Chapter 22
“Coop for the three!”
“I don’t know what happened last month, Jim, but Coop is on fire tonight.”
I ran down the other end of the court when my shot went in.
I made almost every shot I attempted since the start of the game, and I felt great.
Sloan and her best friend sat courtside, so I had to show out.
I scored twenty points in the first half and damn near thirty in the second.
It had been a month since we made things official, and I couldn’t have been happier.
I never would have thought I would be in a committed relationship, especially not with Sloan.
At times, I was still in awe of the fact that we were in each other’s lives.
I knew Sloan still had doubts because of my career, but I showed her every chance I got that none of that stuff fazed me.
People speculated about our relationship, but neither of us confirmed nor denied anything.
It wasn’t their business, so we would tell when we were ready.
The only people who knew for a fact about our status were our families and friends.
Sloan did inform her ex-husband because of the kids, and she didn’t want to hide that I would be around them.
He wasn’t happy about it, but that was his problem, not ours.
The boys were okay with it, and that’s all that mattered to either of us.
We were down to the last minute of the game, and Oreo had just gotten the ball.
He dribbled it down to our end of the court, wasting time.
There was no need for us to do a bunch of extra shit.
We just needed the clock to wind down. The crowd was on its feet, chanting and cheering.
I glanced around the arena and felt the love from everyone.
I knew they were disappointed we didn’t make it, but they still supported us.
We had some ride-or-die fans, and I appreciated every one of them.
I looked at Sloan, and I could see and feel the pride she had for me.
“Coop.”
I turned in Oreo’s direction when he called my name. I caught the ball when he tossed it in my direction. The shot clock was down to the final seconds, and I shot it.
“Nothing but net!” Julian shouted behind me.
The buzzer went off, and after we shook hands with the other team, we headed into the locker room.
Our season had come to a close, and even though we didn’t make it to the championship, I had been the happiest I’d been since I first got drafted.
Our team had multiple rings to prove how good we were, and there was always next year.
I was looking forward to not having to get up early every morning for a little bit.
I wanted uninterrupted time with Sloan. The boys would be with their father for a week, so Sloan and I were going away.
I convinced her to take a week off from work, and she agreed with no problem.
My parents would go to my house to check on my grandfather every other day, but I was confident with the nurses he had he would be okay.
He had been doing a lot better and didn’t necessarily need the nurse, but I think he just enjoyed their company.
Ms. Yvonne, the one he had been flirting with, had been coming to the house even when she wasn’t working.
I was happy that he was happy. I wasn’t sure of her circumstances and why she was working at her age, but I respected her.
If Grandpop wanted me to help her with something, I wouldn’t hesitate to step in.
The inboxes and groupies outside the hotel still happened, but I didn’t pay them any mind.
They didn’t even tempt me. Of course, I encountered some lookers, but I was good where I was at.
I had enough pussy to last me a lifetime.
Now, I was content with Sloan. She wanted nothing from me but love, respect, and my time when I could give it.
Still, she understood when I couldn’t. No matter what I had going on, I made sure to communicate with her.
I didn’t want her having second thoughts about us because I didn’t have them.
“Listen, I won’t hold you guys up. I’ll just say thank you for a great season. I’m proud of you guys, and next year, we are going to win the championship. Get some rest and enjoy your time off. I’ll see you guys in a few months.”
I was ready to get to my girl, so I cleaned out my locker and said my goodbyes.
Sloan and her friend were in the hallway when I left the locker room.
I smiled when I spotted Sloan wearing my jersey with jeans that hugged her curves.
My smile got even wider when I spotted my sneakers on her feet.
I wasn’t sure how she had gotten a pair because they weren’t even out yet.
This cat, Ace, who owned a sneaker store, designed the shoe specifically for me.
They weren’t supposed to hit stores for another couple of months.
I walked up to Sloan and pulled her into my arms before planting a sloppy kiss on her lips.
“Lil, we have company,” she moaned against my lips.
“I’m sure she understands,” I replied before kissing her again.
“I do,” her friend confirmed.
“See?” I kissed Sloan again before I pulled away.
She wiped her lip gloss off my lips and kissed my cheek. She no longer cared about who saw us together.
“Calil, this is my best friend, Kendyll. Kendyll, this is Calil.”
Kendyll stuck her hand out, and I shook it. I held onto Sloan with my other hand.
“Nice to meet you, Calil. My husband is a big fan, and I’m a fan because my girl is happy.”
I nodded. “I appreciate that. Maybe you can bring your husband to a game next season.”
Kendyll playfully rolled her eyes. “He’ll love that. I’m going to get out of here. Good game, Calil, and it was nice meeting you.”
“It was nice meeting you as well.” I stood back so the girls could say their goodbyes.
Once Kendyll was gone, Sloan came and stood by my side. I grabbed her hand and led her toward the arena’s doors.
“How did you get those sneakers?” I asked as I looked down at her feet.
The sneakers were blue and white and had my number in the left corner toward the back of the shoe.
Sloan glanced up at me and smirked. “I have my ways. They look nice, don’t they?”
She stopped and twisted her foot so I could get a better look.
“They do. You gonna let me fuck you in them later?” I whispered in her ear.
