“I think you forgot that my brother has claimed you as family. That means he’s already got money set aside to pay for it. You ask that nigga to walk you down the aisle and I swear he’s gone cry.”
“You can’t be serious.” She looked shocked that Antwan was serious when he said he wanted to be there for AP. Between him and Silas, they were gone fight to do the honors of walking her down the aisle. Hell, they might both be doing it. And I was sure with the kind of bread Silas was sitting on he was gone force her to do something. Silas was still pissed I hadn’t taken the down payment money he’d offered when I told him about buying the house. But he understood that it was a sticking point with me to do this shit. Not because I was too good, but because they’d already done enough and it was time for me to stand on my own.
“You know how badly I had to cuss him out when he tried to pay for your ring? We were ‘bout to fight in the locker room and Murda and Runt had to talk the two of us down.”
My face frowned up thinking about Choo trying to slide money into my old account. He ain’t know I had that shit shut down and the transfer got rejected when we were in the locker room. His ass came to my locker yappin’ crazy talkin’ ‘bout he wanted to help and I almost put him on his ass. I appreciated that he had me but I had to remind him my ass was grown.
Old me would’ve happily taken that money but thank God for growth.
Aphrodite threw her head back and laughed like this was out of the realm of our normal behavior. “Y’all are absolutely crazy.”
I shrugged and snuggled my face into the crook of her neck. “Yeah, we love each other too damn hard. But it’s better than the alternative.”
“True.” She looked down at her hand and I saw the tears start again. The ring was sparkling in the light of the courts and I felt so much pride at being able to give her something that made her feel special. Something that I’d worked hard to afford and had hand-selected every detail with her in mind.
“We’re getting married.” Her voice cracked and I swore we would never leave the house if she kept this up.
“We are. But more than anything, we’re going to work to ensure this thing between us is successful. We gone talk shit out, make sure we’re both good and more than anything I’m never going to give you a reason to regret agreeing to be my wife.”
“That sounds like a fairytale.” She closed her eyes as if she were trying to imagine what that life would look like.
I kissed her forehead softly before refuting her words. “Nah, ‘Phro, it’s just your reality with a real nigga.”
A static sound came over the speakers and we both looked around when a voice came through. I was now regretting giving everybody a temporary passcode to watch me propose.
“Aye, I’m glad y’all kept this shit PG cause your niece is watching. But my baby ready to open her presents and she wants her uncle and her TeeTee here. Now, AP don’t let that nigga fuck up you making history again. Them babies can wait but mine can’t. Bring y’all asses on!”
Part Three
Valentine's Day
BOWLING WITH MY HOMIES
ALDRICH
IT HAD FELT good as fuck to be back in Cali ready to make memories and make history. It felt amazing to step off the bus and into the locker room even if it was the visitors’ side, and get ready for the game today. A year ago, things were hectic. My life was falling apart based on the direction I thought it would go. But today I could reflect and be grateful for what had come from so much chaos. The pain was still there, but with the amount of joy I had in my life, I rarely dwelled on it. I had two reasons to keep a smile on my face: Amisha and Sterling.
My baby girl was the sunniest spot in my life. Just looking at her would bring a smile to my face even if she was screaming because she was getting a new tooth or her mama was saying she couldn’t have something. And her mama…if Ami was my sunshine then Sterling was my sky. If she wasn’t straight, neither was I so I was committed to ensuring that smile never left her face. In the few short months since Christmas, I felt like I’d lived a lifetime. Watching Anthony and Aphrodite get engaged since he gave all of us the login so we could watch was beautiful. Sterling’s ass was crying and then sent a bunch of flowers and shit to their house. Aphrodite didn’t make it any better when she sent overWill you be my bridesmaid?boxes. Ling’s ass was so emotional I had her take a test to make sure I hadn’t planted a seed.
I was disappointed as fuck when it came out negative.
Just gave me more time to practice, though.
I kneeled down on the ground just inside the tunnel and sent up a prayer. Everyone was here and I was thankful that we made it back to the Super Bowl. So much of this year could’ve held me back but it didn’t. And as a team, we’d gotten here. I wouldn’t go another step without speaking to my father because I knew he’d carried me through the worst of my troubles.
Papi, Thank you for being with me. On my darkest days, you sent two angels to be here on earth with me to love completely. To give me purpose and to give me strength. I pray in every step I’ve taken this year, even when I’ve stumbled, that I’ve made you proud that I never gave up. I’m doing my best to look out for everyone here on this side, keep watching over us in heaven.
I opened my eyes and made the sign of the cross over my chest the way he always did when he prayed. I talked to my father almost daily in my mind since he passed. I would normally ask for advice or ask him to look out for me but right now I just wanted to give him thanks for how he raised me. My nerves settled as I stood up and shook out my limbs. I could feel the excitement replace my other emotions as the fanfare kicked up as they started to announce our team.
“You ready for this?”
Runt was looking nervous and I could understand, because he hadn’t been with theDesperadosany longer than I had. He was older than me by a few years, but he’d been drafted by another team. A fluke injury to his knee had them thinking he wasn’t going to be the asset he once was. When he got traded to theDesperados, Rich went in and cleaned out his knee which set him back with starting. But once he did, Runt was back even better than he was before he got injured. Runt and his ability to block were one of the main reasons I was as successful as I was.
Lyric and Sterling thought it would be a good idea to gift the offensive line joint gifts from the both of us since their doingtheir jobs allowed us to excel at ours. Runt, of course, got a bigger gift since he was the center and he was our homeboy. Besides the heavy-duty off-road recreation vehicles we’d gifted them, we’d had them set up with whole cow deliveries for the year from the Chisholm-Love Ranch. Runt was a country boy at heart and our additional gift to him was a horse, since Sampson had a connect. Runt was in love with Sampson’s sister but they swore they weren’t serious yet. It wasn’t my business to get into their business but everyone could tell that shit wasn’t going to remain unserious for long.
“Ready as I can be. Feel like I was preparing all year for this.” I was shaking out my limbs to ensure I didn’t get tight as I waited. Runt’s face was calm but it seemed like nothing but Reece ever fazed this man.
“To be real you have been. For a year. A lifetime. We’ve been here before but right now we’ve got more at stake. You got your girl watching you and I got mine. We gotta show out.”
