Page 34 of The Coach

I hit him with pillow. “Wow. You’re going soft.”

“Look who’s talking,” he said, grabbing the pillow and throwing it back at me, aiming at my crotch. We chuckled, but our mirth was interrupted by a knock on the door, and then Dad entered my room. He was tying his bathrobe belt, his eyes darting from Matt to me.

“Morning, boys,” Dad said, his voice steady despite the slight flush in his cheeks. “We, uh… we need to talk. Please come down to the kitchen when you get dressed.”

Matt and I exchanged a glance, but having said what he came here to say, Dad was already heading out.

“This should be fun,” Matt muttered as he jumped off my bed and rushed to his room.

I went to our shared bathroom to pee and wash my face, then brushed my teeth and trotted back to my room in search of a pair of pants. My eyes went to Blake’s silkies, laid out on the nightstand beside my bed, and I decided to wear them. They were a size too big for me, but even so, they were the shortest, most revealing shorts I’ve ever worn, my upper thighs exposed in a way that required unwavering confidence. I checked myself in the mirror—I looked good in them. My quads weren’t as thick as Blake’s, but years of wrestling had made them strong and muscular. And he was right—the shorts were comfy as fuck.

When I grabbed my phone from the desk and turned it on, there was a message from him waiting for me.Merry Christmas bb. Hope you had a nice evening. Sorryfor not calling, crazy night with family. Talk later.And a kissing emoji.

My morning instantly got better. Jesus, what a complete sap I’ve turned into! I used to make fun of Finn for letting girls dictate his moods, but here I was, making googly eyes at my phone and smiling like a love-struck fool over a simple message. But I couldn’t help it; my feelings for Blake, which had been building up steadily for months, seemed to only grow stronger in his absence.

I took a pic of myself in his shorts, clutching my junk and winking at the camera.Wearing your gift right now, I typed under the photo, adding an eggplant and sweat droplets. And a few hearts for good measure.

Matt came back just as I sent my message. He’d thrown a T-shirt on, but was still in his boxers. “Ready?”

“Let’s go.” Leaving the phone on my bed, we came downstairs together.

Dad was still in his bathrobe, pacing up and down the kitchen, looking more nervous than I’d ever seen him before. Danny was sitting at the table staring at his hands, his expression equally tense. Pulling on the sleeves of his hoodie, he was the most dressed one of the four of us. They both lifted their heads when they heard us coming in, but quickly looked away again. Dad plonked in the seat beside Danny, his chair scraping the floor as he fidgeted. Matt and I exchanged a glance before sitting across from them. I’ve never seen Dad fidget before.

He cleared his throat. “Right. Well, as you know, Danny and I had a little…thing… this summer.”

“You mean when we busted on you screwing like wild rabbits in the middle of the living room?” Matt added, and I had to kick him under the table. Sometimes he just couldn’t help himself. And people say gay guys are the snarky ones.

“Yes, Matthew,” Dad replied. “Thank you for that vivid reminder. We’ve been over this already last time you were home.”

“And you said it was over,” I chimed in.

“Yes, and I thought it was. Danny and I haven’t seen each other since. Until today.”

“Well, you didn’t waste any time, that’s for sure,” Matt mumbled, and I kicked him again.

“The point is,” Dad began, his hand closing around Danny’s, their fingers interlacing. “Danny and I… we’re in love. And we want to be together.”

The words hung in the air like an ornament balanced precariously on a branch.

“For real?” Matt asked, his tone more curious than accusatory.

“Yeah,” Danny said, kind of shy, his voice soft. “It was never just a fling to me. I was in love with Jeff from the start. I just didn’t believe he would ever love me back.”

“But I do,” Dad said, looking at Danny with such open admiration I felt a pang of irrational jealousy. I’d been a kid the last time he looked at Mom like that. “Iknow that now. It took me a few months to realize it, but now I’m certain. I love him.”

Danny brought their joined hands to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on top of Dad’s.

“Wow,” I muttered, my gaze flicking between them.

Dad tore away his gaze from Danny and smiled and Matt and me. “Look, this is new to me too, boys. We still have to talk to Danny’s parents and explain the situation. But I want you two to give us a chance.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. The idea of Dad and Danny together felt surreal, like finding out Santa Claus was real after all. The silence was heavy. But then Matt broke the tension with a grin.

“I just have one question—are you guys going to be the kind of couple who does matching Christmas sweaters? Because I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

Danny laughed, the sound breaking through the awkwardness like sunlight through clouds. Even Dad managed a chuckle, though his cheeks turned a shade redder.

“Does this mean we’re calling him ‘Uncle Danny’ now?” I asked, unable to resist the joke.

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