Page 30 of His Last Shot

That’s Very High School of You

Rachel

W ith a wineglass in hand, I leisurely sway back and forth on the swing on Johnny’s front porch.

Laura, Shelby, and I just finished cleaning up after a picnic Johnny hosted.

Micah, Shelby, Scott, Johnny, Jake, and the OBGs are playing a small game of football on the front lawn.

Mallory is in the house, coloring and taking a much-needed social break.

Laura had to take off and go to work, so it’s just me, my wine, and my heart.

And that heart of mine is so completely in love with the man currently in a huddle with Scott, Jake, and Micah. I can’t help but smile as he’s being all Daddy Johnny again.

This time it’s with Jake.

Before the game started, he was showing Jake the proper techniques for throwing and catching a football. And it was by far one of the cutest and sweetest things I have ever seen.

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.”

He sits, and I scoot closer, feeling the warmth of his body beside me as he settles in. “I can’t help it,” he lifts me onto his lap. “I feel like a high schooler when I’m with you.”

His palm lands on my knee as I snake my hand behind his head. Running my fingers through his hair, I tug his head toward mine, and he kisses me like he always does. Gentle, yet with a possessive firmness that I love .

We break apart, and a soft smile tilts his lips. We stare at each other for a few seconds, my pulse pitter-pattering the way it always does when I’m this close to him.

His thumb brushes my cheek. “Having fun?” he asks softly against the summer breeze.

“The best time. Thank you for this. It was nice having everyone together, getting to know each other.”

He smiles, peering out over the front yard as he rubs small circles over my thigh and boisterous laughter rings out from the backyard.

He turns his attention back to me, a subtle shift in his posture indicating a change in focus.

“Rachel, there is something that I need to say to you. Something I have been wanting to express since that first night in the truck.”

Our eyes lock, an almost unbearable intensity passing between us. My heart pounds in my chest as I wait, his confession hanging in the air.

“I love you,” he chokes out, emotion catching and seizing.

I gape at him as my heart fills to the brim with those three syllables.

The lump in my throat tightens, threatening to burst into sobs as he continues.

“I love you fiercely, and more than I ever thought I could love anyone.” He rests his hand on my chest. I cover it with mine.

“I love your perfect heart and the strength it gives you. I love your soul and how you make everyone that is around you happy. I just love”—his eyes brim with tears—“everything.”

So this is it. This is love. This is the feeling they write songs over and make movies about. It’s what has brought down empires and shaken up the world.

And it’s ours.

We own it. Our love belongs to us. And no one can take it away.

Taking his face into my hands, his skin butter soft as I utter the three easiest words I have said to anyone.

Ever.

Because let’s face it, I have been feeling this for a lot longer than I would like to admit.

“I love you too. ”

He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me to him as our lips meet again.

This is the kiss. The one that seals our feelings together after our confession. The one that tells the other, ‘Yeah, I feel it too.’ The one that has a future after it. The one that means more than the ones before it.

The one after the ‘I love you.’

“So gross!” Jake’s sudden appearance and words startle us apart. “They are kissing again!” he hollers to the backyard.

We can’t help but laugh, and I’m pretty sure my cheeks are turning every shade of pink after being busted by a teenager … making out like a teenager . Johnny clears his throat as his hand finds my thigh again. “What’s up, Jake?”

“Before mom left for work, she told me to take pictures of everyone, so that’s what I’m doing.” He steps up onto the porch, holding up his phone. “She’ll be mad if I don’t get you guys.”

I lean my head on Johnny’s shoulder, and both of his hands rest on my legs.

“Okay. Now smile!”

We smile.

Jake snaps.

My life is complete.