Page 182 of Hiding in the Outfield

“Go get him.”

Jed slips out of the room to grab Shane.

“What are you thinking, Chuck?”

“I think if you all came out, it would completely change the landscape of this sport. All it takes is one. But two Major League ballplayers coming out? One a son’s legend? And then a minor leaguer who’s a step from The Show too… This could be huge, Jackson.”

“Maybe inspire others.”

“Exactly. I’m not going to sugarcoat it and pretend like it’ll be a fairy tale. It is not the norm to have such supportive organizations backing you. I see what happens behind the scenes, and I have witnessed my fair share of trades because a clubhouse finds out their player is gay or queer. Of course, they never spin it that way, and it leaves us with very little to fight. But this will go a long way in bringing about change in this sport. The more we can call out those who are homophobic and bigoted, the smaller and less powerful their voices get. We drown them out by standing louder together.”

“Whatttup!” Shane comes barreling into the room. “Y’all needed some Shaney-babe?”

Jed snakes his arms around Shane’s middle and tucks Shane to his chest. He dips his mouth to Shane’s ear. “Easy, Sunshine.”

Shane instantly settles. It never ceases to amaze me the way Jed grounds Shane. And the way Shane breathes life into Jed.

“Hi, Shane. Chuck here.”

Shane grins. “Chuck, my fellow golden bro! How’s it hanging?”

“It’s hanging…well.” The restrained laughter is evident in Chuck’s voice. “We’re discussing Jackson having just come out on national television.”

Shane jumps in Jed’s arms. “Yasss! It was beautiful.” He looks up at Jed over his shoulder. “Wasn’t it beautiful? Like The Notebook level romantic. Not a dry eye in the house after that.”

Chuck’s laugh rings through the speaker, and I just shake my head at the bonkers-ness that is Shane.

“Yes, it was quite the moment,” Chuck says. “And will be a moment the media salivates over—good and bad—for a while. Jed has brought up the possibility of coming out with Jackson.”

Shane’s eyes pop wide, and he spins around. “JJ? Really? I support you one hundred percent.” He spins back around. “I’ll come out too. Just tell me when, where, how, what to wear, what we’re eating⁠—”

Jed squeezes the back of Shane’s neck lightly, and Shane cuts off. A soft blush blooms on his cheeks. “Sorry, bros. Get carried away sometimes.”

“I love the enthusiasm, Shane,” Chuck says. “And that is why I asked for you in here. But I want you to think hard about this. This isn’t a decision to take lightly, and shouldn’t be made lightly. Jed and I have discussed this at length. Jackson too. I’m not sure what discussions you’ve had with your agent, but I don’t want you doing this on a whim.”

“I can get you her contact information. Wendy. She’s da bomb dot com. Both she, Jed, and I figured we’d wait until I was called up and then we’d come out. Still have to broach the whole sleeping with a teammate thing with the Jetties. But I’m a trust-your-gut, in-the-moment kinda guy. This feels like a moment. So, I’m down. Plus, maybe it’ll open the door for others to come out.”

There’s a wealth of meaning in his last words, and I know he’s thinking of Easton and Maddox.

“I wonder…” Jed starts slowly. “If this would give us some trade protection too. My biggest concern is how the Jetties will react to two players being in a relationship. Shane’s my forever, but I can understand how any inter-office relationship could make teams nervous. The thought of them trading Shane to head off that risk has been in the back of my mind. Something I’m ready to fight with my team of lawyers. But…”

“But if you two come out, and the Jetties trade Shane after the fact, it’ll look like they did it because you two came out,” Chuck finishes thoughtfully. “It would completely taint the image of the franchise. Especially compared to how supportive Berkeley has been.”

Damn. That’s kind of brilliant.

“JJ, babe, you are devious,” Shane says with a wicked grin. “Playing hardball.”

Jed shrugs a shoulder. “As much as I trust the franchise, I take zero risks with you, Shane. Anything extra I can do to protect you, I’ll do.”

“Likewise, babe. I may be a Golden Retriever, but I have fangs too.” He nods his head seriously. “Ever seen a Golden Retriever when its owner is threatened? Don’t. Fucking. Mess.”

Jed leans in and murmurs something which I’m pretty sure was supposed to be just for Shane. But I definitely heard it.

You calling me your owner, Sunshine?

Shane snaps straight. “Um. Is this conversation over? I need to…show Jed something.”

I choke on a laugh. “By something, you mean your dick?”