Chapter One

 

 

“Seriously, dude. Have you thought this through?” Taylor asked quietly, leaning in closer than Mack was comfortable with.

It wasn’t that he had a problem with his personal space being violated, he just had a problem with Taylor. The guy was a full-blown, tried and true idiot. First class idiot. The model child of idiocy. Mack leaned away, sending a warning frown to his younger teammate.

“Have I thought what through, Taylor? Taking a week off school to spend time with my brother and his friends, snow skiing in the mountains?” He shrugged. “Seems like a no-brainer to me.” His eyes narrowed. “Why, exactly, are you bothered by it?” He knew the answer…and the answer pissed him off.

Taylor looked to the left, then to the right, before closing the distance gap that Mack had just established. “Aren’t you at all concerned that hanging around with gay guys might, you know, make you gay or something?”

A large hand landed on Taylor’s shoulder and squeezed tightly. “Why? Punching the clock with you hasn’t made him stupid, so I don’t see how hanging with the gay guys will make him gay,” Rock said loudly. His hand kept tightening on Taylor’s shoulder until he started squirming uncomfortably.

Mack wanted to burst out laughing. Hell, it was the first time he’d felt like laughing in over seven months. He was fucking miserable. His brother’s phone call and invite to the cabin had come just in the nick of time.

“You calling me stupid, Rock?” Taylor asked with a frown.

Rock finally eased up on the shoulder squeeze and plopped down in the empty seat next to Taylor. “Yep,” he said, scratching his chin. “Well, homophobic and stupid,” he amended as he sent a wink in Mack’s direction. “Better not let Trystan hear you spout stupid shit like that out of your mouth. He’ll make you wish you’d been born mute before he’s finished with you. We’ve got no room for bigots on this team, Taylor. Hell, no room for bigots anywhere. Straighten your shit up or you’ll find yourself on the outside looking in.”

Taylor snorted out a laugh, but it sounded nervous as hell.

“I’m not too worried about Trystan pounding me into the ground. He’s too busy stalking Aqua Boy to pay me any mind.”

He shrugged but his eyes were darting around the cafeteria nervously. When they landed on Trystan and Alex, he turned a full shade paler. This reaction was strange considering Mack was as big as Trystan and it was his gay brother and his brother’s gay friends that Taylor had been insulting. Did Taylor think Mack wouldn’t rip him apart for that shit? He’d kicked asses for less and the fuck knew he was currently in the mood to kick some ass.

Rock’s eyes darkened angrily. “Taylor…get lost. Go. Shoo. Remove yourself from our presence. Disappear.”

Taylor stood up, snatching his lunch tray with him. “You guys are graduating in a few months. You aren’t the big men on campus anymore. Maybe you all should remove yourselves from my presence,” he snapped in what Mack guessed had to be a final attempt to hold onto at least a shred of his pride. He’d failed.

Rock waved him away with his fingers and then double flipped him the bird as soon as he turned around. Shaking his head, he said, “Coach is so going to get rid of his ass. He has the worst attitude in the world, on the field and off the field. Too bad ‘cause he’s really got some talent.”

“He’s just a kid. Maybe he’ll grow up,” Mack answered.

Rock rolled his eyes. “He’s one year younger than us, man. He ain’t gonna change. He’s an ass now and he’ll be an ass tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that.” Turning his full attention to Mack, he said, “Mackenzie! How are things going with you? Are you as bored as I am since football season is over?”

Mack arched a brow and smirked. “Mackenzie? Since when am I Mackenzie? I’ve known you for four years and I’ve been Mack every single day. What gives?” Mackenzie was his full name but not another living soul, other than Rory when he was pissed at him for something, called him that. It had always been Mack. He liked Mackenzie better but had always kept that fact to himself.

Grinning, Rock said, “You’re Mackenzie ever since Alex became Alexander and Tank became Trystan. We’ve got to get rid of these nicknames. Playtime’s over. We’re about to head out into the real world and we won’t be taken serious with ridiculous names.”

Mack tried for a smile but knew that it had to come off as weak at best. The last thing he needed was another reminder of that fact that every fucking person he knew was about to get on with their life. Playtime was over. Yeah. Yah. His life sucked. “What are we going to call you, man?” He tried for a laugh. It, like the smile, was weak. “What is your real name and, more importantly, how the hell did you know mine was Mackenzie?”

“My given name is Rockford, and I’ll fucking kill anybody that calls me that shit. For the other question, I’ve been dating a chick in records and I snuggled your name out of her.”

He looked quite pleased with himself.

“Do you mean smuggled?” Mack asked.

“Nope,” he popped. “Snuggled. I snugged her so good that she’d have given me anything I asked for. I asked for your given name.” He leaned back in the chair. “I’m not fond of Mack, anymore. Mack Truck worked fine during football season. Now? You’re Mackenzie.”

