14. Evan
Chapter 14
Evan
As Hudson and I exited the tunnel, Lennox unleashed a bomb downfield for Drew Jacobs, our wide receiver. The lanky kid was all arms and legs. It had been quite an undertaking for the training staff to put more weight on him.
Lennox shot his arms in the air when Drew pulled in the ball.
“Nice catch, stretch! You’re gonna give Grandpa over here a run for his money. I won’t be able to decide who my go-to guy is going to be.”
Drew jogged up with the ball, wearing a grin on his face.
I shook my head as I shot my best friend the bird.
Hudson cleared his throat, reminding me he and the kids were here.
Lennox laughed. “You’re in trouble already, Ellis. You finally ready to play?”
“Always. And if I’m an old guy, so are you, as—,” I said before stopping. “Dummy.”
Everyone laughed at my grade school put down as I rested my hand on Jack’s shoulder. I’d get Lennox back later.
Hudson came to a stop on my right side, leaving some distance between us. I wanted to throw my arm around him but ignored it. So, I put it around Erin instead.
“You all know the governor, but this is Jack and his sister Erin.”
Both kids smiled, wide-eyed, as they took in the surrounding behemoths as I introduced them.
“You already know Lennox, but this is Mason Kennerly, our center.” I motioned to the big guy wearing the number sixty-two on his shirt.
Mason up nodded. “What’s up?”
“And this guy is Drew Jacobs. He’s one of our baby wide receivers.”
“Baby my ass,” he muttered.
Jack was visibly excited to meet them as I finished up with Carson and Will Watson, one of our big defensive ends.
“So, Governor. Have you had a good vacation?” Lennox asked casually, folding his arms over his chest.
“We have,” Hudson replied, unfazed. “We’ve surfed and relaxed on the beach. I’d forgotten how wonderful the weather is down here.”
“Yeah, it’s a big draw. And Evan has that big house on the ocean. Nice and private.”
Hudson glanced over at me before turning back to Lennox. “Yes. It’s fantastic. The kids have enjoyed the surfing.”
Time to kick my friend out of my personal life and save my governor.
“Are we gonna give this boy what he came here for,” I asked, grabbing Jack by the head, “or are you gonna shoot the breeze all day?”
Jack laughed as I pulled him along with me toward the field.
Lennox smirked, clapping Hudson on the shoulder like they were old friends. “Yeah, let’s do it.”
We lost track of time while we gave Jack the NFL experience of a lifetime. Lennox ran slow-motion plays to show Jack what to do; then, we slotted him into the play. The other guys played defense and showed him how to shake defenders for extra yardage.
Drew ran him through the basics of being a wide receiver as we sat back and tried to figure out which position he might be best at. He played quarterback and defensive end, blocking me. The last time we went face to face, I bent down and picked him up over my shoulder, and ran down the field with him.
Jack laughed so hard I was concerned he might not be able to breathe. So I stopped and sat him back down on his feet. His grin was ear to ear as he caught his breath. But when the laughter subsided, I could tell something was a little off.
Placing my hands on his shoulders, I shook him gently, like a rag doll. “Sit down, dude.”
Jack sat down on the turf and stretched out on his back. I expected him to talk my ear off, but something was obviously on his mind.
“You okay, buddy?” I sat down beside him and draped my arms over my bent knees.
“Yeah,” he replied, turning his head to look at me. “Thanks, Evan.”
I wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but I smiled over at him. Leaning back on my elbows, I over at him.
“Nothing to thank me for. I’m glad you’re having a good time. You’re gonna make a hell of a player.”
His smile returned at the compliment but quickly faded. Jack turned his head to where his dad and sister stood talking to the others. “My dad likes you.”
I glanced over at Hudson.
“Oh yeah?” I ran a hand through my messy hair, wondering which type of like he was referring to. Had we been obvious about our attraction to one another?
Jack’s head bobbed as he mirrored my stance. “He hasn’t smiled like that for a long time.”
Turning my attention to his father, it was easy to see how relaxed he was. He glanced our way and smiled at me, then turned back to talk to the team owner who’d come out to talk to him.
“I like him too. We’ve become good friends.”
Jack nodded and looked back at me. He didn’t reply, so I kept talking.
“And vacations are supposed to make you smile. If you don’t, then you’re not doing it right. I literally get paid to play a game I love, but I also enjoy the offseason.”
Jack nodded but continued to study me. I looked away and glanced back at his father. “I couldn’t imagine the amount of stress your dad’s under in his job.”
He seemed to consider my words as he sat up and mirrored the way I was sitting. As he ran his fingertips across the turf, I wondered what he was thinking about. Was he going to flip his shit when he found out about us? Did he already know? Had he caught us kissing or looking at each other the way people who like each other do?
