Episode 50
Episode 50
Highs and Lows
MEMPHIS
The sun rose magically over the Atlantic Ocean as I ran the water’s edge back toward the Shaw’s mansion. It had been too long since I’d been to a beach. There was something about the crash of the waves hitting the shore, the caw of seagulls, and the feel of my feet sinking into the wet sand as I ran that settled my soul. I thought about all that had occurred from the auction to today and tried to wrap my mind around everything.
Last night had been bonkers. Hell, all of yesterday had been a whirlwind of highs and lows.
High – Waking up to Naomi, my fiancée.
Low – Her mother having a heart attack.
High – Flying in a helicopter for the first time.
Low – Meeting her parents at the hospital.
High – Grilled cheese and beer with my best girl.
Low – Meeting Malik.
I snarled thinking about her ex being at the house. Having met her parents at the hospital, I already knew they were not thrilled about me becoming a part of their family. Add in the traumatic circumstances that led to our first encounter, the odds were not in my favor. But I wouldn’t let something as silly as timing be the deciding factor in whether or not Naomi’s parents would accept me.
Naomi’s worth her weight in gold and I knew that before I ever had an inkling she’d be my bidder. To me, it felt like fate had stepped in and was doing me a solid.
Naomi was the real deal. She was exactly the type of woman anyone would want for their future. Smart, sexy, successful. And none of that even covered how absolutely stunning she was. Her unblemished, umber-colored skin was so smooth it stole my breath to look at her sometimes. The pale pink of her lips made me want to smother her in kisses. And those eyes, sweet baby Jesus, those eyes were endless pools of the deepest onyx. I could look into them forever.
I stopped running and bent at the waist, sucking in lungfuls of air as my heart rate slowed. Sweat ran in rivulets down my bare torso as I took in the ocean, breathed in the salty air, and trekked up the backside of the estate. Lessons from some of the people I trusted came to the forefront of my mind.
I heard my granny’s voice. “Memphis, just be yourself.”
“When you’re up against a strong opponent, look them directly in the eyes and don’t back down. Never let ‘em see your fear.” My old football coach’s advice before the team headed out onto the field.
“Bullies ultimately end up lonely,” my father used to say. “If you’re stuck in a situation where you’re being bullied, make them laugh. Laughter can often deflect others bad intentions.”
“Be yourself, show no fear, and if all else fails, make them laugh,” I murmured as I kicked off my sandy shoes near the back door. My lungs stopped working as soon as I realized I’d stepped right into breakfast between Malik and Naomi’s father Abraham.
I nodded to both men. “Mornin’,” I said with a smile.
Both men looked at me as though I was a horsefly that had disturbed their breakfast and shit on their plates. Not exactly welcoming.
“Do you always attend breakfast half-clothed?” Abraham responded while his eyes traced my form from top to bottom, taking in my bare chest and loose athletic shorts. Sand still clung to my feet, and I wiped them unhelpfully on the rug.
“No, but I didn’t know it was time for breakfast, and I just finished my morning run. The beach is awesome. Have you been out yet today?” I asked gamely.
Abraham frowned while Malik smirked.
I pointed to the hallway. “Perhaps I should go shower, change, and wake Naomi. When I left, she was still sleeping, but I’m sure she’d love to have breakfast with you.”
Malik huffed and lifted his coffee cup. “Naomi doesn’t eat breakfast. Isn’t that something that her fiancé should know about her?”
“Sit down, Mr. Taylor,” Abraham pointed to the chair in front of me.
“I think I’d rather shower…”
“I said, sit down ,” Abraham commanded with the authority befitting the man of the house.
Since my parents taught me to mind my manners, especially in someone else’s home, I did as he requested and took the seat.
“What are your intentions with my daughter?” Came the question every father probably asked of the new man in his daughter’s life. Immediately, I relaxed and rested against the back of the chair.
“That’s an easy one, sir. My intention is to make your daughter happy. Support her in the things she finds important, make her laugh as much as possible, learn new things, and experience as much of life together as we can.”
Abraham released a long-suffering sigh from low in his throat. “And how do you expect to make her happy and provide for her when you don’t have a job.”
I swallowed around the sudden cotton clogging my esophagus. “As you well know, Naomi can provide for herself. However, I have recently come into quite a large sum of money. Ten million dollars as a matter of fact. And I was planning to use that money as a buffer while Naomi and I got settled into our lives together. After that, I was going to take my last semester of school, finish my bachelor’s degree, then find a position that puts my extensive knowledge of football to good use.”
“Football knowledge,” Malik snorted. “What could you possibly use that knowledge for? It’s a foolish game, and one that doesn’t require any real intellectual prowess. All that’s needed is physical brute force in order to win.”
“I would beg to differ, friend ,” I enunciated the last with a hiss between my teeth. “Football requires strategy, grit, critical thinking, research, an incredible amount of physicality, and adaptability. For every play that’s called, there are endless possibilities and pathways to consider. Not to mention, being aware of each player and their role and potential moves on both sides of the field. I liken it to chess. There are an endless number of ways to checkmate an opponent, but only the most intelligent and savviest of players will be victorious. Just as only the best team, who is capable of analyzing on the fly and moving together as one, can take the ball all the way to the goal. If even one person loses their focus, the other team can swoop in and change everything.”
