Page 41 of Without You, Scotch and Sammy 2

I nod and crouch down beside him. I’m such an asshole. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re not working today?”

I shrug. “I have work to do, but I kinda don’t feel like it.”

He laughs and rolls back under the car. “You don’t feel like it. Sure is a hard life.”

“I gotta play ball with Mac in a couple hours.”

“You still drunk?”

I chuckle. “Nah, it washed away pretty quickly. I think Tink laced it with water. She’s an asshole, and sneaky as shit.” I take a deep breath as I think about my messed-up life. “I can see how a man would crave alcohol on the daily when faced with someone like Sammy.”

Angelo rolls out and glares at me.

“I’m not taking up drinking as a sport, relax. Just saying, the whole numbing my brain shit has its merits.”

“You call her Sammy here, but Samantha to her face…”

“Yeah. Mostly I’m just trying to be a dick. It makes me feel better.”

Angelo rolls his eyes and moves back under the car. “Whatever floats your boat, bud. So what’s happening?”

“I don’t really know, but I think I’m married for the next couple months.”

“You’ve been married your whole damn life. What’s different?”

“Now I actually have to see my wife daily – theoretically. We’ll see how it works out.”

“I’ll work on our schedule for the band. I’ll get you more nights off…”

“No, it’s fine. We only play the club a few nights a week. I’ll need them for distance, I think.”

“You’re a family man now. You need to be home.”

I roll my eyes. “No. I’m not. I’m a guy who knows a chick with a kid. That’s it. I have more reason to see Charlie than I do Lily.”

“That’s a damn lie, and we both know it.”

I have nothing to say to that, because he knows me better than anyone in the whole world… except maybe Sammy. And he knows I’m lying.

“What’s gonna happen after it’s all said and done? Squeak will be yours on paper. Do you just un-adopt her when it’s time for Sammy to leave again?”

I sigh. “I dunno. But it’s probably best if I don’t get too attached. I’m not keen on ripping my heart out again.”

Ang stops working and slowly rolls back out to look at me. “I think I’m already attached. She’s cute as a button and so small and squishy. I only met her six hours ago, but I already wanna put her in my pocket and keep her.”

“Yeah.” Story of my fucking life, but this time, it’ll be two girls with the power to rip me apart. “Me too…”

“You’re fucked.”

“Yup. What’s new?”

***

An hour after walking out on Sammy again, and hating myself for speaking to her the way I never could have guessed would happen when I was eighteen and in love, I went down to the basketball courts at the youth center and spent a couple hours with Mac.

He’s still an asshole. He’s still a smartass. And he’s still getting impressive report cards.

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