After The Snap

by Peyton Miller

  “But—” Seth’s mom started to speak but Colby cut her off.

  “No. You get back in that elevator and you tell your son that you still love him. You can go to PFLAG meetings in your area, or you can get some reading material, but you’re not going to abandon Seth.”

  The elevator dinged and they all turned to see Seth stepping out. His eyes were red and he looked like hell. Colby’s heart broke from the pain he saw on his lover’s face. He was going to go to his man when Seth’s mom sighed and turned to Seth.

  “I’ve always suspected. I’m sorry we walked out. I love you. I don’t understand, but I want to have the opportunity to understand. We,” she turned to Seth’s dad and held out her hand. It took Seth’s dad about thirty seconds before he nodded and took his wife’s hand. “We want to understand.”

  “Let’s go up and enjoy some dinner. We have plenty of time to talk this out. You’ll be here long enough to talk to Seth and if you wish to talk alone with me, you’ll have time for that too.”

  Seth’s dad turned to face him and nodded. They loaded onto the elevator and were back in their condo before anyone spoke again.

  “Dad I—”

  Seth’s dad held up his hand. “I’m sorry. I was just so angry and I couldn’t stop. I let an irrational fear of what would happen to you take over. I don’t understand. I don’t understand any of it. Why are you gay? How can you be gay? Did I do something wrong?”

  “Dad, I’m happy being gay. I’m in love with Colby and we have a good life together.”

  “But what about a woman, couldn’t you have a good life with a woman?”

  “Dad, I’m not interested in women. Yes, I’ve tried, but I’m gay. I love Colby and it’s past time to introduce you to the man I’m eventually going to marry.”

  Colby sucked in a breath, his gaze shooting to Seth’s. He was shocked that Seth had said it that easily right in front of his parents.

  “Dad, mom, this is Colby Larsen. Colby, this is Bill and Lori, my parents.”

  Colby stuck out his hand to shake but Lori pulled him into a hug and held him tight. When Lori let him go, Bill stood still for a short moment before hugging him. It felt weird being held by Seth’s dad, especially after he’d had to run downstairs and demand that they stay.

  “The food smells wonderful,” Lori said.

  “Thank you.” Colby was proud of what he’d accomplished.

  “Do you normally cook for Seth?” Bill asked.

  Seth spoke up. “Actually, I usually cook dinner. Colby gets off work around five or five thirty and I’m already home from practice. I like cooking for him.”

  “You cook?” Bill asked.

  “Of course. I’ve always enjoyed cooking.”

  “Who cleans?” Bill asked.

  “Dad, you can’t shove either one of us into traditional roles. I’m not a woman and neither is Colby. We’re both men and we love each other, that means we both take care of each other.”

  Colby could tell that Bill was having an issue dealing with the reality that both of them did tasks that were traditionally considered female.

  “Colby cooked today because I was working. And by the way, I’m starving. Can we eat?”

  Bill nodded, then stepped into the kitchen. “Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

  “Could you carry the platter with the roast to the dining table? I’ll get the vegetables. Seth, go sit. You had a long day.”

  “I’ll carry the bread,” Lori said.

  They had everything on the table and Bill folded his hands and bowed his head. It had been a long time since he’d prayed before a meal. He didn’t mind, it just wasn’t something he thought was necessary. He closed his eyes and listened to Bill talk.

  “Dear Lord, I don’t know why you chose this time to reveal that Seth was gay, but please help us understand. I know you are the Lord of all things, and I thank you for our family. Guide us at this time and make the path clear. Amen.”

  “Amen,” Lori parroted.

  Colby lifted his head and began serving himself some vegetables before passing the bowl. Seth took a roll and bit into it, moaning as he chewed. There were mashed potatoes, along with squash, and a huge hunk of meat. After a game Seth ate like a wild man sometimes, and today wasn’t an exception.

  An uncomfortable air hung around the table. He caught Seth’s gaze and his heart expanded. He would do anything to help his man be happy. Though he was angry and upset, he would be nice. He turned to Lori and smiled. She returned the smile so he figured it was okay to start in on the small talk. “Lori, how was your flight?”

