20. Storm

20

STORM

After the night from hell at the restaurant which turned out to be one of the better nights of my life, Emmett and I had what was definitely the best week of my life.

During the day, I was on fire at my practices. The renovations on my kitchen were moving rapidly along. And every evening, I headed over to Emmett's house, and he pulled me in through his front door with a kiss. We spent hours and hours naked in bed together, trying things out on each other.

I could tell Emmett was still in a bit of a daze. He'd just changed up his whole world, and I was here beside him on the new path he was forging.

"Are you sure you're okay with me posting about this publicly?" I asked him now, looking over the shiny new website he'd had designed for his new company, Waycott Marketing. It was a quick, simple site, and mostly just a landing page with Emmett's past clients listed out, but it looked great for a start.

"I'd be honored," Emmett said, looking down at the laptop.

We were in my dining room as the Fixer Brothers wrapped up a long day of construction in the kitchen nearby. My dining table was covered in a thick plastic protective layer, and Emmett and I had been over here for about an hour, talking about his new business.

"Because I'm going to rep the hell out of Waycott Marketing if you're comfortable with it," I said. "People love when I share my favorite things online. I've plugged tattoo artists before, photographers, athletes, you name it. Hell, I posted about a bakery early this year and they said they were sold out of everything by noon every day for the next month."

"Wow," Emmett said. "You really are too famous, aren't you?"

"Famous enough to snag a guy like you," I said, reaching over and wrapping an arm around his waist. I pulled him in for a slow kiss, a fizzle deep inside me knowing we could be seen by anyone in the kitchen if they just moved a few steps to look over here.

"You smell good," Emmett murmured as he pulled back.

"We still haven't told the other guys," I said. "About us."

"I want to," he said. "But what do we do? Announce it like it's a damn business merger? Guys, Storm and I have decided to join together… "

I snorted. "I mean, we could just make out tonight when we go to Jade Brewery," I told him. "That would make it pretty easy."

He reached over and ran a thumb across my lower lip. "I will kiss you anywhere, anytime," he murmured.

Truthfully, I was a little nervous to tell everyone, too. I was one hundred percent comfortable with coming out as bisexual, but I was more concerned about the scrutiny that would land on Emmett.

I was used to being dissected by the media. Used to them publishing misinformed crap about me.

But would gossip rags profile Emmett, soon? Hell no. Not on my watch.

I also wanted the world to know he was mine, though. I loved the idea that we were dating. That I was his boyfriend . I'd turned the word over in my mind every night this week, sometimes saying it out loud to him multiple times, just to feel it.

"Hey, boys," Chase said as he peeked around the corner, smiling at us both. "Got time to film a quick interview segment, Storm? I swear I'll only have my camera on you for about five minutes."

Emmett gave me a little salute.

I followed Chase over to the kitchen and he filmed me reacting to a few cabinets that the guys had hung up on the far wall today. Chase was a great camera guy and helped me turn to the exact right angle so that my eyes would be lit up by the late afternoon sun.

"Well, well, well, I remember that feeling," a voice came from near the front door, and I turned to see Kace walking in and greeting Nathan with a kiss.

"My worlds colliding, I love this," I said, walking over to give Kace a bear hug. "Hope you're ready for the game this weekend, Tomlin."

"Oh, he's ready," Nathan said, raising his eyebrows. "I swear he's started talking about that damn football game right after every time we've fucked this week."

I snorted a laugh. "Kace Tomlin, you dirty dog," I said. "I don't care if you're the best quarterback in the nation, you've got to treat your man right."

"He treats me right," Nathan said. "I'm just addicted to him."

Kace wrapped his arms around Nathan from behind, pressing a kiss to the side of his face. "Nathan was a straight single dad when I found him," Kace murmured. "And now look at him. He even keeps rainbow flag stickers on his toolboxes."

"Damn right I do."

I felt a sense of pride bubbling up in me already, even though I hadn't told anybody about my own not-so-straightness yet.

There wasn't a bone in my body that was afraid to say it, either. I would have put rainbow stickers all over the place even before I knew, too.

"So, are we ready to head to the brewery yet?" Kace said, looking around at the crew in the kitchen.

"We're wrapping up in the kitchen for the day," Nathan said. "Help us pack up the van and we can be out of here in fifteen minutes."

