“Atlanta? Um, I don’t mind, but I have to get back with you on the date. My ex is supposed to get the girls on the weekends, but he hasn’t proved to be the most trustworthy or reliable.”
“That’s cool, and there’s no pressure. Get back with me when you can.”
“I will.” Brion tossed another smile my way before leaving.
Chuckling, I closed the door. The first woman I’d liked in a long time was newly single with three kids. Go figure.
Eyeing Isaac as he sipped his drink, I waited to see if he was going to tell me what was stressing him. Going out for drinks after practice wasn’t on the agenda, but Isaac had seemed distracted and troubled all throughout practice. I was trying to lay off alcohol for a week or two, so I had water. Just as I parted my lips to speak, he sighed.
“I looked in London’s phone.” Isaac’s gaze remained on the table. He didn’t even look me in my face as he spoke.
My brows hiked as I waited for him to finish. Maybe I was being naïve as hell but even with the somber look on his face, no one could make me believe that he’d found anything in her phone that indicated she was a bad person.
Isaac took another sip of his drink. “She’s been communicating with her high school sweetheart.”
I wasn’t trying to be bias. I knew Isaac before I knew London. The reason I knew London was because of Isaac. When it came to people, I wasn’t the best judge of character but either London was a good one or a damn good actress.
“Communicating how?”
“His fiancée died three months ago, and he moved back here from New York. The shit started with him saying hey, how you doing, and all that fuck shit. That led to her asking him how he was, and he started that woe is me, my girl died and shit. She’s been checking on him and consoling him for the past few weeks, and I don’t like that shit. I think the nigga is trying to cry his way into some pussy.”
Nothing about what he said was funny, but I laughed anyway. “Isaac, bro, you can’t be for real. You might not know this dude,and you’re not wrong to side eye him. But, you know your wife, and I know you trust her.”
“I do for the most part, but she hasn’t mentioned the fact that he reached out to her. London is a girl’s girl. She’s sweet, nice, and all that, but she wouldn’t want me conversing with an ex on a regular basis. You know how pissed I’m gon’ be if I’m out here being faithful for nothing?”
I stared at Isaac in awe. “I know you hit your head in practice. You had to. Faithful for nothing? You don’t even believe that. I’m not saying you have to like it, but she’s not cheating on you. I don’t even see London getting down like that.”
Isaac didn’t respond. There was no way I could pretend that I knew his wife better than he did. The man looked real life stressed. If he really thought she was capable of cheating, I couldn’t convince him otherwise. I just hoped he wasn’t using his anger to try and justify him doing some fuck shit. The groupies and sack chasers weren’t worth it. London was genuine and authentic. She loved that man, and I was willing to bet my last on that.
He finished his drink off then ordered another one. “Go home and talk to your wife.”
“He was the nigga that took her virginity.” Clearly, Isaac was bothered by dude.
“What the hell does that mean? You think she’s still hung up on the person she lost her virginity to when she’s married to you?”
“That nigga is going to find a way to weasel his way into her life. If he was so sad about his shorty, he wouldn’t be reaching out to mine every day. Pretending to be vulnerable and shit. Sucka ass nigga,” he seethed.
Clearly, whatever Isaac was feeling, he needed to vent and get it off his chest. I was done with the motivational speeches because Isaac clearly wanted to pout and be in his feelings.I wasn’t married. Had never been married. Honestly, I wasn’t even for sure I’d ever been in love. So, I couldn’t relate to what he was going through, and I was trying hard not to judge him. But something in my gut was telling me that London would never do him like that.
Life was stressful enough. Currently, with the things I was going through with my mother and Huncho, adding in relationship drama probably would have sent me over the edge. These were the times I felt I was better off single. Isaac and London were everybody’s couple goals. On the outside looking in they had the perfect relationship but yet, here he was the day before game day getting drunk and looking like he wanted to cry.
When he was done with his drink, Isaac looked over at me. “Thank you for listening to me whine like a bitch. I’m going to go home and talk to my wife.”
“I think that’s a great idea. Communication is the key. You got it? Com-mu-ni-cate.”
“Fuck outta here,” Isaac chuckled standing.
It was the middle of the season, and I was super focused. So focused that it wasn’t even bothering me that on average, I was only having sex two or three times a month. I needed my head all the way in the game. Women could wait.
CHAPTER 10
BRION
Two daysafter dinner at Hymn’s condo, I was on my way home from a makeup job when Corey called me. Seeing his name on my phone screen annoyed me but also worried me because he had the girls. There was still no consistency when it came to him spending time with the girls. However, he did get them while I was at my client’s home, and he’d only had them for two hours, so I wasn’t sure what he wanted.
“Hello?” I attempted to keep my tone neutral, but everything about Corey bothered me.
“Hey, I’m at Madison’s with the girls, and something is wrong with Sky. Can you get here?”