  “It was okay. We experienced some turbulence, but we survived.”

  “Will you two be celebrating Christmas?” Bill asked.

  Seth paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. “Dad, just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I’ve turned into a—I don’t know what, but yes, it’s just like always. I’m happy with who I am.”

  Bill rolled his fork over in his hand and then pushed around a pile of potatoes. “I’m just having a hard time wrapping my brain around it all. I mean, how can—I just can’t picture what—”

  “Dad, don’t picture anything.”

  “How can you do housework?” Bill asked and Colby could see Seth’s mom pause.

  Seth looked from his mom to his dad. Colby could see the hesitation on Seth’s face, like maybe he didn’t want to get into it today, but the question was out there and someone would have to answer.

  “It’s like this, Dad, I take pride in what I do and what I have. You taught me that. I have a house that I own and it’s a nice place. I have a partner in life with Colby, that means we’re dedicated to each other and our life together. We both clean because we both are members of this household. No one gets a pass in taking care of things.”

  “Fine, but what about diseases?” Bill’s questions were going to get intrusive and Colby didn’t know how to protect Seth, or if he really could protect Seth from the hurt born out of the questions coming their way. This was something he was going to have to take care of and hiding their reality wouldn’t make Bill or Lori accept them any quicker.

  Colby cleared his throat, seeing that Seth was obviously uncomfortable with the subject and had his mouth full of food. “It’s like with any couple these days. We are monogamous. Neither Seth nor I want other partners.”

  “But don’t gay men want sex all the time?” Bill asked. His face turned red and so did Lori’s. It must be painful having to talk about their son’s sex life.

  “Some men want sex more than others. That’s just basic biology.” Colby felt his face heating as he spoke. He didn’t want to reveal what he and Seth did in the bedroom, but he felt the need to speak up. “Seth and I have a healthy sex life, but we both can wait to have sex until we’re at home if one of us is traveling.”

  Colby was hot and wished he didn’t have to talk about this with Seth’s parents, but if it meant they accepted their son, then he would press forward.

  “Dad, do you love Mom?” Seth asked.

  “Of course I do.”

  “Have you ever cheated on her?” Seth’s question made both Lori and Bill gasp.

  “Never!” Bill exclaimed.

  “I feel the same way about Colby. I love this man with all of my heart. He’s been very good to me. He’s sweet and kind. Colby has made me feel whole. He’s taken all of my broken parts and fixed them.”

  “Why do you have broken parts?” Lori asked. “Weren’t we good parents?”

  “Mom, you and Dad were great, there isn’t a question in that, but I’m gay and grew up in the south. I’m going to have scars from that.”

  Bill sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I just don’t get it. How do you know you’re gay?”

  “How do you know you’re straight?” Seth asked.

  “It’s easy,” Bill said.

  “That’s how we know we’re gay,” Colby said. “I’ve tried to be with women, but there’s nothing there. I like men. I like how
men talk, how they move, how they think. I love how Seth holds me and how gentle he is with me. He’s an amazing man and I hope you can accept that he’s gay.”

  The timer on the oven rang and Colby stood to check on the pie but before he walked away from the table he moved to stand beside Seth and he bent, kissing his man on the lips. When he stood he didn’t stop to say anything, instead he headed into the kitchen. His heart was racing and his head swam.

  “I could never kiss another man,” Bill said.

  “And I could never kiss a woman,” Lori said. “Bill, Seth and Colby kissed easily. If it wasn’t something natural to him, do you think he would have that look in his eyes? Did you see how he stared after Colby?”

  Bill stood and Colby cringed. Fear filled him when Bill moved to the kitchen, blocking his path. Seth jumped up, his chair screeching across the tile. Bill glanced over his shoulder and shook his head.

