and we hold each other even after the song ends. I didn’t know this kind of happiness existed. Is it perfect? No. I’m me, so we’re going to have our moments, but it’s pretty damn close.
“Cash.”
“Hmm?”
“The song’s over.”
I reluctantly release her, but instead of leaving the dance floor, I bend to one knee.
Her trembling hands cover her mouth. “Cash?”
The entire student body of Ryder High is watching. I see several cell phones pointed in our direction. It’s a good thing I told my mom what I was planning, because this will be all over social media before we leave the building.
“Tiger.” The love raining down on me from her misty eyes takes my breath away, and I have to take a second to pull it together. “Fourteen years ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life on this gym floor. I’d like to rectify that right now.” I take her hands in mine and kiss them. “It’s always been you. That was true when I was eighteen, and it’s true today. I love your beautiful mind, and your amazing heart. And while I’m still not sure I deserve you, I’m selfish enough to want to make you mine forever.” I pull the ring from my pocket and slip it on her finger. “Build a life with me, fight with me, have babies with me, and grow old with me.” I press my lips to the ring. “Marry me, Tiger.”
For a long moment, she doesn’t say anything, and I seriously worry that I’ve screwed up. Maybe she still isn’t ready. But then she nods and one of her tears falls on our joined hands. It’s a baptism of sorts, binding me to this woman forever.
“I need the words, darlin’.”
She pulls me to my feet and jumps into my arms. Her soft lips pepper my face with kisses punctuated with her answer. “Yes. Yes. Yes. Forever and always, yes.”
The End
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Running From a Rock Star
A opposites attract, small-town romantic comedy
Something Personal
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Homecoming King. I appreciate it more than I can say. I loved Tiger and Cash, and I hope you did too.
Homecoming King is the book that nearly didn’t get written. This past year has been incredibly emotional and hard for my family and me. Because of that, it made the words come very slowly and sometimes, not at all.
We lost my nephew last summer to an accidental drug overdose. I share this with his mother’s permission in our hope that we save another family the heartache associated with this terrible tragedy.
My nephew recreationally used prescription drugs, typically opioids. I think it’s important to note that he wasn’t a guy living in the streets, he had a job that he was good at, friends who adored him, and a family who loved and supported him. He was just careless. I’ve often said, he’d be so mad he was dead because he never intended to die…especially like that. But that’s the problem with drug use, you’re not making the best decisions when a bad decision can end your life.
In Homecoming King, I talk about opioid addiction being an epidemic in professional sports, and it is, but it’s more far reaching than just sports. We have a national epidemic on our hands. I had initially intended Cash to be recovering from opioid addiction. However, there’s nothing funny or entertaining about this disease, and the last thing I’d want to do would be to downplay or make light of something so terribly destructive and lethal.
If you have a family member or friend who is struggling with addiction, SAY SOMETHING. No matter how infrequent the use is or how “under control,” the person seems because they’re not.
Be direct.
Call them out.
Encourage them to get help.
Our family talked around the issue, but never insisted he get help. This was motivated by our love for him, and the fact that he hid a lot of it from us, but also because it was a hard conversation to have and we didn’t want to alienate him. I can guarantee you that our biggest regret is that we didn’t address it head-on. And believe me, you do not want to live with that kind of regret.
My cousin, Randy