“I’m not deciding on your future, Mickey. That’s not fair of you to even ask.”
“My future? Are you kidding? You are my future. Four years. College is four years of my fucking life. It’s nothing. Football is nothing. You…” he gathered her long auburn hair in his hand, exposing her neck to his lips “…are everything. I love you, Sunny.”
She pulled away. “Love won’t pay rent. It won’t get you a job. It won’t buy you a car that you don’t have to jump start every morning. It won’t get you out of Oakland. You need to play football to pay for college. I need to not piss my parents off so they’ll pay for college. They like you Mickey, but they’ll hate you if you propose to me the minute we cross the stage. Then they’ll disown me for saying yes. We’ll be broke, homeless, and what? In love?”
“What did you say?” He grabbed her arm.
Sunny tried to pull away, a scowl stealing her perfect features.
“I said we’ll be broke and homeless.”
“No, before that.” His strength was no match for his. He pulled her into his arms, pouty lip and all.
“What?”
“You said your parents would disown you for saying yes.”
“They would.”
“But would you?”
She sighed. “Would I what?”
“Say yes?”
With a single finger he lifted her chin, waiting for her to look at him. When she did, he knew the answer.
“Yes, Mickey. Of course I’d say yes. My heart will always be tethered to yours. I choose you today. I choose you always.”
He grinned.
She pinched his cheeks together until it hurt. “Don’t you dare smile. Just because I’m hopelessly—stupidly—in love with you, doesn’t mean I’m not still mad as hell that you’re being such a selfish jerk. If four years is ‘nothing,’ then I don’t see the big deal in waiting until we’re done with school, and if you love me the way I love you, it won’t matter if we’re at the same college.”
She broke free of his hold and searched for her clothes. “Would it kill you to pick up your room? Your dad is going to go apeshit if he sees this mess.”
“So let me just be clear on this … you will say yes no matter when I ask you to marry me?”
“Dammit, Knox! Your dad will be home any minute, and I don’t want to be naked when he gets here.”
Knox meant business. Sunny rarely called him by his given name, except for when she was ready to explode at him. She’d give him one warning. Saying it twice meant a week or more of jacking off in the shower—no sex, no kisses, rarely even a phone call.
“Here are your clothes.” He lifted his pillow. They were wadded under it. “See, I’m much more organized than you give me credit for.” His grin just begged to be wiped off his face.
Sunny grabbed her clothes, pulling them on with fire-drill speed. “I’m going home and picking the college with the worst football team ever, you big stubborn ass.”
Knox chuckled. “Good idea. They probably need me the most.”
She rifled through the clothes and school books covering his floor, searching for her shoes. He could hear her mind cursing at him for being so damn messy and herself for falling in love with a walking disaster. The thought made his smile double because she did—Sunny loved him and it was a miracle.
“I can’t live like this, Mickey. I’ll divorce you within a month of marrying you if you don’t pick up your crap.” She tugged on her boots, hopping from one foot to the other. Her nose scrunched as she pulled off her right boot “Mickey! Yuck!”
With frighteningly-accurate precision, she whipped the boot at his head. He ducked and it thunked against the wall.
“What?” He grabbed it off the bed. “Oh.” His life depended on him not grinning; he nearly lost it. “Sorry, Sun.” Biting his lips together, he retrieved the used condom from the inside of her boot. “I just tossed it.”
“That’s my point. Who just tosses used condoms on their bedroom floor? I don’t toss my tampons on the bathroom floor. It’s disgusting.” Sunny snatched her boot from him and stomped out of the room without putting it on.
“Don’t be mad—” The intimidating waste of space that was his father, stopped him in the hallway.
Nicotine and liquor filled his nostrils. The man bathed on a need-to basis, usually when he vomited on himself or had to wash the blood off his hands from beating the shit out of Knox or his mother.
Sunny turned at the top of the stairs. Thankfully, his father let her pass. The evil in his eyes said Knox wouldn’t be as lucky.
“Go home, young lady.” His father didn’t turn to look at her, but he knew she was watching.
“Mickey.”
“He’s not a fucking cartoon character. His name is Knox. You best remember that.”