Time Out (Dear Lonely Guy Book 2)

by Alison Hendricks

  I kept quiet and listened, trying to maintain at least a little cynicism to protect myself. There was a chance this was a non-apology. Just an assertion that this was who he was and I needed to live with that fact if we were going to be together. I didn't know how I'd take that if he went that route, but I just didn't want to put all of my hopes behind something that probably wasn't going to happen.

  As was often the case, though, Keith surprised me right out of the gate.

  "I fucked up. I was an asshole and I put you in a position you never should have been in. I was dismissive about my recovery, took chances I didn't need to take, and dragged you into the whole thing because I knew if I looked pathetic enough, you'd take pity on me. I'm sorry, Brendan."

  My mouth worked, but no words came out. It was such a sincere apology it was hard for me to process right off the bat. Especially with so many people around us.

  "I know I need to do better," he continued. "I'm not going to make excuses for my behavior, but I do want to explain, if you'll let me." All I could do was nod. "I guess a big part of me is afraid that you'll bail when things get hard. I know that's not really what happened when we were kids, but that's how my brain has seen it all this time and it's hard to unlearn. I'm fucking terrified that, if I rock the boat, you'll be gone. And I don't... I don't know how to deal with that a second time, so I've just sort of expected it to happen. To the point of practically making it happen."

  It took me some time to digest this information. I wanted to stop him in the middle of it--to re-assert that I definitely hadn't left just because things got hard, and that I would have gladly kept in touch with him. But, I knew me reiterating something he already knew wasn't really going to help. I needed to hear what he was saying and fully process it.

  It wasn't an excuse; he was right. It did help put things into context for me, though, and it helped me understand Keith a little better. I knew what he needed then, and what I needed in turn.

  "Can I say something?" I asked, looking up at him with what I hoped was nothing less than sincerity in my eyes.

  Keith nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. I wanted to soothe him, to tell him I wasn't about to say anything bad, but that wasn't what was needed here.

  "Sometimes you can be an asshole," I started.

  He burst out laughing. "Can't argue with that..."

  "And sometimes I can be... overprotective."

  "I was thinking 'nagging mother hen' was probably closer, but yeah."

  A smirk curved my lips. I gently nudged his shoulder with mine. "My point is, neither of us are perfect. We're not kids anymore. We're definitely not the idealized versions we've built up in each other's minds. Being together is like a dream come true but, it's still going to take a lot of hard work." I tentatively reached for his hand, lacing my fingers with his. "I want to put in that work, Keith, but I need you to promise me you'll give me the benefit of the doubt. You can't just assume that whenever we have a fight, I'm going to fuck off for another ten years."

  He looked down at our joined hands and nodded, his eyes meeting mine again. "I will. I promise. And if you catch me slipping, please call me out on that shit. Even if I bitch about it."

  "I will," I said with a soft laugh. "And if I'm ever too smothering, or if you feel like I'm not hearing what you're saying and just taking whatever I want from it... you'll call me out on that too, right?"

  "Obviously."

  There was a teasing note to his voice, but I could see the relief in his eyes. I smiled at him, pulling him into a tight embrace. We stayed that way for several moments, the crowd around us disappearing. When I pulled back, it was only to brush my lips over his.

  "I love you, Bren," he whispered. "I don't want us to be apart again. Especially not for stupid reasons. I'm willing to do the work--to do whatever it takes to build a life with you."

  Warmth bloomed in my chest and my smile grew, my hand lifting to caress his cheek. "I love you, too. I've loved you for as long as I've known you, and I don't plan to stop anytime soon. Even if you are a pain in my ass sometimes."

  He grinned at that, something wicked flashing in his eyes. "Is that you subtly asking me to top? Because I'm pretty sure you're the pain in my a--"

  "You're such a fucking asshole," I said with a laugh, playfully shoving him away from me.

  "Yep. And you love it."

  My expression softened and I pulled him back to me, claiming his lips in another gentle kiss. "I do."

  We stayed there on that curb, talking and kissing, letting the rest of the world exist around us. When the game started and the parking lot started to empty, Keith and I packed up my truck and headed back to what I hoped would become our home, to start this new stage of our lives together.

  Just like it always should have been.

  Epilogue

  Keith

  "If you're in pain, I don't want you playing," I said, my tone stern. "End of story."

