Callum: A M/M Romance

by Dakota Rebel

  “Well,” I started. “As you obviously figured out, I talked to Monsignor Dunn this morning and I’m leaving the church.”

  “Are you okay?” Dad asked.

  “Yeah,” I said, smiling at Declan. “I’m great.”

  “Took you long enough,” Dad muttered.

  “Jed,” Mom snapped. “We’re just glad you’re happy.”

  “So, you’re unemployed?” Dad asked.

  I laughed, the last nugget of fear and unease leaving my body, causing my shoulders to relax. Everything was going to be okay.

  “Yes sir,” I confirmed. “But I still own half of Ronan’s bar, I have savings.” I pointed toward Declan with the neck of my beer bottle. “And this one’s going to be pulling ten mil a year soon. I think we’ll survive.”

  “When’s the wedding?” Mom asked, turning to Declan and beaming.

  Declan promptly spit a mouthful of beer all over himself, the sofa and the carpet.

  “Welcome to the family,” I teased him, getting up to grab him a towel from the kitchen.

  I paused for a moment when I was alone, leaning against the counter and breathing deeply. I was free. It was overwhelming and I was surprised to feel tears pricking my eyes.

  I’d spent so many years hiding from my family, my friends, myself. And it was over. Granted, Declan and I had a long road ahead of us still. But the hard part was over. The decision was made. Now we just had to deal with the consequences.

  “Did you get lost?” Declan teased, walking into the kitchen and pulling the towel I’d grabbed out of my hand.

  “Sorry,” I said. “Is she out there helping you pick out a dress?”

  “Fuck off,” he scoffed, dabbing at his shirt. “It just surprised me.”

  “Wait till she starts bugging you for grandkids,” I said, schooling my face into a serious expression.

  “Yeah?” he said, obviously playing along. “You gonna knock me up?”

  “Come here.” I pulled him against me and kissed him deeply, sliding my tongue against his and moaning softly into his mouth.

  “Should we at least practice?” he asked, his hand sliding down the front of my jeans.

  “Someone has explained the birds and bees to you, haven’t they?” I asked.

  “Maybe I need a refresher,” he said, pressing harder against my growing erection. “I was sent here to study.”

  “You’re a brat,” I growled against his lips.

  “Your brat,” he agreed before sucking my lower lip between his teeth and biting down gently. “Hey, did you get to keep the collar?”

  “Yes. And no!” I pushed him away and swatted his ass when he turned away.

  “My birthday?” he asked.

  “Will you get out of here?” I blew out a sigh. “I need a minute.”

  He glanced down at my erection and licked his lips, which made my cock twitch in interest. I wanted to drag him back upstairs and fuck him into the mattress again, but I was pretty sure my parents weren’t going to let us off the hook so quickly.

  Declan winked his terrible wink at me, then went back into the living room so I could compose myself. When it appeared safe, I followed him and retook my seat by my dad.

  “So, what are your plans?” Mom asked.

  “We haven’t made any,” I assured her. “I have to take Declan back to school, clear out my office and my apartment, and talk with Dunn. Beyond that…I have no idea.”

  “Well, you’re both welcome to stay here if you need to,” Dad offered.

  “Thank you,” I said, cutting across whatever Declan had opened his mouth to say. “But Declan will be returning to school.”

  “I’m going to look into getting into the draft in June,” Declan said firmly, glaring at me. “I’ve been eligible for a while now, but I think I’ve outlearned my coach and outpaced my team. There isn’t much point in staying beyond this year.”

  “Ben has enough credits to graduate after next semester,” I said, thinking that if Ben left school it would be easier on Declan.

  “Yeah,” Declan agreed. “He probably could’ve skipped this semester, too. But he wanted to stay. For me.”

  It suddenly occurred to me that the real reason Ben had transferred to St. Catherine’s had been to protect his twin brother. It’s what my brothers would have done for me, too. My estimation of Ben went up further at that realization, though I’d always liked him well enough anyway.

  “Are you boys hungry?” Mom said, getting up and beaming around at us. “I could make you a plate.” She looked down at Declan. “You’re too thin. Don’t they feed you at that school?”

  Declan was a lithe, solid mass of muscles. But because he was smaller than the linebackers I called brothers, she would try to feed him into missing weight for the team if he allowed her to.

  “I could eat,” Declan agreed, standing up and following her into the kitchen. “But please, I can get something myself. I don’t want to be a bother.”

  “So, you’re really okay?” Dad asked once they’d disappeared.

