Little did she know I’d had the lights hooked up to an app on my phone so they could be controlled whenever I was away fromhome. She’d let me handle the electronic and safety logistics since I was just using what the fellas had for their homes. Some dude that ‘Twan and Jacoby were cool with had hooked us up. The system was extensive and I was glad that I could have peace of mind when ‘Phro was out here alone if she didn’t travel with me to away games.
“That’s fine. I’ll go out there and cut them off. It won’t take more than a second.” She grinned and leaned over to give me a kiss before opening her door. Normally I would’ve handled that for her but I had to fight the urge to do it so she thought nothing was crazy. “Grab her gift so we’re not holding up dinner, okay?”
I nodded knowing we weren’t leaving the house again for a minute and waited until she was a safe distance away before I cut the car completely off. I hustled out of the driver’s seat and strode quickly to cut the distance between the two of us. My eyes were glued on her lil plump ass in her fitted cream sweater dress and the black and dark royal blue boots had her legs looking like they went on for a mile. She told me she’d been wearing heels since she was a young teenager so walking in them didn’t bother her at all.
We’d had a path of stones and some pebble shit added to the walkway between the garages at ‘Phro’s insistence. She said something about curb appeal and I just nodded and did what she wanted. The shit looked good and she was happy so it was win-win. The landscaping lights that illuminated the path were the only ones lit because I needed the courts to stand out. I could see Aphrodite a few yards ahead of me and watched as she stopped in the middle of the pathway. I grinned because I knew what she’d finally noticed and my heart sped up.
“You good?” I’d put my arm at the small of her back when I caught up to her because she hadn’t moved from the spot where she’d stopped. The hum of the electricity needed to power the lights and the sounds of nature were all that I could hear. I wasthankful to be on some land that didn’t have a lot of people around so nothing would interrupt this moment.
‘Phro nodded and I could see the look on her face. It was confusion, bewilderment almost, as though she didn’t think she was really seeing what her eyes were telling her was there.
“What is this stuff in the walkway, Ant? You think some kids or something have been playing around back here?”
I leaned down and picked up what she was looking at and it was the mix of rose petals I’d ordered to be scattered on the walkway. When I’d talked to Rye and Billy, the two women who were big sisters to us and also to Sterling who was AP’s bestie, they told me to do something that was what I wanted her to have. I’d been so focused on everything being perfect and dramatic that I was driving myself crazy. Rye had to check me to remain focused on work and not let up. She’d had to remind me that everything I wanted to accomplish was going to be fueled by the performance I had on the field. That got my mind right quick as fuck and I started deciding on how to get this orchestrated because I be damned if I played like shit and that keeps me from hitting a financial goal to help secure our future.
“Rose petals? What the hell is that about?” Aphrodite glanced around as though somebody was going to hop out of the bushes and I didn’t bank on her being scared to be out here.
“I got my stick so don’t worry about somebody being out here. Let’s go cut these lights off and get moving, AP. You looking scared and I’on’t like it.”
She looked nervous, her worried eyes darting around the property and again I felt guilty for putting her through this. But it was necessary. At least I hoped that’s how she was going to feel at the end of the night. Aphrodite slid her hand into my mine and I could feel that her palm was as damp as mine just for different reasons. Together, we walked the rest of the way to the courts and I could see her watching as the trail of rose petalsstopped when we got to the gated entrance of the courts. AP didn’t want the courts to be an eyesore on the back of the house so she had a decorative lattice-type fence and tall wooden double doors built around it. It gave it a nice cottage-type look and we’d planted some vines and flowers that would grow up the sides to make it look better. Fucking with landscaping and planting trees were never something I saw myself doing, but Aphrodite loved being hands-on with the house and I was gone do whatever kept a smile on her face.
We’d designed the courts so the light switch was right outside the doors, but I needed a reason for her to open them up. Thinking quickly on my feet, I gave her hand a squeeze and reached for the handle.
