AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You heard the birthday girl.” Mary nods towards the bottle of tequila in the cabinet.
“Alright, Mary. Let’s go then.” Ali adds some liquor into her own cup, then Cam’s before turning back to the blender, making three more margaritas that are anything but virgin.
“The burrito that has extra sour cream is Logan’s,” Marc explains, sifting through the food that’s been laid out on the counter. “And Ali, I had EJ order you chicken enchiladas. Hopefully, that’s still your go-to order from La Rosa.”
“It is,” Ali says over her shoulder, and I don’t miss the shy blush that creeps onto her cheeks as she shoots Marc a coy smile. “Thank you.”
“Happy birthday,” Marc quietly says to me while everyone else is distracted. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and hugs me from behind as I sit on a high-top stool. “How’s twenty-three treating ya?”
“Better now.” I reach up and hold on to his forearms. “But you guys didn’t have to come home. This weekend is important for Eli.”
“And you’re important too. Get that through your head, Logan. You’re loved and deserve to be celebrated too. Besides, EJ wouldn’t let us leave the arena in Chicago until we showed him that we changed our flights back to Minnesota.”
“He’s determined, that man.”
“And I couldn’t be more grateful that the two most stubborn people I know are also my two best friends.” Marc squeezes my shoulders before releasing me and digging into his dinner.
I take my time eating my food, watching as my friends and Eli’s family interact. There’s so much love from the people in this kitchen. This is my family too. Eli’s parents that have practically become my own, my best friend, my best girl, and my Cam. They’re all so important to me and have become the support system I never had but always needed. Their presence today, of all days, fills me up, and even though I’m missing Eli like you wouldn’t believe, having these people with me makes me much happier than I ever expected to be, one week after the accident.
“Happy Birthday!” Mary drops a small rectangular box wrapped in a simple paper with a single bow right in front of me.
“You guys didn’t have to get me anything,” I tell them honestly, as I cautiously unwrap the box, already having an idea of what it is.
“EJ said that yours broke in the accident,” Jack explains when the top of the Apple watch logo comes into view.
“This is way too much.”
“Logan, I’m rich,” Mary plainly states, brushing me off.
“And besides, you’re doing us a favor by making sure EJ gets his ego checked every time you kick his ass in a workout,” Jack laughs.
“Thank you, guys.”
“Maddison’s game starts in twenty minutes,” Cam reminds us, checking the time on his phone.
The group migrates to the living room, the second round of margaritas in tow. Apart from Jack, I’m the last to leave the kitchen, needing the extra time with my crutches.
“Before the game starts.” Jack stops me in my tracks. “You might want to open this.”
He grabs a box from the counter, putting it in front of me on the kitchen island. I was distracted when Eli’s family walked in here, but Jack must’ve had it with him without me noticing it.
I run my hand over the green lid of the box. I already know what this is, and I couldn’t be more excited to have my own. The large Dallas logo on the lid is a dead giveaway, but when I peek inside, I find a card lying on the top, so I quickly close the box, wanting to read it alone.
“I’ll be back,” I tell Jack as he gives me an understanding smile.
I grab one of my crutches, hobbling on it, the box tucked under my other arm. I awkwardly hop up the stairs on one foot, leaving everyone to watch the pregame warmups for Eli’s game on the TV in the living room.
When I make it into Eli’s room, I sit on the bed and place the box next to me.
I lift the lid of the green box, an envelope resting right on top. It has my name written in Eli’s handwriting, and I can’t wait to read the rest of his words inside.
But before I do, I grab the jersey that’s perfectly folded below it. I lift the green material out of the box, my smile overtaking my face. Eli’s name is on the back of a professional hockey jersey, our number right below it, and his new team logo on the front.
I graze the embroidered letters, pride welling in my eyes.
He did it, and I could not be more proud of him.
On the large white numbers on the back, where players would typically sign a jersey, is Eli’s handwriting, inked in a sharpie. And he signed it in the way I know it’s marked only for me.