“You’re weird, Rockford. Really weird,” Mack answered. Wait—he was Mackenzie now. Actually, Mackenzie was the name that had been on the beautiful wedding invitation he had just gotten in the mail. Fuck. A wedding invitation. Jessie’s wedding invitation. On fucking Valentine’s Day – which was only three days away. The girl he should be marrying. The girl he had dated since he turned sixteen years old. His Jessie.

“Yep, I’m weird,” Rock agreed solemnly. “You realize I’m going to have to kick your ass now, right? I didn’t want it to come down to that, but you had to go there, even after I told you not to. Not cool, man. Not cool at all.”

“I know. I’m totally good with it. Calling you Rockford from now on will be worth any ass kicking you might send my way,” Mack mocked playfully. Well, as playful as he could get with that damned wedding invitation burning a fucking hole of despair in his back pocket.

“What’s this crap Taylor’s talking about, anyway? You planning on a trip and not telling me about it? In fucking February? I hope to hell that you’re going somewhere warm. This snow is killin’ my chill, man. I’m so sick of this crap. Did you hear that Trystan’s Aqua Boy almost froze to death the other night?”

“I’m thinking about meeting my brother and his friends for some snow skiing in Colorado – definitely not warmer or less snow,” he answered. “I heard something about Dakota being out in his Jeep during the snow storm the other night, but nothing about him almost freezing. What the crap happened?”

Trystan was hilarious with his latest love interest. He’d known the guy for four years now and never once had Mack seen Trystan actually show real interest in another person – male or female. Trystan Matherly was all hit it and quit it…until Dakota.

“Don’t know all the facts,” Rock answered. “All I know is that Trystan went nuts. I heard he about took the head off of one of the ambulance drivers.” He shrugged. “All’s good, though. Dakota’s safe and sound.”

He waved over in the direction of Trystan and Alex, so Mack knew his buddies would be headed over in their direction before long. Good. Maybe they could cheer him up. Nope, he loved those guys but he was sure cheering him up was out of the question. Every damned time he thought about Jessie, his heart broke all over again. They’d been broken up for only seven months and she was getting married? What. The. Fuck. Who did that shit?

“Snow skiing, huh?” Rock squinted in his direction. “What does a Key West boy know about snow skiing?” He leaned his elbows onto the table. “And why snow skiing? Seriously, dude, the snow needs to go. Why can’t your brother keep his sorry ass in Key West and let you visit him there? I thought Rory was a straight-up guy but if he’s making you head for the Colorado Mountains instead of the Key West waves, I might have to reconsider my opinion of him.”

“Sup?” Trystan said as he slid into the seat next to Mack, plunking Alex’s book bag on the table with an echoing thud that caused nearly every head in the cafeteria to look in their direction. He pulled another chair out and motioned for Alex to sit down. “Right here, Your Royal Highness.”

“Smartass,” Alex mumbled as he took the seat Trystan offered him.

“How’s the hand, Alex?” Mack asked. Alex had gotten his hand crushed between two helmets during the championship ballgame. Mack still cringed in pain when the image played back in his head. They had been terrified that he might lose the use of his hand, but so far his recovery was moving along nicely.

“Annoying,” Alex muttered. “It’s about to drive me insane.”

“Aww, poor baby,” Trystan teased. “Don’t whine too much, QB. Daddy might spank your ass when you get home tonight.” Trystan winked in Mack and Rock’s direction. “AKA, Lincoln.”

“Boundaries, Trystan. Personal boundaries.” Alex groaned with a blush.

Trystan took the hint and turned his attention to Mack. “What’s this about snow skiing in Colorado? You taking a mini vacay, Mack?”

“Oh, his name is Mackenzie now. Use it. He loves it,” Rock interrupted. “Okay, back to snow-capped mountains.” He waved his hands for them to carry on.

“I’m thinking about taking a week off and meeting my brother and some of his friends up in the mountains. I don’t know a damned thing about snow skiing, but I know a hell of a lot about lying around, not doing a damned thing.” The invitation in his back pocket mocked his attempts of pretending he just needed some down time after the football season. He wasn’t physically tired. He was mentally exhausted – emotionally drained. Losing Jessie had nearly destroyed him. After they’d won the championship game, he’d punched in her number to tell her the good news before he paused to consider the fact that she didn’t care – she didn’t belong to him anymore. He’d hung up on her. Like a pathetic wimp, he’d just hung up on her. Of course, she’d called right back, but he’d ignored it. What could he have said?

Trystan’s gray eyes studied Mack for a few seconds before he said, “Is this sudden getaway because of Jessie’s upcoming wedding?”

Mack’s head snapped around. “How the hell did you know?” What had she done? Rented a plane and flew a banner around campus just so she could rub it in on him? Let everybody know she’d found a man better than him?

