Brett's New Game Plan

Chapter 1

“Oh, Dads, it’s…it’s awesome. Thank you.” Brett Morris did a full three-sixty, examining his new room. The matching maize and blue scatter rugs, throw pillows on the loveseat, lampshades, and comforter made him smile. “My college’s colors.”

“The choice of decor was my idea,” Dennis said.

Brett nodded, pumped his dads would go to all this trouble.

“You like it?” Dennis asked, worrying his lip with his teeth.

“Course he likes it. He said so, didn’t he?” Colton gave Dennis a squeeze. “Stop fishing for compliments.”

“Yes, Dad Dennis, I like it.” He took the three steps to stand in front of his dad and pulled him into a hug.

Colton moved up behind Dennis and gathered him and Brett into a three-way hug. “Great to have you here, son.” Colton’s voice was low and raspy, a sure sign the big guy was getting emotional.

“I’m the meat in a hunk sandwich,” Dennis said with a sigh. “I’ve definitely died and gone to Heaven.”

All three men laughed, breaking the serious mood.

Brett looked above the king-size bed. “What’s the shelf for?”

“Your football trophies,” Colton told him.

“Cool.”

“Colt made it. I’m pretty useless with a hammer.” Dennis dipped his head.

“You both did this for me. I’m blown away.” No one, even back when he was alive, had gone to so much trouble for him.

“We love you, son,” Colton said, resting a hand on Brett’s shoulder.

“Thanks, Dad. I love you guys, too.”

“Come on, babe, let’s leave so he can settle in. I’ve got some more ideas for how I can use that hammer of mine,” Colton growled at Dennis, who squeaked when Colt goosed him.

Dennis raced out of the room, Colton in hot pursuit.

Brett shook his head. His dad Dennis deserved the happiness he was now receiving. All the time the two of them had roomed together, Brett had seen Dennis patiently wait for his lover to pass over. Brett sighed and flopped onto the huge bed. How much longer would he have to wait? Looking around the room again, Brett could imagine he and Gavin living here, at least until they decided where they wanted to spend their eternity. Brett guessed that was why Colt and Dennis had gotten him such a big bed. It would fit Brett and Gavin perfectly. The mattress was firm, just as he liked. Stretching out, Brett appreciated the extra room. So much nicer than his twin bed in the dorm.

* * * *

“Supper’s ready,” Dennis said, tapping on the frame of Brett’s open bedroom door.

“Thanks, I’ll be out in a minute,” Brett told him.

It had become traditional a couple of days before a game for Brett to eat at his dads’ house, where they would fire up the barbeque and Brett would eat a large steak, along with a baked potato and salad. Now he’d moved in, he’d be eating all his meals with his dads.

Raising himself from the bed, Brett’s mouth began to water at the thought of rare, succulent meat. As he’d told Dennis when the man first arrived in Heaven, people didn’t need to eat once they passed over, but they could if they wanted to. And as Brett enjoyed his food, he indulged as often as he wanted. He never understood quite how it worked, but whether he ate a lot or not at all, he was still able to maintain his strong physique.

“Smells great,” Brett said, coming out onto the patio of his dads’ house. He guessed now he ought to think of it as his house, too. “Hey, girl.” Brett petted Roxanne who had magically appeared next to him, no doubt because he was the softest touch as regards giving out tidbits.

“Dig in. You’ve got a big game coming up,” Colton told him. “Come on, Rox, you’ve just been fed.” But the dog wasn’t moving.

“Yeah. The Eastside Seraphims ran us pretty close last time.”

“But you still pulled off a win, didn’t you?” Dennis asked.

Brett knew Dennis didn’t fully understand the game, but did his best to keep up with Brett’s and Colton’s football talk. “Sure did.” Brett beamed at Dennis before forking a large piece of steak into his mouth and chewing contentedly.

Colton nudged Dennis. “And I bet before I came along, you drooled over all the hunky football players.” Colton lifted a forkful of shredded lettuce to his mouth.