  “I’m not going to do anything, Seth. I just wanted to tell Colby that I’ll do my best to accept him into our family. I don’t get it, and I probably never will, but I don’t have to understand. I’m sorry you had to run down to the garage to stop us. We never should have walked out. I’m sorry. Can we start over?”

  Colby’s chest grew tight and his eyes stung. “Yes, I think we can.”

  “Well, if you were going to be my future daughter in law I would hug you now. So, son, I’m happy to have another son. I may need help with being reminded every once in a while that this is okay, but I want to say welcome to the family, son.”

  Colby stepped into Bill’s arms and hugged him tightly. Seth was there, hugging him and his dad. All three of them were sniffling when they stepped out of the hug. Lori was right there, her eyes red, her cheeks pink.

  “Can I get in on this hug?” Lori asked.

  “Sure.” Colby opened his arms and pulled Seth’s mom close. They’d started out rocky, but now they seemed to be flowing easily. The air seemed to have cleared and the angst brought on by Bill and Lori rushing out had deflated.

  Seth moved back to the table and began eating more of the food. Bill helped Colby clean the rest of the dishes and Lori stored the leftovers. Seth finished eating and Colby could see the droop of his eyes indicating he was tired.

  “Let’s eat some apple pie,” Colby said.

  Lori groaned. “Oh, I’m so full.”

  “Pie?” Seth smiled and rubbed his belly. “I love pie.”

  Bill’s lips spread wide in a smile. “I could eat a slice.”

  Colby served everyone a slice of apple pie, giving Lori a small one because she insisted she couldn’t eat a large piece. He was happy with the way the evening had gone. In the beginning he’d been afraid of how it would turn out, then Bill and Lori had come back upstairs. He could tell that they would have to be patient with Seth’s parents, but they could work together to help Lori and Bill understand, or at least accept them.

  When they were finally alone, and Seth’s parents had said their final goodbyes, Seth tugged Colby close and held him tight. They stayed like that for a long time until he felt Seth’s shoulders stop shaking.

  “Thank you,” Seth whispered.

  “I care so much for you.”

  “It shows. I don’t know that anyone else would do that for me. You made them understand. I don’t know how you did it, but thank you.”

  Colby stepped away and headed into the bedroom. “The answer to the question is yes, by the way.”

  Seth stopped walking. “The question?” Colby lifted a brow and a wide smile broke out over Seth’s face. He stepped close and got down on one knee. “Will you marry me?”

  “Oh yes, Seth Mercer, I’ll marry you, no question about that.”

  “In the off season, we’ll go somewhere beautiful and get married.”

  “I’d go to the court house and that would be enough for me.”

  Seth stood and brushed his lips over Colby’s. “That would be enough for you, but I want to give you more. You have my heart, and now you’ll have everything.”

  He led Seth into the bedroom and they fell into bed. Seth was out in minutes and Colby just breathed in and out, loving the feel of being in Seth’s arms. They had something very special and he was glad he’d gone to that club and taken a chance approaching the incredibly sexy man at the back table. Colby couldn’t imagine his life without Seth in it.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Christmas with his parents turned out better than he’d thought it would. His mom and dad still had reservations, and they asked a lot of questions, but before they left San Diego, they told Colby he was more than welcome into the family.

  He and Colby didn’t do much other than watch movies on New Year’s Eve. He was still in training mode and couldn’t afford to party all night long. They’d settled into a very comfortable relationship that left him feeling better than he had in his entire life.

  The game was out of town, in Denver, so the flight wasn’t bad and they didn’t have to leave too far in advance since they were playing the late game of the day for the NFL and not one that started at eleven-thirty in the morning east coast time. The team had eaten lunch together and spent the early part of the afternoon going over plays before the movie watching began. He was tired and ready for bed when he headed upstairs. The door to his room had just clicked closed when his phone rang. He looked at the display, seeing it was his agent. “Hey, Justin, what can I do for you?”

  “I received a call from a guy at FOX who used to work with me. He said Channing is giving an interview and you’re being screwed over.”

  “What?” Seth froze as ice filled his veins. “Tell me.”

