This book was exactly what I was in the mood for. A short, sweet m/m read. It's about two star quarterbacks who have been in a relationship for nine years that they've kept under wraps, and tabloids have outed them as having a 'gay affair' after one of them was injured during a game.This was such a great read, I wanted more! I thought the fact that they've been together for so long was wonderful. I loved that this author told how they came together and fell in love through flashbacks. These two were very sweet together, I especially loved Eric. To him, Cache has always been the most important thing in his life. This was is a novella by Pepper Espinoza about two quarterbacks at the height of their careers that takes place over about a two day period. The author uses flashbacks to give us glimpses into Cache's and Eric's life together, which is considerable since they have been friends since grade school.Cache has just brought his team the football championship against a rival team; a team that has Eric as it's quarterback. But at the end of the game, Cache's knee is snapped backward, possibly ending his career and definitely sitting him out for at least another season with multiple surgeries and physical therapy. Eric was there with him the next morning when Cache woke up from surgery when the headlines came out, but they weren't the headlines they were expecting. One would have thought the press (this is said with much disdain and a wrinkled nose), would have been praising Cache for bringing his team to victory, but instead, the only thing the press mentioned were rumors that Cache and Eric were in a relationship. Of course, it wasn't a rumor because they had been together for nearly ten years. Now they have a PR nightmare on their hands. Eric, being the more open one, wants to admit it but Cache is more cautious. So Cache decides to "fall on his sword" to save Eric's career and dump him so as not to keep him locked away with Cache while he is rehabilitating, and possibly damaging his career (cause being gay and a pro football player don't mix). Cache realizes his mistake as soon as Eric leaves but he's stuck in a hospital bed with no way of reaching Eric. This is where the angst came in, and I do love the angst. It was just the right amount for the story though. So he uses the press conference as his way to let Eric know how he feels, and get them the HEA they deserve.This was an enjoyable story even if it was fairly predictable. It kinda had a "cookie cutter" feel. The characters were very likeable, if not loveable. I thought what seemed like acceptance from everyone was a little far fetched. I highly doubt in the world of testosterone laden jock world of football that an entire team would be accepting. And maybe they weren't but that was the implication I got. But despite the predictability and not entirely within the realm of reality, it was a really sweet story, with loveable guys. It's also fairly light on the sex so if you are wanting something on the lighter side, this should do it for you.