  Tanya was one of my star players. She could serve a ball like nobody's business and counter even the deadliest spike. She was destined for a full scholarship to any school of her choosing, but she also had what doctors unhelpfully deemed "weak ankles." Sometimes, I found myself wondering if they'd call it that if she were a man, but it didn't matter right now. What mattered was that she was feeling an ache lancing up from her right ankle to her shin and, while she was eager to play in our state championship game, I knew it wasn't worth it. An injury now could delay or even destroy a college career, not to mention there could be long term impacts beyond that.

  Jesus. I was sounding just like Brendan.

  That wasn't a bad thing. In the past, I would have told her to play if she felt like she could. Not out of any cavalier disregard for the health and wellness of my girls, but because I trusted them to know their bodies and how much they should push themselves. Now, I'd learned firsthand that what we think we pressure ourselves into doing and what we actually should be doing are two very different things.

  "It's not that bad," she said, leaning her full weight into it.

  The grimace she made told me otherwise. I arched a brow at her.

  "I'll tell you what," Brendan said, coming to stand beside me. "Why don't we do some stretches, get an ice pack on it, and we'll see where we're at after that."

  I smiled up at him, grateful for his presence. He'd come along to every one of our away games, including these post-season championship games. I knew he wouldn't have missed it, but the fact that he was willing to help as essentially an unofficial team PT went above and beyond what a supportive boyfriend was expected to do.

  I never really knew how to make it up to him. I had to settle for telling him how much I appreciated him, then showing him by taking his dick all the way down my throat. Usually while we were parked at a truck stop on the way home.

  After all, nothing said "I love you" more than deepthroating your boyfriend in view of a security camera.

  I worked with the other girls as Brendan took Tanya aside, but I checked in on them frequently. About a half hour before the game, her ankle was legitimately feeling stronger and the pain was diminished enough that some Ibuprofen took care of the last of it. We both felt comfortable with her playing so long as she took it easy and let us know if anything hurt.

  Fortunately, the combination of stretching, ice, and anti-inflammatories seemed to do the trick. Tanya played her heart out, along with the rest of the girls. I cheered them on from the sidelines, giving them direction when it was needed, pulling them in for a motivational speech when our team was down a couple points.

  They came back to win it by three, making our school the state champions for the second time in my tenure as coach. It was a great honor that cast a good light on our school's athletic program but, more importantly, the game was being watched by scouts and more would hear about it after the fact. I expected several of the girls to get scholarship offers, with several more being able to walk on to most teams.

  We celebrated the victory like the
gluttons we were, stuffing ourselves with pizza from a local pizzeria just a five minute walk from the site of the game. The girls got ice cream afterward, then we all started the drive back up to Gainesville.

  We'd rented a bus this time, so there was no opportunity for that standard truck stop blowjob. He also seemed distracted, fiddling with something in his pocket half the time. I'd just have to make it up to him at home.

  We stopped for dinner in Ocala, eating at a steakhouse right off the interstate. The girls were restless when we went to get back on the bus and to me, it just seemed like post-win energy.

  Apparently, it was something else entirely.

  "Before we get back on the bus..." Brendan started, joined by a chorus of squealing high school girls who knew a lot more than I did.

  I turned to him, utterly confused… Until he sank to one knee in the middle of a steakhouse parking lot. My heart seized, then kicked into a frantic rhythm as I just stared at him. He couldn't be. He wasn't doing it now. We hadn't even talked about it. I'd always assumed, but... already?

  "I'm not that great with words, so I'll keep this short," he said, the girls quieting down, but still looking at us with hearts in their eyes. "We wasted too many years apart, Keith. I don't want to ever do that again. I want to spend the rest of my life by your side, as your partner. Even when we're annoying the fuck out of each other, I want to make a vow before everyone we know that I won't go anywhere. I won't leave you," he said, staring right into my eyes. "Ever again."

  I swallowed back a thick lump of emotion, tears welling in my eyes.

  "Will you marry me...?"

  A sob choked back my initial answer. All I could do was nod and blubber like a baby as he stood up to embrace me. My team screamed and cheered, giving us about three seconds' worth of time to hug and kiss before they swarmed us, joining in a massive, bouncy group hug.

  Later, as we got off the bus in Gainesville, I looked down at the glimmering ring on my finger and smiled to myself. Brendan was mine, and I was his.

  So long as we loved and trusted one another--something I was more than ready to promise before our friends and family--I would never spend another day without my best friend.

  I couldn't wait.

  About the Author

  Alison Hendricks is devoted to creating contemporary M/M romances that are sexy and emotionally satisfying. She loves making her boys work for their Happily Ever After and believes love stories are better with just a little angst thrown in.

  Born and raised in Florida, Alison has always had a passion for writing, and romance novels of all kinds are her number one escape when life gets a little too hectic.

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