Page 28 of The Other Guy

I chuckle and look away, pick up a pen and fiddle with it then shake my head laughing. “How do you do it?”

“You came to me before your first kiss. I know you better than you know yourself, Jack.”

Some people might not like that, to be so transparent to a parent. But that’s not me. I consider my dad one of my best friends and I’m proud of it.

“Anyway, what’s up with you?”

He lets it go, not pushing me and sticking true to his earlier comment about knowing that I’d tell him when there’s more to tell. Only thing is, there won’t be more to tell. Sierra didn’t tell me much about her guy, but her face lit up when she mentioned him so my guess is she’s not thinking about me the way I’m thinking about her.

“It’s been a month between visits and I missed your face. Thought maybe I could get a few rounds in this afternoon and maybe we can grab dinner.”

I nod in agreement. “Sounds good to me.” Dad and I have boxed together since we met. Boxing was always something Mom and I did together then he walked into our gym and slowly he joined me in my workouts as well. I started boxing with my mom after we left my biological father. He was always hot and cold with her but the older I got, the more I noticed his temper affecting the way he acted toward her. The night that he took his temper too far and it became physical, she and I left.

For months, she was scared out of her mind that he’d find us so to help her realize how strong she was, I started boxing with her. She learned self-defense techniques but it was more than that. She learned what she was worth. That’s part of the reason why my boxing gym is so important to me. It’s not just about working out and staying fit or beating people up, as I’ve heard mentioned a few times. It’s about discovering how both physically and mentally strong you are.

“Ready to see if your old man’s still got it?”

“Always.”

Twenty minutes later we’re standing in the ring sweaty and a little (okay a lot) out of breath, continuing to spar with one another. Dad is still in excellent shape, so much so that we often draw a crowd when we get into the ring together. He’s quick on his feet, has a pretty damn powerful punch, and enough energy that it makes me think he downed a few Red Bulls before he arrived.

“You gonna let your dad best you?”

“Watch out, Jacky Boy! Your daddy’s about to whoop your ass!” I hear shouted and laughter from everyone.

“Take him down, James! You got this!”

“Is no one on my side?” I shout, gasping for breath and jabbing with my right.

“Nope! Not a chance! Stop fighting like a girl, Jack!” comes a chorus of responses.

Dad grins at me through his mouthpiece and I throw a jab that he dodges like the expert he is. Then he lifts his hands and taunts me a little, encouraging me to continue.

“You really are cocky,” I mumble as best I can through my own mouth piece.

“Awesome, you mean?” At least I think that’s what he just said.

“Sure.”

We spar for a little bit longer while the members of my gym make fun of me and tease me that I’m getting beat up by a man over twice my age. Which isn’t technically true, but I don’t correct them because I’m currently trying to maintain my ability to breathe.

I hold up my hand and spit out my mouthpiece into my hand and say, “Damn, old man. You’re in good shape yet.”

Dad smiles but then pulls a funny face. I wrinkle my brow as we both climb out of the ring and suck back some water, stumbling into the locker room.

“Holy shit, I’m gonna die,” he groans, throwing himself to the floor.

I do a double take down to where he’s lying on the floor, moaning and holding a hand over his heart.

“Dad?”

“Dad can’t talk right now. Please call back when he’s not having a heart attack.”

“What the hell?” I want to laugh but I’m also a little scared that he’s in actual pain or trouble. “Are you okay?”

“I may or may not have allowed my pride to get in the way of my abilities.”

Now I do laugh. “Stubborn,” I mumble, shaking my head.

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