Page 74 of Topping the Jock
“Only one way to find out.”
“Coffee first,” Quinn said, nodding to his cup. “Dick later.”
I laughed and took a drink of mine as well. “Yeah, you’re grumpy without your precious bitter coffee.”
The connection I had felt for him ever since moving back to Blue Harbor remained stronger than ever. I couldn’t wait to see what the future would bring.
***
When I’d said I wanted to meet Quinn’s dad, I never thought it’d be so soon. Like, the following week.
It was Friday night, and we had just won our last football game of the season. My team kneeled on the field afterward as I talked to them. They wore excited smiles and were covered in sweat, even though the November air was cold. The seniors had tears in their eyes. It had been their last high school football game.
“I want you to know that I’m proud of each one of you,” I said. “It’s been a privilege to coach you this season. And for most of you, I hope to see you again next year. As for you guys—” I looked at Dean, Trent, and Gunner before scanning the faces of the other seniors. “—you have bright futures ahead of you. Keep going strong.”
Trent threw an arm around Dean’s shoulders before doing the same to Gunner. All three boys smiled through their tears.
The parents came onto the field after that and hugged their sons. Pete, Dean’s dad, clapped Dean on the back and spoke to him with a proud smile. He looked sober for once, his appearance nice and not unkempt. I had learned not too long ago that Pete was an army veteran. He suffered from PTSD and had used drinking as a coping mechanism. But he’d since started speaking to someone and trying to sober up to be the best dad possible for his son.
And speaking of dads…
I turned and came face-to-face with Brian Beck. At first, I thought he was going to punch me. Which was stupid. He wouldn’t have done that in front of such a large crowd. Quinn stood beside him, a nervous smile on his lips.
“Hey, Monty,” Quinn said, then cleared his throat. “This is—”
“Brian Beck,” he said, stepping forward and shaking my hand. His tone might’ve been friendly, but there was hardness in his green eyes. “Just wanted to say you did a hell of a job with these boys this season.”
“T-Thanks. I appreciate that.” Then because I was nervous, I blabbed. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Quinn talks about you a lot.”
“He does?” Brian asked, putting his hands in his coat pockets. I did the same with mine. It was fucking cold. “So you boys really are friends now.”
Friends. An understatement for sure.
“Yes,” Quinn responded. I could tell he wanted to correct his dad, but this wasn’t the place to do it. “I told you. Everything’s cool between me and Monty.”
Brianhmphedand one hundred percent judged me with a steely gaze. Then he nodded, as if satisfied with what he’d seen. “Welp. I won’t take up any more of your night. It was good to meet you.”
“You too.”
He turned and walked off the field. Quinn hesitated in place.
“He insisted on meeting you after the game,” he said in an apologetic tone. “I didn’t get a chance to tell him… you know, about us.”
Us.It had a nice ring to it.
“And whatarewe, Specks?” I asked, moving closer to him. He tilted his head up to hold my gaze, and it took all my willpower to keep from kissing him. Every night for the past week, we had seen each other. He’d even stayed over a few more times, bringing clothes for work. “Are we still just friends with benefits?”
His gaze fell to my lips, and I knew he was fighting the same urge as me. “Monty, I—”
“You coming, Quinn?” Brian asked. “I wanna get home before the snowstorm hits.”
Oh yeah. Snow was expected later that night. The first snowfall of the season.
“We’ll talk more later,” I said, taking a step back. “Let me know when you make it home safely.”
Quinn stared at me with longing in his eyes. “Yeah. Talk to you later.”
I watched him walk off the field and join his dad before I talked to some of the players and greeted their parents. I drove up to the school five or so minutes later and unlocked the locker room doors so the boys could change out of their uniforms and shower.
