Page 27 of Savage for You
“Daddy, you were supposed to walk me down the aisle and give me away when I got married. Not fully away because I'll always be your little girl. I miss our date nights, just you and me. You told me that you’d show me how I am supposed to be treated and that it wasn’t about spending money on me. You spent time with me. You were going to do that for my little girls. You said you weren’t going to let anyone’s son think that bare minimum was acceptable. If they want to, they will, and how actions always speak louder than words. You said that to me. I miss you so fucking much.” I’m wiping away tears, and I look over to my mom's stone right next to his.
“Mommy, you were supposed to be with me when I got ready on my wedding day. You were supposed to hold my hand when I had a baby. I needed you when Holly and Dylan broke my heart. You would have helped me egg their houses. Put some brujeria on their love lives.” I laugh a little through the tears with that one. She was always telling me to wear the evil eye for protection.
“You were always there for me; you were my best friend. My ride or die. I went to call you that day, the day my heart broke. I still have your voicemails telling me you love me. I miss our movie nights where I would snuggle with you, and we’d eat Mexican food. It was you and me against the world, and now that you’re gone, and I feel so alone. I miss you both so fucking much it hurts.”
The tears are streaming down my face when a beautiful white butterfly lands on my mom's grave, and I smile. She loved butterflies. When I was younger, my dad told me that on our Italian side they believe when you see a butterfly, it means a loved one who passed away is showing you they are still here.
“Hi, mommy.”
I check my smart watch and see it's been an hour since I ran towards the cemetery. I need to head back home since Rocky will be there soon.
I run back into the direction of my apartment, except I run right into a hard wall.
“Shit!”
Nope. It’s Rocky’s hard body.
“I’m so sorry! I went for a run and lost track of time.”
“It’s okay, pretty girl. I know today is a rough day for you.”
Wow, is he real?
Dylan would have been annoyed with me for making him wait.
I tilt my head to the side and smile up at him, because surely, this is just a mask. Right?
Damn, this man is so damn sexy. He’s wearing black shorts with a Supreme shirt and that damn backwards cap that just does something to my lady parts.
“What’s on the agenda for today, Savage?”
“Go shower and I'll show you,” he says with a smirk.
We head up to my apartment, where I shower, apply some curl cream and some leave-in conditioner to my hair. Putting on some ripped high-waisted shorts, a white horror movie crop top with Michael Myers, Freddie Krueger, and Jason on it that says Get in loser, we're going killing, and slip-on my checker Vans.
When I finished getting ready, I walk out of my room, as I pass by the island in the kitchen, I notice a vase full of yellow chrysanthemums that weren’t there before. It stops me in my tracks, and I bring my hand to my face, tears stinging my eyes. Rocky’s watching SportsCenter on TV in the living room.
How did I not notice them?
“I ran back to the car to get them, I figured you could use them today more than anything,” he says, breaking me out of my daze. He smiles sheepishly at me as he rubs the back of his neck.
Walking up to him I wrap my arms around his neck, and I stand up on my toes and pull his head towards mine so I can give him a kiss. Starting off slow, then turning passionate as I lick the seam of his mouth and he opens for me. I move my lips against his, wanting more, as his calloused hands grip my waist and move down painfully slow to grab my ass and I moan into his mouth. I pull back because I don't want this to be just about sex with him.
He looks down, smiles and says, “What was that for?”
“For being you. Thank you for the flowers, they’re beautiful.”
“Just like you, Killer.” His eyes roam my body, and I see his gray eyes go dark. “And it’s a very good thing I know how to fight, because you look fucking good enough to eat.”
I roll my eyes at him playfully. “I’m ready to go when you are.”
“Let’s go pretty girl, before we never leave. Don’t forget your Polaroid camera either.”
“Okay.” I pick up my camera from the coffee table with our scrapbook, and he grabs my hand linking our fingers together, as we leave.
He opens the door for me to get in the passenger side of his black Subaru WRX. I have a Tiffany Haddish moment thinking, damn, this is nice. I’m not a car girl myself, but it's pretty.
During this drive, we sing to the radio. When I hear Taylor Swift’s Cruel Summer, I sing at the top of my lungs because who doesn’t when this song comes on? Laughter comes easy with Rocky.