“Don’t do that. It’s too pathetic. The less you speak from here on out, the better.”
I awoke to shit in my mouth.
Okay, well not literally, but I imagine that’s what shit tastes like. I looked around and realized I was lying in my bed but had absolutely no recollection of how I’d gotten there. There was also a small hammer inside my head beating away at my brain to the tune of “You Asshole. Why Did You Drink So Much?” I hadn’t heard that one in quite some time. I chanced sitting up and it only got a little worse. I could do this. A glass of water and three ibuprofen rested on the upturned packing box that acted as my bedside table. Thank God, somebody liked me.
Carrying the glass, I shuffled carefully into the living room and found Gavin sitting on my couch fiddling with his phone. Oh yeah, now I was starting to remember.
“Yo,” was all I could manage. I swallowed the pills and winced.
“Hey. You’re alive. It was touch and go for a while there last night.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. I don’t usually drink that much.”
“No problem.” He shook his head. “If I could count the number of times I … well, maybe not the most appropriate story for my boss. But, considering the current situation …” He laughed.
Yeah, I felt like a moron. “Right. So, am I missing any important details from last night?”
“Oh, wow, this is awkward. You mean you don’t remember proposing to that stripper last night?”
My stomach dropped right to the floor and I thought I was going to be sick. What the fuck had happened last night?
“Joking, dude. But you should see the look on your face.” He was enjoying himself way too much. I would have to remember to punch him in the face when I was feeling better. “Seriously, though, I feel bad that I was the cause of this mess. Laney and I? We just … I don’t know. We’re kind of like oil and water sometimes and you just got caught up in it. Don’t worry, though, I’ve got a plan.”
One diner breakfast—or more accurately, lunch—of grease topped with grease and a side of grease, and I was feeling much better. I still didn’t know if I trusted Gavin to fix my Laney problems, but it couldn’t hurt to let him try.
After we ate, Gavin drove us to Laney’s house. I was extremely leery—she’d asked me to leave her alone and I really didn’t want to get slapped in the face or punched in the nuts. “I don’t know about this, Gavin.”
He put the car in park and turned off the engine. “Do you trust me?”
“Not even a little.”
“Hm. I guess I can see that. Let’s put that aside for the moment. Can you answer one question for me?”
I nodded.
“Is it possible for me to work for you part time instead of full time?”
That was not where I thought he was going with this. “Yeah, sure. We’ve got several part-time guys. It would affect your benefits, but yeah.”
“Good. Now let’s get in there and get your girl.” He paused getting out his door. “And if you tell anyone I said that I’ll kick your ass.”
“Afraid to show your soft underbelly, Gavin?” I had to rib him. I got out and we started up the front path.
“Fuck you,” he grunted.
Before we could get to the porch, the door opened and there was my girl—or at least I hoped she was still my girl. Her hair was pulled up into some kind of messy thing on top of her head and she was dressed in a loose t-shirt and cut-off shorts. Her face was free o makeup and I spotted dark circles under her eyes. She was perfect. Her eyes came straight to me.
“I’ve been trying to call you. I was worried you never wanted to see me again.” Her eyes filled with tears.
“What?” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Dead. “Shit. My battery’s dead. I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry—so sorry, Nate, I—”
“All right, let’s not give the neighbors a show—get your asses inside,” Gavin directed. Laney didn’t even spare him a dirty look. Huh. We proceeded indoors and Gavin shut the door behind us.
Laney faced me with her hands to her cheeks. “I was mad at Gavin and I totally took it out on you and I shouldn’t have. I said some awful things and I didn’t mean any of them. Well, some of them I did but those were more about Gavin, not you.”
I stepped closer and pulled her hands down so I could hold them. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have stuck my nose into a situation I didn’t fully understand. And I probably said some things I shouldn’t have either. Can we be done fighting now?”
“Yes, please.” She threw her around my neck. I squeezed the living hell out of her in return and kissed her temple.
“Okay, okay, let’s stop while we’re still at a PG rating. I have a few things I need to say,” interrupted Gavin.
Laney and I pulled apart and she turned to face him. I moved behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.
“I have some things I want to say to you too,” confessed Laney.