  “That’s all I know. Turn on the TV and find it. They’re about to start the interview.”

  Seth’s lungs felt heavy and full of fire. His head spun and he had to reach out and steady himself by placing his hand on the wall. “Fuck.”

  “Is there anything else, anything you need to tell me?” Justin asked.

  “I let him fuck me in the locker room, but you already knew that.” Seth found the remote for the TV and turned it on. “I sucked his cock a lot. We met at a couple of motels. When I went to spend the weekend with him after New Year’s Day, apparently another guy was already there, Scott, he’s a reporter. He saw us having sex. When I found out Channing was married I dumped him.”

  “Okay, it’s coming on,” Justin said.

  Seth started flipping through the channels faster. “I haven’t found—oh, there it is.”

  Seth didn’t move from the spot he was standing as he watched the camera cut to Channing sitting with his wife, Samantha. Seth’s heart started to pound because he knew this was going to be bad.

  The man doing the interview was Blaine, a FOX sports reporter who had interviewed him a few times. Seth’s stomach churned. The guy hated him. Blaine turned to Channing and smiled. “Mr. Harris, Mrs. Harris, thank you for being here.” Blaine faced the camera and the smile on his face disappeared. “Shocking allegations have hit about a beloved quarterback who is anything but the man he pretends to be. Channing, can you tell us from the beginning what happened with Mr. Mercer?”

  Seth’s heart stopped and he wasn’t sure if it started beating again. He dropped to the bed and felt like a weight had been placed on his chest. He gasped for air as Channing began speaking.

  “The last year that Seth Mercer was on our squad, I was working in my office when Mr. Mercer came in, locked the door and forced me to have sex.”

  Blaine leaned forward and gasped like he was shocked. Samantha dabbed her eyes and Blaine reached over and patted her arm. Justin was saying something but Seth couldn’t understand him.

  “Go on,” Blaine said.

  “Seth—Mr. Mercer, had been flirting with me for weeks, but I ignored him. Then he found me after everyone else had gone home. It was frightening. I mean, I’m strong, but we’re talking about a young man in the prime of his life. He attacked me and I had no choice but to go along.”

  Blaine placed his han
d on Samantha’s knee. “I know this is hard for you to hear, but how are you holding up?”

  Samantha sobbed and her lips turned down in a frown. “We’ve been devastated, but God will win in this. That type of sin isn’t strong enough to go up against God.”

  Seth’s phone buzzed in his hand and he looked at it, seeing that he was still on the line with Justin and at that moment his offensive line coach, Maddox, was calling him. “Justin, I need to get this.” Seth clicked over and waited.

  “Seth, tell me this isn’t true.”

  “Come to my room, bring the rest of the coaching staff. I need to hear what other lies he is saying.” Anger and hate had taken over as he coldly watched the interview where Channing turned it into a pity party for himself. Nothing was said of the rest of the times they were together, just the one time in the locker room which Channing had lied about.

  There was a knock on his door and Mercer was there alone. “Team meeting. Come on. Everyone is hearing this.”

  Seth nodded and moved into his room, grabbing his keycard and phone. His phone rang and it was his dad. He answered quickly. “Dad, it wasn’t the truth. He lied. I didn’t seduce him, he came into the locker room when I was working out late and he held me against the lockers and fucked me. Honestly, I didn’t know he was still married.”

  “Son, your mother and I support you. If you say that’s not what happened, then I believe you.”

  “Thank you. I’ve got to go.” Seth hung up as they stepped into the elevator car. Maddox’s brows were lifted as he pushed the button for the second floor.

  “But you are gay?” Maddox asked.

  “Yeah. My partner and I are getting married this summer.”

  Maddox stared at Seth, his mouth hung open. “Wha—you have a partner?”

  Seth gave a quick nod and his eyes started to burn as he thought about Colby and how this would effect him. “Yes, sir.”

  “And you’re getting married?”

  “We are planning on it.”

  “Why haven’t I met him?” Maddox asked.