Chapter 17

"I need to talk to you."

Six words.

None more than four letters.

Yet I felt my eyes glaze over as Tami said them. It was the sort of thing girls say at the beginning of a conversation that ends with, 'We can still be friends.'

It was Wednesday, and I'd just gotten home from football practice. I'd come over to see Tami and take our usual walk.

"Sit down," she said, pointing at the sofa. As I did, she sat in the chair opposite.

I mind raced. I tried to think if I'd done anything wrong. There was flirting with Darlene after football yesterday, but that couldn't be it. Could there be another guy? I didn't see how. She spent almost all of her time with me. Had she decided that I couldn't share my love between her and Robbie? But Robbie had ended that.

"We need to talk about something serious."

God! Dumped by two girls in less than a month. Could be a record. Either that or I was dying. I think I would have preferred death.

"I don't want you to make up your mind until I'm done."

Make up my mind? I had a choice?

"I know you're not going to want to, but..."

Not want to? Was this about Ashley's cherry?

"It's my dad."

"That asshole!" My first words since I'd come in, and I called Tami's dad an asshole.

"Yeah, that asshole," Tami agreed with a tight smile.

"Is he bothering you and your mom again?" The D.A. had let him go back to Colorado until his trial.

"No, it's not that. It's..." Tami swallowed hard.

I got up, crossed the room, and sat on Tami's lap. I hugged her and kissed her nose and eyelids. "I hope you can talk to me about anything, anytime," I whispered.

She swallowed again. "Go sit down," she said, pointing back at the sofa.

"But, I'm comfortable," I complained.

"I'm not. Besides, I want to stay apart while you think about this. I don't want to influence you."

I grinned and stood. "Tami, my love, you influence me by existing. It doesn't matter whether you're across the room or across the country." I reached down, grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Or in my lap." I quickly sat and pulled her down across my legs.

"This isn't going the way I planned," she said and sighed.

"What does?"

"I have to do this."

"Close your eyes," I told her. "How many times did you rehearse this while I was at practice?"

"Once or twice." I kissed the side of her nose. "Okay, five or six times."

"Okay, this is rehearsal number twelve."

She giggled.

"Keep your eyes closed. You're sitting alone at home, waiting for your favorite reserve backup quarterback."

Tami took a deep breath. "Tony," she said, speaking to the wall. "I need to talk to you about my dad." She swallowed. "I want you to drop the charges against my dad." Tami opened her eyes and looked at me.

Oh, God. Now what? The guy threatened me with a gun. He attacked Tami's mom. He should be locked up. But, if I put him in jail, what would that do to Tami and me?

"I don't know," I said finally.

"I know what he did was wrong. He knows what he did was wrong."

"Tami, he attacked your mom. What would have happened if I hadn't come in?"

"I don't... he said, he was so mad he might have killed her." The last two words were a whisper.

"And you want me to forgive and forget?"

"He's changed."