28. Evan
Chapter 28
Evan
Three days after returning from Portland, Harrison Watson, a freelance journalist from San Francisco, interviewed us. He arrived at my house after lunch with a crew of six people, a makeup artist, and production equipment. By the time they had it all set up, it looked like we were filming a movie.
“Why do they need all this? We’re doing an interview. Not a documentary,” Hudson asked Anna.
She looked around and nodded. “You know how this works, Hudson. And if we do this right, this will be the only interview you’ll need to do.”
He surveyed all the equipment and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his navy dress pants.
“Fine, but remind him my kids are here. No inappropriate questions.”
“I’ve already threatened him,” Adley added. “He knows better than to cross us.” She motioned between herself and Anna.
“Threatening him, Adley? What if that backfires and he edits this thing to make us sound like assholes?” Hudson asked.
She sighed and put her hand on his shoulder. “Threatened, advised, warned, suggested. Take your pick of the verb. They all have the same context. Don’t do it.”
I laughed at her. “You should start a PR agency and call yourself the PR Pitbull in Pants.”
“Don’t encourage her. But I like the alliteration. Nicely done.“
Adley’s eyes sparkled. “Can you imagine the logo for that?”
I sighed and shook my head. When these two worked together, I knew I was in trouble.
“On that note, I’ll go check in with the producer to see where we are,” Anna laughed, walking toward the sliding doors.
When she was out of earshot, Adley turned to face us. “Just so you know, she threw Harrison a bone by giving him this interview. He got on her bad side once, and this is his only chance to redeem himself.”
I looked over at the immaculately dressed Harrison and smiled. “What did he do?”
She leaned in and lowered her voice. “Let’s just say it was very personal in nature.”
Oh. That wasn’t good.
Hudson sighed as Harrison approached us. “Watch out for trick questions.”
I slung my arm over his shoulders and perfectly pressed shirt. “Absolutely. Piece of cake.”
“Nothing flusters you,” he chuckled, pressing his palm to my lower back. Goosebumps rippled up my spine.
“We’re ready, governor,” Harrison said. “If you and Evan will take your seat, we can make the final adjustments to the lighting, then get started.”
The outdoor furniture had been rearranged into a square seating pattern where we would sit across from him. Two wicker single chairs flanked the u-shaped sofa for when Jack and Erin joined us for photos.
Harrison took his seat across from us as we got comfortable. We’d reviewed and approved the list of questions, but understood Harrison might deviate from the list. And since this was pre-recorded, I wasn’t concerned.
Anna and Adley stood by like two sentinels, ready to intervene on our behalf. Harrison nodded to the producer, then looked into the camera set up behind us.
“We’re here today with California Governor Hudson Gatlin and San Diego Storm tight end Evan Ellis. The internet is ablaze with rumors of a blooming romance between the two high-profile men, and we’re here to get their side of the story.”
Shifting his gaze to us, he continued. “Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, gentlemen.”
I slipped into my media persona as Hudson smiled and nodded. Cool, calm, and collected as usual.
“We’re happy to be here,” I added.
“Let’s get right down to business. There is speculation across the internet that the two of you are in a relationship. Fan pages and photos are popping up of the two of you together. Are the rumors true?”
Hudson smiled and glanced over at me before he answered Harrison. “Yes, the rumors are true.”
My man was badass.
“Congratulations to both of you. You both have very public lives and opposite careers. How did you meet?”
I smiled and answered that one. “At the Governor’s Gala a few months ago. My teammates and I were being honored for our Super Bowl win. So I went to introduce myself, and he tossed his drink all over me. I think it was intentional.”
I winked at Hudson, making him laugh. He put his right hand on my thigh, and I covered it with my own. His ease with touching me on camera extinguished any sliver of doubt in the back of my mind.
“Funny. Not intentional at all. Purely accidental.”
Harrison smiled like a dog with a new juicy bone.
“Governor, how have your children adjusted to your new relationship?”
Hudson looked Harrison in the eye. “They love him. It helps that Evan is my son’s idol. But he’s not just a football star to them. He talks to them, spends time with them when he’s here, and makes both of them feel important. He’s not only Jack’s idol, he’s a trusted friend. That’s what kids need more of—adults they can trust and talk to.”
Harrison looked at me. “How does that make you feel?”
I smiled. “Like the luckiest man in the world. Erin and Jack are great kids.”
Harrison smiled and nodded. “Does your team know about your relationship with the governor?”
I shrugged. “Some do. Management and PR know. It’s not an issue.”
“Are you considering a trade to be closer? Or maybe to Portland?”
“No. I love my team. Hudson and I can make the distance work. We’re not the first couple to face limited time together.”
“Last week you met with Portland Pirates’ owner Greer Rowan. It’s no secret they have an LGBTQ-friendly team. Would it be easier to play where more teammates are queer?”
I tilted my head and looked at him. “I don’t know. I love my team. My queerness is not an issue in San Diego.”
He nodded. “Would you go if the opportunity were to arise?”
I shrugged. “I’m from Portland, and my family is there. But San Diego is my home now. I’ll play for Mr. Carlisle as long as he feels like I contribute to the team.”
