After The Snap (35 page)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Colby couldn’t believe they were buying wedding rings. He didn’t need anything fancy, but Seth didn’t want him to settle. “I’m fine with the plain gold band.”

“Babe, I want to treat you special.”

Colby shook his head and laughed. “Okay, I like this one.” Colby pointed to a nearly plain white gold band that had etching around the center.

“I like them.” Seth kissed Colby’s cheek and then stood tall, getting the saleswoman’s attention. “Can we try these two on?”

“Um, sure. Let me grab the keys.”

They were in a small jewelry store that was mostly empty. Seth had warned him that reporters might be following them, but they’d escaped the craziness so far. He was glad, because they didn’t have to put on a show or hide. Earlier, he’d called into work, telling them he had a personal emergency. So far he was still anonymous but that could change. With Seth being so famous, he knew there was a possibility he would have to quit his job. But Seth was more important than a job, and he knew he could find another one if needed.

The store clerk came over, a smile on her face. “Okay, here we go. Try these on and let’s see what size you need. We may have them in the store.”

Colby sucked in a breath. He wanted them today and if they weren’t available, it would crush him. The woman held out the first ring and he slid it on but it was too big. Seth took the ring and it fit perfectly on his hand. Another smaller but identical ring was produced.

“Here, try this one.”

Colby slid the ring on his finger and it fit perfectly. He looked up at Seth, catching the love shining in his eyes. They could make it. They had a good chance of being more than just a statistic. Neil had never looked at him the way Seth did. It wasn’t just a one-time thing for Seth either. He’d caught Seth staring at him so many times, love evident. They had a chance of becoming something epic and he was going to do whatever he could to make that happen.

The day melted away almost too fast. They didn’t tell their parents because they didn’t want anyone to beg them to wait. He was glad that Seth insisted today be the day for them to get married. They’d stayed off social media all day. It was a blessing because he was only focused on the love he felt for Seth and not the crazy stuff going on out there in the ether.

When they showed up at the government office Seth’s coach was already there. They were both nervous and when Seth reached to shake his coach’s hand, his coach pulled him into a hug. Maddox hugged Colby too.

“Jeffery, it’s good to see you. Thank you for coming.”

“Anything for you, Seth. Colby, it’s good to see you again.”

“Thank you. And it’s good to see you too,” Colby said. His throat was thick with emotion. Having Seth’s coach here was good.

Justin stepped in and smiled when he saw them. “The car is parked.”

“Jeffery, do you know my agent, Justin?”

Jeffery stepped forward and smiled “Justin, it’s good to see you when you’re not trying to negotiate.”

“It’s good to see you too, especially under these circumstances.”

“Okay, Mr. Mercer and Mr. Larsen, are you ready?”

Colby reached out and took Seth’s hand. “Yes.”

“Good. Sign these papers while I look at your documents.”

Seth handed over his driver’s license and so did Colby. They also gave the woman their birth certificates and signed where she asked them to. After receiving their marriage license they moved to an office. Colby’s hands were shaking and he was glad Seth was still holding on to him. He knew gay marriage had been legal for a long time but he felt like maybe someone would come in and tell him they couldn’t do this.

The man officiating their wedding took their license and stood beside the window so they were looking out into a garden. “I’ve been doing marriages for years. I have to say that I’m always pleased to offer my services to couples like yourself.”

Seth was clenching his hand and Colby stepped closer to him. He tried to listen to everything the guy was saying, but his ears started ringing and he just did his best to say what he was supposed to when he was supposed to say it. Then they were married and Seth pulled him close, his lips pressing against Colby’s.

Tears burned his eyes and he couldn’t let go of Seth. They were legally wed and he wasn’t alone any longer. Seth’s forehead was against his and both of them were crying. He knew they were going to get married eventually so he should have been prepared for the emotions but he was overwhelmed. They’d really done it.

“Congratulations,” Justin hugged him.

Then Jeffery pulled him into a hug. “That was awesome. Congratulations. I’m happy for both of you. I need to head home, but thank you for allowing me to be a part of this.”

“Thank you,” Colby choked out. He couldn’t let go of Seth’s hand and he felt like he was going to burst. They signed their papers and took the document back to the first person they’d met with. Their papers were processed and it was official.

