The Field of Someone Else's Dreams

By Amelia C. Gormley

Chris Boyden loved Matt VanderVeen since junior high. But growing up gay in the Bible belt of west Michigan was difficult, and unlike Matt, he wasn’t brave enough to face the prejudice head-on. Especially when his family told him over and over that he wouldn’t be able to attend college without a scholarship.

Back in high school, he worried that coming out would get him kicked off the baseball team or make recruiters reluctant to scout him. Eventually, Matt broke up with him when he couldn’t handle being Chris’s secret boyfriend any longer, but college has given them a second chance — if Chris has the courage to take it.

When a terrible injury puts Chris's baseball scholarship in jeopardy, it reminds Chris of all the reasons he stayed in the closet to begin with, and his ultra-masculine father's expectations and thoughtless homophobia aren't helping. Baseball has always been Chris's hope for the future, but now that dream could cost him Matt's love.

NOTE: This eBook novelette is a re-release. It was originally published by the Goodreads M/M Romance group as part of their Love Has No Boundaries event in June 2013.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amelia C. Gormley
• Release date: Apr 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781626226043

Amelia C. Gormley

Amelia C. Gormley published her first short story in the school newspaper in the 4th grade, and since then has suffered the persistent delusion that enabling other people to hear the voices in her head might be a worthwhile endeavor. She’s even convinced her hapless spouse that it could be a lucrative one as well, especially when coupled with her real-life interest in angst, kink, social justice issues, and pretty men. When her husband and son aren’t interacting with the back of her head as she stares at the computer, they rely on her to feed them, maintain their domicile, and keep some semblance of order in their lives (all very, very bad ideas—they really should know better by now.) She can also be found playing video games and ranting on Tumblr, seeing as how she’s one of those horrid social justice warriors out to destroy free speech, gaming, geek culture, and everything else that’s fun everywhere. You can find her self-published Impulse trilogy almost anywhere ebooks are sold, and check out her catalog of Riptide Publishing releases at their website.

Book preview

About The Field of Someone Else’s Dreams

Chris Boyden loved Matt VanderVeen since junior high. But growing up gay in the Bible belt of west Michigan was difficult, and unlike Matt, he wasn’t brave enough to face the prejudice head-on. Especially when his family told him over and over that he wouldn’t be able to attend college without a scholarship.

Back in high school, he worried that coming out would get him kicked off the baseball team or make recruiters reluctant to scout him. Eventually, Matt broke up with him when he couldn’t handle being Chris’s secret boyfriend any longer, but college has given them a second chance — if Chris has the courage to take it.

When a terrible injury puts Chris's baseball scholarship in jeopardy, it reminds Chris of all the reasons he stayed in the closet to begin with, and his ultra-masculine father's expectations and thoughtless homophobia aren't helping. Baseball has always been Chris's hope for the future, but now that dream could cost him Matt's love.

NOTE: This eBook novelette is a re-release. It was originally published by the Goodreads M/M Romance group as part of their Love Has No Boundaries event in June 2013.

Praise for Strain

This is one story that will stick with me long after I am done reading it. Five Shooting Stars.

— RedzWorld

…dystopian fantasy at its finest…devastatingly beautiful.

— Boy Meets Boy Reviews

Strain will be on my Books of the Year list for 2014. This I already know. More than 5 stars if I could.

— On Top Down Under Book Reviews

Praise for the Impulse trilogy (Inertia, Acceleration, Velocity)

Inertia is a lovely read. Beautifully written with excellent characterisations.

— On Top Down Under

…she’s definitely going to be one of those must read authors for me. I loved every moment I spent reading this book.

— Top 2 Bottom Reviews

Amelia C. Gormley has treated me to something that, as a reader, I love more than just about anything.

— The Novel Approach

Also by Amelia C. Gormley

Strain

Saugatuck Summer

The Impulse Trilogy

Inertia

Acceleration

Velocity

The Laird's Forbidden Lover

The Professor's Rule series (with Heidi Belleau)

THE FIELD OF SOMEONE ELSE’S DREAMS

By Amelia C. Gormley

ISBN: 978-1-6262260-4-3

Copyright © 2013 Amelia C. Gormley

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Manufactured in the United States of America.

Editor Barb Toth

Cover and Interior Design P.D. Singer

The books in this collection are works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

If you’d asked me three months ago, I would have said there was no more thrilling sound on this planet than the resounding crack that happens when the bat makes contact with the ball. Even when you’re not the one batting, even if you’re just standing on base, awaiting your opportunity to run for the next.

It’s a heart-stopping, pulse-pounding sound, the deafening shot of a gun signaling the start of a race. It’s a sound that is almost always punctuated by the roar of the crowd and a rush of adrenaline. Did it foul? Will I make it to base on time? Will it be a home run? A grand slam?

It is, quite frankly, the only reason I played baseball. For that matter (in my humble opinion, at least) it’s the only reason anyone would spectate baseball, the only reason the game exists in the first place. Without it, baseball is minutes upon minutes of tedium with no purpose. All of us, the team at bat, the outfielders, the crowd in the stands, we’re all just milling around waiting for that sound to call us to action.

I’d managed to convince myself I was in love with that sound, and why not? I’d

Reviews for The Field of Someone Else's Dreams

[penny01-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well written, but the story was not unique.

[serenayates · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

One of many examples of a closeted young man trying to make things work with an out boyfriend, this is the story of Chris and Matt. They've known each other since high school and are now attending the same college. They love each other, but Chris is scared to death about coming out. And as the story develops, it becomes pretty obvious why.

Chris is on a baseball scholarship, urged along by his father. His dad is also a very macho man, who utters homophobic slurs every 5 minutes and doesn't even realize what he's doing. Chris is justifiably scared to come out, he fears he won't have a family left to come home to once he "admits" who he really is. And once he does come out? He learns a lot about them and himself, but it is not easy nor a very happy situation.

Matt is out and has his family's support. He doesn't want to be Chris's dirty secret, and while he doesn't give Chris an ultimatum, he is honest about his dwindling ability to deal with hiding who he is, and who they are to each other. When Chris comes out, Matt has a lot of learning to do as well. For him, it was unimaginable that Chris's family wouldn't come around, but that's what he has to deal with.

If you like realistic stories about young men who have to deal with homophobia and families who are less than understanding, if you enjoy reading about college students learning to deal with life, and if you're looking for a realistically written piece without a rose-colored perspective, you will probably like this free short story.