Page 4 of Saved By A Small Town Country Boy
If shit got too bad, I’d find myself falling asleep on the couch or resting in the guest bedroom on the other side of the house by Khali’s bedroom. Most nights, I didn’t really mind. I was closer to her.
Stepping into the room, I flipped the light switch. My black Alaskan king bed took up most of the wall directly in front of me. Opening the walk-in closet door, I entered and hung my hat up. I strolled through the closet to the bathroom door that’s at the back of it and flipped on that light switch. The bathroom was huge. It’s one of Simone’s main goals for the house. She wanted a gigantic bathroom with a huge walk-in shower with dual shower heads and a freestanding bathtub. Everything she required of this house, I made damn sure she got it. We were supposed to create more memories and babies in this house. Now, this six-bedroom home made me literally sick to my stomach. I’m left with whispers of her and one lil girl that favors her so much that I have to stop myself from crying most days just from looking at her.
Opening the glass shower door, I turned on the shower and stripped out of my clothes. My hand dashed through the water to check the temperature before stepping over into the shower. Once I was done handling my hygiene, I exited the bathroom through the closet in search of something for me to wear. I ended up deciding on this denim long-sleeve shirt and a pair of pants.
After getting dressed, I brushed my hairbrush across my waves and sprayed myself with my favorite Burberry cologne and left my bedroom. According to my phone, it’s going on nine. Khali should’ve eaten by now and been in her bedroom. As I entered the living room, I found her sitting on the couch with Bobbi, watching television.
“Bedtime,” I told her, stopping behind the sectional. She poked out her lower lip as if that was gon’ stop me from making her take her lil ass to bed. Once she saw that I was standing firm on my decision, she climbed off the sectional and padded down the hallway toward her bedroom with me right on her heels.
Khali’s bedroom is fit for the princess that she is. It’s huge, bigger than most little girls’ bedrooms her age. She has a queen-sized white canopy bed with pink curtains. Pink is her favorite color. A huge horse mural is painted on her wall directly in front of her bed. Her fifty-inch television poked from the corner of her bedroom.
She ran over to the edge of her bed and pulled the covers back. Climbing up, she rested her head against her pillow, and I covered her up.
“Read me a bedtime story, Daddy.” Her eyes zoomed over to her princess castle bookshelf. Khali is smart as hell. Another one of her hobbies is reading. I think she gets that from her mother. Simone used to love a good book. In fact, one of our first dates was to the bookstore in town.
“Okay. I think I have time for a short story.” Going over to the bookshelf, I grabbed a book.
“No. Not that one. That one.” She pointed at the other book that was next to it. I picked it up.You Are an Amazing Girl.
Going back over to her bed, I kicked off my shoes at the edge and climbed over in it with her. Resting my arm across the top of her pillows, I opened the book up, and she snuggled closer to me.
“Luna the Curious.” I looked down at Khali, and the corners of her mouth were touching her ears. I turned my attention back to the book and began reading. “How curious are you to try new things? Do you see things that make you feel excited? Are you eager to try new things?”
Despite me saying that I was only gon’ read a lil, I ended up getting halfway through the book before I realized Khali was knocked out. Slipping from beside her, I eased off the bed and placed the book back on the shelf. Picking up my shoes, I tiptoed ’round her bed and turned off the light on her nightstand. Leaning down, I pecked her gently on the center of her forehead and left out the room. I pulled her bedroom door up, leaving a crack in it before placing my boots on the floor and slipping my feet back down into ’em.
“I’m heading out now. Make sure you call me if you need anything. Don’t open the door for anyone and don’t go outside if you hear anything. I have the cameras set on my phone so I’ll get all alerts. I shouldn’t be out too late. If I’m out past twelve, get comfortable in one of the guest bedrooms,” I told Bobbi as I passed the sectional. She’d already gotten comfortable there with a throw blanket and the remote.
“Okay!” she tossed over her shoulder as I made my way to the side door that’s off the kitchen.
Shutting the door behind me, I locked up and trotted down the steps. Hitting the fob on my truck, I climbed inside and started it up.
