 of Choke Up

"Mom staaahhhp," Ellis groans, pulling my attention back to where the Hopes have gathered.

Mama Hope waves him off and pulls me in for a hug. "You've always been like a son to us, Gabe,” she whispers. “This changes nothing."

Mr. Hope shakes my hand and pats my back. "We’re real proud of you, boys. Hell of a game."

Overwhelmed by all the love and unexpected acceptance, I’m having to hold back tears.

"I wouldn't be here if not for you and Elliot. I'm thankful. And for being cool about me and Ellis, too."

Mr. Hope smirks. "It's worth the twenty bucks not to have to watch poor Ellis pine over you for nineteen more years."

"Dad! Seriously!"

"Oh please, you've been following him around with heart eyes since you were, what? Six? Eight maybe?"

"I'm going to go die now," Ellis mutters and tries to walk away, but I pull him back by the wrist.

"Stay, stay. Let's hear more about how you've been in love with me our whole lives," I joke, tugging on his topknot.

My mom scoffs. "Like you were much better, always watching and brooding. The bet wasn't about if you two would get together, it was when. Ethan thought it would take you longer to get your heads out of your asses."

Elliot tosses his hands up. "Am I the only one that had no clue any of this was happening?"

"Yes," the three of them say together. I shrug, because I guess I knew too.

Ellis shakes his head at his brother. He really had no idea, either.

The party is in full swing by the time we get back to the hotel. We make our rounds, and I help Ellis fend off the conga line of jocks that seem to want to pick him up and pass him around. It's pretty normal for teammates to slap each other on the back or butt, but I think the guys are making it a game to see how many times I can growl the word, "Mine."

Ellis gets ganged up on and forced to promise he'll be at all the rest of the games, through regionals and the College World Series. They're making plans about how they can smuggle him into the hotel when I take the last swig of my beer. I stare at the bottle for a minute, then place it on the table. It only takes a second for the sound of the bottle spinning to catch Ellis' attention.

After it spins a few times, I stop the bottle from spinning right as it's pointing at him. His eyes move from the bottle to me, and his eyebrow raises. Reaching out a hand, I tilt my head to the side, gesturing for him to follow me.

CHAPTER 31

ELLIS

Even the sound of the bottle spinning sends chills down my spine. It brings back the night that is simultaneously one of my worst and best memories.

If Ellis from a year ago could see me now, he'd laugh and say I was a cruel bastard. For someone with the last name Hope, you'd think I'd be more optimistic. I never thought I had a chance with him.

I'm in a trance as Gabe leads me through the throng of people hanging out in the hallways. We stop at the second to last door on the left, and Gabe opens it with his key card.

I nearly trip and fall on my face when I see the dozens of battery-operated tea lights.

"What is all this?"

"I knew you'd be here, in town I mean, since your family had tickets. So I bribed some of the guys to shift rooms so I could get a single for the last night. I figured, or hoped, that I could sneak you in." He looks around. "These have been on all day, so they might start flickering out soon."

His laugh helps clear some of the emotion clogging my throat.

"So, I guess everyone knows now?" I say, letting my jersey fall to the floor. Gabe hurries to catch it.

"Let me," he whispers. "It seems they do," he says, answering my question as he kneels to unlace my Converse.

"Any issues yet?"

He shrugs. "Nothing I can't handle."

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