"I call dibs on the first round of pool in the bar," Kace said. "Rosling, I'm going to put you in the dirt."

"Not going to happen," I said. "That's a challenge I will take you up on. Emmett, you want to do doubles? You and me versus Kace and Nathan?"

Emmett smiled wide. "We will destroy them."

I laughed. "That's the fucking bloodhound inside you, Emmett. We've got this."

Over the next fifteen minutes, everyone pitched in to help load up the vans with construction tools and camera equipment. At least half of the crew headed over to Jade Brewery, spilling out into the parking lot laughing and razzing each other.

"Ooh, look at this," Chase said as he strolled up to the front steps of the brewery. "Looks like the boys at the brewery decided to go full fall."

"Fuck yes," Emmett said from beside me, his eyes going wide. "I'm in heaven. I'm in something better than heaven."

It was like a pub version of Emmett's own fall decorations. Pumpkins dotted the corners of the deck and the short stairs that led up to the front door, and garlands with twinkle lights were strung throughout the front awning and back deck.

Seeing Emmett light up was one of the best parts of my day. I reached over and squeezed his hand, not giving a shit if anyone saw it.

Emmett had been through so much lately. Been through so much in the last two years, really. He was always so mature and responsible that when I got to see this childlike wonder in his eyes, it did something to my heart.

Fuck .

How was I going to do this?

How could I protect someone I cared about this much from the media shitstorm that constantly surrounded me… and would he even be willing to sacrifice his privacy for this?

For me?

A couple of hours later, we'd turned Jade Brewery into our second home. Football fans came up to me and Kace for autographs and pictures, but then ended up joining our crew, playing games of pool with us and sharing pitchers of beer. The fall vibes were even better inside the brewery, with every corner of the place smelling like spiced drinks and decked out in decor.

Emmett and I were in a heated game of pool with an older couple who had come over to challenge us after seeing us win against Kace and Nathan.

"This is the final money shot," Emmett was saying, pointing over at the greying old lady, who was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes.

"Oh, you can try!" she called out. "But you don't know how good my husband is at being a pool shark."

Emmett took a great shot but didn't quite get the ball into the pocket. The lady's husband went next, and made a shot that somehow managed to get three balls into pockets at once.

I dropped my jaw. "How? How is that possible?"

"Told you he's good," the lady said, reaching over to give her husband a hug and a kiss.

"But I can't catch a football like you can," he said, holding up his hands toward me.

We all laughed. "Hey, we did our best," I said to Emmett.

Without thinking, I went over to him and did the same thing the old lady had done to her husband. I pulled Emmett in and pressed a kiss to his lips, forgetting about the whole secret part of it all.

"You two are adorable," the lady said. "I've got to go refresh my drink, but thank you for the game."

I turned to Emmett again, bracing myself.

"I am so sorry," I said. "I totally forgot—"

He furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?"

I ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm so worried, Emmett."

He breathed in, nodding his head. "I know it can be hard. Storm, you don't have to come out until you're damn well ready for it."

I waved my hand. "No, no, not that," I said. "I'll get on the karaoke microphone tonight and tell this whole bar that I love cock."

Emmett laughed and leaned against me, the skin around his eyes crinkling up at the edges. "Okay, I get the point."

I squeezed his hand, turning so that I was facing him, away from the pool table.

"I don't want any fucking headlines about you, Emmett," I finally told him. "I can't stand the thought of it. The shitty impression you had of me when we first met was because of those headlines, and I don't want a soul on Earth to have a shitty impression of you ."

He turned his head slightly to one side, holding my gaze. "You're worried about me? Really?"

"Of course I am," I protested. "I can take the crap, but you don't deserve that. You deserve to be treated like a damned king, as far as I'm concerned."

He clicked his tongue, smiling at me. "If you'd told me when we met that one day, you'd be defending me, I'd have laughed out loud."

"Well, believe it," I said. "Because I'm pretty sure I'd take a damn bullet for you, these days."

He bit his lower lip. "How did I get so lucky?" he asked. "My life is nothing like I thought it would be this year."

"And I don't want that to be threatened," I said. "By some asshole at a shitty website deciding to talk about your personal life online."

Emmett waved a hand. "Let them say whatever they want."

