I stripped the bar of a few plates, knowing I needed to warm up first. I checked my footing, looked at my hand placement and took the weight of the bar on my shoulders. I felt my brother’s eyes assessing how I was doing and knew he was approving as no tips were given. Ten squats later and I racked it.
“You made that look like child’s play.”
I didn’t smile. “Pretty much like you’ve made everything else look.” No one else was in earshot. Killian had gone back to work on isolating quads; Shay had appeared and was working on triceps.
“What do you mean?” He added weight to the bar.
I shrugged. “You’ve done so fucking amazing. And I’m really fucking pleased you’ve got Victoria. And the baby.” The words were blurted out, my well-used filter clearly not switched on.
Max paused. Stared at me. I waited for him to start laughing, but he didn’t. Instead, the big brother who’d picked me up when I’d fallen, taught me how to throw a decent right hook and explained the offside rule, pulled me into a sweaty, hard hug.
“You’re not bad for an annoying kid.” He pulled me in tighter. “And I’ll never forget how you made sure how me and Vic got back together.”
I tapped him hard on the back, our hug not ceasing. “Love you, man.”
“Fuck, you’re making me emotional. Love you, back.” There was another squeeze.
“Are you doing the rest of those squats or what?” Nick’s voice boomed through. “Thought you were looking like a PB.”
I got the PB; Max spotting me, shouting me on and when I did the sixth squat, every mince pie and pigs-in-blanket finally burned off, he gave the loudest cheer.
24
A set of gin glasses – from Claire to Ava
Maxwell
I threaded the cufflink in,twisting the end to fasten it. They’d belonged to Victoria’s granddad, the man she’d adored most in the world and the only person who she’d want to be there today and wouldn’t be.
I was lucky; my whole family would be there, pretty much, at least my close family as all of it would’ve filled St Paul’s Cathedral. Marie was one of nine siblings, and we had cousins other than the Greens, but fortunately for our sanity, we weren’t that close. My father had a brother who was attending with my three cousins from that side. None of them had gone into law, all three choosing medicine instead, and we’d really only seen them at family occasions.
But that didn’t matter now. I fastened the other cufflink and looked into the mirror. My beard was trimmed, my hair washed and styled, my waistcoat fastened, and tie done. I sprayed my cologne and stared at myself in the mirror.
I was about to get married. I’d be a husband. I’d have a wife. We were starting a family with a promise to each other, one where I’d take care of her, in sickness and in health.
Before my mother had taken her own life, she’d suffered post-natal depression. My dad, to me at the time, had done nothing. He’d buried himself in work. The day she died would be a day I’d never forget, only I knew more now.
My father hadn’t ignored her as I’d thought. I’d finally heard his side and understood it, and at the same time, I’d realised that I wasn’t my father. I could be a good partner and father, I didn’t need to lose myself in work for every hour in the day and I could support my partner if after we had a child, she struggled like my mother.
Victoria’s news hadn’t scared me like I once thought it would. We’d been trying for months, nearly a year, and she’d been far more relaxed about how long it was taking than I had. Knowing that she was pregnant with our child had just made today more important, for me, at least.
I wasn’t leaving my family. That would never happen. But I knew that things were changing. Poker nights were shorter, they had less alcohol; rugby practices didn’t always have the full complement of players; drinks after work were less frequent and early morning training sessions at the gym had changed from being written in stone, toif I can make it, I’ll be there.By this time next year, Owen and I would be fathers as well as Jackson and Killian, and I doubted it would be that long before Eli joined the club.
Mornings like today’s were precious. Most of us had flown from the nest Marie had made in one way or another over the last three years, creating our own, which meant we were becoming busy with our own brood. Today was a milestone; I’d spend it with my family that had and would always be my home, but I’d be announcing my own start too.
I looked back up in the mirror and saw Jackson behind me, his tie done impeccably, his stubble trimmed, and man bun tied neatly.
“All set?” He sounded nervous.
“Indeed.” I reached for my jacket. We were driving over in a couple of classic cars that my dad had surprised me with, thankfully ones with snow tyres, probably aimed to ease any last-minute nerves with distraction. It might work. They were pretty nice cars, a Porsche Macan and a Lamborghini Urus; Seph and Shay had spent half an hour arguing about which one they were going to drive.
The answer was neither.
“You’ll be fine. This is one of the best thing’s you’ll ever do.” He passed me the flower for my buttonhole.
“Thanks.” I pinned it in. “Did you feel nervous?”
“Hell, yeah. And it will go until Vic goes into labour. You’ll need more medication than her.” He paused. “It’s time. You want a quick whisky?”
