“You give her the week,” he said. “And use that time to get your shit in order. When you step back into her space, you show up with proof that you can move in a way that feels safe to her.”
“What kind of proof?” I asked.
“That’s on you,” he said. “What does she need to see? What would make her believe you’re not Cassie with money and fame?”
“She needs to see I can respect her boundaries,” I said. “She needs to see I see her as my equal. She needs me to step to her like a man. I can do that.”
“There you go,” Stetson said. “Now you got a real plan. Give her the week. Adjust. Then show up and close.”
“You still feel that same way about Ma?” I asked. “All these years later?”
His whole face softened and mine did too.
“More than I did back then,” he said. “Because now I know exactly what I got. Your mama could have walked away a hundred times. I wasn’t easy. I’m still not easy. She stayed because I kept proving I was worth the trouble. That’s the whole game. You keep proving it, every day.”
The office door opened, and Ma walked in without knocking. She never knocked on any door in her house.
“Vinny, I thought I heard you in here,” she said, smiling at me first, then letting her eyes land on Stetson. She had on leggings and one of his old shirts, hair slicked back, still beautiful and obviously still very much in love with Pops.
“Morning, Ma,” I said, starting to stand. I already knew what time it was, and I was not in the mood for their display of love and affection when I had blown my shit up. I was hating on my own parents.
“Sit, baby,” she said. “I’m just coming to steal a kiss from your daddy for a second.”
She walked around the desk and eased herself right into his lap like it was her assigned seat. He wrapped his arm around her waist without even looking.
“You staying for breakfast?” she asked, leaning back into him, and he placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Nah, I gotta get to practice,” I said. “Just needed to talk to Pops about some business.”
She glanced between us, reading the room the way only she could, but she didn’t press for details.
“Alright, baby,” she said. “Be safe on the road and call me when you land in Phoenix.”
“Yes, ma’am. Appreciate you, Pops, not just for today but for everything,” I said. When he married my mother, he adopted me and gave me his last name. I understood even at a young age the type of man he was. He had my respect from the very beginning.
“Go on with all that. We always been locked in,” he replied. “Go handle your business.”
By then, Ma was already turned into him, whispering something in his ear. He was looking at her the same way he had in that photo, like the whole world could burn as long as she was sitting right there. That was exactly what I wanted. Not the chaos, not the bullets, but that unshakable type of partnership. That certainty.
I let myself out and headed to the facility.
I made it there by ten-thirty, early enough to get shots up before the team meeting at eleven. The gym was mostly empty, just a few guys stretching and going through their warmup routines. I changed into my practice gear, laced my shoes, and stepped out onto the court. Basketball had always been the one place where my brain quieted down. Dribble, rise, release, net. The sound of the ball hitting the hardwood, the swish of the net, the squeak of my soles against the floor, all of it layered together until it drowned everything else out.
I was in the middle of my rhythm, working on mid-range jumpers from the elbow, when I heard voices coming in behind me. They were loud and laughing, which meant foolishness was not far behind.
“Yo, Vinci, man, you need to see this,” Rico called out.
I turned and saw him and a couple of the younger guys walking toward me with their phones out, grinning like they had just found the funniest thing on the internet.
“See what?” I asked, catching the ball as it fell through the net.
“This hashtag,” Rico said. “FireAndFineShyt. It's all over my timeline. These dudes are in the comments embarrassing they damn selves.”
Heat crept up my neck. I knew exactly what hashtag they were talking about.
West snagged the phone from Rico and watched the clip, then looked up at me with that messy grin. “Aye, Vinci, ain't this the same firefighter from your house? The one that shut your spot down?”
Every head on the court turned toward me like they were watching a free show.
