Catching Chance Read online

  Contents

  About Catching Chance

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgement

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Epilogue

  A Note from the Author

  Catching Chance

  Gilcrest University Guys

  Book Two

  M.E. Parker

  About Catching Chance

  What happens when you suddenly get everything you ever wanted?

  First, you don’t believe it’s real.

  Then you want more …

  Let’s be honest, gay nerds from small towns in North Carolina don’t get to date the hot, popular quarterback. It’s just one of those impregnable laws of nature. Even if he was my best friend growing up. Even if it turns out by some miracle that he’s gay too. So, forgive me if I was a bit skeptical when Chance Wyrick asked me to be his boyfriend. That sort of thing just doesn’t happen in real life.

  Sure, he has only shared his secret with me. And yeah, we’ve been fooling around for a few weeks. But again, let’s be honest, who else does he have to fool around with? He has to keep his secret. I’m safe. I’m just the first guy he’s ever fooled around with.

  I’ve been in love with him for almost as long as I can remember. I’ve fantasized about what it would be like to be his boyfriend. So, when he asked, of course I said yes. It doesn’t matter that he’s not out. It doesn’t matter that it has to be secret. It doesn’t matter that I have to pretend. All that matters is that he asked me to be his boyfriend and that I said yes.

  That’s what I was thinking the day Chance Wyrick asked me to be his boyfriend. Everything was fine until it wasn’t. Everything was fine until I wanted more …

  Catching Chance is the second book in the Gilcrest University Guys series. It’s a full-length (nearly 77,000 words), “friends to lovers” romance novel. It has “coming out” and “first-time gay” themes, is stocked full of STEAM, heartache, and laughter, and it has a guaranteed happily ever after ending. The series will follow the love stories of four college friends. Catching Chance is the second of two books that concludes Andy and Chance’s love story. It can be read as a standalone, but if you want to follow Andy and Chance’s journey from the beginning, start with Book One, Chasing Chance. Look for book three, Resisting Rein (Cam’s story), to come out early this summer!

  THIS BOOK IS FOR ADULT READERS ONLY.

  Copyright

  Catching Chance

  Copyright © 2019 M.E. Parker

  [email protected]

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original publisher only.

  Copyright and Trademark Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the copyright and trademarked status and trademark owners of the trademarks and copyrights mentioned in this work of fiction.

  Dedication

  For Joey.

  Acknowledgement

  I must offer a very heartfelt thank you to Louise Powell, with LouLou Types. Her editing made Catching Chance a better book and she has made me a better writer.

  Also, a great big thank you to Bibiane Lybæk who volunteered to give Chance a beta read at the very last minute. I'll be eternally grateful for her insight and suggestions.

  If you’re looking for a great Romance Review Blog to follow, check this one out! bibianesebookblog.com

  Prologue

  Andy

  What happens when you suddenly get everything you ever wanted? First, you don’t believe it’s real. Then you want more …

  That’s exactly what happened when Chance looked me in the eye and asked me to be his boyfriend.

  Can you blame me for freaking out a little bit?

  Chance was my best friend for nearly twelve years. From the time we were six, we were almost inseparable. We shared secrets. We talked about everything. He knew almost everything there was to know about me—my hopes, my dreams, my flaws, and my worst fears. But he didn’t know everything back then.

  If he’d known everything, he would’ve known I was gay. He would’ve known I was hopelessly in love with him.

  I’d never be able forget the moment he found out. It was our last year of high school. It was a muggy night in September. It was our last camping trip together—the night I admitted I was gay. It was also the night that our friendship ended and the night my heart broke into a thousand pieces. He ghosted me. He stopped speaking to me for the next four years. Not one word.

  A crazy twist of fate pulled us together a month ago. It had only been one month. One month since Chance told me he was gay. One month since we’d slipped back into an easy friendship. But we weren’t just friends anymore. He’d spent almost every night with me. We’d fooled around. We were friends who fooled around. At least that’s how I thought Chance viewed us until he asked me to be his boyfriend.

  The truth was, I was just as in love with Chance as I’d always been—more even, since we’d spent the last month together. Everything felt right with Chance. The way he looked at me. The way he kissed me. The way he touched me. The way he held my hand. It all felt right. But it wasn’t just the physical stuff. Our personalities just meshed, the same as always. Laughing, talking, and sharing our lives felt comfortable. Being with Chance felt like home.

  So, when I heard the words, “I want to be your boyfriend. I want you to be my boyfriend. I want us to be together,” come out of his mouth, I couldn’t make myself believe him. I couldn’t make myself believe that he was feeling what I was feeling. I’d wanted it for so long. It seemed impossible. It didn’t feel real. Being back home in Wytheville in my backyard, in the treehouse with Chance, felt surreal. It was the same treehouse we built together with my father when we were just twelve years old. It was the same treehouse where we’d spent so many summer nights together that I couldn’t even remember them all.