Justin held the door open and Colby stepped out into the circus. Cameras were everywhere. Someone had informed the media and they’d shown up in force. Seth turned to Justin and Colby caught the quick head shake he’d given Seth.

“That means you didn’t know about this either?” Colby asked.

“No. I wouldn’t do this to Seth,” Justin said. “Go back inside and I’ll go get the car and pull it to the side of the building. There’s an exit there.”

Seth dragged Colby back inside and they headed down the hall. When they exited the side of the building they got lucky and the reporters hadn’t found them. Justin took off as soon as they were in the car. Seth helped him strap in and then he clicked his own seatbelt in place.

“Well, you’re probably going to be recognized by the people at work.”

“Probably.”

Colby sighed and reached up, smoothing his hand over Seth’s cheek. “It feels amazing being married to you.”

“Are you sure? The cameras aren’t going to go away.”

Colby smirked and his heart squeezed. He loved his man so much that all of the cameras in the world wouldn’t scare him away. “Babe, they’ll get bored with us. I love you. We’ll have peace after the initial craziness goes away.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?” Colby asked.

“Marrying me.”

“Babe, thank you. I can’t believe that you want me and that we’re a couple. It’s amazing and I’ve never felt this way.”

Seth leaned in close and brushed his lips over Colby’s. “We’re almost home. The reporters are close behind us. You’re going to have trouble going to work in the morning.”

“Colby, Seth, I think you’re going to have to hold a press conference tomorrow. You probably need to call into work, Colby,” Justin said.

“They’re going to be mad.” Colby caught the worried look that passed over Seth’s face and his heart stalled. “Babe, you’re more important than a job. I’ll have you forever. The job was just a place to work.”

“Okay, you two hop out and run in as soon as I pull up. The reporters won’t be able to get in before the door closes. I’ll be up in a bit.”

The car slowed to a stop and Colby followed Seth out of the car and into the condo. They were in the elevator before any of the reporters had made it out of their vehicles. He leaned back against the elevator wall and Seth moved to stand directly in front of him. Their gazes met and he shivered.

“My husband,” Colby whispered, a wide smile on his face.

“I’m happy I’m the one who brought that smile to your face.” Seth ran his fingers over Colby’s sides.

“So am I. Tell me, husband, what ever are we going to do after Justin leaves?”

Seth threw back his head and laughed. The elevator doors opened and they made it into their condo without any incidents. Seth pressed Colby up against the door, his lips only millimeters away from Colby’s. “You’re going to slide into me and take me as your husband, that’s what we’re going to do. Then later, once we’ve recovered, I’m going to do the same to you. And we’ll keep going until we can’t stay awake.”

Colby’s cock lengthened and he wanted relief. “Touch me.”

Seth’s eyes grew darker as he nodded. His fingers trailed down the sides of Colby’s body and then around to the front of Colby’s pants. Seth palmed Colby’s cock, stroking the length. Colby let his head fall back against the wall. His eyes rolled up and his mouth hung open as Seth brought him pleasure. Seth stepped away and spun Colby around, pressing his chest to the door. Colby planted both palms on the door and pressed back just as Seth ground forward. The resulting sensation of Seth’s cock riding against his ass had him close to the edge.

“Fuck, Seth. So good. I want you.”

The buzzer sounded and Seth reached over and pressed the button. “What?”

“Hey, it’s me. The cops arrived and have pushed the crowd back. I can get in now. Buzz me up.”

Seth hit the button allowing Justin in. He stepped away and Colby whimpered. “We’ll get rid of him fast. I want you totally naked and in my arms.”

Colby reached out and pulled Seth close again. He held on tight, unable to let go. A knock sounded and Seth moved them away from the door as he pulled it open. Justin stepped in, gave them one look, and his cheeks turned pink.

“Okay, I think whatever I have to say can wait. The reporters are starting to leave because they know they won’t get anything. I’m going to go to dinner. You two try not to hurt yourselves.”

Colby laughed at that and Justin turned a darker shade of pink. “You can stay for a drink if you like.”

