Page 65 of His Last Shot
After kissing me to high heaven in my living room and committing ourselves to each other one month ago, Johnny and I have been inseparable. There are days when I sit back and wonder how I got so lucky. How Johnny treats me is what I have always wanted and desired from a man.
He pushes me yet doesn’t hold me back. He cheers me on with passion, which is truly motivating. When I’m having a flare-up, he cherishes me and takes care of me in a way that can only mean one thing.
He loves me.
And my feelings are bubbling to the surface, ready to burst open.
After that night in my living room, we ordered some pizza and talked for hours. Once the truth was out in the open, I felt safe enough to share with him my deepest desires. My voice shined with newfound freedom as I told him everything. About my diagnosis, my treatment, my fears. All of it. Each passing minute, each confession, was another brick of that wall I built around my heart tumbling down.
Rarely spending a day apart has been nothing short of amazing. I have no idea how I have lived for thirty years without him.
Practically every night, he’s at the bar, and no matter where I’m at in the room, he finds me with only a soft smile and his presence. And on days I’m off work, and it’s a tournament night, I’m still there, sitting and cheering him on. I love it so much.
Then, on clear nights, nestled under a thick warm blanket in the bed of his truck at Miller’s Bluff, we’ll watch the stars, share quiet words and kisses as we fall in love. One shooting star at a time.
Thinking back to all of it causes me to smile as I take a sip of my cabernet, watching Jake throw the ball. It spirals through the air, and Scott catches it, giving their little team the win.
Everyone reacts. Scott, Johnny and Micah scream in celebration. The OBGs and Shelby all moan in defeat.
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” Tiny yells as Scott and Johnny run over to Jake. “No one stands a chance up against you, Givens boys.”
I smile as Johnny scoops up Jake, beaming with pride. “That was awesome, kiddo!”
“I can’t believe I threw that so well,” Jake exclaims, full of shock in his natural abilities. He is a Givens, after all.
“I think we just found Pittsburgh’s future QB!” Scott proclaims, beaming with pride.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Randy’s head draws back quickly as he points to Scott and Johnny. “You guys are Pittsburgh fans?”
“Uh-oh,” Slick murmurs, lowering and shaking his head as he laughs under his breath.
“I mean, obviously,” Scott retorts, kind of like,Who isn’t?“Aren’t you?”
“We would no sooner die,” Tiny deadpans back.
“Looks like we have a situation on our hands, fellas,” I holler from my perch on the swing, already knowing who Randy, Tiny, and Slick root for.
Scott looks over at me. “Please tell me it’s not Cleveland.”
“Worse, actually.” Laughter rings out through my response.
Jake finally puts the pieces together. “No way! You guys are Baltimore fans?!”
The OBGs all answer at once. “Absolutely!”—“Heck ya!”—“Play like a—”
“Get off my property,” Johnny interrupts and points to the street.
It’s strange, actually. We live in Ohio, a town right on the border of Pennsylvania, yet we are all Pittsburgh fans. Well, except the OBGs.
Everyone breaks out into laughter, and I have a feeling football season is going to be a lot more interesting this coming year.
The entire gang heads to the backyard, laughing, joking, and having fun. As friends and family do. “Who wants a beer?” Scott asks.
Everyone takes him up on his offer, except for one. “Count me out. I’m going to hang out up here on this swing with my girlfriend,” Johnny replies as he jogs in my direction. His smile touches his ears as he takes the three steps up onto the front porch.
Heading straight for me.
I peer up at him, his shadow looming large as he stands over me. “Your girlfriend, huh? That’s very high school of you.”
