Page 8 of Desperate Pucker
I smile at my phone. Things with my dad and my new job may be a disaster, but every time I talk to my mom, I remember how loved I am. That’s all I need.
Chapter 4
Ryker
“Vodka shots for everyone! On me!” Xander Williams, the star center of the Bashers, yells. The entire bar cheers.
It’s New Year’s Eve, and Spanky’s is packed. This is the dive bar that my teammates and I hang out at after games and practices. It’s rundown as fuck with dingy carpet, rickety tables and chairs, and flatscreen TVs mounted over the bar that don’t even work half the time.
But the drinks are good and the owners are cool. It’s hardly ever this crowded, though.
Most of our teammates showed up to this gathering that Xander invited everyone to. A bunch of the team staff members are here also to ring in the New Year.
Nathan, the equipment manager, and Eddie, one of the team’s physical therapists, wave at me as they head to the bar. Xander walks over to me with a tray of vodka shots.
“Georgie! Take one!” he slurs through a grin, totally shitfaced.
I roll my eyes. I hate that fucking nickname. “I’m not drinking tonight.”
He makes a mock pouty face. “You’re no fun.” A second later, he downs a shot. “More for me!”
I roll my eyes and fight a smile at how goofy as fuck he is. This guy is sunshine on steroids. Always happy and joking. Pretty much the opposite of my serious ass.
He slaps my back and slides next to me in the booth I’m sitting at, then gulps down a full glass of water.
He sets down the empty glass. “So. Why no alcohol for you?”
“I’m injured. Alcohol causes inflammation. I can’t be drinking if I want to recover properly.”
He squints at me like that’s the most profound thing he’s ever heard and nods.
“Wow. Yeah. That makes sense,” he drunkenly murmurs.
“Besides. Someone’s gotta be DD for you drunken assholes.”
I peer around the bar. Almost all the guys on the team are drinking beer or downing shots. I’m the only one sticking to water.
Xander grabs my shoulder and pulls me in for a hug. I wince. Jesus, he’s a strong hugger when he’s drunk.
“We don’t need DDs anymore, dude! We have Uber! And Lyft!” he says.
“Do you know how much a ride on either of those costs on New Year’s Eve?”
He just chuckles and waves a hand. “Come on, dude. We can afford it.”
He’s not wrong. Every player in here is a millionaire many times over.
Xander looks straight ahead, his brow hitting his hairline. “Oh shit!” He bursts out laughing and points to the bar. I look over and see our teammate Theo Thompson making out with his wife, Maya, at the bar. They’re going at it like it’s the end of the world.
“Jesus,” I mutter.
“Yeah, Thompson! Kiss the fuck out of your lady!” Xander hollers and raises an empty glass at them. Theo raises a thumbs-up while continuing to make out with his wife.
“New Year’s is a special day for them,” Xander says. “That’s the night they met. They got married on New Year’s Eve too. I was the best man.”
I shake my head and look away from my linemate’s public makeout.
A second later, Sophie Porter, the team’s doctor and Xander’s fiancee, walks over and sits on his lap.