He looked at Hudson. “How do feel about the distance?”
He smiled and held his gaze on me. “We’ll make it work. The kids and I have a lot of football games to attend.”
“Will it be at the taxpayer’s expense? That seems very expensive.”
Hudson kept his cool, even though I wanted to throw the guy in the pool. “Absolutely not.”
Anna growled under her breath, and Harrison changed his line of questioning.
“So, Governor, tell us about your plans after your term is up.”
The conversation took on a new tone when Hudson began talking about his options for the future. He spoke passionately about his efforts to feed the kids of California as well as the no-tolerance bill he was working on with his team.
When the interview was over, Jack and Erin came out to join us for some photographs. Harrison asked them some soft questions about our dynamic that they answered without hesitation. And when everyone was gone, Jack looked up at me.
“Can you run some practice routes with me? Tryouts are in three weeks, and I want to be ready.”
I smiled and put my arm over his shoulder. “Sure thing. Let’s change into shorts and go to the park.”
“Can I come?” Erin asked.
I looked at Jack, who rolled his eyes. “Sure. You can be the center.”
When Jack went to change clothes, Erin stayed behind with us. Something was on her mind, and Hudson could see it, too.
“What’s wrong, honey?”
She looked over at the door where entered the house, then back at Hudson.
“Some of the boys on the team are saying mean things to him. And he doesn’t want to tell you. He’s afraid you won’t let him go out for football. ”
I looked at Hudson, who glanced at me before going on. He sat down on the sofa and pulled her with him. I wasn’t sure if I needed to step away, but I stayed put. He’d have to tell me to leave.
“About what, sweetheart?”
Erin glanced at me, then back to her dad. “They said he was gay because he’s fifteen and never had a girlfriend.”
Anger flared in my gut. Our conversation in San Diego came to mind. Propping my hands on my hips, I furrowed my brow, then sat down.
“Have you seen it? Or are people just talking?”
Erin looked at me pleadingly. “Please don’t tell him I told you. But they posted it online. My friend Mary Katherine saw it before Jack deleted it. She likes my brother.”
I looked at Hudson. “Let me talk to him. I’ll take him to the park and see if he opens up. But it should probably be just him and me. Okay, Erin?”
“Okay, but you won’t tell him I told you, will you?”
I shook my head. “No. But you have to promise to tell your dad if you hear anything else. I have to leave next week for training camp.”
She nodded. “Okay. I will.”
Huson looked at me. “Go ahead, Evan. We’ll go home and find something to do.”
I leaned over and kissed Erin’s forehead before kissing her dad. “You’re a good sister, Er-Bear. Take care of your dad for me.”
She nodded, and I got up and jogged off toward the house to find Jack.
When we got to the park, we found an open place where we could run and practice some routes. We worked on leading passes, and routes I ran in high school. I even showed him a new one Lennox had come up with.
When he was satisfied with his progress, we sat on the grass and drank some water. He was more quiet than normal, and I used that to pry a little.
“You nervous about trying out? Because you shouldn’t be. You’ve got the receiver thing down.”
He shrugged but didn’t say much.
“I remember when I tried out in high school. I was six-foot-two and barely weighed one-fifty. The upperclassmen were dicks. Called me monkey boy because my arms were so long,” I laughed.
Jack turned and looked at my arms. “Really?”
“Yep, but I got the last laugh.”
“How?”
I stretched out my arms for him to look at.
“My long arms could catch my quarterback’s overthrown passes the other receivers couldn’t. And defenders couldn’t cover me without a penalty being called. I ended up starting on varsity as a freshman.”
“Really?”
“Yep.
I drank my water and waited him out, hoping he’d give me a little bit of something. I wanted to ask a million questions, and it was killing me not to jump into the topic. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long.
“They don’t like me,” he said.
I turned and looked at him. “Who doesn’t like you?”
“Some of the others.”
“What makes you think that? You’re a cool kid.”
He laughed humorlessly, just like his dad did when he was frustrated. “They say stuff about me.”
Jack looked at me with pleading eyes. “I think they know, Evan. And now that you and my dad have done that interview, they’re really going to start some shit.”
I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Jack. What have they said?”
He shook his head. “Call me gay.”
“Are you gay?” I whispered.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’m thinking about getting a beard. You know what that is, right?”
I smiled and nodded. “Yes, I do. If you don’t know, what makes you think they know? I understand wanting to hide who you are, but the truth is, it’s no one’s business, Jack.”
“I know, but it’s hard sometimes, you know? I just want to figure it out and for them to leave me the fuck alone.”
I did know. “Promise me that you’ll tell your me, or your dad, or your coaches if it continues. If they see it doesn’t get a rise out of you, they’ll stop. Defenders do it to me all the time. That shit’s not cool.”
Jack nodded but didn’t look at me. “Yeah. Okay.”
I hugged him to me. “I’m sorry if we’ve made things difficult for you.”
“My dad is happy again, Evan. And that’s good.”
“I’m happy too. And I’ve got your back, buddy. Don’t forget that.”
He chuckled. “I won’t.”
I kissed the top of his head. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”
Jack grinned. “Yeah, me too.”
And for the moment, things were okay.