“Because I was invited to the wedding,” Trystan answered carefully. “We all were, Mack. Jessie’s our friend, too.”

Mack could see the unease flashing in Trystan’s eyes. He knew Trystan didn’t want to go down the path, but, hell, why the fuck not? Might as well put it all out there, he told himself. Let all his friends know what had happened – what a fucking loser Mack was.

“Friend or lover, Trystan? Jessie was your friend or lover?”

Fuck. Mack wasn’t even sure why he went there. He knew better. He knew what had happened between him, Trystan, and Jessie had not been Trystan’s fault. They’d all been drunk and a threesome had sounded fun. As it turned out, when they were all three sober, there had been nothing fun about it. Hell, Mack couldn’t even remember much of the night. He just knew that it wasn’t long after that encounter that Jessie told him they were finished.

“Oh, shit,” Alex mumbled. “Seriously, Trystan? Please tell me you didn’t have sex with Mack’s ex-girlfriend…while she was still his girlfriend. Please,” he pleaded. “You didn’t. You couldn’t have. You wouldn’t have done that Mack.”

“It was a threesome,” Rock explained in a dead-pan voice. “Trystan didn’t do the dirty with Mack’s girlfriend behind Mack’s back. They all did it together.” His eyes narrowed when he turned to Mack. “It was something all three of you agreed upon together, Mackenzie. Just because you’re pissy doesn’t mean you can turn the facts inside out. Shit like that breaks the bro code.”

Mack knew that Rock was right, but dammit, he didn’t care. He was pissed. Every fucker in the world knew that when you were pissed, royally pissed, you didn’t have to make sense in arguments – you just fucking argued for the sake of arguing! “I’m not turning facts one way or the other; I’m just stating them. All I know is that after our little thunderous threesome, I lost my girlfriend. End of story.” Fuck, now it sounded a lot like Trystan was a better lover than he was.

Trystan rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Listen, Mack, I don’t want to travel down this road with you but if you keep insisting on it, don’t get fucked up by what I’m going to say. Got it?”

“Why? What are you going to say? That I wasn’t man enough to keep my girlfriend? Is that the road you’re planning on traveling down? ‘Cause if it is, I strongly suggest you back your shit down. We might be the best of friends, but there’s a thing called crossing the line…even for you, Trystan.”

“Low blow, Mack,” Alex hissed in frustration. “Trystan’s your friend; don’t be talking shit about him. I know you don’t mean it.” He looked around and noticed that they were all drawing more attention than any of them were interested in gathering. He’d had enough of his attention-drawing on the Alabama Temple campus. “Can we please change the subject?”

“Oh, hell, no,” Mack argued. “We aren’t changing the subject now. Trystan was just about to let me have it, weren’t you, friend? Go ahead, tell me what you’re dying to say. I can see you fighting to keep the words in. Let it go, man. What else can you take away from me? Wasn’t my girlfriend enough? Nah, keep going,” he plowed ahead. “Take my pride, too. Hell, take it all.”

“Are you seriously that blind, man?” Trystan barked out. “It wasn’t me that caused your girlfriend to turn tail and run away, Mack. Hell, it wasn’t you, either! Neither of us fucking had what she was looking for!” Trystan dragged his fingers through his hair and then massaged that bridge of his nose. “You know this, right? Surely you understand what that night was all about?” He questioned. “Especially now. Did you even read the wedding invitation?”

“What in the hell does that even mean, Trystan? The night was all about us drinking too much and making a colossal fuck-ass mistake – a mistake I’m still paying for!” He stood up, needing to make a retreat before lines were crossed. He didn’t want to go there; he loved these guys, especially Trystan.

He’d just loved Jessie, too. While they’d been sixteen when they started dating, he and Jessie had been best friends since the first grade. They’d shared everything. All those incredible ‘firsts’ that children have in life? They’d had them together.

“Especially now? Because she’s finally cementing the fact that she found someone better than me by committing the rest of her life to him?” He fell back down onto his chair. He was exhausted. He was crushed. He needed comfort from his friends, not hand to hand combat after dredging up horrible past mistakes.

Trystan frowned. Alex frowned. Rock frowned.

What the fuck? Why were they looking at him like he was the total idiot? Surely to fuck Taylor was standing right behind him and that’s why they all held that crazy expression on their faces.

Finally, Trystan said, “Do you really not know, man?”

“Know what? That my girlfriend of seven years is getting married to someone besides me? Sure, yeah, I know all about that shit. What else do I need to be aware of?”

Silence reigned for a few more uncomfortable seconds before Trystan answered, “She’s marrying a chick, Mack. She’s a lesbian. No, you weren’t what she wanted in our threesome, but neither was I. She told me she just needed to be sure. She’s anti-dick, Mack.”