Page 97 of Free Agent

All the mandatory workouts and practices and film and team-building, so on and so forth.

Essentially, my break was over.

But, I couldn’t think of any way I would have rather spent it than at Wildwood, especially bringing Rori along.

“You know since you brought her all the way out here your mama expecting you to put a ring on that girl, don’t you?” my father asked when we stopped at the creek to let the horses drink.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Who said anybody was getting ready to do all that?” I asked.

My brother Timothy laughed. “The internet, man. Those pictures we have from yesterday set the streets on fire.”

I sighed.

The pictures—and videos, which was wild—were from nosy bystanders who didn’t have anything better to do than putting other people’s business on the internet.

Not that we were exactly trying to hide anything or had anything to hide, but it was frustrating to just be having a good time with somebody and have people who didn’t have anything to do with it start putting their own narratives around it.

“Monty’s ass is so mad,” Trey chimed in. “I saw something showing how he was up earlier than we are talking shit. Like he not about to have a baby to take care of.”

“I don’t know about that one,” my father said, his voice solemn.

Resolved.

“Tatum… if you’re serious about this young lady, Montgomery could prove himself to be a problem. And if he is, well… we might have to put him down. I don’t see many ways around it.”

Eyes wide as fuck, mouths twisted in confusion, me and my brothers looked at each other, then looked back at him.

“Put him down?” I repeated, laughing. “Pops, please! Relax so much.”

I was chuckling and shit, but I knew this man. He was the most laid back person on a day to day basis, but when it came to stuff like this?

He was not joking at all.

“I see I haven’t taught any of y’all as well as I thought I had.” My father shook his head. “He threatens the peace of your lady. Which in turn, threatens your peace. You gonna have to do something about that.”

“I don’t think she’s necessarily his lady, Pops,” Tim said, and my father’s face wrinkled up.

“The hell? Then why you bring her out here?”

“She needed the break,” I explained. “Needed to kinda get away from the city, clear her mind.”

“So you wanted to do that for her?” he asked, and I nodded.

“Yeah. I think it’s done her well.”

“Oh I’m sure it has,” Pops replied. “Meeting your mama, laying up with her, nice little vacation for you too.”

I grinned. “Yes, actually.”

“But that’s not your lady?”

“Well—”

“Boy that’s the dumbest shit I ever heard,” Pops fussed, not even waiting for me to explain myself. Lie to somebody else. Like I said, that nigga cannot be allowed to run amuck on your lady’s mental health.”

“Fair enough,” I agreed. “But murder ain’t the answer, old man.”

“Who said anything about murder? I’d never say anything about murder,” he said, tossing his hands up and me and my brothers laughed at that.

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