“He was in town for a fight and came into the gym where I was working out. He saw me sparring and struck up a conversation. He was a few years older than me, making his way up the professional circuit. He said he was impressed with my fighting and asked if I’d ever considered doing it professionally. As a kid I’d dreamed of being a fighter, but my father didn’t approve of me being on the high school wrestling and boxing teams, so I let that go. I went to see Kevin’s match, and he asked me if I wanted to give it a try. He said he’d mentor me and get me in with his coach. I was twenty-two with nothing tying me down. He was the kind of guy who could pump you up about anything—he was loud, aggressive, and so full of positivity about the sport, it was impossible not to want to be part of it. I took him up on the offer and gave my notice. Two weeks later I moved to New York to train, and I was good.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“I fucking loved it. I felt like I’d finally figured out where I belonged and had a future I could count on.”

“Do you miss it?” she asked carefully.

“Hell yeah, and the camaraderie with other fighters and coaches that went along with it,” he said honestly. “But that part of my life is over, and I lost a lot getting there. My father stopped speaking to me, but by then I’d accepted that short of getting a college degree and working in an office, there was no way to win his approval.”

“That’s so sad. I can’t imagine one of my parents turning their back on me.”

“It is what it is. Things might have been different if my mother hadn’t died, but you can’t live in a world that isn’t real.”

“Was he that way with your sister?”

“Not at first. I mean, he had trouble with her anxiety, but he was supportive of her when she went away to college. She and I saw each other as often as we could. I kept in touch with my grandfather, and he and Carrie came to a few of my fights. After Carrie graduated, she came to stay with me in Jersey and got a job as a dietitian at the hospital. I was seeing a girl named Michelle, and she was practically living at my place. They got along well, and Kevin and Carrie had gotten to know each other through her visits. I knew they were attracted to each other, but nothing had ever happened between them. A few months after Carrie moved in, Kevin asked if I’d be cool with him asking her out.”