“No he can’t.” Seth groaned. “Sorry, I’m just—”

Justin laughed. “Trust me, I get it. I’m flying to Chicago tomorrow, but I’ll keep on your situation. We’ll figure it out. Kristen will be out early next week. You have a couple of deals on the table. Nike called after the information about Channing broke this morning, they want you now. So you’ll have to do a few commercials with them.”

“Okay, sounds good,” Seth replied.

“Kristen said congratulations, by the way.”

“Tell her I said thanks, and that Colby can’t wait to meet her.”

“Well, I’m heading out. Congratulations you two. I’m happy for you.” Justin stepped out leaving them alone.

Colby tugged at Seth’s belt pulling it free and tossing it on the floor. “I want you in the center of the bed, totally naked and on all fours.”

“Oh fuck.” Seth tugged off his shirt and tossed it beside his belt. Next he pulled at his pants and shed those quickly.

Colby slowly removed his tie, adding to the growing pile of clothes on the floor. “I hope you’re ready for me because I’m really ready for you.”

Seth shivered under his touch. They were perfect together and this was just another way they fit. The craziness of the media would be there, but he wasn’t going to let it change him or their love. What they had was too important to allow anything to destroy it.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Seth didn’t really want to put Colby in front of the cameras. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Colby to get it right, but he didn’t trust the media to treat his husband with respect.

Colby had headed into work this morning though Seth wished he didn’t have to go. He wouldn’t tell Colby he had to quit his job, that would be wrong. At three, just before practice ended, Colby showed up at the practice field. He was flanked by the team’s press liaison, Amy, and one of the security guys.

The press was setting up in a larger room that the team used for group meetings. Seth’s stomach pitched and his ears buzzed. He needed to call his parents before they found out on national TV. Last night he had planned on calling, but then Colby had driven him to distraction, taking him to heaven over and over again as they rocked, ground, and slid against each other.

“You doing okay, Mercer?” Maddox called out.

“Awesome!” Seth replied though his stomach was in knots.

“Okay, we’re wrapping for the day. Go hit the showers,” Maddox called out.

Seth started to head to the locker room but Maddox stopped him. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“It was nice having you there.”

“This press thing, you okay with it?”

Seth nodded and glanced over to Colby. His heart started beating wildly as he thought about the press knowing who Colby was.

“You do know, they don’t have to know anything about you or Colby,” Maddox said.

“I know. With the Channing thing and getting married, I need to say something so they stop bugging us during the playoffs.”

Maddox nodded. “I get that.”

“Yes, I just got married and I love Colby more than anything, but he understands football is my focus right now. After this, I’m ignoring the press and all of their crazy stuff.”

“Do you think Colby is ready for this?”

“No one is ever ready for stuff like this. He’ll do fine though. He’s smart and charming, and he’s good. He’ll have them eating out of his hands.”

Seth headed into the locker room and showered quickly before calling his parents. His mom answered and he felt bad about not telling them yesterday. “Hey Mom, could you get Dad on the phone too?”

“Sure, just a second.” He could hear his mom yelling in the background and then he heard his dad’s voice.

“Hey, son, what’s up?” his dad asked.

“Colby and I got married yesterday.”

“What? You didn’t even invite us?” his mom asked.

“I hadn’t planned on the press finding out, but someone in the office where we were signing the documents spilled it and the press came running. We were going to do a formal ceremony later, after the playoffs. I just wanted to tell you because it’s out there now. Don’t think that we didn’t want you there, we did, but we couldn’t wait.”

“Why not?” his dad shot back. “It’s not like he’s pregnant.”

Seth chuckled and shook his head. “Dad, I know you don’t understand how I could even be gay, but I love Colby. He’s been amazing and I couldn’t allow any of the press stuff to get in the way. I didn’t want him to ever leave me and the best way to make sure that didn’t happen was to marry him.”

“We’re fine with it, son, just shocked,” his dad said.

“We like Colby,” his mom added.

“I need to go, there’s a press conference about to start.”

“We’ll talk to you later.”

The line disconnected and Seth finished dressing. Colby stepped into the locker room, a smile on his face as he laughed at something the press liaison was saying. His man was awesome and their love made everything complete for Seth.

Amy led Colby over and the smile on Colby’s face warmed him.