No matter what, I couldn’t fix anything unless he told me what was going on.
My brows pulled together. “Is there something bothering you?”
Jack looked up at me as if trying to read my expression. I glanced quickly over at Hudson, who looked concerned and ready to come over.
Shaking my head, I signaled for him to stay put before turning my attention back to Jack.
“What’s wrong? You can talk to me.”
He curled his lips in, then nodded. “If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell my dad?”
His blue eyes pleaded with me, and as much as I wanted to say I’d never keep something important from Hudson, I nodded. “What’s going on?”
Jack looked away and down at the turf, mindlessly dragging his fingertips over it.
“You like guys, right?”
I swallowed and nodded, even though he wasn’t looking at me. “Yes. Technically, I’m bisexual. I thought you would have known that since I’m your favorite player.”
Jack smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I did.”
“Does that bother you?”
Jack’s eyes snapped up to mine. “No! Of course not. I might….”
His blue eyes filled with fear as I waited for him to finish. Recognizing that fear well, I put my arm around his shoulder and tugged him toward me.
“It’s okay. I’ve got your back. And I’m positive your dad will, too.”
He cut his eyes up at me. “Do you like him like that?”
“Like what? As a friend? Absolutely!”
He laughed humorlessly. “I thought maybe you liked him as more than that.”
I smiled. “Would that bother you if I did?”
“No, but he’s my dad. He’s straight.”
I curled my lips in. “Then what makes you think we might be more than friends?”
“He’s happier. He’s always texting on his phone.”
I smirked, thinking about our text messages. “Friends talk. Don’t you smile and laugh with your friends?”
“Yeah, but something’s different with him. He looks at you with those goofy eyes.”
I laughed out loud and shook his shoulder. There was no fucking way I was admitting to anything. “Well, I am a superstar. Maybe he’s a fan. All of this is impressive.”
“That’s not what I meant.” He was clearly exasperated with my failure to comply.
“Look. I’m not going to blow smoke at you. I like your dad a lot. He’s become a good friend, and I enjoy talking to him. He makes me laugh.”
Jack looked up at me as his face contorted. “But he’s not funny. He tells Dad jokes.”
I chuckled and messed up his hair. “Yeah, well. Sometimes they’re funny.”
Lennox jogged up to where we sat on the field. “Hey, we’re all going to Giorgio’s for pizza. You guys coming, or are you planning to stay out here the rest of the afternoon?”
Jack popped up off the turf. “I’m in. I’m starving.”
“Good. Your dad said you and your sister could ride with me in my Porsche. We can talk about you becoming a quarterback with that arm of yours.”
“Kiss ass,” I coughed as Lennox reached down to pull me up.
“Cool.” Jack turned to me. “Can Dad ride with you?”
I had to work to suppress the blinding smile on my face. Reaching out, I messed up his hair. “Yes, go ahead. I’ll bring him.”
Jack took off running toward his dad as Lennox wiggled his eyebrows at me. “You owe me, Ellis.”
I grinned but admitted to nothing as we caught up to them.
Hudson waited for me as Erin and Jack took off toward the locker room. Lennox clapped me on the shoulder, then left us standing inside the tunnel.
“They’re getting their stuff.”
Hudson glanced up at me. “Is he okay?”
Nodding, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. All I wanted to do was to get my mouth on him.
“Yeah.” I leaned against the wall. “But I think he might have caught on to us.”
Frowning, his face reddened. “What do you mean? How?”
I sighed. “Your eyes give you away, Hud.” I mimicked some love-sick teenager staring at her favorite movie star crush.
Narrowing his eyes, he tilted his head as he turned to face me. “My eyes, huh?”
I nodded. “Yeah. You look at me like an ice cream cone you wanna lick.”
Hudson’s mouth fell open, making me laugh. He chuckled, then bit his bottom lip. Running his right hand behind his neck, he looked away and took in our surroundings. Hudson pulled his sunglasses from where they hung from the front of his polo shirt, then slipped them on.
He looked hot as fuck.
“Guess I better wear these all the time.”
I smiled as he hooked a finger in the collar of my T-shirt and pulled me forward. His mouth met mine in a blazing kiss that didn’t last long enough. Hudson pulled back and then patted my chest.
“Let’s go. You’re buying the pizza.”
“I’d rather kiss you some more.”
“Later, Superstar,” he said, walking back toward the locker room. “We need to eat. Nana is picking the kids up at four. We gotta roll.”
Grinning, I watched the sunglasses-wearing, hot mess I was falling for saunter away from me. And I was helpless to do anything but follow.