“Yo! Yo! Yo! Beckett’s in . . . the . . .”
Liam looked up and laughed at his brother’s expression. He found Coury’s gaze and shrugged. “He has the weirdest timing.”
“Better get used it. I have a feeling he’s going to be coming around a lot.” Coury popped up and gave Beckett a hug. “Come on, we’ll fill you in.”
Epilogue
Four years later
Liam
Sliding his laptop back in its case, Liam zipped it up with mixed feelings. Harrison had been part of his life for six years, and with this one last class, it was over. Pop told him life was all about endings and new beginnings.
He didn’t mind change. Hell, he couldn’t wait for high school to end and college to begin. It was the uncertainty. His doctoral program was two hundred miles away from Harrison and the Harrisburg Senators. Two hundred miles from Coury.
The knock on the door ended his introspection. Coury held the top of the doorframe and stretched his lean body across the entrance.
“Coach Henderson.” He smirked at their private joke. “Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for soon-to-be Doctor Liam Wright. He’s about my height, medium brown hair, unfairly hot, and has the most amazing ass—in or out of clothes.”
Liam’s cheeks burned. “Jesus Coury, what if someone heard you?”
His hands slid from the frame, and Coury let them slap against his thighs as he walked into the classroom. “First, there’s no one around. Second, why do you care if anyone heard me? This is the last time you’ll have to see them. And third, it won’t be a surprise. Everyone knows I’m crazy in love with you.”
“Well,” he cocked his head to the left for a second, “when you put it that way.”
“Not sure how else to put it.” He circled Liam in his arms and gave him a kiss that lingered just a bit too long for public decency. “I turned in my resignation today.”
Liam pulled back. “What? Why?”
“From the Senators, too.”
“Coury. We talked about this. We’ll figure—”
Two fingers covered his lips. “It’s polite to let people answer you before you launch into a lecture.”
“If you’re just delaying the inevitable, Coach Henderson, the final lecture is going to burn.”
“Oh. The Lionheart is back.” He leaned in and whispered, “Gonna roar at me next?”
“If you’re not careful, you’re going to be doing some roaring tonight.”
“Is that a promise?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I resigned because Carnegie Mellow hired me.”
“Holy shit!” He pulled Coury into a hug and twirled him around. “That’s so great!”
“Yeah, I haven’t told anyone other than you and Coach Brophy. Not that he didn’t know, he practically got them to hire me.”
“No, Coury. They hired you because you’re really good at your job, and you connect with the players.”
“Thank you, my biggest cheerleader. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“Like I could’ve earned my master’s or gotten into a PhD program without you cheering me on.”
“We’re good for each other.” Coury smiled. “Got time for one last coffee on campus before you check off?”
“Depends. Do you think my boyfriend will find out?”
