44
" I admit, I’m a little confused, David.” Her voice was soft, but it wasn’t timid. Millie wasn’t timid, and I loved that about her.
“You always call me David. Why?” I side-stepped the question. I was just as confused as she was and wasn’t ready to give her a response.
“Because David fits you so perfectly,” she said easily, letting me change the subject.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Names mean something. Too many parents get caught up in how a name sounds or how it’s spelled. I wonder how often they take the time to find out what a name means, or at the very least, what it means to them? Is it the name of a beloved family member? Is it the name of a place that brings back memories? What? Or is it just the name Ashley spelled A-S-C-H-L-E-I-G-H in an effort to be unique? Utahans, as religious as their population is, are great at giving out spirit-less, meaningless names with preposterous spellings."
"So that’s why Moses and Georgia didn’t want to name Kathleen Taglee. I was so hurt.”
She giggled and groaned, which was what I intended.
“Okay. So you say David fits me perfectly. What does David mean?”
“Darling. Beloved.”
“Darling? Beloved? You’ve got to be kidding me!” My voice was wry, twisting the words so I mocked them even as I spoke.
“You are everyone’s darling. Everyone loves you.”
“Hmm. So why don’t you?” Damn. I had to stop doing that.
“Because my name means work,” she replied saucily.
“Work?”
“Yes. That’s what Amelie means. Work.”
“Oh, that’s rich,” I drawled.
“Yes. And Henry means ‘ruler of the home.’ Which he loves and takes very seriously.”
“He would,” I chuckled "
― Amy Harmon , The Song of David (The Law of Moses, #2)
48
" I want you to yell down the stairs. Tell her that I’m here. Tell her I’m coming down,” I demanded.
“But . . . you . . . how long were you there?” she stuttered.
I waited, not answering, and Robin’s face twisted into a scowl.
“You’re right about me, you know,” I said, giving her an indirect answer. “I do like women. I like them a lot. Especially beautiful women. And I’ve never been interested in having just one. I’ve never even had a girlfriend. There’s never been a girl that’s kept my attention. Until now.”
Robin’s scowl evaporated instantly, and her pursed lips slid into a smile. Without another word, she turned, opened the door, and bellowed down the stairs.
“Amelie! You’ve got company!”
I slid past Robin, winking as I headed back down the way I’d just come.
“Don’t screw this up!” she hissed. “She’s had too much shit in her life, and she doesn’t need more, Tag Taggert. Sunshine. Roses. Kisses. Adoration. That’s your job! No shit allowed!”
I couldn’t promise a future with no shit. I couldn’t even promise I wouldn’t cause some. I couldn’t alter my DNA, and I was sure I had strands that were soaked in the stuff. But I was bound and determined to shelter Millie from as much as I could. I shot a look over my shoulder and nodded once at Millie’s protective cousin, an acknowledgement that I’d heard her, and Robin closed the door, giving us the privacy I hadn’t afforded them. "
― Amy Harmon , The Song of David (The Law of Moses, #2)
49
" The music was so loud Millie wouldn’t hear me coming, but as I reached the bottom of the stairs, the music ceased abruptly, and someone started clapping and whistling. I halted, surprised, still hidden around the corner.
“Do I look ridiculous?” I heard Millie ask. “Can I pull it off?”
“What are you talking about, Amelie?” A female voice answered, and I recognized Robin’s voice from the night at the bar. She had that valley girl vibe to her voice that seemed to be prevalent among so many American women. I like, totally hated it. But Robin seemed nice enough. "
― Amy Harmon , The Song of David (The Law of Moses, #2)
53
" I forgive you,” she whispered. “But I’m never staying home again. That was the single most agonizing experience of my life.”
“I told you I would win. And then I’d come here. And here I am,” I said, nuzzling her hair.
“Will you marry us, Tag?” Henry asked intently, inserting himself back in the conversation.
“What?” I wasn’t sure I had heard him right.
“Will you marry Millie and be my brother?” he repeated, his expression completely serious. He wasn’t messing around. “We want to be part of Tag Team...”
I guess I’d always thought I would marry someday. When I was eighty. Yet Henry was proposing, and it didn’t alarm me in the slightest. In fact, the thought of marrying Millie made my pulse quicken. It made my palms tingle. It made my heart smile so big I could feel the edges of the grin poking me in the ribs. That, or I was starting to feel the hurt from the Santos fight.
“Because they both lost so many players to WWII military service, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles combined to become the Steagles during the 1943 season,” Henry recited.
“What? The Steagles?” My eyes were on Henry, but I needed to chase Millie down.
Henry nodded, straight-faced. “We could do that. We could combine. We could be the Taggersons.”
“That’s a very interesting idea, Henry.” I nodded, biting my lip so I wouldn’t laugh. “But I need to convince Millie. I’m not sure she wants to be a Taggerson just yet.”
“Andert?” Henry offered another combination, wrinkling his nose, and then shaking his head, as if it didn’t have the same ring.
“Give me a minute to see what Millie thinks. Okay?”
Henry gave me a solemn thumbs up and sat down on the bottom stair to wait for the verdict "
― Amy Harmon , The Song of David (The Law of Moses, #2)
55
" There is no ‘i’ in team,” Henry said suddenly, seriously, as if repeating something he’d heard at a school pep rally. Or maybe he’d heard it in the gym.
“Nope.”
“There is no ‘i’ in Tag Team either,” he added.
“Nope. There isn’t,” I agreed.
“Are we Tag’s team?” he asked.
I started to explain what Tag Team was, the label, the fighters, the gym. And then I stopped myself. “Yeah. We are. We’re Tag’s team.”
“Because we love him?”
“Yeah,” I said, getting choked up all over again...
"There is an ‘i’ in David, though,” Henry said simply, as if that negated the whole “I in team,” argument.
I laughed—a loud bark of relief that had him tipping his head toward me in curiosity. “You were doing so well, kid. I thought you were going to inspire me,” I snorted, still laughing, and relieved to be doing so.
“There isn’t an ‘i’ in Henry,” he said blandly.
“Or Moses,” I added, unable to stop chuckling. “We’re the selfless ones,” I explained.
“There’s an ‘i’ in Georgia,” Henry said, as Georgia joined us on the deck.
“Yep. And don’t I know it. Me, me, me. All the time,” I said, pulling on Georgia’s hand and bringing her in close to me "
― Amy Harmon , The Song of David (The Law of Moses, #2)
59
" I drove to Liberty Park, just south of downtown, and within minutes, Henry had his kite out and was urging LeBron James into the air.
“He’s done this before,” I said in surprise.
“Not in forever. I can’t remember the last time, actually,” Millie replied. “Is he doing it?”
“Listen,” I said. “Can you hear it?” I listened with her, straining for a sound that would connect her to the visual. Then the kite dipped, caught the wind again, and lifted, making a soft, wop wop in the air, like laundry on a clothes line, flapping in the breeze.
“I hear it!”
“That’s Henry’s kite. He’s a natural.”
“Will you help me get mine in the air? I could take off running, but that might be dangerous. I don’t want to run head first into the pond. There is a pond, isn’t there?”
“Just run away from the sound of the ducks. "
― Amy Harmon , The Song of David (The Law of Moses, #2)