I paused, raising an eyebrow. "You sure about that? Even with Waycott Marketing starting up?"

He nodded once. "I have nothing to hide," he said. "Cutmore was the one with the issues."

I chewed the inside of my cheek. "I'm not sure."

"If anything," Emmett mused, "being associated with you would probably help my career at this point, not hurt it. I saw an article about you the other day that was praising you."

"Wait, what?" I asked. "You've been looking me up?"

A sheepish smile crossed his face. "A little bit. Sometimes."

"And? What did you find?"

"The Denver New Times said that you are one of the most outstanding voices in environmental activism, and that you're an example for all professional athletes. They like how you donate your time and money to causes."

I whistled. "Well, well, well," I said. "Not too shabby."

Emmett brought my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "To be honest, I am a marketing guy. If you ever wanted me to connect you with a public relations team, you could get a whole lot of positive articles written about you."

I hummed. "I don't know about that."

"When I first met you, I thought you'd spit in my face if I ever suggested anything like that. But if that's the only thing you're worried about with dating me… fuck it, Storm."

"Never thought I'd hear you say fuck it about a potential media problem," I told him.

He shook his head lightly. "It's worth it for you," he said. "Worth it to try , I think. It's been years since I've tried anything new, and I'm overdue for it."

" This next one goes out to the happy couple that invited us to a heated game of billiards, " a voice came from over by the dance floor, where people were singing karaoke tonight. " Emmett and Storm, here's to you! "

It was the old woman who'd been playing with us. She broke out into a great rendition of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," showing herself to be a talented vocalist as soon as the song began.

"Did she just say what I think she said?" I asked Emmett.

"Seems like our little announcement might be expedited," he told me, smiling.

"Shall we dance?" I asked.

"Let's do it."

We headed out to the dance floor, which started out with only us and two other couples. But as the woman sang and people started to notice how good her voice was, more people filtered onto the dance floor bit by bit.

I danced with Emmett like he was mine.

Like I'd been with him for years, and this was just something we did all the time, comfortable with each other as ever.

"Hey," I asked near his ear, "how much would I have to pay you to do ‘Bad Reputation' with me on that thing next?"

"I'm not much of a karaoke guy," Emmett said, grimacing.

"You want me to beg?" I asked, teasing him.

"God, no, because then I'm going to get hard while doing karaoke, and I don't think anyone needs that."

"Hey! You guys," Chase said, coming over to us on the dance floor with his boyfriend Adam. "Did that lady think you were a couple?"

Emmett and I exchanged a glance before looking back at Chase.

"Well… she might have, because we are a couple," Emmett said.

Chase giggled, but then as he realized we weren't joking, his face changed. "Wait a minute. You better not be messing with me, because if you're serious, that's fucking awesome. Storm, you're into dudes?"

"What can I say?" I asked him. "Emmett won me over."

Emmett leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, right here in the middle of the dance floor.

And I felt a sense of pride like none other I'd ever felt.

Everyone cheered, and it was a completely different experience than any cheers I'd ever had in a football game.

This was just a simple, sweet night in a brewery, but here with Emmett and the Fixer Brothers crew, I felt like I really belonged, just for being me. Not because I was great at catching a football. Just because these people cared about who I was.

"Fuck yes, my friend!" Kace shouted from the other side of the dance floor. He and Nathan danced over to us and reached out to give me a fist bump.

We kissed again, and as we pulled back, smiling our damn asses off, I looked over to see Landry walking over.

"Holy shit, what did I miss?" he asked, smiling.

"Lucky! You made it," Emmett said. "Just having a fun dance with my boyfriend. That's all."

Landry put both hands up to high five us both at the same time. "I love to hear it. I'm happy for you."

"What about you, Landry?" Chase asked. "Do I need to get out my Cupid arrow for you? Set you up with someone cute tonight?"

Landry smiled. "I'll be okay on my own tonight, though I appreciate the offer. And it looks like I can finally stop trying to play Cupid for my best friend here."

"No more blind dates for me," Emmett said.

"Damn right," I chimed in.

It was our turn to do karaoke next, and as we sang "Bad Reputation," we turned the brewery into a party within about three minutes flat. We jumped around and danced as we sang, and even for me it was a good little cardio workout.

