Chapter 9
NINE
leo
“Oh my God,” I heard shouted as I ducked my head into the waiting black car. “It’s Leo Vanguard!”
The screams followed immediately. Through the closed door, the sound was muffled but still distinct—a mix of excitement and adoration from the fans gathered near the Bronx Metro Arena barricade.
I raised a hand to wave at the group through the tinted, lowered window, acknowledging their presence before my driver raised the window.
Even though the Bronx Ballers’ player entrance was separate from the main one, die-hard fans always seemed to figure out where to wait for glimpses of their favorite players.
The driver pulled off a moment later, and as we merged onto the street, my phone began to chime. I glanced down at the screen, and a smile tugged at my lips when I saw who was calling.
“Simeon,” I greeted as I answered. “What’s up, man?”
“Everything as always, LV,” he replied, his voice upbeat. “How about you? How are you?”
“As good as I’m gonna be, I guess.”
“Aw, not the response I’d want to hear from a winner.”
I chuckled, the sound easing some of the tension from my shoulders.
Simeon King was my agent and had been since 2023. He was sharp and no-nonsense, with a knack for making even the most daunting situations feel manageable.
“I caught your game against the Pistons,” he continued. “Good game. I see those extra morning hours in the gym have you stalking that court like a beast.”
I chuckled.
“No balls from the other team are getting past you, LV,” he added, chuckling. “I like it.”
“Well, I love it,” I replied, leaning back against the seat as the streets of New York blurred past the window.
I was missing the city already. Ivy and I had been living in Greene Gardens for almost two months now, and the place still didn’t feel like home. Every chance I got to come back to NYC, any borough—even for just a game—I took it.
I wasn’t like Ivy. It was hard for me to spend all my days and nights in that village.
The thought of Ivy brought my mind back to that morning after the concert.
“Good morning,” I greeted as Ivy stepped into the kitchen.
Her steps faltered for a split second when she saw me sitting at the table. I wasn’t sure if she was surprised I was up so early or if she was thinking about what had happened—or almost happened—the night before.
“Hey,” she said, her voice forced. “Good morning.”
She moved toward the cabinet, pulling down a mug to make her coffee. Her shoulders were tense, her movements stiff—classic Ivy when something was on her mind.
“How’d you sleep?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“Good,” she replied quickly, her eyes carefully avoiding mine. “You?”
“Great,” I said with a smirk.
I knew she had to have slept well because I’d heard her moaning in her room shortly after we’d said good night.
The night of the concert had been... different.
Ivy and I had gone to the same event every year with Kendra and Tyrell, but this time, something had shifted.
And it wasn’t just because Kendra and Tyrell weren’t there.
It was the way Ivy and I had interacted—the tension between us that felt new and uncharted.
For years, Ivy and I had known we weren’t each other’s type. She was meticulous, uptight, and far too serious for my free-spirited, live-in-the-moment personality. We’d agreed early on that whatever our friends had in mind for us just wasn’t going to work.
But last night changed something.
When she raced upstairs after we got home, I decided to give her some space. But when I stood outside her door, prepared to knock, I heard her moaning on the other side. And instead of walking away like I should have, I stood there, frozen, listening until the sound stopped.
When I returned to my room, I was wound tighter than a spring, my dick hard, body tense with something I couldn’t shake.
“We should talk about last night,” I said now, breaking the silence in the kitchen.
Ivy froze mid-pour, then slowly set the coffee pot down before turning to face me.
“What about last night?” she asked cautiously.
“The ride home.”
Her gaze flicked over me briefly before she looked away again. “We had a lot to drink,” she said, raising a hand to cut me off. “And we’ve been through a lot. Sometimes that makes people act... differently.”
“Ivy—”
“Let’s not let what happened—or didn’t happen—change our relationship,” she interjected, her tone firm. “Okay?”
I leaned back in my chair, studying her. She was trying so hard to put this wall back up between us, but I knew the truth. Whatever she wanted to pretend hadn’t happened last night—it was already too late to undo.
“Aight,” I said finally, forcing a casual nod.
“Okay,” she said, turning back to the coffeemaker. “Because we need to stay focused on Baby Love and all of our responsibilities.”
I tried to listen, but my eyes had other plans, trailing down her frame. Her legs, her hips... everything about her was distracting in a way it never had been before.
