Page 72 of Cleats and Pumps

He nodded. “Yeah, Tommy, I want you to write it, and I wantProudestto print it. You are my life, and without you, without the support you gave me, I would’ve missed the life I have now. That’s not something I can even imagine. So, will you write it?’

I laughed. “Duh, what a silly question,” I said, right before I jumped into his arms.

54

Epilogue – Tommy

Thecoldfromthemetal bleachers seeped into my ass. “Ugh,” I said, causing Amos to look over at me. “I’m so happy my days of doing this are over.”

“Over? Hardly. What if we have kids?”

“What if they want to be dancers and singers… or journalists?” I said, as snarky as possible.

“Then we’ll support them 100 percent,” he said and leaned over to kiss me.

Omar grabbed our attention then as he caught the ball thrown by the quarterback and rushed headlong toward the touchdown.

Of course, when he made it, the crowd went wild, and the band, which we were sitting next to, blasted us with noise. “He’s got potential, that one,” I said when we sat down.

“Yep, I hate it for him, but he might make it all the way to the NFL,” Amos agreed.

I elbowed him and laughed. “Come on. He’d likely give his eyetooth to make it to the NFL.”

Amos glanced at me and sighed. “Tommy, I’m sorry, but,” he said, whispering now in my ear, “that kid is gay.”

I didn’t question him. He’d know. I’m sure Jake had told him if the kid himself hadn’t. Amos had come back to help coach the kids on his downtime between seasons.

We watched as the kid ran around screaming and crowing like a rooster.

“What does Coach Jake think?” I asked.

“That he’s headed down the same path I was headed down. A dad that is so obsessed with the sport he can’t see his son for the uniform.”

I let out a sigh. “You know, Lamont State is kicking serious college football ass, and they have an openly gay quarterback. If you went to the coach, I’m sure he’d come check this kid out. Might be, if he’s out and on a team that supports him, it wouldn’t be… well, wouldn’t be like your experience.”

Amos thought about that for several seconds, then smiled. “You have the best suggestions, Tommy Sanders.”

That night when we got back to the B&B Amos always stayed in when he was here, he began rambling. “The more I think about Lamont State, the more I like the idea. The world is changing, so maybe he doesn’t have to go through what I did.”

“Oh,” I said, “no, he won’t, especially since you’ve won a multi-million dollar settlement from the team.”

Amos chuckled as a mischievous expression came across his handsome features. “Nothing changes the NFL like having to shell out money.”

That night we cuddled in the big bed and watched bad TV before falling asleep. Tomorrow, Amos was going to meet with the team and congratulate them on their progress.

Then it was back home, to see Grandma, Owen and his family, and then spend some time with Amos’s family too— minus his father, of course. I hated that the situation hadn’t improved. Amos adored his dad, even if he was a horse’s ass.

55

Amos

Welandedbackhomeand immediately went to visit Tommy’s grandma at the nursing home. Luckily, she was having a good day and even recognized me for a few minutes. I was happy for him. I knew he missed his grandma, the woman who’d raised him.

I had big plans, which I had yet to share with Tommy, plans I’d been secretly making with Owen and Josiah. Tonight, I was going to propose, once and for all.

As planned, Owen and Jason, Mom, and Josiah and Saram met us at the Austin bridge where people gathered to watch the bats. I’d rented a boat and paid for a private trip so no one was on it but us. Of course Tommy, being too damned smart for his own good, gave me a look the moment he realized the boat was empty.

“What? I’ve got millions, right? I never spend it on anything, so let me indulge for one night.”

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