  “I’m better than okay,” I admitted. “You’re not…I mean.” I huffed out a breath. “You’re not ashamed of me?”

  “The fact that you can ask that wounds me, Callum.” Dad frowned and slid forward in his seat. “I love you. I love all of my children. It sucks that a couple of you seem to have forgotten that.” He blew out a heavy sigh then glanced toward the kitchen and his lips turned up into a half smile. “I love Declan, too. He suits you.”

  My cheeks flamed in embarrassment, but I couldn’t hold back my grin as I nodded at my father. He was right. Declan definitely suited me.

  Epilogue

  ~Declan~

  One year later…

  “Oh my God,” I moaned. “I’m gonna come.”

  “Don’t you dare,” Callum warned me, lowering himself to meet my body, taking my entire cock inside of himself. He sat with his palms pressed to my chest, holding himself up as he breathed deeply and his ass spasmed around my shaft.

  “Then think loose thoughts,” I hissed. My balls were so tightly drawn against my body it hurt and I desperately wanted to thrust up into him, to come hard and fast and deep inside of him.

  Our gazes met and he smiled, bending forward to kiss me, the motion tightening his body’s grip around me and making me cry out in surprise. Every movement he made put pressure on my cock and there was no way I wasn’t going to embarrass myself any second.

  “Do you want me to quiz you on math problems?” he teased as he sat back up.

  “No!” I glared at him.

  “Relax,” he said, moving his body up and down over me as he held me down with his hands on my shoulders. “Just let me find…” His hips rolled and his eye lids fluttered closed as a look of pleasure washed over his handsome face.

  I covered his hands with mine, holding them as he found his rhythm on top of me, rocking forward and back, driving me out of my fucking mind.

  “Callum,” I said, biting my lip and trying like hell to hold back the inevitable. “Callum I can’t—” My body spasmed under him, my cock jerking as I came inside of him, both of our nails digging into my shoulders as he followed me over the edge, his release splashing up my chest.

  He eased off of me and dropped to the mattress, his arm flung over my chest and his head on my shoulder.

  “You’re wound up today,” he said, his voice hoarse as he struggled to catch his breath. “Special occasion?”

  “Shut up,” I muttered.

  It was a huge occasion, and he knew it. I was starting in my first major league hockey game. I’d been drafted to Michigan’s team in June after leaving St. Catherine’s for good, but this was my first time actually playing outside of practice squad.

  “You’re going to be great,” he insisted.

  “I know,” I said with false bravado. I grabbed a towel from beside the bed and wiped down my chest. “I’m a phenom.”

  “You certainly are,” he agreed, leaning over to kiss me. “We better get goin
g. If you stay here you’re going to fall asleep and miss the game.”

  “Yeah,” I scoffed. “I’m the one who nods off after sex.”

  He grinned at me as he pulled up his jeans.

  “No!” I pointed at him. “Put underwear on. It’s a huge game and I can’t be distracted by thoughts of you free balling in the stands. And put on a fresh nicotine patch.”

  “Yes, mother.” He rolled his eyes but did as I asked.

  He’d quit smoking about a month ago, and it had been hell for him. I told him he didn’t need to, but he’d insisted it was time and I agreed. It was nice to kiss him and not have to taste it anymore.

  “Is your family going to be able to make it?” I asked him as I got dressed too.

  “Just the guys,” he said. He grabbed a black button-down from the closet and pulled it on. “They’re going to sit with your family.”

  “Where will you be?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “I’m gonna watch on television I think.”

  I threw one of my shoes at him. He caught it then tossed something back, but it wasn’t the shoe. I reached out and caught a small box in one hand.

  “What is this?” I asked, turning it over in my hand.

  “Not a shoe,” he said, rolling his eyes at me. “Who throws a shoe?”

  I opened the box and stared down at the gold ring inside of it. Blood rushed through my ears and I had to sit back down on the bed before my knees gave out.

  “Bad timing?” he asked, walking around the bed and getting on one knee in front of me.

  “Perfect timing,” I assured him. I looked down into his wide green eyes and smiled.

  “Will you marry me?” he asked, taking the ring out of the box and holding it up.

  “Of course, I’ll marry you, you idiot!” I let him slide the band onto my finger then threw myself into his arms.

  We fell backward onto the floor and I kissed him deeply. I’d been waiting for the jackass to ask me for months. I was starting to believe he never would. Which, I guess would have been fine. We were happier than either of us felt we had any right to be.

  “We should go,” he reminded me. “Big night.”

  “They’ll wait,” I assured him, kissing him again.

