One Time [Montgomery De La Cruz x OC]

Bad news bears turned good.

Two months later...

"I think that sounds awesome!" I said to Monty after he explained to me that Liberty High wants to bring back all the recently graduated baseball players for a special game. All of the other high schools in our area are doing it too and even though Monty quit the baseball team at the end of the year to run off and do drugs and be in a fight club, his old coach still invited him to participate. "I don't know, I haven't played in so long..." "Your whole life was baseball for years, Mon. It's just natural instinct to you." I interrupted him but he still sighed and shook his head, not fully on board yet. "Everyone knows my name around here, Mar... and not for good reasons. I was even on the news more than once, so out of county people know what I've done too. Whenever all of these people that are coming see me and hear my name, especially the high schoolers, I'm gonna be the talk of the town all over again. I just don't know if I can handle all that." He explained to me and I sympathetically smiled at him before wrapping my arms around his neck. "All of that happened a long time ago, M. You've been doing so good, so who cares what they have to say? You love baseball and you haven't got to play in so long. Not to mention Jeff and Justin are gonna be playing too so you'll have your two best friends with you." I tried to reason with him. He looked into my eyes and pulled me into him closer. "What about you? I need you there with me." He said weakly and I softly smiled at him and then kissed the top of his head before responding. "Of course I'll be there, Montgomery. I'm your biggest fan, after all." I smiled at him and even though it took him a second, he cracked a smile too. "You really want me to do it?" "I do. I think it'll be good for you." I immediately responded. I watched as the wheels turned in his head before he finally nodded with a sigh. "Fine, I'll give it a shot." He caved. I squealed and then pulled him in for a quick kiss before jumping up. "Go call your coach right now and let him know that you're doing it." I demanded with a chuckle while pointing to his phone on the kitchen counter. He playfully rolled his eyes at me and then got up and grabbed his phone. "I swear, if I embarrass myself out there, it's all on you, babe." He laughed with a shake of his head while pressing buttons on his phone to call the baseball coach. "You used to be the star of the baseball team, Monty. People cheered your last name from the bleachers. You've got nothing to worry about, you're gonna kick ass." I assured him and he grinned at me brightly for being so supportive. We'd been doing so good the past few months. Ever since Jeff and I got in the wreck, we hadn't had any other issues. Our blended family vacation brought us even closer together too. Emma had finally moved out and moved in with David and we get Dallas three days out of the week, Monty was still working at the mechanic shop, I was doing good in school, I got a part time job at Monet's alongside Jessica, the girls' are doing great, Marissa and Jeff seem like they might be on the verge of getting together, I'm even closer with my dad and Jane now... it finally seems like everything is really coming together. I heard him on th the phone with his old coach and I got a great idea. I pulled up the t shirt design store on my phone and placed an online order for a shirt for myself and both of the girls'. The shirts had De La Cruz in the last name spot and then Monty's old number since he was using the same one. I smiled to myself at my purchase but I quickly hid my excitement so that he wouldn't know because I wanted it to be a surprise on game day. I texted Jessica, Emma, and Marissa what I did so they all got shirts too. Emma got herself a basic baseball shirt but got Dallas the same one that I got myself and the girls', Jessica got her and Grace ones that said Foley and had Justin's number on it, and Marissa got one with Atkins on it and Jeff's number. We all wanted to show our guys support. I deleted the messages once we were done talking about it so that Monty wouldn't see in case he went through my phone and then I joined him in the kitchen once I heard him hanging up with his coach. "So, when's the big game?" I asked once he put his phone on the counter. "A week from Friday. So I've got 10 days to prepare." He told me and I nodded my head before grabbing a drink out of the fridge. "I can't wait to watch you play. It's gonna feel like old times." I smiled after taking a sip of my drink and he returned it. "It might actually feel kinda nice to feel like I'm in high school again. Back before I fucked everything up." He said and I nodded my head in understanding. "I know that you're nervous about it but I think that you're really gonna enjoy yourself, Mon." I assured him before walking up to him and wrapping my arms around his waist and he did