Page 18 of The Quarterback
“Even when you get your sling off, it might be painful to use your right hand for a while. The doctor said fine motor movements could tire you out and make your shoulder ache. This will help you relax, and when it really hurts, hopefully gaming will take your mind off the pain.”
Colton turned to him, giving him a look of such wonder and stunned happiness that Nick couldn’t hold back his own smile.
“Dude, you know what this means? We can play two-player now.”
Nick laughed. “That’s exactly what I thought when I bought it,” he teased. “I thought, ‘I can’twaitto play more PlayStation.’”
* * *
He stayedwith Colton through the afternoon—gaming, of course. Colton scoured YouTube for instructional videos on the one-handed controller, and he scooted close to Nick to show him each playthrough on his phone. He would have to change his play style, hold the controller differently, but he could do everything he used to do two-handed. Colton insisted they play two-player, head-to-head matches inHalo, and they spent hours wandering in an empty level, Nick taking potshots at Colton that he purposely missed by a country mile as Colton worked the controller in his new left-handed grasp.
Nick hung around until Wes and Justin got back to the house in the early evening, and the four of them ate dinner in Colton’s room again, since most of the team was out doing their own thing as they prepared for the end of the semester.
Justin and Wes surprised them by revealing their summer plans. They’d been cagey about what they were going to do, and after Justin had evaded Nick’s questions twice, he’d let it drop.
Now Justin was practically bursting at the seams. For a moment, Nick thought Justin was going to say he and Wes were eloping, running to Mexico or Vegas to tie the knot. He held his breath.
“We’re spending the summer at Wes’s ranch,” Justin said instead, looping his arm through Wes’s as he beamed. They were both sitting cross-legged on the floor, facing him and Colton on the couch. “I’m going to learn how to be a cowboy. I’ve ordered a hat and everything.”
Wes grinned. “My dad always needs help with the herd, but I wasn’t sure about going home this summer because… Well, I don’t want to spend a day without you.” He directed the last sentence to Justin. “Dad said we could both come, but we didn’t know if we could do it all,” he continued. “Go to the ranchandmake sure Justin holds his place in the dance company. More than anything, I didn’t want to be apart from you, so if that meant not going home, I wouldn’t have gone.”
Colton shot Nick a look that somehow captured both the sweetness of the moment and its overwhelming sappiness.
“But my dance company said I could go out of town for the summer as long I keep up my routines,” Justin said. “I can send in videos once a week for evaluation.” He kissed Wes. Wes smiled, and Justin smiled back, their lips still touching. “I get to learn how to be a cowboy, and we won’t have to be apart.”
“When do you leave?” Nick asked.
“We head out next weekend. I can’t wait.”
“Clearly,” Nick said. “You seem a little excited.” If Justin had a tail, it would be going a mile a minute. Wes was still staring at him, smiling like Justin was a work of art. He’d even stopped eating to gaze at him.Thatwas love.
A pang went off in Nick’s chest, like his heart was a gong being struck in the center. It was a tangled mix of joy and sorrow, bittersweet happiness. “I’m going to miss you. I’ve gotten used to seeing you every day. Both of you.”
“We’ll keep in touch, Dad.” Justin turned his attention back to Nick. “We’ll send you pictures every day.”
Colton chimed in. “Me, too. I wanna see Justin the great cowboy.” He and Wes shared a long, not-at-all-smothered smirk. “I wanna watch this summer adventure.”
“Are you going to be okay?” Wes asked, turning his attention to Colton. “It’s only going to be you here in the house over the summer.”
“You’ve got that internship with Dad, too. Are you ready?”
Jesus, Wes and Justin were practically finishing each other’s thoughts. Nick hid his smile as he leaned back on the couch.
“I’ll be fine,” Colton said. “I’m looking forward to the internship starting. I can’t wait for something to do.”
“Not like you have classes or anything.” Wes winked.
Colton rolled his eyes. “The internship isforclass.”
“Did you get your new clothes?” Nick asked.
Colton pursed his lips. “Oh yeah. This weekend,” he said. “It’s on the to-do list.”
“You guys will need to tell us about the internship and how you’re doing, too. You tell us about how you’ve tamed Colton to work with civilized people in an office, Dad, and we’ll tell you all about how I’m the best ranch hand Wes has ever had out there.”
Wes kissed him on the cheek. “You’re already my favorite ranch hand.”
This time, Nick’s and Colton’s sidelong looks met in the middle, both of them struggling not to laugh. Colton broke the stare first, leaning forward to grab his beer. He held it up over the table in a toast. “To summer,” he said. “To cowboys and internships.”