  “They won’t,” he said, pushing me off of him. “Don’t be a diva.”

  We stood up and finished getting ready then headed off to the stadium. I lead Callum into the locker room with me and he shook hands with most of my teammates. They all knew each other now and everyone loved Cal.

  “Mr. Ryan,” Coach said, clapping him on the back. “Would you mind leading the team prayer tonight?”

  “I’d be honored,” Callum said, smiling proudly.

  For some reason Callum and Coach Bart had hit it off immediately and become fast, fierce friends. I was terrified the guys on the team would get the wrong idea, but no one had batted an eyelash.

  That’s the good thing about playing with grown-ups I guess. No one cared that I was gay, they welcomed my boyfriend…fiancée now, I guess, into the locker room like anyone else’s family. They didn’t care who anyone else’s friends were. We were a team, and we lived and died as one. It was amazing.

  “Huddle up!” Coach called, standing up on a bench and pulling Cal up with him.

  Callum said benediction, everyone murmured their amens, regardless of faith, and then broke to get dressed for the game.

  “I’ll see you after,” Cal whispered, smoothing his hands over my sweater. “I’m proud of you.”

  “Thank you.” I grinned and handed him my ring. “Hold this for me?”

  He kissed my cheek then walked upstairs to join our family in the stands and I got ready for my first professional hockey game. And afterward, we’d go out and celebrate our engagement, celebrate my win, celebrate the amazing life we had now.

  Together.

  Forever.

  Epilogue

  ~Callum~

  Seven years later…

  “I’m so glad you boys could be here for Thanksgiving this year,” Mom said as she settled onto the sofa with a cup of coffee.

  “Yeah, well, thank Gracie,” I teased as my husband hobbled in on his crutches. “We were supposed to be in Miami.”

  “Shut up,” Declan said, rolling his eyes. “The klutz jokes can stop any time now.”

  “What fun would that be?” I asked, helping him into a chair and setting his crutches against the fireplace where he could reach them.

  “It would be great fun for me,” he insisted.

  “When does the cast come off?” Dad asked as he joined us.

  “Two more weeks,” Declan said, relief in his tone. “Then I’ll have a few weeks of physical therapy and hopefully can start playing again.”

  “I hope so,” Dad agreed. “They’re a mess without you.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Declan said.

  It was true though. Declan had been out with a broken leg for six weeks, and Michigan had yet to win a game without him. Bart called about twice a day to check up on his team captain.

  “I made up your room if you want to stay tonight,” Mom said.

  “Thank you,” I told her. “We may take you up on that. The pain pills make Gracie a little loopy.”

  I ducked the pillow that Declan tossed at my head, catching it and throwing it behind my back.

  “When are you two going to adopt?” Mom asked out of the blue.

  “Mom!” I complained, rolling my eyes. “Come on.”

  “I’m serious,” she insisted. “You have more love and money to share than most people.”

  “Don’t your other sons give you enough grandkids?” I asked.

  “There’s no such thing,” she said, sniffing indignantly.

  “Well,” Declan said, his eyes gleaming. “Actually, I’ve been perusing websites lately and there’s an adorable blonde girl with big, chocolate brown eyes I’ve got my eye on.”

  “Oh! That’s wonderful!” Mom clapped her hands together.

  “Don’t get too excited,” I warned her, glaring at my husband. “He’s talking about a golden retriever. We can’t have a dog. Or a baby. We’re never home.”

  “Kids love to travel,” Mom said.

  All three of the men in the room turned disbelieving eyes on her and she looked appropriately chagrined.

  “Well, when you’re ready, you know we’re here to help out any way we can.”

  “Thank you,” Declan said, inclining his head toward her. “But Cal is right. We’ve got plenty of time, and we’re both a little devoted to my career.”

  It had been difficult for me to let him support us, but I finally had to give in to the logic that he made millions and millions of dollars, and I was pretty unskilled at everything but loving him. So, I traveled around the country with him while he played hockey, and the rest of the world with him during the off season.

  Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that my life would turn out this way. But every day was better than the last with Declan. He was my best friend, my partner.

  It had been a hard road, but in the end everything we’d been through was worth it. It had been an adventure, and all these years later I knew it was still just the beginning.

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  About the Author

  Dakota Rebel is a bestselling author and a very slow distance runner who dreams of racing Badwater.

  She lives in a perpetual state of exhaustion with her happy husband and two incredibly spoiled children.

  Dakota loves to talk to her readers and can be found at www.dakotarebel.net

 

 

 
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