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“Always, man. Always.” Sincerity is oozing off him, but I know better. “You were going pro, and you needed to keep your head in the game. You were so close and we’d all been pulling for you for so long.”
“So were you thinking about my career when youdruggedme mid-season?” It’s only a hunch, but if I wasn’t drinking with George I sure as hell wouldn’t have started throwing back shots with this asshole.
His shoulders drop and he turns away. “I swear I didn’t know it would fuck you up like that. It was just a Molly—or shit, I thought it was. I wanted you to loosen up a little. Party. Have some fun.”
Maybe. Patrick’s dumb and self-centered enough to make that kind of justification, but after dealing with his petty resentment toward me since the first time I outplayed him on the ice, I’m not so sure. “Then why lie?”
Throwing up his hands, he looks around. “What’s the big fucking deal?”
“She was! And then she was gone like she’d never been there at all… except I’ve spent the last seven years feeling like something was missing, trying like hell to fill a void I couldn’t begin to understand.When you were there.You knew exactly who she was and what I lost.”
“Yeah, a chick you banged. How the hell was I supposed to know she was anything more than that? You forgot the whole night and I figured, better for everyone.”
“Better forher?” I demand, ready to put my fist through his face because right now all I can see is the hurt that must have been in hers.
“Maybe. You were going into the draft, man. You think you were going to have time for a long-distance piece of ass?”
I think I would have had time for George. But we’ll never know.
I lean into his space, for once unconcerned about my size intimidating someone. “What. About. Now?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about you going over to her place and lying to her about what happened. About me. I’m talking about you being such a selfish prick, that you’d rather see us both gutted and alone than own up to the fact that you knew who she was in Mexico, that you knew everything.Why?”
“All I knew was she had every fucking right to hate you. I figured she was out for revenge and tried to stop it before you ended up married.”
I look my brother in the eyes. “Bullshit. This is because you’re a jealous little prick, too lazy to put in the work for the life you want, too entitled to understand why you can’t have it anyway, too selfish to tolerate anyone else getting what you can’t.”
“Screw you, man.”
“No, screw you.” I start walking away, because this isn’t going anywhere good. I know what happened. And now I just want to get back to George.
I don’t make it three steps before two hands land at my back, shoving me. “You geteverythinghanded to you.”
I stop, closing my eyes. If he backs off now… But no.
“You don’t even have totry. You play a fuckinggamefor a living. Bitches falling to their knees begging to polish your knob. More money than you could ever need—” another shove, “—and you still won’t help your brother get a leg up. So fine, you know what? Yeah, maybe back then I thought it was timeyoudidn’t get what you wanted instead of me. And hell, now, I just wanted her to go away before the dumb cunt told—”
My fist connects with his face before he can finish. And before his knees hit the ground, I’m leaving. I’m done.
This is probablya mistake after everything that’s happened today. My nerves are shot, my emotions raw. And more than anything I want to get back upstairs to George. But this needs to happen.
For the second time today, the old-fashioned bell rings as I step into The Bike Shop and once again come face-to-face with the guys responsible for my first broken nose.
“Did you fuckers seriously eat that entire plate of lemon bars? I made them. From scratch. For your sister.”
Ross gives me the crossed-arms attitude again. “Figured she wouldn’t want them.”
Gary starts a slow, totally conspicuous grab for the wrench beside him. “But they were fucking good, bruh.”
“Jesus. Knock it off,” I say, taking the wrench away and setting it out of reach. “Look, there’s something I need to say to you, so I listen up.” They give me matching attitude and I laugh before going on. “I’m in love with your sister, okay? What happened in Mexico between her and me is something I’ll regret for the rest of my life. But she’s somehow found it in her heart to give me a second chance, which means I’m going to spend that same time making it up to her.” I take a deep breath and meet their eyes, one and then the other. “Here’s the thing, guys. I need you to know that I’m not pissed or holding a grudge about what you did. You saw some cocky asshole disrespect your sister in a messed-up way. And you did something about it. And as much as getting jumped from behind and having my nose broken sucked, I’m glad she had someone who cared enough about her to do it.”
Her brothers straighten, exchanging a demonic look that has the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.
But before they can act on whatever ideas they’ve got cooking, George comes up behind them and takes them each by the ear.
“But if you ever try that crap again—”