“You ready?” Amy asked.

“I think so.” Seth leaned in and gave Colby a quick kiss on the cheek. “There’s the statement Justin sent this morning and then we’ll make a statement about our marriage, but no questions. You okay with that?”

“Sure.”

They stepped into the room the press had taken over. Colby drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Cameras clicked and Seth wondered if Colby was going to freak out but he seemed so calm. Once the reporters were quiet, Seth stepped up to the microphone and cleared his throat.

“Thank you all for coming today. On Saturday night, my former coach, Channing Harris, made a false statement about me and what type of relationship we had. I’m saddened to hear that others have been harmed by Mr. Harris’s actions.” Seth paused and looked at Colby. The smile he got was enough to encourage him to keep going. “I am gay and my husband, Colby, is the most amazing man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I’m lucky that he agreed to become a part of my life and marry me. Thank you for coming today.”

Seth stepped away from the microphones and the reporters started spewing question after question. One was shouted louder than the rest. “Isn’t this just a diversionary tactic. You two aren’t really a couple, are you? I mean, you’re gay but you can’t really love another man.”

Colby stiffened and turned, stepping close to the microphone before Seth could stop him.

“I can’t let that go, sorry Seth, but I have to respond to the assumption that gay men don’t love. Who was it that asked that question?”

“Blaine Stewart, from FOX sports.” Blaine was grinning from ear to ear, acting like he’d caught them, with what, Seth didn’t know.

“Mr. Stewart, are you married?” Colby asked.

“No.” Blaine’s smile started to fade.

“Serious boyfriend?” Colby didn’t pull any punches and Seth loved him for it.

“I’m not gay,” Blaine spit back, his nostrils flared and his lips curled up in disgust. A few of the other reporters laughed and that seemed to make Blaine even angrier.

“Have you ever been in a serious relationship?”

Seth was impressed with how Colby had the entire audience eating out of his hands. Every single reporter was paying attention to him. It was amazing and frightening that he held so much command of the room though he’d never done anything like this before, at least Seth thought Colby hadn’t done anything like this.

“I have a fiancée.”

“Do you love her?”

“Of course, what type of question is that?” Blaine had lost his cool and was no longer the calm reporter he tried to portray.

The corner of Colby’s lips turned up and he lifted his brows. “The same type of question you asked. I love Seth and he loves me. It’s that easy for two guys to love each other. Love isn’t something you can dictate, control, or try to force. When Seth and I decided to get married, we didn’t do it because of anything anyone here in this room did. It was a decision we made because we care greatly about each other. Seth is my heart and the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. He’s an amazing man and I don’t think I could have ever found anyone better for me than Seth Mercer.”

More than half of the reporters jumped up and clapped, the others slowly came to their feet and joined in the applause. Colby stepped away from the mic and took Seth’s hand. Seth couldn’t be prouder of his guy.

They left the briefing and stopped by the locker room, grabbing his things before heading out to the parking lot. He leaned in to kiss Colby when he heard someone screeching at them. Seth looked up to see Channing coming their way. The shock froze him and he wasn’t sure what to do.

“You fucking bastard. You can’t be happy if I’m not happy,” Channing yelled.

Seth froze and tried to suck in a breath. He realized something bad was about to go down. Channing pulled a gun from his pocket and fired before Seth could stop him. He stilled as he searched for the pain, but there wasn’t any. Time slowed and Seth saw someone tackled Channing as Colby started falling right beside him.

Seth turned and his head filled with pain as he saw red spreading over Colby’s shirt. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak as people dropped to the ground beside Colby, their hands moving quickly. Someone was holding Seth but he had no clue who had their hands on him as he watched an ambulance pull into the parking lot.

A lot of things happened all at once. The cops had Channing in handcuffs. The guys in the ambulance had Colby loaded into the back of the vehicle, and someone was dragging Seth across the parking lot.

“Seth, get in,” Wayne yelled at him.

“What?” His head pounded and his throat was so dry. Pain filled him as he stumbled toward Wayne.

“Get in my car. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“Colby?”

Wayne nodded. “He’s alive, but we can’t just stand here.”

“Oh God,” Seth choked out a sob. “What happened?”