  When I heard his words and looked into his dark glistening eyes that were full of hope as he smiled at me, I couldn’t let myself believe that he’d meant what he said. I felt frozen. I couldn’t respond. I didn’t know how to respond. A memory flashed in front of me like a movie on a big screen. It was us. In the treehouse. On a hot summer night. We were thirteen …

  Chance lay on his side, his head propped up on his fist. I was facing him, lying in the same position. Our faces were inches apart. It was dark. Only the moonlight streamed through the tiny open window of the treehouse, illuminating his perfect face.

  “Did you know that Jason Heffner’s dating Becky Jones?” he asked
.

  I rolled my eyes because the last thing I wanted to do was talk about girls. We never talked about girls. “Since when?”

  Chance looked down. Even in the darkness, I could tell he was embarrassed. “I don’t know. He was bragging about it after baseball practice. He was talking about how Becky was the hottest girl in school and how he made out with her and stuff. He said they went to second base last night.”

  “So?” I didn’t really care about Jason Hoffner and Becky Jones. I didn’t want to talk about them. I would rather talk about our mansion, the shape of our swimming pool, or how many dogs we’d have when we grew up. I would have even settled for talking about obscure football players from the sixties and seventies. The last thing I wanted to talk about was Jason Hoffner making out with Becky Jones.

  He shrugged. “So, do you think Becky’s the hottest girl at school?”

  I rolled my eyes again. “I don’t know, do you?”

  He shrugged again. “I don’t know. Would you make out with her?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Why not?”

  I sighed and wondered how I could change the subject. “I don’t know. I think it would be gross.”

  He smiled a little. “Me too.” He stared at me. His face grew serious. The tip of his pink tongue darted from his mouth and he licked his full lips. “If you could make out with anyone, who would it be?”

  It was an easy question. If I was brave, I would have answered, “You.” But I wasn’t brave. I hadn’t told anyone my secret. It may have been okay with my parents that I liked boys, but I understood enough to know that it wouldn’t be okay with almost everyone else, Chance included. But the way he was looking at me that night—there was a slight smile on his face and his eyes seemed focused on my mouth—it gave me some tiny sliver of hope that maybe he had a crush on me too. But I wasn’t brave, so I answered, “I don’t know. Who would you make out with?”

  He didn’t respond right away. He kept staring at me. There was a second that passed, maybe even two or three, that I thought he might lean in and kiss me. But he didn’t. He rolled over and turned his back to me before he responded, “I don’t know. Probably nobody.”

  I sighed and rolled over on my back. “Me neither,” I lied. I fell asleep that night disappointed and mad at myself for hoping for something that wasn’t possible—for wanting something I couldn’t have. Chance wasn’t like me. He’d never like me the way I like him …

  Chance’s voice startled me back to the present. “Oh god, Andy. It’s too soon, I know. I’m not out. I’m a mess. Just forget I said anything.” I wondered how long I’d been silent. I looked up at him and he quickly looked down at the floor. He was embarrassed, maybe even a little hurt. But what he was asking, it couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t. His earlier words were still running through my mind … I want to be your boyfriend. I want you to be my boyfriend. I want us to be together.

  “Chance, stop. No. I just … this scares me.” My words surprised me. Chance was offering me everything I ever wanted and I still couldn’t believe it was real. So, I launched into the long story of Jeff Sidner, the first guy I ever fooled around with in college to prove my point. He didn’t seem to get it. So, I just spit it out. “I’m just the first guy you hooked up with. That’s all. You’ll see.” I’m not special. It’s not possible. You don’t really want to be my boyfriend.

  Chance’s reaction surprised me. He was angry. “Really? Are you being serious right now? You’re just the first guy I hooked up with? I think you’re a little more than that. I know I fucked things up, but we were best friends for ten years, Andy. I know you inside and out. I know you. Don’t get me wrong, the hooking up part of being with you for the last few weeks has been fucking fantastic. But it’s not just about hooking up. It’s about who you are. Every guy I’ve ever been attracted to reminds me of you. Every guy. So, why would I want someone that reminds me of you if I could have the real you? Look, if you don’t want this, just say so. But don’t try to tell me that what I’m feeling isn’t real. It pisses me off. For the record, this scares me too. I’ve never felt like this before.”

  I listened to his words, but my eyes were on the wooden floor of the treehouse. They were glued to the little heart that Chance had carved in a floorboard. It had our initials in it. I’m crazy, I thought. My heart pounded with excitement. If Chance Wyrick wanted to be my boyfriend, there was no way I’d turn him down.