Gavin tipped his chin. “I’ll let you go first if you promise it won’t involve yelling. Or punching me in the junk.”
She crossed her heart. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to—Rocco’s just down the hall. Look, I know we fight and that’s kind of our thing, but I owe you an apology. I haven’t been very sympathetic these last couple years and it probably has more to do with my own issues and insecurities than yours, or so my fairy godmother told me. And—”
“Your fairy what?” I had to interject.
“Never mind—that’s not important. Anyway, Gavin, you’re important to me and I love you. And I really appreciate all the help you give with Rocco. I’ll try to be more supportive and less judgmental from here on out. I promise, and I’m sorry.” She released a breath like it had been weighing her down like a ton of bricks.
“Wow.” Gavin blinked. “That was … kind of unexpected.” He laughed self-consciously and scratched his head. “Um, I was gonna tell you I’m sorry too.”
He backed up against the wall and tucked his hands in his pockets. “After our fight on Thursday, I went over to Brett’s to get drunk and I started ranting to him about my pain-in-the-ass sister.” He shot Laney a sheepish look. “But he kind of hit me in the face with the same truth-stick you did. Nobody besides you has ever gotten on my case about getting my act together, and to hear it coming from him was kind of a kick in the nuts.
“You’re my sister and you’re supposed to nag me and be full of shit, but he’s been my best friend through all this and he said he couldn’t keep his mouth shut anymore. So, I’ve been thinking a lot about it the last couple days and I’m finally coming to terms with the fact I won’t play ball for a living. But that doesn’t mean I can’t play at all—which I know you’ve been trying to tell me, so just shut up, okay?”
Laney relaxed back into me as Gavin continued, “Anyway, I made a few calls and then I received a few more. It seems your fairy godmother has some connections, because I have an interview for a job at the Baseball Academy coaching high-level teenage players. It wouldn’t be full time, but Nate said I can still work part time with him, so I think I’m gonna go for it. Hell, what is it they say—those who can’t do, teach?”
“Something like that,” she responded.
Gavin raised a hand to rub over his chin. “And, Laney, I know you worry and you’re afraid of making mistakes, but you're not a screw-up—and I shouldn’t have called you a slut either.”
My ears perked at that one. It was one thing to get into a fight but another entirely to call my girlfriend a slut. Laney must have felt my body tense because she moved one hand to my thigh to keep me in place.
“The same night you and Dominic were getting your drunken deed on, there were hundreds of other couples on campus doing the same thing. The only difference was yours resulted in a pooping, crying, booger-laden, eighteen-year-long commitment while everybody else got to sleep off their hangovers and move on with life.”
We all smiled a bit at that one, and Gavin continued, “If you asked anyone what kind of mom you are to that kid, there isn’t anybody who wouldn’t sing your praises. You didn't screw up his life and you’re not going to. You're the love of his life and that is pretty fucking awesome. So, that’s it. That’s all I’ve got.” He threw his hands to the sides.
“Get your ass over here and give me a hug, you big boob,” Laney said in a tight voice, and I let her go to her brother.
“Boob?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m trying it out.” She enveloped him in a bear hug.
Gavin smiled over her shoulder. “I like it.”
Gavin took Rocco to the park to give us some alone time and we made the most of it, combining a much-needed shower for me with some unbelievably hot make-up sex. Laney came at me like a sex-crazed wildcat and I had the marks on my back to prove it. It made the last miserable day almost worth it. We lay in bed afterward, her cheek resting on my chest and her arm thrown over my waist.
“You know, I’ve been doing all this thinking about Gavin and his ruined dreams. One of the things that’s always bugged me was that I didn’t have a dream that could or couldn’t be fulfilled. I guess I felt like you get what life gives you and you move on, but that’s not really the best attitude, is it?” My fingers traced lazy circles on her back and I let her talk. “I guess I could learn a thing or two from you and Gavin. If there’s something I feel passionate about, I shouldn’t let anything stop me without trying my hardest to get it.”
“And what do you feel passionate about?” I kissed the top of her head.
She reached down and copped a feel of my ass. “Besides your hot ass, you mean? I don’t know—maybe owning an alpaca farm?”
“Seriously?” My fingers stopped their movement.