“Let me make sure everything is cool, AP, before we go.”
She pulled back on my arm like she didn’t want me to go inside and I hated that she was afraid. “Baby, are you sure? We can sleep at ‘Twan’s tonight and then come back when it’s light out.”
“AP, I’m positive. I forgot to give you the logins but there wasn’t anything on the cameras that would show someone was out here. I’m just doin’ it to double-check.” I kissed the side of her face before I opened the tall wooden door and stepped in just ahead of her. The place looked perfect so I stepped in further so she could walk in behind me. She snuggled closer to my back and I felt her hand at my side.
“Can we hurry—” I pulled her from behind me and she shrieked at how abruptly I’d moved her. “Ant!”
I knew she wanted to cuss me out but she opened her eyes and finally saw the court. Her hands flew to her mouth and she let out a sound that was part gasp and part cry. I took in the scene the same way she did and I watched her shoulder shake slightly.
“C’mon, Phro, you gotta say something.” My chest was feeling tight watching her reaction but it was a good constriction. Her silence was fucking with me, though.
She shook her head and the way she’d had her locs wrapped up on the top of her head didn’t stop a few of them from escaping, that’s how hard she was shaking.
“What is all this?”
Her eyes were filled with tears, and my baby looked completely stunned. I glanced around the court and saw they’d set up everything exactly as I wanted.
The tennis court had a replica of the shell that Aphrodite had sat in at the first photoshoot where we’d met. It was bigger than a traditional ring box and they’d positioned it on a small column I’d rented from the florist. Something they called sprays of roses were draped around it and lights had been woven through the net. It wasn’t super elaborate because ‘Phro had simple tastes. I always battled with worry that her tastes were only simple because no one had been there to give her elaborate before, but for this I kept it small.Tastefulis what Billy called it and I had to admit that it looked damn good. The overhead lights were reflecting off the pearlescent shine on the ring box almost beckoning us closer.
I took one of her hands that was by her face and pulled her toward the net. I couldn’t answer her question without her looking at the shell first because I needed her to understand exactly what was going on.
By the time we got closer to the net, she was crying again and as much as I wanted her to stop; I understood what she was feeling. Her tears were driving mine and now my nerves weren’t kicking in but my love for her was.
I reached over with a shaky hand and picked up the custom shell that held a symbol of the love that I had for this woman. I’d been nervous as fuck to have it sitting out here for any length oftime so Jacoby’s brother had sent one of his guys to patrol the area until I gave him the heads up that we were close by. We’d actually passed him on the road as we pulled into the driveway.
I looked down at the box and exhaled before I went down on one knee. I didn’t want any oversized letters doing the work for me; I wanted to ask my girl the most important question of my life in my own words.
Aphrodite started to cry harder and I felt tears in my eyes looking at how emotional she was becoming.
“‘Phro, the moment I locked eyes on you I felt something in my soul settle. Not settle like I wasn’t going to have someone match the love I was going to give them, but settle in the way of my spirit no longer carrying the type of weight it had for years. And all of that was before I even said a word to you. You intrigued me, not because of your fame but because of the person I could see you were. After we spent that first night together I was completely hooked. Not just from the taste of you but I was addicted to every facet of who and what made you Aphrodite. You are so appropriately named because you are a goddess in my eyes and you are the embodiment of love and beauty to me. These past eleven months have been the best of my entire life and I am so grateful that you chose me to be in that shoot with you. We started with me saying yes, now I’m hoping you’ll say the same so that we can begin this next chapter of our lives together. Aphrodite, will you become AP in every sense of the word and be my wife?”
I opened the box then and prayed I’d made the right decision with it. As tough as she was on the court, Aphrodite was soft and loved love and romance. From the biggest of gestures to the smallest, each one brought her an equal amount of joy.
“Anthony, are you serious?” Her mouth was open as she looked at the ring and I hoped it was the good shocked and not disappointment.
