“Oh shit! Happy birthday!” Her cheeks flushed as she ran around the bar. She threw her arms around my neck, and I hugged her tiny body to mine.
“Thanks.”
“What a twat cake for breaking up with you the night before your twenty-sixth birthday!” Jordan hopped onto the barstool next to me. We were the only two people in the entire bar since it was so close to closing time.
“It’s probably for the better. We weren’t going anywhere.” I sighed.
“Well then, congratulations for losing so much dead weight.” Jordan started typing on her phone and within minutes, my brother and his other best friend, Sean, were walking into the bar.
“Jordan, what did you do?” I whispered at her as she hopped off her chair.
“You need to talk to Gavin and you weren’t going to do it at your parents’ house tomorrow, so I made the executive decision to text your brother. We all have five years’ experience on you, and drinking alone is not the answer.”
“Hey Griff.” Sean took the seat next to me and I did a double-take when I saw his left hand.
“Dude, you got married?”
Gavin slapped me on the shoulder before asking Jordan for a Manhattan.
“Yep, at the courthouse last week.” Sean’s face broke into a smile that was larger than life.
“Yeah, those two fuckers didn’t even call me and Myla to be their witnesses.” The bitterness that emanated from my brother made me laugh a bit.
“Get over it, bro. Jess didn’t want anyone to know, so I agreed. Happy wife, happy life, dude.”
Gavin raised his glass. “I cannot argue with that.”
“Y’all are coming tomorrow night, right? We’re going to need all the buffers we can get with our folks.” I glanced from Sean to Jordan.
Gavin answered for them. “Of course, they’re coming. Free expensive booze and a kick ass meal?”
Sean threw his hands in the air. “I mean, I’m not complaining. Jessica is planning on coming too.”
“It’s your birthday. I wouldn’t miss it.” Jordan put gloves on and started to clean bar glasses as the attention went back to my crappy night.
Gavin turned to me. “So, what happened?”
I gave them the play-by-play and by the end, they were both hysterically laughing.
“So, let me get this straight: she’s a limp noodle in bed and then dumps you because she got knocked up by some other poor shmuck, and you’re upset about it? Sounds to me like you dodged a damn bullet.” Sean was snickering as he tried to wrap his head around it.
“I’m more pissed than anything else. I mention my birthday and the next second we’re breaking up and she’s a crying mess in my room.”
“Talk about a low blow.” Gavin jabbed me in the side.
“Ha! Very funny.” I rolled my eyes and glared at Jordan. “See, this is why I didn’t want to call them.”
She shrugged, wiping down liquor bottles as she started to get ready to close the bar. “Sorry not sorry.” She stuck her tongue out at me playfully while she continued to do her side work.
“Look, little brother.” Gavin hooked his arm around my neck. “You need to go out there and find substance. It’s rare, it’s hard to fucking find, but you’re just treading water right now. You’re at the top of your game as far as fighting is concerned, but that is not going to last forever. Look at me, for fuck’s sake—I am an old dude when it comes to hockey, and I know that sooner rather than later I am going to have to hang up my skates and figure out my next game plan. That’s all well and good, but if I didn’t have my friends and Myla, I would be a bitter asshole like our old man. Don’t let boxing be the only thing you have in your life because once it is gone, what do you have left to keep you going?”
“But, Dad has a family, lots of money, and a second career, and he still is a miserable prick.” I shook my head. Gavin was just feeding me some bullshit to try to sound like a big brother should, but it was all a load of crap as far as I could tell.
“He was always a dick, yes, but do you want to be like him?” Gavin’s eyes narrowed.
I shrugged. “No. That’s the last thing I want.”
“Let me ask you this, who is your best friend?” Gavin pointed to Jordan and Sean. “My two are here, and then I have the entire group of guys on my team that I would kill for, not to mention Myla, Brayden, Karla, and McBee. I would fucking do anything for them—they’re all practically family.”
