“I know, but I still can’t imagine how hard it’d be for him to know that his family is out there and doesn’t give a damn.” I knew what Cody was going through. I was lucky enough to have my grandfather step up to the plate and raise me when my own parents weren’t around, but it still hurt to see other kids having a great time with their families, knowing I would be going home to Pa kicked back in his recliner with the evening news cranked up loud. But he was there. He made sure I didn’t want for anything and he was my biggest cheerleader at every game. He pushed me, hard, because he wanted to make all of my dreams come true.
“That’s because you have a family who loves you,” I pointed out. I reached over and took Drew’s hand in my own, noticing how much thinner his left hand was than his right. He’d finally gotten rid of the cast, but there was a lot of work to do to make sure he’d be strong enough to play come spring. “They’ve always accepted you for who you were and supported you. Not everyone has that. But the world needs the guys like you to remind the rest of us that life goes on. That there is something more out there for us, even when people say there isn’t. Hell, look at what you’ve done for Cam.”
“I haven’t done anything for him,” Drew protested, looking out the window of the car.
“You have,” I insisted. “You brought him home to your family when no one else wanted him. Your parents taught him he wasn’t as worthless as his uncle tried to make him believe he was. And that love helped him get to where he is today. Hell, would you have ever thought the kid you met back in school would be driving himself crazy trying to keep from telling us how far he made it on A Cut Above?”
That made Drew laugh. As he sat silently in the passenger’s seat, I could tell he was thinking back to his own youth, hopefully realizing just how much his family had done to save Cam. I didn’t know the guy well, but Jason had told me enough stories that I knew Cam credited the Jackson Family with saving his life. Had it not been for them, it would have been easy for him to become nothing more than another statistic like the boys and girls at Pot of Gold.
Instead, everyone had gathered around last weekend to watch the premiere of the cooking competition he was on. Drew had beamed as he watched Cam glide around the studio kitchen as if he’d been there his entire life. All of us had cheered when he’d been handed an apron with his name embroidered on it, marking his move into the top twenty competitors of the season.
“See, I’m right,” I teased. “Maybe you should think about what your family did for him back then and figure out a way you can do the same for kids like Cody. You have the chance to make a difference in his life.”
“I’m trying, but no one’s listening,” Drew grumbled. And it seemed we’d gotten to the core of his foul mood. “I talked to the athletic director today and he didn’t seem receptive to reinstating Cody’s scholarship. He’s worried that Cody will be a distraction to the rest of the team.”
“Then you have to prove to him that he won’t be,” I suggested. It wouldn’t be easy, but it could be done. We’d all heard the same concerns, all thought we had to hide who we were because if our teammates knew there was a gay man in the locker room we’d become a liability to the team.
“But how?” he asked. It’d be easy for me to list off the ways he could show this athletic director that the sports world was ready for athletes to go out there and do their jobs without anyone thinking less of them because of who they were attracted to. But I wouldn’t, because Drew needed as many distractions as possible, and if I knew anything about him, I knew he’d sit there thinking about how to help Cody until the solution came to him. And then, he’d put his plan into action and refuse to quit until something worked out.
“That’s something you need to figure out,” I told him as we pulled into the driveway. I smiled when I saw Bryce’s car already in the driveway. He’d been staying here most of the time, even though it was a bit of a drive from the center. “But I have faith you’ll do it.”
The house smelled amazing when we walked inside. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch. I’d spent most of the afternoon running around, trying to pick up the ingredients Cam needed in order to make Thanksgiving dinner for those who were in town. The entire time, I’d been freaking myself out about the fact that Drew’s parents were going to be joining us.
Our friends had taken fairly well to the news that Drew, Bryce and I were all together, but I didn’t know what to expect from Drew’s family. They seemed open minded and accepting, but this would be pushing the limits of what most people found to be acceptable. And I couldn’t blame them if they were concerned for Drew. We just had to make them see that there was nothing to worry about, because what we had might be weird to most people, but it worked for us.
“Honey, we’re home,” I called out, hoping to draw Bryce out from wherever he was hiding. Drew made his way down the hall while I tried to find an area of the counter Cam wasn’t using to make us something quick to eat. Cooking was out of the question because the oven was full and there were three pots simmering on the stove. All with Cam nowhere to be found. Had it been anyone else, it would have pissed me off to know that he’d run an errand while in the middle of cooking, but this was Cam. He’d sooner call a grocery service to bring him something than risk burning his creations.
My food was forgotten when I heard playful shouts coming from my bedroom. Now that Drew was healed and cleared by the doctor, he’d picked up a bit of a playful streak that I’d never seen from him before. From the sounds of it, he was enjoying tormenting Bryce without me. I threw the bedroom door open and saw the two of them wrestling around on the bed. Or more, Bryce pinning Drew to the bed with his hand over his head.
“You two are going to be the death of me,” I complained. Okay, so it wasn’t a complaint at all. Our sex life had been fucking amazing, but the two of them both seemed insatiable over the past week or so. Every time I turned around, they were grinding up on one another or working together to drive me out of my mind.
“Then get the fuck over here and join us,” Drew suggested, pulling his hand free from Bryce’s grasp and holding it out to me. He licked his lips as he eyed the erection barely restrained behind my sweatpants. I should be responsible and remind them that Jason and Cam were going to stay here for the night because Cam insisted on cooking, but when Bryce turned his smoldering gaze on me, I was a goner. I kicked the bedroom door closed and stalked over to the bed, pushing Bryce off Drew as I lay down next to him.
Drew wasted no time shoving his hand down the back of my pants, digging his fingers into my ass. I groaned as I ground my erection into his thigh and reached out for Bryce. I’d never wanted anyone the way I needed both of them. Drew turned to kiss Bryce, knowing how much it turned me on to watch the two of them battle for control. I fumbled as I worked to unbutton Drew’s jeans, needing to feel the hot, silky skin of his cock against my hand. His hips arched off the bed and he moaned into Bryce’s mouth as I began stroking him.
I faintly heard the sound of a door closing in the distance, but I was too consumed by need to stop what I was doing. Instead, I slid down Drew’s body, positioning myself between his legs. He sat up and I followed, saliva pooling in my mouth as I thought about that first taste of precome beading at the head of Drew’s cock. I wanted that and so much more.
As I went to work taunting Drew by tracing my tongue around the very tip of his dick, I felt the bed shift. I looked up to see Bryce rummaging through the night stand. I moaned around Drew’s shaft, knowing what was about to happen. Someone was going to get fucked. I wouldn’t ask for it, but I hoped like hell it was going to be me.