“Why until January?” Colin asked Hudson.
“My term will be up.”
He told us about his plans to move his family to San Diego until Lennox returned with a bucket of cold beer and changed the subject.
“God, I wish I’d seen St. James rip that fucker off you, Colin. Someone had to catch it on video.”
I flipped him the bird, forgetting there were kids around.
“Don’t worry, they’ve seen worse,” Hudson added. “Jack is almost sixteen, and I’m not oblivious to what kids know.”
Lennox chimed in. “I’m telling you right now that kid is going to be a hell of a quarterback one day. He reminds me of me.”
Evan rolled his eyes. “Oh hell, no. He’s got tight end written all over him. He’s gonna kick ass this season. You wait and see.”
“As long as he doesn’t get hurt, I’ll be fine with whatever position,” Hudson added. “I think.”
Dane put his hand on Hudson’s shoulder. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I swear he’ll be okay. When we played football in high school, I was a wide receiver and got knocked unconscious and had to go to the hospital,” Dane said.
Hudson’s eyes widened. “That’s not helping.”
We all laughed, but Dane continued. “I had a concussion, but obviously it didn’t impede me from following my dreams.”
He put his hand on Lennox’s leg. “But this guy went after the player who hit me and got himself kicked out of the game and suspended for the next two just so he could go to the hospital with me.”
Lennox looked at him. “I was furious, and going to the hospital was a bonus, if there was one.”
He smiled at Lennox. “And he slept on the floor in my room every night for a week in case I needed something. Helped me walk to the bathroom and stayed by my side the whole time.”
Lennox reached over and took his hand. “And I’d do it again today if it meant protecting you.”
Dane smiled softly at him. “Ditto.”
Everyone took in the gravity of that moment. None of us knew they had such an intense connection until training camp.
Colin blinked at me. “That sounds like something you’d do.”
I took his hand as our friends watched. We never displayed our affection for one another in the locker room or on the field. But here, among our friends, we could. And I didn’t want to hide him.
“I would. I just hope nothing happens on the field and I have to pull a Lennox Sanders.”
Everyone laughed at my joke.
“Let’s hope I don’t have to protect you. It’s no secret I’ve got quite a reputation for violence,” he joked.
“Rugby looks hard as hell,” Mason added. “It’s like controlled chaos with all that pushing and shoving, and no fucking equipment. I don’t get it.”
Colin let out a groan. “Don’t get me started on the fucking equipment. While the sport is dangerous, the tackling is different. We aim for the legs only, not the upper body. If you aim low, you’re less likely to hurt someone. And you don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to kick the ball when I got it in my hands.”
My eyes widened. “Don’t you fucking dare. I don’t even know what kind of penalty that would draw, and I’d tackle you myself. And Coach would kill you.”
Colin grinned. “That would be entertaining, especially if we threw off our helmets and started kissing like fools.”
The guys laughed as I rolled my eyes at him.
“Don’t even talk about shit like that. I never know what you’re going to do.”
I wrapped my arm around his neck and pulled him over. But when I let him go, I kept my arm around his shoulders.
