Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Hal took my hand again, and he called, “Nice to meet you,” as we left the kitchen. He waited until we were outside to ask me, “Okay, so what’s the story with you and those two teammates? You’re right on the cusp of smirking.”
“That’s them,” I said, as I unlocked the rented SUV and opened the passenger door for him. “The two guys I told you about, my ex and my former best friend. I know it’s a dick move to show you off like a shiny new toy—”
“Oh my god, I wish I would have known who they were! I would have laid it on thick and tried to turn them green with envy.”
“Really?”
“Of course! Even if you’re all mature about it, I hate what they did to you. I want to show them that not only are you doing just fine without them, you’re thriving and sleeping with former models. And yes, I realize that sounds conceited, but whatever.”
I chuckled and told him, “You’re awesome.”
Once we were in the SUV and headed toward the Strip, he asked, “Which is which?”
“Craig, the brunet, is my ex-boyfriend. Greg, the blond, was my best friend.”
“Did they have matching goatees when you and Craig were dating?”
“No. That’s a recent development.”
“That’s so douchey, and don’t get me started on the cutesy almost-matching names. Gross.” He took a sip of coffee before saying, “I can’t believe you still play on the same rugby team. Isn’t that awkward?”
“Sure, but what was I going to do, ask them to quit because they fell in love? Everyone would think I was a jerk.”
“Yeah, I guess you couldn’t really do that. And you obviously didn’t want to leave the team, either.”
“No way. The team means the world to me. I’m pretty isolated out at the ranch, and this is how I get to socialize. During the season, I drive into Austin one night a week for practice, and again on Saturdays for our games. We usually go out afterwards. That’s about the only chance I get to talk to people and have fun,” I said. “It goes deeper than that, too. My teammates are my family. I don’t know what I would’ve done without them when my grandparents passed.”
“I meant to ask earlier,” he said. “How’s the tournament going?”
“Really well. We won our matches on Thursday and Friday, so we made it to the playoffs. If we win our match this morning, we’ll be in the championship game this afternoon. We’re up against a great team, but we’re going to give it our best shot.”
“Are you the only all-gay team?”
“This year, yeah. There are other gay teams out there, and some of them come to the tournament from time to time. But this year, it’s up to us to represent the LGBTQ community.”
He asked, “Does that feel like a lot of pressure, or like you have something to prove?”
“It used to feel like that when we were first starting out. Austin is pretty accepting overall, but when we started playing teams from other cities, we’d get a lot of comments I don’t choose to repeat.” I grinned and said, “But after beating the hell out of those teams year after year, they learned to respect us, sometimes begrudgingly.”
“That had to feel pretty satisfying.”
“You’re not wrong.”
“How are the other teams and the spectators at this tournament?”
“Fine, for the most part. We won the tournament two years ago, which earned us a lot of respect. And really, even when we don’t win, we’re a good team. I think that goes a long way toward shattering stereotypes and shutting down the haters.”
Hal smiled at me. “I was never into sports, but you’re making me rethink that. The idea of a team full of big, burly gay guys kicking ass and taking names is making me so happy. I wish I could come and watch your game, but I have to help my friends today.”
“Yeah, of course. You came to Vegas for a reason.”
“What time are you going to be done with the tournament?”
“Around eleven if we lose, three or four if we make it to the championship match.”
Hal pulled his phone from his pocket and asked for my number. After I recited the digits, he sent me a text so I’d have his number too, and my phone dinged in my pocket. “I’m not sure what time I’ll be free, but I’ll text you with updates,” he said. “Vee and I need to help Embry find a wedding venue and a cake, which might take a while. We’re going to go look at the Elvis wedding chapel and others along those lines. Then the plan is for the ceremony to take place sometime this evening. Feel like being my date for a fake wedding?”
“Sure, but what’s fake about it?”
“Bryson’s grandfather is holding his inheritance hostage until he gets married. Embry and Bryson barely know each other. They’re just doing this for the money.”