The Rainbow Clause
Page 24
“I have a feeling she wants me to tell you that you can still worry without letting it overtake you.”
“So Jemma did conscript you,” Nick said wryly.
But Gabe’s gaze remained steady and serious, not amused in the slightest. Nick hadn’t even realized how much he was falling back into his old habits of using humor as a shield until this moment.
“I conscripted myself,” Gabe said. “You didn’t think Colin was the only one worrying himself sick over you?”
Nick was embarrassed that he’d never really considered the possibility.
“When Jemma and I were in Rio, I behaved like the Terminator, and not in a good way. I was a wreck, because all I could see was your blood. I had to re-learn that you were plenty capable and worrying about you so much it impacted my normal life wouldn’t save you from jack shit.”
Nick took a long drink of beer. “You’ve never told me the Terminator thing before.”
“Yeah, well, I was embarrassing as fuck. I’m lucky Jemma waited around until I got my head screwed on straight.”
“So you’re saying I need to get my head screwed on straight?” It wasn’t like Nick didn’t abstractly know this, but it was different somehow, coming from his best friend.
“I sorta think that’s the message Colin was sending by asking me to stop you from attacking anyone in the stands.”
Nick considered this. “Point.”
Jemma wandered back over, clearly having decided that they’d had the conversation they needed to have. Nick intended to ask Colin later if she had always been this nosy.
The answer was probably yes. After all, she was a journalist for a reason.
“It’s starting,” Jemma exclaimed happily, as the confetti cannons on either side of the tunnel began to explode, showering the field in rainbow glitter.
The music reached a crescendo. Colin stepped forward on the field, flanked by two enormous Piranhas flags, and Nick heard a roar that he wasn’t quite sure he understood.
“What’s that?” he had to yell to be heard.
Jemma looked over, tears in her eyes. “It’s the crowd.”
They weren’t booing. They were screaming their support and their love for him, a standing ovation for their starting quarterback who had done the bravest thing in the modern age of professional football. There might have been some nasty comments, but they were drowned out completely by the sound of a stadium full of supporters.
Gabe nudged Nick with an elbow. “Don’t think I’m going to be stopping you from the jumping out of the suite.”
Nick blinked back tears. “No. No, you won’t.” He paused, taking in a deep, steadying breath, his eyes never leaving his boyfriend, down on the field, who was waving like crazy, jogging towards the sideline. “He did it.”
“He’d want you to have at least partial credit,” Jemma said, as the screams finally began to die down.
“I wouldn’t accept it,” Nick said.
She shook her head, a smile glimmering on her face. “Which is how I know you’re perfect for each other.”
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ABOUT BETH
Beth Bolden lives in Portland, Oregon with her supportive husband and their beloved cat. She wholly believes in Keeping Portland Weird, but wishes she didn’t have to make the yearly pilgrimage up to Seattle to watch her Boston Red Sox play baseball. She’s a fan of fandoms, and spends too much of her free time on tumblr.
BETH’S BOOKS
Enjoy m/m romance?
TASTE ON MY TONGUE - A semi-washed up pop star and an up-and-coming pastry chef team up for a high stakes culinary competition. Winning should mean everything, but what happens when the most delicious pairing is their own? Coming August 2017
Want to read more about Gabe and Jemma?
SUMMER ATTRACTIONS - meet Jemma, who ends up on the adventure of a lifetime to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and Gabe, her assigned security.
In the Lucky series:
THE LUCKY CHARM - Izzy is only looking to save her career, but Jack Bennett, second basemen for the Pioneers, is utterly irresistible.
GETTING LUCKY - Noah Fox is looking for something, but what he doesn’t expect to find is Maggie May King, the sister of his notorious ex-girlfriend.
Like short stories?
EYE OF THE STORM - a flight attendant and the pilot who was the subject of the worst day of her life, stuck driving from Columbus to Cleveland in a snow storm.
MERMAIDS - Olivia Russell has been in love with Olympic swimmer Chris Muller forever. What happens when she decides to do something about it? Free, with my newsletter signup.
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Acknowledgments
I’m so thankful for everyone who have been supportive on this new path. The m/m romance community is more welcoming and supportive than I ever could have imagined, and I’m incredibly grateful and appreciative.
Liz – who I was joking around with late last summer. I said, “wouldn’t it be funny if Colin fell in love with Nick,” and then we realized it wasn’t just a joke. It was a pretty good idea.
Libbi – unfailingly supportive since day one, and was game for anything I could throw at her.
Angel – your advice keeps me grounded and focused.
Bri, Kat, Becca, and Sheri – thank you for your invaluable input.
Tami – for designing such an amazing cover.
Vanessa – for cleaning up my words and making them readable.
And always, Cory – I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive partner.
Copyright © 2017 by Beth Bolden.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copy-right law.
Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Book Layout ©2017 Beth Bolden
Book Cover ©2017 T.M. Franklin
The Rainbow Clause/ Beth Bolden. -- 1st ed.
ISBN-13 978-0-9986210-1-2