"Emmett," I said, breathing heavy afterward as we stepped away to a round of riotous applause. "I didn't know you had it in you. You're not just a singer, you're a belter . Or a crooner."

"I'll croon a song for you anytime," he said in a velvety voice. "Join me on the back deck for a breather? I'm overheating like hell in these clothes."

I laughed. "Naturally. Let's go."

He grabbed my hand and we told the others we'd be back soon. The chilly air hit us as we stepped onto the back deck, but the ambient warmth from the heaters on the patio kept it refreshing instead of frigid.

We leaned over the deck railing under the twinkle lights, looking out at the grassy back area of the bar, surrounded by pine trees. The air smelled like pine and mulch in the best possible way, all with the faint scent of fresh beer and cider coming from inside.

I leaned the side of my body against Emmett's.

"You did it," I told Emmett. "You made me like fall."

"I thought you were going to say that I made you like men ," he said with a grin.

"That too," I clarified. "Definitely that too."

We laughed, leaning in to kiss each other.

For so much of my life, I'd been in a fight.

Whether it was a mental fight, a physical one, or the invisible battle I'd had with myself for my whole life, clawing my way toward any sense of belonging I could feel.

I realized now that with Emmett, I'd fought so hard and instead of one of us being victorious, we'd both just won.

Like I'd finally done something right in my life other than football.

I swallowed past a slight tight feeling in my throat, reaching out and feeling for Emmett's hand. I laced my fingers through his, squeezing it tight.

"Thanks for taking a chance on me," I told him, surprised by how much I meant it.

He looked over at me in the low glow, leaning closer toward me. "And thank you for sticking it out with me, too," he said quietly. "We never should have ended up together, but I meant it when I said it's one of the best things that have ever happened to me."

I think I could love you , I thought silently as I looked into his eyes, so moved by all of this. Really love you.

Deep down, I was pretty sure I might already be on that path.

But we were just at the beginning. And I couldn't fucking wait to see what more he would surprise me with.

I leaned in and crushed my lips to his, afraid that I'd let the three-word phrase slip out of my mouth if I didn't shut myself up quickly.

"God, you smell so good," I murmured against his lips. "Taste so good."

"All for you."

"You starting to cool down, now?"

"Yes. Gloriously," he said. He shifted on his feet. "But I'm not ready to go back inside just yet."

I could tell there was something on his mind, but I didn't know what, yet. I gave him a couple of minutes, and a few times he looked like he was about to say something, but didn't."

"What's cookin' in there, Emmett?" I asked.

He met my eyes, shaking his head. "Well, I'm starting to get the urge to share one of my dad's favorite quotes."

"Share away," I said. "I love everything you share from your dad."

He smiled softly. "You do?"

"Of course," I said. "He seemed like such a good man, and I only know one percent of what I hope to know about him one day."

Emmett gave me a little nod. "Well, I don't want you to think the quote necessarily had direct application to us."

I cocked my head to one side. "Why's that?"

He bit his lip. "Well, because there are some things that I'm not sure if you're ready for yet."

"I'm intrigued. Let's hear this."

Emmett pulled in a long breath. "Fuck it. One of the things he used to love quoting, from a poet named Galway Kinnell, was something about… love."

Oh.

Oh.

My heart did a little flip in my chest.

So that's why Emmett was being a bit squirmy about mentioning it. Because that word was floating around in his mind, too? And because he also thought it was too soon to say it, but maybe not too soon to know it was a possibility?

"I really want to hear it now," I said.

His eyes twinkled. " The self is the least of it. Let our scars fall in love. "

It was simple, and it was so perfect.

"Our scars," I said softly, reaching out to squeeze Emmett's waist.

It's what Emmett and I had been doing without knowing it. We'd started out with our egos butting heads, always thinking about ourselves.

And then even through each other's scars, we'd started to fall for one another. Not despite the scars, but including them.

"I always liked that one, even though I never quite had it hit close to home for me, back in the day."

"I like it, too," I said. "Thank you for sharing it. And for everything you share with me."

He hummed, leaning in to kiss below my ear. "Like my cock?"

I laughed. "Fuck yes, like your cock."

His smile had my whole heart.

"Let's head back in," he said.

And we did. Together. Because for the first time in my life, I'd found someone who could truly love me, scars and all.