Chapter 44 #2
The auditorium erupted in a thunderous standing ovation lasting close to two minutes.
Colton nodded with a tight smile during the applause, then returned to his seat.
Bryce leaned over and whispered, “Well said my friend.”
Many of Colton’s teammates surrounded him with pats on the shoulder in support.
Taylor rushed over and gave Colton a crushing hug then plopped into the chair next to him, let out a huge huff, and shifted in her chair to face him. “Are you fucking serious? They told Dean he couldn’t come?”
Colton nodded. “Yep. Said he would be a distraction to the ceremony if he was here.”
“Oh, hell no! Fuck that noise!” Taylor whisper shouted, so as not to disturb the show as it returned from the commercial break. “We’re going to fix this!” She squeezed Colton’s shoulder and hurried back to her assigned seat a few rows away.
The ceremony droned on for a little longer. Luckily, Colton’s award was the pinnacle of the evening, which meant they were mercifully close to the end.
As soon as the ceremony ended, Colton caught the first flight back to Dean. He arrived at the loft at 2 am and slid into bed next to Dean.
Dean shifted and turned to face him.
“Hey, baby,” he said in a sleepy voice.
“Hey.”
“Congratulations, Mr. MVP.”
Colton smiled in the darkness. “Thanks.”
Dean snuggled closer, wrapping his arms around him. “I can’t believe you quoted The Breakfast Club in your acceptance speech.”
Colton chuckled. “Well, like I said, you inspire me.”
Dean hummed in approval and turned away so Colton could be the big spoon. Colton nuzzled into his neck, holding him tight, never wanting to let go, ever again.
Colton slowly fluttered his eyes, adjusting to the light and shifting with a groan.
He'd won the MVP award, one of his life-long goals.
He should be happy. He was the MVP, that much was true.
And it was a major accomplishment that he got to celebrate with his family, team, and coaches, but he wanted —no, he deserved to have Dean by his side— just like any other winner.
The fact that Dean wasn’t allowed to celebrate with him, that the Commissioner and the Board felt his presence was just too much for the evening…
that had Colton steaming. Why should he devote so much time and energy to a sport and a league that wasn’t going to offer at least a fraction of something in return?
Fuck the Board, fuck the Commissioner. Fuck them for not seeing that Dean was talented, sweet, and supportive.
Fuck them for not recognizing that Colton needed Dean by his side to celebrate his moment.
Fuck them for taking away something so meaningful and monumental, something he could never get back.
Stirring from his fitful sleep, Colton’s mind spiraled with a storm of negative thoughts. What he wouldn’t give to have five minutes in a room with that fucking Board, and the fucking Commissioner.
Colton physically shook away the nasty thoughts, striving to start the day with positivity. He was home with his gorgeous, big-dicked boyfriend next to him in bed. Nothing and no one could take that away.
Colton smiled at the thought, then stopped short…what the hell was all that buzzing?
As he opened his eyes, Dean grumbled into the pillow next to him. “Colt, please turn off your phone.”
Colton realized his phone was vibrating non-stop on the nightstand, which jerked him out of his sleep stupor. He snatched his phone off the table, opening it to find hundreds, maybe thousands of notifications.
Apparently, Colton’s acceptance speech had gone viral…
posted, liked, and shared across all social media platforms. His own social media was flooded with messages of support and praise for his speech.
Every news outlet and sports program was discussing his speech and, more importantly, the actions of the Commissioner and Board.
Sales of his jersey had skyrocketed overnight.
There was also a text from Coach Shepherd, letting him know there were several requests for interviews and a press conference. Colton’s head swam from the sheer volume of activity bursting from his phone.
The public outcry was immediate and deafening. Countless news and TV personalities, celebrities, and even politicians spoke out against the Commissioner and the actions of the Board, some even going so far as to call for the dismissal of the Commissioner, which made Colton laugh.
And then, Taylor took it to another level. She used her own social media to blast the Commissioner, calling his actions "cowardly and unsportsmanlike."
