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“Move to your left.” Ed held up the Murphy-Reynolds photo as he spoke. “Okay, stop! Don’t move.”
He handed Jack the photo and moved back to the camera on Marcus’s desk.
Jack studied the thirty-year-old picture and felt a chill as he imagined what his father and Trevor Reynolds had been thinking as they posed. “Your arm over my shoulder and mine behind your back so that just my fingers are visible.”
Marcus checked the snapshot twice before adjusting his hand. He and Jack had combed through thrift shops all spring for the right clothes. It wasn’t perfect—Sean was taller than Trevor, but Marcus had Jack by an inch. And Jack’s hair was brown like his mother’s, not black, but it was still great.
“Dad is so going to love this.” Marcus’s excitement had them both smiling. Just like Sean and Trevor in the photo.
“You two ready?” Ed held up the camera. “I’m told there’s a football game to be played.”
“One second.” Jack triple-checked he had the stance right and tucked the photo in his waistband behind him. “Ready.”
Ed smirked but kept the snarky comment to himself. That he was taking the picture added to Jack’s good mood.
“Hold it.” Ed clicked off several shots. “Got it.”
He flipped the camera around and handed it to Marcus. Jack pulled out the picture, and they compared the two.
“Pretty damn close,” Jack said, staring at the image. His gaze fell on his dad. He would have loved to have met Ed. The pang of loss hit, but he pushed past it. His dad would have also been happy things had worked out for him.
Marcus looked at Jack first, then Ed. “Thanks for helping, Ed. Nessa’s wonderful, but all her pictures come out at weird angles.” He wobbled his hands back and forth.
“If you guys are done,” Billy said from the doorway, “the game starts in fifteen.”
“Be down in a few,” Marcus said.
Ed came dressed for the game, and Marcus changed in less than two minutes. Jack lingered until Marcus had hoofed off.
Jack stopped Ed from closing the door. “Don’t shut it. I didn’t stall for that.”
“Oh?”
Jack laughed at Ed’s disappointment.
“We’ll have time for that later.” He leaned into his closet and found his cleats. Ed swatted his butt before he could stand up.
“Fine, but you better be sure.”
Jack winked and sat on the bed to tie his sneakers. “I’m sure. Marcus is taking Nessa to dinner tonight.”
“Nice.” Ed leaned in the doorway and Jack’s pulse quickened.
Jack finished tying and prowled over to his boyfriend, not stopping until their lips collided. Ed laughed into the kiss, carding his hand up the back of Jack’s hair. “Very nice,” Ed murmured.
“Know what’s nicer?” Ed lifted a brow, and Jack drifted his mouth over Ed’s jaw to his ear. “I’m planning to stay in the area this summer.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, Marcus and I are subletting an apartment off campus.”
Ed squeezed him tighter, and Jack closed his eyes for a moment. “Nicest news ever.”
* * *
Jack wiped the sweat from his forehead and shook his head. So much for trying to pass to someone other than Ed. Billy meant well, but he had stone hands. At least it kept the other team honest. He waved everyone back to the huddle, but his eye wandered to the parking lot.
The stream of people leaving campus now that finals were over had started to pick up. Mostly he didn’t care, except for one particular person who was moving out. Someone who’d been told in no uncertain terms to be gone the day his last exam was over.
Now Harper packed his car—alone. Even Greg had abandoned him to watch the game.
Pi Kap had to spot Sigma Chi four touchdowns to get them to play, and it worked. The game was tied at fifty-six each. Winner bought the keg. As his teammates straggled in, Jack’s attention was divided between the game and Harper struggling with another box.
“I was open,” Ed complained, pinning Jack with a furrowed brow that quickly disappeared when Jack smiled at him.
“I know, but so was Billy, and he was the target.” Jack avoided looking at his little brother. He glanced up and saw Harper watching. “Okay, so here’s the play. Darren, go deep, take your defender with you. Billy, line up left and slant right. Ed, line up outside of Billy and run a square out.”
“An out?” Ed searched the huddle for confirmation. “I can beat any of them on a post.”
“Look, they’ll expect that.” Jack checked on Harper again. “Just run the out and you’ll be open.”
Jack clapped to break the huddle and his team lined up. Holding the ball out, he surveyed the defenders, checked off his receivers, and yelled, “Hut!”
He dropped back and watched as three Sigma Chi players moved back to prevent Ed from running a post route. One defender shadowed Darren and the other mirrored Billy. Clearly they’d learned fast who the most dangerous receiver was.
