Sequel: From Where You Are. ›
I Will Always Love You.
6
We walked into the Harter home after being invited in by Lisa Harter herself. It looked so familiar inside. Not much had changed. It was still really nice. It still also had all the Detroit Lions stuff all over the place. I forgot to mention that his family was rich. Why you ask? His grandfather was the owner of the Lions football team. His father was the president and his uncle was vice president. They'd been rich ever since before Josh was born and they had all they ever wanted, but Josh never flaunted it. I didn't know he had money for the longest time.
"Well gang, look who's here! We have handsome man Mr. Benjamin Simmons, his beautiful and very pregnant mother Ms. Ashley Simmons, your favorite handsome man Mr. Joshua Harter, and someone you guys have not seen in a long, the gorgeous Ms. Jamie Szantyr." Lisa said.
"Well, I'll be damned, Jamie Szantyr. Good to see ya girl. I haven't seen you since you were a little 18 year old." Travis said smiling and hugging me.
"Yeah, it's been a long time Tray. I haven't seen you since you were chasing Tonya Grey." I chuckled.
"Hey, she was mean to me, we were 22 and she was acting like a child." He smirked.
"Good to see you found someone else." I smiled.
"Yes I have and this is her. Gracie this is Jamie, Jamie this is Gracie" He said. She was beautiful.
"Nice to meet you." she smiled.
"You too sweetie." I smiled and looked down. "Oh and that's a handsome little man you have there." I smiled.
"Aww thanks" she smiled at me.
"Well well well, who do we have here?" I heard a girl's voice say. I turned to see Josh's younger sister.
"Bridgette!!!!" I squealed and we hugged each other tight. We always got along well even though Josh and I were four years older than her. She was this little 14 year old brat when I saw her last, now she was a 20 year old young woman.
"Oh how I've missed you sis." She smiled.
"I missed you more." I smiled back.
"And this is my boyfriend, Mark." She smiled. I looked and smiled.
"Nice to meet you Mark, you better treat my girl here right." I smiled.
"Oh yes ma'am I will." he smiled back.
"Alright enough yapping, let's eat." I heard Ray say. Always nice to see you too, Ray.
We all sat down at the table. Ray was at the end then there was Ashley, Josh, Benjamin, and Gracie on the left side. Travis was at the end sitting near the baby and then there was me, Lisa, Bridgette, and Mark on the other side.
"So, Ray, how's the team looking?" I heard Ashley ask with a smile and gleam in her eye. That told me that something was up.
"They're looking good, I think it's going to be a great season." He said in a calmed down voice and smiled. "Would be even better if your boy here and your soon to be brother-in-law would join the business part." He said looking towards Josh and Travis.
"Dad, you know that's not for me. You know I love my job at the base." Travis said.
"You're a damn security guard at an airforce base. That's nothing special son." He said.
"Don't start." Travis said.
"At least your doing something practical though, your little brother here is doing some shit that's not even real." Ray said. I could see Josh drop his fork and look up at his dad with pissed off eyes.
"Don't even start, Ray." I heard him say in a pissed off voice.
"Oh c'mon, Joshy! You can't take it can you? You do all that fake wrestling shit!" He said.
"Shut the hell up!" Josh yelled.
"Enough, Joshua. Don't talk to your dad like that!" I heard Ashley say as she slapped his arm.
That sent Josh off the edge, I could tell it by his face. He got up from the table and walked upstairs to his old room slamming it behind him. This was Josh's way of leaving before he did something he regretted.
"I am so sorry about your son, Ray. I don't know what has gotten into him lately." I heard Ashley say.
"It'll be okay." He smiled at her and continued to eat.
After dinner was over, the Harter family along with Ashley decided to go outside on the porch and talk. I told them that I had to go to the restroom. As I started upstairs, I could hear music coming from Josh's old room. He always did like to drown his sorrows with music.
I think you can do much better than me
After all the lies that I made you believe
Guilt kicks in and I start to see
The edge of the bed
Where your nightgown used to be
I told myself I won't miss you
But I remember
What it feels like beside you
I really miss your hair in my face
And the way your innocence tastes
And I think you should know this
You deserve much better than me
I knocked on the door and after a second, I decided to walk in. Wow, this room hadn't changed at all. I looked over and saw Josh just laying on the bed.
"What do you want?" He asked.
"Just wanted to see how you were." I said as I looked around the room. He still had the bulletin board with all our pictures on it. Pictures of us from prom and just random pictures of us hanging out or kissing. I was surprised.
"I just get so sick of my dad putting down my job. I chose not to be apart of the Lions a long time ago. I don't regret that. I love what I do now." He said.
"I know you do, sweetheart. You are fantastic at it too." He smiled at me.
"Thank you." I continued to look around.
"Man, this room hasn't changed at all." I said.
"Nope, I never wanted to change it." He replied. I turned around to him.
"What about the pictures?" I asked.
"What about them? Those are good memories that I wouldn't want to give up." He said. My heart sort of skipped a beat.
"Josh, I-" I said.
"Shh. Just listen." He said cutting me off. "As of late I've realized what a big-"
"What are you guys doing? We need to get going to the show." I heard Ashley say as she walked in.