“No.” But the reddening of Dennis’s cheeks told a different story. Brett knew Dennis had had a secret crush on his team’s head coach, Bo Schembeckler.

“Oh?” Colton waited.

“Of course I looked, I’m not dead. Uh, I mean…”

Everyone broke up in laughter.

“But then I’d think of you and I reminded myself that my heart belonged only to one man.”

“Aww, baby.” Colton leaned over and gave Dennis a kiss.

Brett shook his head and looked down at his plate. Sometimes his dads’ mushiness made him uncomfortable. No, that wasn’t true—he was envious of what they had.

“So, son,” Colton asked, “you and Clay got something special up your sleeves for the game?”

Brett was one of the team’s tight ends, and Clay a wide receiver. Still chewing, Brett merely nodded. Though he knew his dads would never reveal team tactics to anyone, he still wouldn’t give away anything that might help the other team. And to their credit Colton and Dennis would never ask him to.

Talk of Clay brought back memories of earlier that day when Brett was packing up his dorm room…

* * * *

A quick knock on the open door was soon followed by a familiar voice saying, “Hey, bud.” Clay Parker, dressed in baggy jeans, red T-shirt, and a college hoodie, loped in. “What ‘cha doin’?”

Brett looked down at the half-filled suitcases on his bed. “Uh, movin’ out.”

The silence which followed had Brett looking back up at his teammate. Gone was the guy’s usual laid-back expression. Clay looked…stricken.

“What? Why? I mean, I thought with that Dennis dude leaving, you an’ me could, like, be roomies.” Clay nervously picked at the pocket of his hoodie.

When Brett had passed over, Clay had been assigned to be his guide. Their shared interest in football and the fact they were both gay led to them forming a close bond. Brett strongly suspected Clay wanted more, but Brett couldn’t, not when he had promised himself to Gavin.

“Sorry, man, but my dads offered me their spare room, an’ well, this place just hasn’t been the same since Dad Dennis left.”

“Yeah, sucks to be alone.” Brett knew Clay’s roommate had moved out some time before and no one had been assigned to occupy the spare bed.

“Wanna give me a hand packing up?” Brett instantly regretted asking when he saw Clay’s strong chiseled features fall even further.

“Sorry, dude, uh, need the can. Sorry.” Clay fled.

Brett sat on the bed that used to be Dennis’s and stared at the open door. “f**k, that went well.” He knew he should have told Clay earlier he was moving out. The two of them had been real close once, before Brett had been charged with being Dennis’s guide.

* * * *

“Son?” Colton asked.

Brett shook his blond head and looked up at his dad. “Sorry, miles away.”

“Anything wrong?” Dennis asked, putting down his fork and wiping his mouth with a paper napkin.

Brett had never held anything back from Dennis, and soon after Colton’s arrival, Brett knew he could trust the ex-firefighter, too. This had been made certain when Colton asked if Brett would mind if Colton called him ‘son.’

“It’s Clay. He, uh…” Brett played with the slices of tomato on his plate. “I hurt his feelings earlier.”

“How?” Dennis asked.

The man knew of the close friendship the two athletes had shared before Dennis’s arrival. He’d worried aloud to Brett that he shouldn’t neglect his friend outside of football. But sensing Clay’s attraction to him, Brett had used Dennis as an excuse to put some distance between them—something Brett was now regretting. Clay was a great guy, and if it weren’t for Gavin, then…

“Do you want to invite him over for supper after the game?” Colton asked.

Brett started to shake his head in the negative, but found himself saying, “Yeah, thanks.”

“You could invite Clay for a sleepover if you wanted,” Dennis said.

Colton rolled his eyes and Brett snickered.

“I’m a bit old for that sort of thing. Besides…” Brett wasn’t sure it would be appropriate, plus he didn’t know if he’d be able to resist Clay’s big, chocolate-brown eyes if Clay asked if they could mess around.