Chapter 4
When she finished up her work for the day, Montana headed over to stay with the girls as she had promised; Paul had told her to come to their hotel room, thinking they would all be more comfortable there.
“What kind of girl do you think I am?” she had teased him.
He had blushed a little before replying, ”Um….actually, I was thinking you and the girls would be more comfortable there.”
“I know that. I was just kidding.”
“Oh…..okay.”
My goodness, she thought, Paul is so shy. From the way he carries on in the ring, though, one wouldn’t think differently. It’s just so sweet, kind of like how little Kira is.
By the time Montana had arrived at the hotel where Paul was staying with his daughters, Mackenzie and Kira had already had their baths and were in pajamas.
“I thought I would get them ready for bed before you came over to save you the struggle, especially Kira,” Paul explained. “The girl is not a bath fan unless I’m giving it to her.”
“Only Papi give me baths,” Kira nodded.
“Right,” he agreed. “Now don’t you and Mac give Montana any problems tonight while I’m gone. Got it?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Mac said. “You tell us that all the time, yet people say to you how good we are.”
“Well, I’m telling you two again. I should be back before midnight, depending how the fan crush is after the show.”
“Take your time,” Montana encouraged. “I don’t have anything to do tomorrow anyway.”
“Thanks, but I want to be back as soon as possible before they drive you insane. Be warned, too, that Mac likes to play twenty questions with new people in my life, especially women.”
Mac puffed her chest a little. “Nobody takes advantage of Papi when me and Sissy are around!”
“Yeah, and my love life suffers,” Paul replied.
Montana had to chuckle a little, taking the list of instructions and contact numbers he’d given her, assuring him everything would be fine before he finally left.
They had played some games and Montana had read to them for awhile and then the girls wanted to watch TV. She scanned the list of things Paul had left behind for TV programs the girls were allowed to watch, before she turned on a family-friendly program they could all enjoy.
“Are you guys hungry?” she finally asked them, feeling a little ravenous herself. “Your dad said we can order something if you got hungry before you went to bed.”
“Me!” Kira piped up.
“Sissy likes to eat,” Mac giggled. “Like Papi.”
“I think Kira is like her daddy in many ways,” Montana smiled, picking up a room service menu. “Would you like something too, Mackenzie?”
“Yeah. Not too much, ‘cause I don’t want to get fat.”
“Honey, you’re only six. Why would you worry about being fat? You’re like a little bird!”
“One of the boys at school said our mami went to heaven because she was fat.”
“Oh, Mac, I don’t really think that is what happened to your mother at all. And besides, she couldn’t have been too bad if your daddy loved her.”
“Papi loved her a lot. He was really sad for a long time. He didn’t take off his ring till like a few weeks ago.”
“He wore it that whole time?” Montana asked, feeling a little sad.
Mac nodded. “Uh huh, except when he wrestled, then he put it back on afterward. I think maybe he thought if he did, Mami might come back after all. Then he didn’t wear it no more.”
That poor man, Montana thought, losing his wife so young and then still wearing his wedding ring all that time after her passing.
She figured from what Mac had just told her, perhaps no longer wearing his wedding band was a sign that perhaps Paul had finally come to terms and accepted his wife’s death. Still, it had to be difficult for him managing such a demanding career and raising two children under ten years old, daughters at that. Montana couldn’t help but feel sympathy toward this young family.
Montana sighed, picking up the phone to order food for both of the girls and herself before settling back with them again while waiting on their order.
When the food arrived, they all ate together, Kira letting go a little burp as Montana held back a giggle.
“Sissy!” Mac scolded. “Excuse yourself.”
“Sorry,” Kira replied. “’Scuse me. Papi does it too.”
“And it’s gross.” Mac rolled her eyes. “Sissy should have been a boy. She acts like it sometimes.”
Montana couldn’t help but chuckle. That little one was her father’s daughter all right.
“Maybe because she spends so much time with Dad,” she suggested.
“So do I, but it don’t mean I have to act like him,” Mac shook her head “Grandma Alice says we should be ladies. Like one day, Papi had just drank down a whole can of Pepsi in like two minutes and then let out a big one that shook the room and then Sissy did it too. Grandma Alice yelled at Papi and said he should raise us to act like girls, not monkeys!”
“Well, I’m sure she is right,” Montana nodded. “You should learn to be ladies, though it’s okay to let loose now and again when you play or something like that.”
“Yeah. I don’t think Papi likes her much anyway; she isn’t his real mami or nothing.”
Montana raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Did you lose your real grandma too?”
Mac shook her head. “Uh uh. She’s in New Mexico. She and Grandpa are divorced. She’s really nice and worries about Papi a lot. She’s afraid he’ll get hurt or go to heaven like Mami did and then we’ll have no parents at all.”
“Well, considering your dad’s line of work, I can’t say I blame your grandma for worrying.”
“Yeah, but he tells her don’t worry so much; he knows what he’s doing. We get to see her sometimes when Papi is off. I’ll be at Grandpa’s when I go back to school, though. Papi won’t take me and Sissy with him when there’s school.”
“He wants you to have a normal childhood and a good education,” Montana nodded.
“Yeah, he says that too,” Mac agreed. “But can I ask you something?”
“Sure, sweetheart, what is it?”
“You think Papi’s cute?”
Montana smiled. “I think he’s a very attractive man. What brought that up?”
Mac smiled back at her. “Want to know a secret? I heard he tell another guy before he brought me and Sissy back here that he thinks you’re pretty.”
“Oh, I see,” Montana nodded, knowing now exactly where this was headed.
But no way would she find it feasible; Montana always had a personal policy of no matter where she worked, she never dated co-workers. She certainly wasn’t going to start now on dating the talent, even one with two beautiful, motherless little girls.
“So you going to baby-sit us again?” Kira asked.
“That’s up to your daddy,” Montana answered, “but I certainly wouldn’t mind if I were asked again.”
As for going out with him, she thought, definitely out of the question. Montana was sure she wasn’t his type anyway.
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