Page 171 of Becoming Selfish

Last night Marc went to bed early, but Logan and I stayed up with Mary and my dad to play some cards. When I told my parents what our plan was for this morning, my dad would not stop giving me shit, knowing that I’m not a runner. But he also knows I’d do just about anything to make my girlfriend happy. Logan was pretty sure she was going to kick my ass, and she wasn’t wrong. At least I won our round of Euchre last night; my ego needed a little stroke.

“I’m gonna go shower.” Logan gives my arm a squeeze before taking off towards my room, coffee in hand.

As soon as she is up and out of sight, all eyes turn back to me.

“Holy shit, EJ! She’s fine,” Garrett says in excitement.

“So fucking fine,” Sam adds with a nod and wide eyes.

Before they can elaborate, Marc smacks them both in the back of the head for me.

“Don’t talk about my future daughter-in-law like that,” my dad playfully scolds from across the island.

“Jesus, Dad. Really?” I ask with a pointed glance, but he just smugly shrugs in response.

“Mary, she’s beautiful,” my Aunt Molly says.

“I know, right?” Mary agrees as if she had anything to do with it.

I look at them both with furrowed brows and a confused expression, but they just smile at each other, seeming like they want to squeal with excitement.

Maybe it was a mistake bringing Logan home so soon. My family is already being insane about her. I’m going to be lucky if they don’t scare her off by the end of the weekend.

“You guys have shirts made for this?” Logan asks as we walk out to the big empty field in my backyard.

“Told you it was a big deal,” I remind her as I throw the pile of blue shirts over my shoulder. Marc is on the other side of Logan, carrying the stack of yellow shirts plus the red one for the all-time quarterback.

This game really is a big deal for our family. I don’t know why, but it is. Maybe because there are ten overly competitive dudes under one roof, but all I know is we’ve been playing this annual football game on Thanksgiving since I was nine.

“What do you guys play for?” Logan asks, carrying a blanket and a glass of pinot that my stepmom poured for her to drink while she watched.

“Losing team does dishes after dinner, but that’s not really what it’s about,” Marc tells her. “It’s a pride thing.”

“Oh, so you guys just have a bunch of egos that need to be stroked,” Logan says with a laugh.

“Exactly.”

Uncle Drew and Uncle Tommy went all out this year, spray painting the lines on the field with perfect measurements. They also set up a fourth chair on the sideline instead of just the three that are typically out here for Mary and my aunts.

“Logan!” Mary shouts, patting the open seat next to her and holding up the bottle of red she has with her. “I brought the wine!”

“Good luck.” She leans up to me, giving me a quick kiss.

My girl happily takes off, sitting in the open spot between my stepmom and two aunts, before wrapping herself up in the cozy blanket she brought with her. Of course, my dog follows right behind, finding his perfect spot at her feet. Logan looks so fucking cute, bundled up with her little beanie on and a glass of wine in hand. I almost don’t even want to play right now just so I could snuggle up with her.

Marc and I hand our dad the uniforms before joining the rest of the cousins on the field.

“Alright, boys,” my dad begins as we all gather around. “Sam, you’re all-time quarterback per usual,” he says, tossing him the red T-shirt. “Gavin, you were last year’s MVP, which means you’re the first captain. Who do you want to be the second?”

“EJ,” he says, nodding towards me.

“Thanks, man.” My dad hands me the stack of yellow shirts, giving Gavin the blue ones before lining up with the rest of the family so we can pick teams.

“I’ll take Gabe,” Gavin starts off by saying, tossing his brother a blue shirt.

“Marc,” I respond by throwing my brother our team’s uniform.

“What the hell, EJ?” my dad asks, wondering why he’s not my first pick.

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