“What do you mean?” I grabbed the remote. I saw Coach Jackson flanked by all the coaching staff. The door lock clicked, and Brody walked in with two bags.
“What’s goin’ on?” He set the bags on the table. “That’s Coach.”
“Ezra’s on the phone. Said I needed to watch.”
“You do,” Ezra called out.
Coach adjusted the microphone. “Today we made a trade deal with the Oklahoma Bisons. We’ve traded Luke Fontaine for future draft picks and All-Pro wide receiver Jerrod Bermiester. We have full faith and confidence in Devlin Summers as our franchise quarterback and the leader of our team.”
“I’ll call you back,” I said to Ezra, and set the phone on the table. “It worked. Armand Winters must’ve spoken to the coaches.”
“I guess. I hope he didn’t say anything.”
“There’s no way he would. Are you upset that I did? You said it was okay to tell them.”
Brody looked down at our entwined hands. “No. I’m just…overwhelmed. Relieved. I guess you were right goin’ to the top.” He lifted our fingers to his lips. “I should know by now that you always get what you want.”
When I’d told Brody I wanted to talk to Armand Winters because he would be the one person to understand our predicament, he’d been hesitant, but I’d asked him to trust me.
I held his face between the palms of my hands. “Only if it’s important. And that’s you. The most important thing in the world to me.”
We listened to a little bit more of the news conference, but there were no other startling revelations. My phone was blowing up with texts from friends on the team. Fallon sent one that was a line of hearts and clapping hands, and I laughed at Kelsie’s.
Now that you’re staying, time to introduce me to your hot friend.
Of course. I live to give you a sex life.
She sent me a kissy-face emoji and a heart.
I put my phone facedown to concentrate on Brody.
“I’m so glad to have this settled.”
“You think they’re gonna sign you for the full five years you were talkin’ about?”
I picked up the remote and turned off the set. “I don’t know. I’m hoping, but I’ll call Ezra and see.”
Ezra didn’t even bother to say hello. “What did you do without talking to me first?”
“I took one chance to shoot my shot, and it paid off. I spoke to Armand Winters.”
“It sure the fuck did. They sent me over a contract. Five years, eighty million dollars. The usual incentives and such.”
“Won’t say no to that. You think I can get a no-trade in there? I agreed to retire after the five years.”
Ezra’s snort almost broke my ear drum. “You’re pushing it. No. Lemme ask you, what the hell did you say to Winters?”
I laid my head on Brody’s shoulder. “I spoke from the heart, hoping that as a gay man, he’d understand my feelings. How hard it is to live a closeted life in sports. And that I could play for another five years, but not if I moved away from Brody. I reiterated my stats and what I’ve done for the Kings, and that I wanted to stay with them because it’s a family. And that it would mean everything to me to be with the man I love.”
“I have it on good authority Armand Winters personally made this request, so it’s basically a done deal. I’ll have all the paperwork to you tomorrow. Get some rest.”
I set the phone on the table, and Brody grabbed me in a bear hug. “Ow. Don’t crush the merchandise.” But I couldn’t stop laughing and kissing his face, over and over.
“I love you, Dev.”
After all these years, it came down to the end game. A life of love with Brody.
Epilogue
