My eyebrows bunched together as I squinted at her comment. “Did you not just tell me that you’re scared of stranger sperm?”
“I’m not scared of it, Brix.” She punched me lightly on the forearm. “Well, actually, I guess I am kinda scared of it. But I didn’t expect you to offer up… the fruit of your loins.”
The conversation we were having probably shouldn’t have been as funny as it was. I chuckled again.
“I mean, I’ve never been in a committed, long-lasting relationship. I can’t imagine how it feels to have it end so abruptly and so messily. I wouldn’t imagine that you would be willing to jump into something else, but I also don’t think it’s realistic for you to write it off.” Her soft brown eyes swept over me thoroughly. “You’re handsome as hell, Brix. I mean, you’re tall, you’re built, your face card gives everything it needs to give and then some. How do you expect to stay single? Especially when you’re out here just offering up your sperm to folks. Don’t mess around and offer it to the wrong person.”
I didn’t even try to stop the guffaw as it flew from my mouth. “Yo, I’m not just out here offering up my sperm. Stop it. I only offered it to you.”
“You must really trust me. I feel like Brixton Cole sperm could garner a lot of money on the black market.”
I laughed again. “You’re silly as hell, Ry. And yes, I trust you. You wouldn’t sell my shit. You don’t need to. You’ve got plenty of money. What you don’t have is the desire of your heart. I can tell that motherhood is something you really want. I can tell by the way you handle our niece and our nephews. By the way yourface lights up when you see one of them. A child would be lucky to have you as a mom. I wanna see you get that.”
“Enough to offer your sperm?”
“Yeah.” I hesitated. “But now that I think about it, you might not want to fuck with my DNA. My parents left a lot to be desired. You probably know that my father is a deadbeat. He’d never admit it, but it’s obvious that he only married my mother to get U.S. citizenship. He probably only got her pregnant to solidify the deal. Right after Genesis was born, he dipped. Started playing his drums with local bands, leaving for weeks at a time, claiming that he needed to follow his music. He popped in and out of our lives, but he never established a relationship with any of us. My mother, after going through the shit I went through with Adrianna, I feel like I understand her a little bit better. I’m pretty sure she spent our childhood suffering from a broken heart.”
“I really hate that.”
“Me, too. She threw herself into work. She was a top-selling realtor in Illinois like twelve years in a row, but she definitely wasn’t winning no mother-of-the-year awards. She never minded spending money. She would throw new gym shoes, new wardrobes, whatever at us, but we couldn’t get more than a minute of her time.” I gave a sigh, not wanting to dwell on memories of the ways my parents had scarred me and made my childhood a series of traumatic events. “But my grandfather is solid as hell. I think he did a good job with my siblings and me once he realized that his daughter wasn’t doing her due diligence with us.”
“I think you’d make a good father, brother-in-law. You’re nice, sweet, patient and hell, generous. And even though I’m not ready to have my lawyer… well, Christian’s lawyer”—she chuckled—“draw up a contract for me to have access to your sperm, I will take your offer under advisement.”
I stood from the blanket. I was hungry and ready to get back to the house so I could eat. “I guess that’s all I can ask for,” I joked. “Let’s head back. I’m hungry as hell.”
She shook the blanket out before depositing it back inside the backpack. Next, she grabbed the empty water bottles and sandwich bags, shoving them into one of the pockets.
“Did you ever sell the house?” she questioned, looking up at me. “Chris told me that you put it on the market after you and Adrianna broke up.”
I massaged my chin. “Uh yeah. It sold.”
“What’d you buy? Another condo in the sky? You doing high-rise living, again?”
“Nah, that was Adrianna’s thing and your brother’s thing. I don’t like the thought of living stacked up on top of other people. I bought a house. Small footprint, manageable square footage.”
She looked up at me as the two of us made our way back to the house. “What’s manageable square footage, Brixton Cole? How many square feet is it exactly?”
I stopped walking and turned her toward the water. “Check that out.”
We stood in silence as the sun finally moved into position. Its coloring moved from dark indigo to the warming hues of lilacs, pale corals, pinks, yellows, and oranges.
“I love it here,” she murmured.
I nodded my agreement. There was a lot to love about a beach vacation. Any vacation, really. They allowed you the opportunity to escape your real problems, if only for a little while.
All too soon,the vacation on Iredia was over and it was time to return to our regularly scheduled lives. Training camp started, and it was back to the grind of chasing another NBA Championship with my team, the Chicago Bison. Only we weren’t really in the hunt. It was a year of rebuilding after the general manager had traded several of our major players. The drills in practice that used to be seamless were now clunky and awkward, as we, the remaining players, tried to find flow with our new teammates.
Still, I showed up for camp, for meetings, for workouts, physical therapy, and for every practice. I gave basketball and the Bison my everything. That was just me. I wouldn’t lay down just because we didn’t have a real shot at winning a ring. CJ and Iwere Batman and Superman on that court. We didn’t know how to do anything but play hard as hell and always go for the win.
My morning had been spent in practice, followed by a team meeting. My afternoon was spent with the team’s trainers and in cryotherapy. I semi-hobbled, favoring my left ankle, toward my truck as a chime came through my phone indicating a text. I pulled out my phone and glanced at the screen.
Rowdy Ryann:
I haven’t stopped thinking about the offer you made me last month. If you’re still open to considering it, can we get together and talk details? If you were just talking, saying what you thought I would want to hear, I get it. This is a lot to process. Just let me know.
I had her listed in my phone by her Instachat handle. I liked that she thought of herself as being rowdy, even though I didn’t necessarily think of her that way.
Before I responded, I took a moment to consider if I was really open to giving her my sperm. That was a hell of a commitment, and even though I hadn’t been talking shit, Ihadspoken in the heat of the moment. I wasn’t sure I could do it. I wasn’t sure it would be healthy to do it. Our siblings were married. Our families were already intertwined. What would our loved ones think? Would they support us or try to talk us out of it?