the same and pulled me into him close. "I'm sure that once I get out on that field, none of this other stupid shit is gonna matter to me anymore. I know that you're right and I'm gonna love it." He smiled and then leaned down and connected our lips. We pulled apart once we heard both of the girls crying on the baby monitor, signaling that they were up from their nap. "I'll flip a coin with you for it." I suggested and he chuckled before grabbing a coin off of the counter and holding it out. "Heads or tails?" "Heads." I answered immediately and he nodded before flicking it up into the air. He caught it and then placed it in his hand and showed me that it was on Heads. "Yes!" I laughed and threw my hands up into the air and he laughed and groaned at the same time. "Don't forget to change their diapers!" I called out to him as he was walking towards their room. "Baby girl, I'm dad of the year around these parts... of course I'm not gonna forget to change their diapers." He laughed and his words caused me to crack up myself. "Don't forget that Dal is getting dropped off tonight too!" "Like I said, babe... dad of the year!" He called back to me from the girls' room and I laughed and shook my head before taking out the stuff that I needed to make chicken casserole for dinner. I was so proud of him for how good he'd been doing ever since his relapse. He hadn't relapsed again, he works his ass off, he's doing pretty good with being bipolar, goes to the gym every day, he's an even more amazing dad, and he's been a wonderful fiancé to me. The only thing that he's done that is still the same, is getting a few more tattoos. But hey, they're sexy to me now so I don't mind. "Ya know what I just realized? My old uniform probably isn't gonna fit me anymore because I've gotten so much bigger since last year." He said to me while walking into the kitchen with both of the girls' in his arms, still sleepy. I greeted them and then looked him over before answering. "You're right, it's definitely not gonna fit you anymore. You're massive now." I said and he proudly smirked at my words. He loved the fact that he's so much bigger than everyone both height and muscle tone wise. It makes him feel big and bad. Not to mention the fact that his hands are also lethal. "Just call your coach and tell him that you're gonna need to be sized for a new uniform. Jeff might neeed to too." I added after a second and he nodded before grabbing his phone and texting Jeff and then his coach. Once he got everything situated for his uniform, he got the girls' some juice and a little snack and set them up in their high chairs. Whenever he was done with that, he started helping me with dinner. Truthfully, he's a better cook than me anyways. "Are y'all gonna have any practices?" I asked while we were cooking and he nodded his head before answering. "Yeah, three days a week until the game. So I'm gonna be getting home really late those days." He explained and I nodded my head in understanding. "That's fine. I'll get my parents or yours to babysit if my hours at work conflict with when the girls' need to be picked up from daycare." I told him while he put the pan into the oven and then I started to cook the green beans. "Is it weird that I feel old and like I haven't been to high school in forever even though it's only been a year?" He asked me and I chuckled and shook my head before answering. "I feel the same way. I guess it's because our lives are so hectic it makes time seem longer than what's actually passed." I tried to explain without sounding weird and whenever he nodded his head, I knew that he understood what I meant. "I wonder if they'll do a basketball and football game like this too eventually." I said and he shrugged his shoulders while putting the biscuits on the tray to go in the oven too. "Baseball was always kind of the top high school sport in our county, so it makes sense that they chose to do baseball and not the other sports. If this goes good though, I wouldn't doubt that they'll do it with other sports too." He explained and I agreed with him that he was probably right. After I finished the green beans and he put the biscuits in with the casserole, we went and sat down at the kitchen table to wait on everything to finish. "If I hadn't of fucked up, I would be playing baseball in college right now on a full ride scholarship." He said in a disappointed tone. I smiled at him sadly and then grabbed his hand with my own. "It's okay, M. Sure, that would've been more ideal for all of us but... you learned a lot through your mistakes. Everything happens for a reason." I said, trying to cheer him up. I could tell that it wasn't fully helping, but he did look a little bit better. "If I had been with any other girl during the past year, she damn sure wouldn't have stuck by my side like you have. I love you, baby girl." "The reason that I've stuck by your side through all of the bullshit is because I love you too."