Aphrodite
APHRODITE
I KNEW HE was nervous.
Hell, he’d thrown up this morning during our video call.
I’d called him when I finally made it back to my room after the multiple rounds of interviews.
He’d asked me to just stay on the phone until he fell asleep and I knew I'd knocked out before he did. It was one thing to be on the scout team but being on the roster carried a lot more weight. More people with their eyes on you meant that they were waiting on you to fail. He didn’t want that.
I was worried that he was going to get in his own head and that would cause a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“You think this looks okay?”
I looked at the black leather paper bag shorts Sterling was wearing, the black jersey and the blue ankle boots that set it off.
She had on some skin tone colored fishnets that gave the whole look a really sexy vibe but was still classy.
She had a giant necklace on her neck that anyone would be familiar with if they watched the Desperados play.
It was diamonds and platinum and it said Fast$Money on the front.
How these two thought they weren’t going to cause an uproar with her wearing his chain was beyond me but I would let them be delusional if they wanted to be.
“You look more than okay, girl; you're about to shut down the entire suite.”
She lowered her eyes and I really wished I could punch whoever made her feel like she wasn’t beautiful.
Sterling was the type of girl who had a sweet look about her.
From her deep skin that was melanin-rich, to her style and expressive brown eyes she was stunning to look at.
Her curly brown hair, which looked like her mama had never permed it, was lush and hanging down her back like a cape.
“I’m going to try. And look at his little princess all dressed up.”
She picked up Ami and showed the custom baby romper she constructed from one of a few toddler-sized jerseys.
Little Ami looked adorable with her head full of curls and her drooly, sunny smile when she looked up at me.
Whatever features she had from her mother had been overrun by her daddy’s genes.
The little custom cowboy booties with her daddy’s number on them were specially made by the boot maker from the ladies’ luncheon.
“She’s precious and I can’t believe you sewed this up without a pattern. Then again, you got the both of us right so I can’t doubt your talents.”
I went old school casual with my outfit for today and wore Anthony’s jersey as a dress. My inspiration was the singer Mya’s look in the Best of Me video so of course I had on big hoops but instead of the Jordan 1 Mid Blacks I had to go with black stiletto thigh-high boots.
Sterling had the same bashful look she wore whenever someone complimented her.
“It’s not that hard. I didn’t feel like hanging out with anyone in my family so I need to have a hobby.
And with the way my mother would buy me shit that looked like a moo moo I had to learn to tailor my clothing so I looked like somebody.
” Sterling acted like she was a size sixty and even if she was who the fuck cared?
She might’ve been a size 42 or 44, because of course her rich ass only used designer sizes.
“The more you talk the less I like that lady and I didn’t like her to begin with so that’s saying something.” We’d bonded over our bad mothers a few times so I knew I wasn’t talking out of turn.
“But we’re here now so it doesn’t matter.” Sterling’s smile was bright and I was grateful that the people she was related to hadn’t dampened her spirit.
“Hold on I gotta get a picture of the two of y’all together. We've gotta commemorate the moment.” I whipped out my phone and she did that hesitation thing again. “What?”
“Do you think I should just take a picture of her and leave it at that? He might not want—”
“Girl, he’s got the hottest chick at the game wearing his chain , living in his house and driving the car he put in your name so you felt secure. If you don’t bring your ass over here so we can get this picture it’s gone be a problem.”
Not only that, but she was in this presidential suite that we’d gotten ready in and I was sure that Aldrich footed the bill.
“You could’ve just said you didn’t think he’d mind.” She rolled her eyes and pressed her lips together trying to hide her smile.
“Girl, I needed to get it through your thick head that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be. You are Ami’s mama so settle in and say cheese!”
After I snapped a bunch of pictures of them we did a group photo with the camera delay before we decided we were ready to go.
Thankfully, today was the late game at four thirty so we didn’t have to be out of the house at the crack of dawn.
We did one last check of the baby bag, which I knew was over packed but didn’t say a word before we loaded up the stroller and bag in the car service’s SUV that was waiting for us downstairs.