  “Yes,” I blurted out before he finished his last sentence.

  “Yes, what?” he asked warily.

  “Yes, I want us to be together. Yes, I want to be your boyfriend. Ignore me. I’m an idiot.” I looked up at him and prayed he hadn’t changed his mind. As he pulled me towards him and kissed me on the lips, he whispered something. I couldn’t pay attention. All I could think was … I just got everything I always wanted.

  I felt like I was in a fog when he surprised me with the most thoughtful Christmas gift I’d ever gotten. “I know it’s only been about five minutes, but so far you’re the best boyfriend I’ve ever had.”

  I thanked him for giving me the best Christmas morning I’d had in a long time, and as he climbed out of the treehouse, he winked at me. “We’re just getting started, monkey.”

  A flock of butterflies unleashed in my stomach as I watched him climb down the ladder. Things were changing. We were different. We weren’t just hooking up anymore. We were in a relationship. Then, the worst happened. A bout of momentary panic hit me. He’s not out, I reminded myself. We’ll still be a secret. He’s the quarterback at Gilcrest. He won’t come out. You won’t be able to marry him and have kids someday. He can’t give you that.

  I immediately hated myself for letting my mind go to that place. I hated myself for wanting more. He really had just given me more than I ever dreamed of. Just knowing that he wanted us to be in a relationship was enough. I made a silent promise to myself to stop questioning it—to just enjoy it, no matter how long it lasted.

  Chapter One

  Andy

  My legs wobbled as I climbed down out of the treehouse. I felt like I was in a dream. Chance Wyrick just asked me to be his boyfriend.

  It was the last thing I’d expected. I wasn’t lying when I told him the whole thing scared me to death. Chance had the power to break me. I knew that. It happened once before. The next time would be so much worse.

  As I stepped off the last rung onto the ground, he put his arm around me, kissed my cheek, and whispered in my ear, “Race you inside.” His warm breath against my ear sent a shudder of excitement through my entire body.

  I watched Chance sprint towards the back door. Laughing, I shook my head and took off in a slow jog after him. As I walked inside the house, I could hear his footsteps on the stairs. I stopped in the kitchen and pulled out the blueberry lemon muffins I’d put in the oven before going out to see him. I put two on a plate and carried them upstairs.

  When I opened the door to my bedroom, Chance was lying face down on my bed, completely naked.

  He looked over and grinned at me. “You lost.”

  Jesus, he looked perfect lying there. I smiled back at him. “I’m pretty sure I won.”

  “What are those?” he asked, propping his head up on his fist.

  “I baked muffins,” I said lamely, staring down at the plate.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “You’re not?” I whispered. He shook his head slowly. “So, what do you want to do?” I asked as I sat the plate down on my desk.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Take your clothes off.”

  “Bossy much?” I teased.

  His lips curled up a little at the ends. “Off, Andy.”

  I took my glasses off and laid them on the desk, quickly pulling the scarf from my neck. I reached for the collar of my t-shirt and pulled it off over my head. I could feel Chance’s eyes on me as I tugged on the drawstring of my sleep pants.

  “You are so hot,” he whispered as my pants dropped t
o the floor. My cheeks burned when I heard his compliment. “You don’t have any idea, do you?” he asked. “Come here.”

  I climbed on the bed and crawled towards him. He reached up and I froze as his fingers drifted gently across my collarbone and down my chest, brushing lightly over my nipple, sending chills through my body. His touches felt like tiny whispers against my skin. I was so turned on, I wondered if I would come before we even started. The way he looked at me; so reverent and intense. I was breathless. His fingers traced the ridges and dips of my stomach and his eyes followed. I tried to control my breathing as he touched the soft hairs that led downward from my naval. It was all too much. It was too slow. I wanted him so much it was driving me insane.

  His fingers played along the waistband of my briefs. “They’re red,” he said.

  I cleared my throat. “Yeah.”

  “You always wear black.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You have other colors?”

  “Yeah,” I responded, sucking in a breath.

  “Why don’t you wear them?” he asked as he traced his fingers along the band.

  “I wasn’t sure if you’d like them,” I murmured breathlessly.

  “Why?” He looked up at me.

  “I don’t know. I guess I was worried you’d think they were too gay.”

  He chuckled. “I love them,” he said, as he looked down again and slowly moved his thumb over the tip of my erection. I looked down. A wet spot had soaked through the red fabric. “Take them off,” he commanded as he pulled the waistband down to expose my pubic hair. I couldn’t take them off fast enough.

  We lay facing each other. Completely naked. Baring our bodies and souls. He moved to kiss me. His lips were millimeters from mine.

  “Do you know how many times I’ve laid next to you in this bed and wanted to kiss you?” he whispered.

  I smiled. “I don’t believe you.”