Whatever Ivy thought about keeping things the same between us, I knew one thing for sure: there was no going back.
“How are things at home?” Simeon asked, pulling me back to the present. “How’s life in Greene Gardens?”
“Still adjusting, man,” I admitted with a shake of my head. “Still adjusting.”
“You know my parents supply the market out there with produce.”
My brows shot up. “Oh, word?”
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “I brokered the deal for them.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” I said with a grin.
We laughed together, the sound easing some of the weight on my chest.
“And Ivy?” Simeon asked next. “How has living with her and raising…umm…hmm. I’m sorry, I don’t believe I know the baby’s name.”
I chuckled. “We don’t either, man.”
There was silence on the line, which made me laugh a little harder.
“Simeon, it’s a long story,” I told him. “Just know we’re trying to figure that out along with other things, too.”
He snickered. “Oh, I can imagine.”
“Ivy has adjusted more than me, though,” I added. “She just… gets it. She’s a fast learner. You would think she’s been training to take care of a baby at the last minute all her life. She’s amazing, Simeon.”
“Hmph.”
“I don’t know where I’d be without her,” I admitted, a smile tugging at my lips. “She’s a good partner. A great one.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were talking like a man in love, LV,” Simeon teased with a chuckle.
I scoffed and laughed. “Man, what?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I just sense something in your voice. You sound different talking about her today.”
I shook my head. “Nah.” I laughed again, brushing it off. “If you only knew how opposite Ivy and I are, you’d never say that. We could never happen.”
“Well,” Simeon started, “never say never. Being opposites isn’t a dealbreaker in a lot of cases. It can be the greatest attraction. Me and Eryn are a testament to that. She and I are very, very different, but I married her, and she’s carrying my baby, and I’m the happiest man on this planet.”
I rubbed my lips together, his words making me pause.
“Don’t sleep on the idea that being opposites could work,” Simeon added. “In the grand scheme of things, it might mean very little, you know?”
“Yeah,” I replied, though the thought lingered.
But how true was that for Ivy and me?
“Anyway,” Simeon said, his tone shifting. “We’re getting a little off track from the reason for my call.”
I blinked, refocusing. “Go ahead.”
“I’ve got that extra stream of income you’ve been looking for,” he revealed. “And it’s something you already told me you love doing.”
My brows shot up. “Word?”
I've been pushing Simeon to help me figure out how to grow that sign-on bonus from the Ballers. I ain't about wasting money on nonsense. I want to make sure I've got something solid lined up for when I retire.
One of Simeon’s first clients, Dallas Roque, who played for the Oakland Flames, had exactly that—a sports nutrition brand growing exponentially. I wanted something similar. Anything, really.
One of my reasons for signing with Simeon was so he could help me secure a business deal or start something of my own that wouldn’t leave me relying solely on balling for income.
He promised he had me and told me all I needed was an idea—he’d handle the rest. The problem was, I didn’t have solid ideas.
Just random suggestions. But he stayed patient.
Over the summer, I’d mentioned my love of LEGO, and he assured me he’d figure something out. Was this it?
“Word,” Simeon said with a chuckle. “And this potential extra stream is a good one, LV. A great one.”
* * *
Ivy lifted her glass across from me, wearing a big smile.
I snickered, reaching for mine and lifting it too.
We were at dinner in Manhattan at the late hour of 9 p.m.
The Simmons had been kind enough to ask if they could spend another weekend with Baby Love, and Ivy and I couldn’t get him packed up fast enough. With free time and a craving for something other than takeout, we drove to the city to celebrate my good news with a proper meal.
“To you and your new deal,” Ivy toasted, her voice warm and proud. “I am so happy and proud of you.”
I clinked my glass with hers, my smile almost hurting my cheeks. “Thank you, thank you. And cheers to you.”
She laughed.
“For racking up over 10,000 subscribers because you were talking your shit.”
She giggled, shaking her head. “Please. I really think they subscribed because I was holding Baby Love.”
I pushed my glass closer to hers. “Ivy, you better take this clink, woman.”
That made her laugh even harder.
This week had felt lighter. two months into guardianship, we were finally finding our rhythm. Baby Love was sleeping better, the colic had passed, and while Ivy hadn’t returned to on-court press, she’d found her groove at home.
She finally obliged, clinking her glass with mine before bringing her champagne to her lips.