Page 80 of Grasp The Moment

Georgia eyes me skeptically, leaning back from me to take in my full appearance, and must see something that she likes because she nods, waiting for me to continue.

“Are you coming to my senior night?”

She gives me a mocking look, causing me to laugh as she picks up Agnes in her arms, talking to the dog.

“Aggy, did you hear your crazy daddy? He’s been asking silly questions and interrupting our Eren time… Uh huh…” she coosat the puppy, speaking to it like a toddler as Agnes yips, wagging her tail.

I mask my snicker with a cough as Georgia begins to cradle Agnes like a baby.

Laughing, I say, “I promise I won’t take up any more of your precious Marlowe time. It’s not like he’s all that and a bag of chips, by the way. Eren’s a chill dude. Anyway, for senior night, can you please wear the jacket you made a few weeks ago? Delilah’s been asking about that jacket and?—”

“Already on it. Anything else?” she muses, giving me a playful smile as I sigh, grinning.

“Be on your best behavior, Mrs. Perez.”

“Always, Mr. Perez.”

30.Derek

My skin feelslike it’s crawling as I walk the halls of the arena toward the locker room. It’s been ages since we’ve had a game this huge, and since half of our starting lineup is graduating, everyone is in the building tonight to see us off.

I got to the arena early, around one p.m., to get my mind settled and have a small workout before warm-ups. Even while the team and I were warming up, people began to fill the seats surrounding us.

Coach Jones warned us that tonight’s game was sold out, which isn’t abnormal for our school, but on an important night like this one, it sure is nerve-wracking.

I had to tell the girls to leave home an extra hour or two earlier than usual to get the seats that they liked near the home bench.

I’m on high alert tonight, even though I’ve been trying my hardest not to show it for the past week, but I can’t help it.

I can’t stop seeing her. It’s like everywhere I go, no matter where I turn—Rosemary hauntsme.

She’s everywhere.

At the mall, on campus… You name it, I’ve most likely seen a glimpse of her in there, and it’s fucking scary.

Rubbing a hand over my face, I mutter, “Get it together, man,” as I trek down the halls toward the locker room, only to come to a halt immediately as a voice responds.

“What’s the matter, baby? You look like you’ve been put through the wringer.”

Rosemary Stone is shameless as she saunters toward me from God knows where, her walk resembling a slow sultry strut—or, at least that's what I think she’s trying to portray. Instead, she reminds me of a newborn giraffe learning how to stand for the first time.

She grins up at me, taking a step closer as I step backwards.

“C’mon, Derek… I miss you—I miss us. We were magical together and?—”

“We were kids. Kids who did something irresponsible and then got the best consequence for their actions. However, where you thought that our daughter was a mistake, I saw her as a miracle. Now, if you’ll excuse me—” I try cutting her off and walking away, but she stomps her foot and moves in front of me again.

“Goddamn it, Derek! I’m trying here. I want us! I wantyou!Can’t you see that I’d do anything for you? Forus?” she pleads, her greasy finger on my chest as she squeezes my workout shirt, stepping in closer to me.

I look down my nose at her, eyeing the pitiful excuse of a woman, and scoff. She hasn’t changed and she never will…

“You know, with all of your begging and pleading, I never once heard you mention ourdaughter…Y’know that same daughter that you left a seventeen-year-old boy alone to raise? You didn’t mention heronce, Rosemary,” I spit, stepping closer to her as she flinches from the use of herreal name.

She takes a deep breath, a single tear falling from her eyes as she looks up at me. “So, what does this?—”

“Rosemary, I’mmarried. Cut this shit out or else I’ll have to get my wife, and I’d hate for her to ruin that new Russian manicure I paid for,” I say, walking two steps away, only to pause.

My mind soars back to my “lunch” with Sienna and the mildly unhappy look on Georgia’s face a few days ago. Whirling back around, I take one long stride toward Rosemary and corner her between myself and the wall.