“Get in.” Wayne helped him with the seatbelt before they drove out of the lot.

Luckily the hospital wasn’t that far and they were there in minutes. Seth had pulled it together enough to call his parents and tell them that Colby had been shot. His parents’ were going to get a flight out to be with him.

“Wayne, is he going to survive?” Seth needed to know.

“I don’t know, Seth. I don’t know.” Wayne shook his head slowly.

Nothing mattered now other than Colby. “When he was shot I don’t know what happened to me. I couldn’t think.”

“Come on. Let’s get in there and see what’s going on.”

Seth followed Wayne into the ER lobby and was immediately led to a conference room to get away from the reporters who were already there. Maddox showed up and sat with him and Wayne while they waited for news. Time seemed to stall. Finally, about two hours later a woman stepped into the room.

“Hello, I’m Doctor Phillips. I performed the surgery on your husband. He’s lost a lot of blood and we’ve had to do a transfusion. It’s good that he’s healthy. Colby is lucky. We were able to repair the damage to his kidney that was nicked by the bullet. His intestines were repaired too and it will be a few days before he can start eating again, but if we can stave off infection, he’ll eventually recover fully.”

Seth let out an explosive breath. “So he’s going to be okay?”

The doctor nodded. “It looks good. Of course the first twenty-four hours are critical. Like I said, he’s lost a lot of blood. His intestine was perforated and his kidney was damaged. He’ll be sedated for the rest of today and through most of tomorrow. We will need to manage his pain and keep him quiet. He needs his rest. I suggest you go home and sleep. He’ll be in ICU and you can’t stay with him.”

Seth stared at the doctor, not looking away from her even while Wayne hugged him. Maddox was on his other side, pulling him into a hug as soon as Wayne’s arms were gone.

“Can I see him?” Seth asked.

“Sure, but just for a few minutes. We have him hooked up to a lot of machines, so don’t be frightened by what you see.”

Seth said goodbye to Wayne and Maddox, then followed the doctor to an elevator. They got off the elevator and stepped into the ICU which was very well organized and amazingly clean. He felt out of place as the doctor led him into a private room where machines beeped and whirred. Seth’s heart stuttered as he stared at his husband with tubes and way too many wires hooked up to his body. Doctor Phillips placed a hand on his arm.

“It only looks bad. We’re monitoring everything and I promise we’ll take very good care of him.”

Seth nodded, not trusting his voice. He moved closer to Colby and reached out to touch him but he wasn’t sure where he could touch Colby and not hurt him. “Can I hold his hand?”

“Yes. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Phillips left him alone with Colby and the tears fell immediately.

“I’m so sorry. This is my fault. I didn’t know.” He stared down at Colby’s unmoving form and his heart shattered. Colby could have died and it was his fault. There wasn’t any way Colby would want to stay with him now.

He didn’t know how long he stood by Colby’s bed, but eventually he left when the nurses told him he needed to go. He caught a cab home and slumped on the couch, passing out from exhaustion. At some point he woke starving and began eating a dish of leftovers until he realized that Colby had cooked the food. That made him cry and he slid to the floor, bawling his eyes out. He eventually headed into his bedroom and tried to sleep but it was difficult. When he couldn’t stand being away from Colby for one more minute he showered, dressed, and caught a cab to the hospital. The nurses in the ICU were kind and allowed him to sit in Colby’s room. Someone brought him coffee and something to eat. He prayed like he’d never prayed before.

At noon, Doctor Phillips came in. “His labs all look good. He’s doing great. We’re going to allow him to wake up by reducing the medicine we’ve given him. He’ll be groggy.”

Seth nodded and watched as the doctor and nurses changed settings and adjusted his medicine. Colby moaned and Seth’s gaze shot to him. Seth held his breath but Colby didn’t open his eyes. Worry spun through him and he looked at Phillips who smiled and nodded.

“Give it a few more minutes. Maybe you could say something. That might be enough to bring him out of his fog.”

“Colby, it’s Seth. I miss you. I need to see your eyes.”

It took Colby more than a minute to struggle awake and when he opened his eyes, they were cloudy with exhaustion and a thick haze of drugs. Eventually he focused on Seth’s face and gave him a small smile.