The other ladies were coming later but since this was Sterling’s family’s suite we were heading over sooner.
Once we had everything loaded up and were on our way Sterling spoke again. “Are you excited about watching Anthony play?”
I started to grin because I was really eager to see him on the field. The time I saw him during practices and workouts over the summer was going to pale compared to watching him today.
“I just want him to focus and I am worried that I might be a distraction.”
“Just like you lovingly told me off earlier, I’m doing the same now.
Anthony loves you and is in love with you.
I don’t know much about love, but I can see it in his face whenever he is with you or looks at you.
So, be happy about this moment and enjoy it.
Today is going to go by too fast and I’m already trying to sear every part into my memory. ”
The feeling in the suite was electric and I was thankful that Sterling had space enough for all of us.
We didn’t want to be too spread out and I was grateful that the New York team’s stadium had a designated owner’s suite as a courtesy to the opposing team.
A lot of the staff’s family including Rachelle, Carine and of course Tiana were in Parker’s suite, which was located two doors down from ours.
It left enough room for everyone else to be in ours.
Billy’s father-in-law, a silver fox named Mac, tried to cover the cost for the suite for the day since there were so many people in his family.
Billy had already tried it and Sterling told her no.
It was apparently some kind of timeshare situation for her family and it was the first time she’d ever claimed her weekend usage.
The man tried every tactic in the book in order to get the girl to take his money but she just laughed and said she was happy to have friends to experience this with.
And damn if I didn’t feel her on that one.
Between Billy herself being both agent and wife of one of the team captains, Lyric a superstar and the wife of the quarterback and then of course Rye who was the wife of the star wide receiver, the idea of hiding in plain sight was something that wasn’t going to happen.
I could tell that people had been staring at me as I made my way through the stadium and I wasn’t bothered by it at all.
Sterling’s box was a level 3 suite and sat up to thirty people.
Every available seat had been reserved by friends and family.
With the way that Sterling was comfortable around Aldrich’s people, I knew she was in there no questions asked.
I was about to check out the food that was laid out to settle my stomach when an attitude-filled voice stopped me.
“Who are you supposed to be?”
I glanced up at the older woman with the cigarette-scratched voice and wondered who it was she was talking to. She was in Desperados ’ gear and I saw she had Antwan’s number on.
“Excuse me?”
Her lip curled up like my manners offended her and the desire to slap her in the mouth washed over me. “I know all the faces in this room except for yours. I know you not the girl that calls herself taking up with my baby.”
“I don’t know who your baby is and I don’t take up with anyone.”
“Oh, you can’t be with my Ant like the papers said then. I knew they didn’t have that shit right.”
How the fuck she get in Sterling’s suite?
“Jillana, what are you doing here?”
Rye walked up and her anger-filled features had me wondering what was about to go down. I knew that tone and suddenly when I looked at her I could see every feature she’d gifted Anthony in her face.
The prodigal mother returns.
Jillana’s look was filled with contempt and I wondered if I was going to have to break up a fistfight. “Not the original gold-digger trying to stop me from coming to games. I can’t even be a visitor now?”
Rye, to her credit, ignored the dig at her much better than I expected her to. When we’d talked earlier she was putting the baby to sleep but it was clear she’d left her with Mr. Mac who was apparently the baby whisperer.
“How did you get in this suite?”
“I know a few of the people who work here. They remember when I used to be up here every away game so they didn’t bother to check my ticket.
” She looked proud of the fact that she’d breached security and I wondered if she realized she’d put these people’s livelihoods in jeopardy just so she could be a bother.
Rye calmly walked closer to me presenting a solid wall to block her view of the suite behind us.
“Well, they’re about to get fired.”
“You would have someone fired over their trying to help reunite a family?” Rye’s frown deepened before she shook her head at her mother-in-law. Seeing that her plea didn’t move Rye, Jillana went back on the offensive. “You’re a really treacherous soul you know that?”