The Business Deal
Two weeks later
“Are you nervous?” Taylor asked Fletcher softly. They were sitting on Fletcher’s parents’ couch in the living room, their knees nearly touching.
Fletcher let out a short, humorless laugh. “Yeah, I think I’m going to die. He’s going to murder me,” Fletcher answered honestly. He felt sick to his stomach. “I don’t know why he’s taking so fucking long to grab the fucking drinks.” He was planning something evil. He was going to poison their drinks, and he and Taylor would never see the light of day. This was going to backfire on them.
“You need to breathe,” Taylor told him calmly. “This is going to work. We’re not taking no for an answer.” He tried. And failed. No way he was going to come out of this alive.
Fletcher just looked at him and nodded, trying to convince himself that what Taylor was saying was true. The blood drained from his face as Sean walked back into the livingroom with three glasses filled with scotch. Expression neutral. Controlled. A look very familiar to him. As if he was going into a press conference.
“I’ll admit I’m shocked you wanted to sit down and talk,” his dad told him as he sat across from them, handing them both a glass.
“Both of you,” Sean added with a hint of conviction in his tone. Fletcher’s hand squeezed the couch cushion, needing Taylor’s hand. But he couldn’t hold his hand right now. Not yet, at least.
Fletcher downed the entire scotch in one go, welcoming the burn in the back of his throat. He let out a deep, nervous sigh. “I have something I need to tell you,” Fletcher said. “And the only reason I’m telling you is because it concerns the whole family.” Holy fuck. He couldn’t do this.
“I’m not an idiot, son. Just spit it out,” his dad told him calmly, looking at Fletcher like he was studying him.
Here goes nothing. Fletcher swallowed. “Taylor’s my partner,” he told him as he quickly glanced over to Taylor. Taylor gave Fletcher a reassuring look. “We’re together,” he told his dad, his voice sounding hesitant.
Fletcher didn’t like the way he couldn’t read his dad’s facial expression. He wore a mask of indifference as he sat there, processing it. Taylor reached over to hold Fletcher’s hand, and his dad’s eyes flickered down as they intertwined their fingers.
“You’re homosexual,” Sean said, still in an unreadable tone. Fletcher responded by nodding silently. “I’m assuming you’re planning on telling people?” Sean asked.
“We are,” Fletcher nodded again.
“We think that we could get ahead of it,” Taylor said, clearing his throat. “If we spin it in the right way.”
Sean looked over to Taylor with a vacant look in his eyes. “Iwon’t let you tarnish my family’s name,” he told Taylor, sharply cutting him off. His gaze hardened on Taylor. “I won’t accept it.”
“We aren’t asking for your permission,” Fletcher interjected. “We love each other and we will be coming out publicly. Soon.”
Sean exhaled sharply. “It goes against everything our family stands for, son,” his dad spat. “How do you think the church would react to news like this?”
“I don’t care about the fucking church,” Fletcher told him, heat flooding to his chest. His blood boiled. “We didn’t have to disclose our relationship with you. We’re doing this as a courtesy.”
“Just when I thought you couldn’t be even more of a disappointment,” Sean said coldly. The words hit Fletcher harder than he expected.
“We have an exclusive interview with Sports Variety,” Fletcher rushed on, sounding a little panicked. “Early season,” Fletcher said. “Your approval doesn’t mean shit to us. Taylor and I are going to make changes to the league whether you like it or not. We are coming out, and I’m afraid you have no choice in the matter.”
“You have some nerve coming into my home and threatening me like this,” Sean bit back. “Are you really willing to risk your reputation?” he asked, looking at Taylor. “You already have a mom in prison for dealing drugs. You come from a broken household. I’m not afraid to leak it to the press if you go through with this.” It came out calm, but malicious.
Taylor’s jaw clenched. “I don’t care. Nothing you say or do could stop me from being with your son.”
He stood up, pulling Fletcher with him. “We’re leaving,” he told his boyfriend. Fletcher nodded as they started to leave.
“You’re being traded.” The words dropped with the force of an atomic bomb.
They both froze and turned back to look at Sean. He had a cruel look on his face. “Sit down.”
Taylor shook his head. “You don’t have the power to do that.”
“I’m the new head coach for the Manatees. I’ll call Bedingfield right now and give her an offer she can’t refuse. Management will back me on this. We’ve already discussed it.”
“The hell you will!” Fletcher shouted, seething. He could feel his vision blur. “I told you to leave Taylor alone. You’re not using him as fucking leverage. You’re fucking delusional if you think you could do this.”
Sean didn’t flinch. “Renegotiate your contract terms,” he told Fletcher calmly. “I told you I would let you finish out your season in Seattle. But you’re coming home now, son. You’re coming home and you’re going to fix this fucking mess you’ve created. Be gay all you want. We’ll rebrand the church as progressive. The news will eat it up. But you will not do this the wrong way and drag our family’s name through the mud.”