She had enough followers to populate a European nation. And when she posted her dislike for the situation and encouraged her legions of fans to voice their opinions, they went total scorched earth on the league.
If this was something the Commissioner and Board figured would just ‘die down and go away’, they were sorely mistaken.
With the public support behind Colton, and Taylor’s constant calls for justice, this situation was snowballing way out of control, and the league was beginning to feel the pressure.
As the day wore on, Colton began feeling more and more stressed. This was the part of being a pro sports figure that he hated. All he wanted to do was play the sport he loved, be the best athlete he could be, and inspire kids to be the hall-of-famers of the future.
Although the spotlight of negativity wasn’t shining directly on him, being embroiled in the controversy was taking a toll on his mental health. As he sat on the roof by the pool, doing his best to breathe normally and stay calm, a text pinged on his phone…a message from Coach Shepherd…
Coach: Colton, you’re going to be getting a call from the Commissioner very soon. Be ready.
Colton dropped his phone into his lap. What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Perfect. Just fucking perfect. The last thing he needed was to have an awkward phone conversation with the Commissioner. What the fuck did he want anyway? Hadn’t he done enough?
And what the hell did Coach Shepherd mean by ‘be ready’? What kind of cryptic bullshit was that?
Was this it? Had he caused too much trouble, so much that the league wanted nothing more to do with him? And the Commissioner was calling to cut him loose?
No. That couldn’t happen…could it? The Commissioner didn’t have the authority to cut someone from a team, did he?
Colton’s mind whirled. He closed his eyes, working to regain his composure and steady his breathing. Just as his mind began to settle, his phone rang in his hand and he shuddered.
With as much bravery as he could muster, he answered the call.
“Hello.”
“Colton. It’s Commissioner Goddard. How are you today?”
Colton rolled his eyes. “Well, I’ve had better days, sir. But I’m doing just fine.”
The Commissioner chuckled. “You and me both, son. You and me both.” He took a breath and sighed. “Colton. I am so very sorry for what we did to you.”
Colton felt a slight smile cross his lips. “Thank you, sir. I-”
“Colton, please. Let me finish,” the Commissioner pleaded.
“Alright, sir. Go on.”
There was another audible deep breath before he continued.
“You had a stellar year. There was no one else even close to deserving that award this year. And I, we, had to ruin it for you. During your speech, you said something that really cut me to my core. You said, ‘this award means nothing, if you can’t share it with the person you love.’” Colton heard a slight sob from the Commissioner.
“When you said that, I thought back to when I won that award. And if someone had told me I couldn’t bring my sweet wife with me to the celebration, God rest her soul, I would have been furious.
Let’s just say that you handled the situation a whole lot better than I would have.
For so many players, winning the MVP is the highlight of their career.
We robbed you of a great moment in your life that you can never get back.
And for that, I am so very sorry. But I am fairly confident that this is the first of many MVP awards for you. ” He uttered a light chuckle.
Although he was still pissed at the man, Colton involuntarily chuckled too. “Well, let’s hope so. I do still have a few more good years left in me.”
The Commissioner hummed through the phone. “That you do, son. And I promise, next time we won’t interfere. And I’m going to release an official statement and hold a press conference later today. I’m going to explain how stupid we all were and beg for everyone’s forgiveness…including yours.”
Colton sighed. “Thank you, sir. I won’t lie and say I wasn’t incredibly hurt. I felt that the league I dedicated my life to didn’t have my back. And it made me question a lot of things. But the fact that you took the time to call and apologize, well, I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome, Colton. I can’t say I won’t ever make another stupid mistake, but I’m going to do better. And good luck in the game this weekend!”
Colton ended the call and tossed the phone onto the chaise with a satisfied smirk. He couldn’t be sure how much of that was just bluster and backpedaling from the tsunami of bad press, or if there were some shreds of sincerity in his words, but it was a relief, just the same.