She giggled and moved her head away from my mouth.
“Only if you let me drive us home.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys to the car. The fact that she said drive us home was enough to make my dick hard.
“Say less.”
When we got to my car, I opened the door for Sloan and helped her inside.
After I showed her how to work everything, I rested my head against the seat with my eyes closed.
My body had started to wind down, and I got sleepy.
I rested my hand on Sloan’s thigh as she drove.
These were the moments that meant the world to me.
Just my girl and me cruising through the streets.
“What’s all of this?”
My steps faltered when I entered my bedroom after my shower.
The lights were off, and candles were lit around the room while soft music played through the speakers.
Rose petals were scattered around the floor and on the bed.
Sloan stood from the edge of the bed, wearing nothing but a blue lingerie set.
I smirked when I noticed she kept the sneakers on.
She closed the space between us and grabbed my hand.
“This is for being amazing and having an incredible season.” She led me to the bed and made me sit down.
“It’s also for showing up for me the way you do.
You gave me the space I needed to process everything, but you still let me know you weren’t going anywhere.
” She giggled. “It’s just my way of saying thank you. Now, relax, and let me cater to you.”
I watched her retreat out of the room but came back seconds later with a basin. When she got closer, I could smell lavender and some type of other oil, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.
Sloan draped a towel on the floor in front of me, then put the basin down.
“Put your feet in.”
I did what she said and closed my eyes at the warmth of the water.
“This water feels lovely,” I joked.
“It has multiple oils in it to help with inflammation, improve circulation, pain, and a whole lot of other stuff.”
“That’s dope. Why are you still standing up?” I leaned back a little and was tempted to pull my dick out. With Sloan looking like she looked and doing this, she had me ready to put a baby in her.
“I see the look in your eyes, and we’ll get to that, but first, you need to eat.”
As soon as the word eat left her mouth, my stomach growled. Our laughter bounced off the walls.
“I’m ready to eat you, but I know you cooked, and I don’t want your food to go to waste.”
“Gee, thanks. I’ll be right back.” Sloan chuckled and shook her head as she left the room.
While she was gone, I thought about how easy and simple things were between us so far.
I was sure things would happen at some point because groupies were always lurking and would try to start some shit, but Sloan had nothing to worry about.
With Sloan, I knew I could just be me. I looked around the room and down at the basin on the floor and thought to myself that I could get used to shit like this.
A few minutes later, Sloan entered the room holding a tray with a plate of food, a breadbasket, a beer, and a glass of water.
“Damn, it smells good.”
Sloan smiled and placed the tray in front of me.
“I see you were busy while I was in the shower,” I noted as I looked down at the steak, potatoes, and broccoli. To me, there was nothing like a good steak. I probably would eat it every day if I had the time to make it.
“I know steak is your favorite.” Sloan reached over, cut a piece of steak, and fed it to me.
I moaned when the multiple seasonings hit my tongue. I tried to take the fork from her, but she held on to it and fed me another bite.
“Do you think I moved on too fast?” she asked as she scooped some potatoes onto the fork and fed them to me.
“Hell no.”
I laughed when she sucked her teeth and pushed me.
“Calil, be for real.” She scooped up more potatoes and fed me more.
After I chewed and swallowed, I took a swig of my beer.
“I don’t think you moved too fast, and here’s why.
I wasn’t a stranger, and you and I were meant to be.
I also feel like there is no such thing as moving too fast or too slow.
Life is about taking risks. You could have waited however long, and the results would remain the same.
Let’s say you waited and met a brand-new person.
It wouldn’t have worked if you weren’t meant to be with that person.
Also, everyone is different. You moved on because you were ready.
And now, it’s too late for you to back out. ”
Sloan’s focus was on my plate of food as she put some broccoli on the fork and fed me. I gave her a minute to process what I said. I was almost done with eating and ready to lay up with her, but we had plenty of time.
“I guess you are right.”
“I am.” I reached for her hand, and she placed it in mine. “You’re good here, Sloan. Your heart is safe, and so are your mind and body. The boys will always be safe, too. No matter what happens, I would never turn my back on your boys. You’re not going anywhere, but you get what I’m saying.”
Sloan leaned over and kissed me. “I love you, Calil, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“Neither am I, except between your legs. I’m done with this food, and I’m ready to get into some other shit.” I wiggled my eyebrows.
I released Sloan’s hand and pushed the tray away. I would worry about it later. The only thing on my mind was pleasing Sloan.
“Let me dry your feet. I was going to give you a massage, but it seems you can’t wait.”
I watched Sloan as she squatted on the floor, moved the basin to the side, and dried my feet. Although my love for her seemed unreal at times, it was as real as it got. Her catering to me amplified what I felt.
“I can’t wait, and while you are down there…” I let my words trail off as I smirked.
Sloan was on the same type of time that I was because she pulled my dick out and got to work.
There weren’t enough words or money in the world to describe my feelings for Sloan, but I would do my best to show her for the rest of our lives.
When the time was right, I was going to change Sloan’s last name.
We stayed wrapped up in each other for the rest of the night. The basketball season may have been over, but Sloan’s and my season had just begun.