"Yeah you're right." Josh said getting up. "Get the family together and I'll go get the car ready." Josh said getting up and walking downstairs. I sighed to myself and got up going to get the family together with Ashley.
"Well gang, look who's here! We have handsome man Mr. Benjamin Simmons, his beautiful and very pregnant mother Ms. Ashley Simmons, your favorite handsome man Mr. Joshua Harter, and someone you guys have not seen in a long, the gorgeous Ms. Jamie Szantyr." Lisa said.
"Well, I'll be damned, Jamie Szantyr. Good to see ya girl. I haven't seen you since you were a little 18 year old." Travis said smiling and hugging me.
"Yeah, it's been a long time Tray. I haven't seen you since you were chasing Tonya Grey." I chuckled.
"Hey, she was mean to me, we were 22 and she was acting like a child." He smirked.
"Good to see you found someone else." I smiled.
"Yes I have and this is her. Gracie this is Jamie, Jamie this is Gracie" He said. She was beautiful.
"Nice to meet you." she smiled.
"You too sweetie." I smiled and looked down. "Oh and that's a handsome little man you have there." I smiled.
"Aww thanks" she smiled at me.
"Well well well, who do we have here?" I heard a girl's voice say. I turned to see Josh's younger sister.
"Bridgette!!!!" I squealed and we hugged each other tight. We always got along well even though Josh and I were four years older than her. She was this little 14 year old brat when I saw her last, now she was a 20 year old young woman.
"Oh how I've missed you sis." She smiled.
"I missed you more." I smiled back.
"And this is my boyfriend, Mark." She smiled. I looked and smiled.
"Nice to meet you Mark, you better treat my girl here right." I smiled.
"Oh yes ma'am I will." he smiled back.
"Alright enough yapping, let's eat." I heard Ray say. Always nice to see you too, Ray.
We all sat down at the table. Ray was at the end then there was Ashley, Josh, Benjamin, and Gracie on the left side. Travis was at the end sitting near the baby and then there was me, Lisa, Bridgette, and Mark on the other side.
"So, Ray, how's the team looking?" I heard Ashley ask with a smile and gleam in her eye. That told me that something was up.
"They're looking good, I think it's going to be a great season." He said in a calmed down voice and smiled. "Would be even better if your boy here and your soon to be brother-in-law would join the business part." He said looking towards Josh and Travis.
"Dad, you know that's not for me. You know I love my job at the base." Travis said.
"You're a damn security guard at an airforce base. That's nothing special son." He said.
"Don't start." Travis said.
"At least your doing something practical though, your little brother here is doing some shit that's not even real." Ray said. I could see Josh drop his fork and look up at his dad with pissed off eyes.
"Don't even start, Ray." I heard him say in a pissed off voice.
"Oh c'mon, Joshy! You can't take it can you? You do all that fake wrestling shit!" He said.
"Shut the hell up!" Josh yelled.
"Enough, Joshua. Don't talk to your dad like that!" I heard Ashley say as she slapped his arm.
That sent Josh off the edge, I could tell it by his face. He got up from the table and walked upstairs to his old room slamming it behind him. This was Josh's way of leaving before he did something he regretted.
"I am so sorry about your son, Ray. I don't know what has gotten into him lately." I heard Ashley say.
"It'll be okay." He smiled at her and continued to eat.
After dinner was over, the Harter family along with Ashley decided to go outside on the porch and talk. I told them that I had to go to the restroom. As I started upstairs, I could hear music coming from Josh's old room. He always did like to drown his sorrows with music.
I think you can do much better than me
After all the lies that I made you believe
Guilt kicks in and I start to see
The edge of the bed
Where your nightgown used to be
I told myself I won't miss you
But I remember
What it feels like beside you
I really miss your hair in my face
And the way your innocence tastes
And I think you should know this
You deserve much better than me
I knocked on the door and after a second, I decided to walk in. Wow, this room hadn't changed at all. I looked over and saw Josh just laying on the bed.
"What do you want?" He asked.
"Just wanted to see how you were." I said as I looked around the room. He still had the bulletin board with all our pictures on it. Pictures of us from prom and just random pictures of us hanging out or kissing. I was surprised.
"I just get so sick of my dad putting down my job. I chose not to be apart of the Lions a long time ago. I don't regret that. I love what I do now." He said.
"I know you do, sweetheart. You are fantastic at it too." He smiled at me.
"Thank you." I continued to look around.
"Man, this room hasn't changed at all." I said.
"Nope, I never wanted to change it." He replied. I turned around to him.
"What about the pictures?" I asked.
"What about them? Those are good memories that I wouldn't want to give up." He said. My heart sort of skipped a beat.
"Josh, I-" I said.
"Shh. Just listen." He said cutting me off. "As of late I've realized what a big-"
"What are you guys doing? We need to get going to the show." I heard Ashley say as she walked in.
"Yeah you're right." Josh said getting up. "Get the family together and I'll go get the car ready." Josh said getting up and walking downstairs. I sighed to myself and got up going to get the family together with Ashley.