Creed’s ass is turning twenty-seven. I told him that he didn’t have to go out and celebrate like that. We could’ve just chilledat home, started a bonfire, and got drunk in the comfort of our own yard. Nah. He wanted to go to a damn bar and drink ’til he’s pissy drunk and someone gon’ have to get him a ride home. Creed was the life of the party. He found any reason to celebrate something. We’ve been best friends ever since we were in diapers. Our parents stay right across the road from each other. Every chance we got, we were outside exploring something.
Once we got teenagers, Creed realized just how much he liked to party. He’d sneak out the house and go to parties—places he had no business being, but that wasn’t gon’ stop Creed. He had fake IDs to get in bars as if people didn’t know who he was in the first place.
Magnolia Falls was one of those towns where everyone knew everyone and everyone knew each other’s business. Any lil thing happened in town and it spread like wildfire. Word of Simone’s death spread so fucking fast that people were knocking on my door soon as I got off the phone with the Sheriff. I wasn’t tryna be bothered with them. The only thing coursing through my mind was getting to the scene of the accident. By the time I arrived there, they told me she died on the scene. The way her car was smushed in, in the front, I knew she couldn’t have survived that shit. I’d never forget the blood leaking from it and pooling on the ground. For months, I had nightmares ’bout her accident. The driver survived, and that’s what pissed me off even more. Why the people that wreak havoc be the ones surviving the damage—walking away with barely any scratches on ’em and they be taking innocent lives? He got placed on house arrest. Fucking house arrest as if he hadn’t taken an innocent life.
Coming back to reality, I noticed I was sitting in front of Boots & Bottles. The red neon open sign flashed with a blinking cowboy boot alongside it. The parking lot was packed with cars. Most of the people got word of Creed’s birthday and wanted to come out and celebrate with him. One car in particular caughtmy eye—a Porsche. It had a Georgia plate. Just by looking at the truck, I knew the driver wasn’t from ’round these parts. People tend to come through Magnolia Falls all the time. We didn’t get many tourists, except ’round Christmas. The way Mayor Trent Calloway always made certain to decorate it, he made it one of Khali’s favorite times of the year. Of course, he didn’t get his ass out there and decorate it himself. He appointed a committee to do it on his behalf, but still, it brought in some good cash ’round that time of year.
Shutting off my truck, I climbed out and headed inside. “What’s up, Khalif?” JoJo, the security guard, said as soon as I walked through the door.
“Shit,” was my response as I skimmed the building for Creed and the crew. It didn’t take much to find ’em. They were the loudest in the building.
“Tell Creed don’t act up too bad tonight,” JoJo added. He’s already prepared to toss him out on his ass. When Creed gets a lil too much to drink in his system, he can be a problem. I told him that sometimes he drinks too much, but he got that shit honest from his daddy. Creed’s father was an alcoholic. He claims he doesn’t have a drinking problem, but the entire Magnolia Falls knows he does. Creed’s father stayed in so much bullshit. That man isn’t even allowed in most of the establishments here. He didn’t know when his limit was when it came to drinking, and when the bartender cuts him off, he gets to destroying shit. Creed wasn’t as bad, but I hope he gets that shit under control before he turns up like him.
I tipped my hat at JoJo and proceeded in Creed’s direction. There were several people at his table. It made me want to turn around and go in the opposite direction. They were crowded ’round his table, tossing back shots. Reese swayed her hips with a cup in her hand.
Reese wasn’t from Magnolia Falls. She moved here years ago but fit in as if she was born and raised. Creed has the biggest crush on her but wouldn’t open his mouth and tell her. She’s been hanging with my sister, Dallas Reign. They’ve become extremely tight lately. That’s how Creed ran across Reese and began to fall head over heels for her.
Reese was beautiful, but she wasn’t my preference. Hell, no woman was at the moment.
Sighing, I neared the table. Reese is the first person to notice me. She steps to me, bumping me with her hip. Alcohol radiated out her pores before she even opened her mouth. Yeah, I’m getting the fuck outta here early.
“What’s up, grumpy?” Her tongue danced with the tiny black straw in her cup as she attempted to suck out of it. “I g-got something that-that’ll soften your ass,” she stammered over her words. I gently mushed her away from me and stepped to Creed. She didn’t have shit for me. The best thing she can do is leave me the fuck alone.
He lifted to his feet and dapped me up. “’Bout time you got here, nigga. Almost thought you wasn’t even coming.”
“Had to tuck Khali in.”
