Page 76 of Savage for You

I’m looking at her in awe. I crush my lips to hers and lift her as she wraps her legs around my waist, as I taste the cotton candy lip balm she loves to wear. She moans into my mouth and another throat clears from the side of us.

My dad.

“Hey, pops.”

“Put me down, please,” Montana whispers, and I chuckle.

“I’m going to go back out there but remember what I said.” She smiles up at me, and then slips past my dad to leave the room.

My dad closes the door as he chuckles, and he comes and gives me a hug.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, son? You know, I can read you like a book, even when you were little and trying to sneak a cupcake from the cupboard.” He chuckles.

“It’s him. He’s here again, and I let him get to my head even though I know I shouldn’t give him headspace. Like, why now? He doesn’t get to try and come and have a relationship with me now that I’m going somewhere in life. You know?” I say, shaking my head.

“You know, the best thing he did for you was leave. Even though I don’t like what he did, I’m glad I never had to share you with him. He did you a favor and although I wish you didn’t find out the way you did, I’m thankful that he didn’t get the chance to hurt you when you were little. Imagine if you had known him all your life, and he was an absent parent who made promises of seeing you and leaving you waiting for him to pick you up? I would’ve gone to jail because he would have had one time to hurt you physically or emotionally and I would have made sure he never played another game of football again,” he says with full emotion before adding, “Rocky, you are mine. I’m the one on your birth certificate, not him. I raised you, and I will forever be in your corner. I’ve loved you since the moment your mom told me she was pregnant. Nothing and no one will ever change that. Get back out there and kick some ass, son.”

When the second half of the game starts, I feel more determined to keep this winning streak alive. We haven’t been undefeated in the years I’ve been here. Even when I was a red shirt freshman.

Coach Mack looks at me with a face that tells me to show Johnny everything that he missed out on. I don’t know why he’s here. He knows I want nothing to do with him. Why can’t he see that he’s not welcomed?

And that’s exactly what I do.

Thanks to my dad and my girl, I get my head in the game, and we end up winning 44-37.

thirty-two

Montana

Walking into Autumn's house feels normal—almost like walking into my own home. I sneak up to her room to scare the shit out of her. It’s barely eight in the morning and I’m about to wake her up so we can spend the day together for her birthday.

I jump up on her bed and yell, “Happy birthday!!!” While holding daisies—her favorite flower and also her middle name. She’s named after my mom. Tatiana Daisy Taylor.

“Holy, shit Montana. You scared the crap out of me!”

From behind me, I hear her parents laughing. She tosses a glare at them and gets up to get ready. We leave her room and go down to the kitchen where we have crepes, fruits, eggs, and bacon set-up on the island. We’re having a breakfast fit for a queen. I’m sitting at the island when she comes into the kitchen and takes bacon from me.

“Hey! That was mine,” I say, and she sticks her tongue out at me. “Brat.” I stick out my tongue back at her, and we both start to laugh.

When I look over to Karissa, she’s watching us with tears in her eyes. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry anymore so I look over at Chris and thankfully, he’s smiling at us.

Rocky walks into the house with Xander and Talon in tow, and he kisses my cheek as does Talon while Xander gives me a hug. They do the same with all the ladies in the house, and they give Chris knuckles.

“What are you ladies doing today?” Chris asks as he eats a crepe.

“Well, we’re going shopping, getting our hair and nails done at Lush and Luxe Lounge. Then we’re having dinner at Bella Cucina, the new Italian place on the riverwalk by the water, and then the candlelight trolley ghost tour.”

I see Xander visibly shutter.

I snicker and say, “Dude, what is up with you?”

“Dude, I hate scary shit,” he mocks me.

“Big ass tattooed baby.” I stick my tongue out at him and giggle.

Everyone starts to laugh except Xander who sticks his tongue out back at me and then pouts out his bottom lip. That big teddy bear. He looks and acts all big and bad but underneath he is such a sweetheart.

We finish eating and we say our goodbyes. Or because Rocky doesn’t like to say goodbye, it's see you later.

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