Page 52 of The Callahan Effect

"I believe you."

Dad's expression softened.

"I'll admit I'm a little surprised. Not because you're gay." He gave a faint shake of his head. "Only because you've guarded your private life so carefully that I stopped expecting anyone would ever get close enough to matter."

I felt a lump rise in my throat as I typed.

I just hadn't met someone who made me want more.

Dad read the words twice before standing and walking around the desk. Without saying another word, he pulled me into a hug. When he stepped back, his hand rested briefly on my shoulder.

"Take care of each other."

"We will," Mason assured him.

Satisfied, Dad nodded.

"Now get out of my office before the rest of the coaching staff starts wondering why I've disappeared."

The tension dissolved instantly.

As Mason and I stepped back into the corridor, the weight I'd carried for years felt noticeably lighter. I'd expected questions, disappointment, perhaps even resistance. Instead, Dad had accepted us without hesitation, and for the first time since Mason walked into my life I no longer felt as though our future depended on hiding who we were.

Chapter Nine

MASON

The arena finally emptied sometime after noon.

The coaches disappeared into their offices to review practice footage, teammates drifted away in groups toward whatever plans they'd made for the rest of the day, and the building gradually returned to its usual Sunday quiet. After spending nearly three hours on the ice, I should have been exhausted, yet I couldn't remember feeling lighter than I did walking across campus beside Jack. We'd done the one thing I'd been dreading most since admitting how I felt about him. We'd told Coach Callahan the truth, and instead of finding disappointment, we'd found acceptance.

It had been acceptance, support, and an understanding neither of us had dared hope for.

Every time I thought about his response, I found myself shaking my head in disbelief.

Jack nudged my shoulder, bringing me back to the present.

Hungry?

"I could probably eat enough for the entire team."

His thumbs moved across the screen again.

Good. I know a place that makes incredible burgers.

"Lead the way."

The restaurant was located only a couple of blocks from campus, tucked between a bookstore and an old brick building that had probably stood there longer than Evergreen itself. It wasn't fancy, and that suited both of us.

The lunchtime crowd kept the place busy without becoming overwhelming, but neither of us felt like sitting among dozens of other students. The smell of grilled beef and fresh fries greeted us before we'd even reached the counter.

"Want to take it back to my room?"

Jack answered with a nod before I placed our order.

We stepped outside to wait for our order, leaning against the brick wall beside the entrance while the lunch crowd came and went around us. Jack pulled his phone from his pocket, frowned briefly at the screen but didn't reply.

"Everything okay?"