Malik snarled at my response but shut his pretty boy mouth.
“So you plan to drag my daughter to Georgia while you finish your degree and then what?” Abraham asked.
I shrugged. “Honestly, I can take my last semester online, which I plan to do, so that Naomi’s work schedule isn’t affected. The rest we’ll discuss together, as partners. Obviously, her company, and being close to her headquarters is important. My family, however, is in Georgia, which is important…to me. My granny is old, and I want Naomi to have some time to get to know her, my parents, and my five sisters.”
Malik rolled his eyes and pursed his lips at the mention of my family being important. It saddened me that based on his response, he likely didn’t have a good enough connection with his relatives to want to be close to them.
“Look, Memphis, you seem like a nice, young man…” Abraham stated.
“Thank you, sir. Coming from you, that means a lot.”
He lifted a finger and shook it the same way a mother would have done at her toddler for being naughty. “Don’t get too excited. Just because you’re nice doesn’t mean you’re right for my daughter. Malik and Naomi have a long history together…”
“One which Naomi claims was over long before she was ever put on the spot at her and Malik’s combined graduation party where he asked to marry her in front of a thousand people. Making it impossible for her to decline without hurting all of you.”
Malik slapped the table, and the silverware rattled against the plates alarmingly. “I did not put her on the spot!” he snapped.
“But you did.” I tilted my head. “She made it clear she dumped you right after, did she not?”
Malik lifted the napkin off his lap, tossed it on the table, then stood. “This is blasphemous. I’ll not hear another word of your lies!” he spat. “Excuse me, Abraham, I’ll be in your study making some calls.”
Naomi’s father nodded and then stared at me as though I was the one that had made a scene.
“You done?” he asked cryptically.
“Proving my point? Yeah, I am.”
Abraham turned to the side, crossed his legs, and tapped his chin with an index finger. “What it comes down to, Memphis, is this. You are not good enough for my daughter. Very few people would be, so I’m not holding it against you. What I will say is this: that ten million dollars you received recently, I’ll match it right now if you agree to break things off with Naomi and never look back.”
I burst out laughing while Abraham put his hand into the inside jacket pocket of his blazer and pulled out a slim checkbook and a shiny gold pen. He made a show of opening it on the table and clicking the top of the pen.
“You’re barking up the wrong tree, sir. Naomi’s worth way more than ten million dollars.” I crossed my arms over my chest, the cool air having dried the sweat and the saltwater from my run making my skin itch.
“Okay, how about twenty…” he upped the ante.
I shook my head and stood.
“Thirty million, final offer…”
I pushed my chair in and looked down at the man I would soon be calling father-In-law. “I’m surprised you haven’t gotten this yet, Mr. Shaw, but your daughter, Naomi…”
“What about my daughter?” His jaw was firm as he stared me down, thinking I would crumble under such intense scrutiny. He was wrong. Another thing football taught me. When you stare into the eyes of your enemy, you give nothing away. Not your fear. Not your friendship. Not even your concern or compassion.
“No amount of money is worth letting a woman like Naomi go.”
He glared and his lips compressed into a thin line. “Everyone has a price.”
I inhaled deeply and let it out slowly as I counted to five in order to calm down. “Sorry sir, but you’ve got it wrong. Not everyone has a price, because the Naomi Shaw I’ve come to care for is priceless. Thanks for the chat.” I walked my sandy feet out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
The second I opened the door I saw Naomi sitting up in bed and untying then removing the pink satin bonnet she’d wrapped around her hair last night before we went to sleep.
“Hey baby, how was your run?” Her voice was sweet and sleepy, both things I’d come to appreciate about my woman. And I loved that she woke easy, with a smile on her face.
I padded over to her, curled my hand around her neck and bent down as she lifted her face up to greet me. My lips met hers, and she hummed low in her throat as I took her mouth in a deep kiss.
“Tastes like salt and sunshine.” She licked her lips and smacked them playfully. “All we need now is some tequila!”
“I’m sure that can be arranged,” I teased. “But first, I’m gonna shower.”
Her eyes lit up with interest. “You want company?”
“From you, always. Besides, it will give me a chance to tell you about the conversation I just had in the kitchen with your father and your ex.”
Her entire mood went sour, her shoulders slumping, and she threw her body back down to the bed dramatically as she flung her arm over her eyes. “Tell me they weren’t mean to you,” she groaned.
“Mean is a strong word. Your ex is a stuck-up asshole. Your father though, I think I could have a chance at winning him over…one day.”
She peeked out from under her arm. “Really? I wouldn’t expect you to say that. What did he say?”
I chuckled. “Before or after he offered me thirty million dollars to walk out of your life today?”
Instantly she sat up, got to her knees and became a spitting, growling mad tigress. “He did what now?” Her voice rose almost to a yell. “I’ll rip him a new one!”
I waved my hands to calm the beast and sat on the bed next to her. “It’s okay, Nay. I didn’t accept.”
“Well,” she pouted and reached for my hands. “I guess that’s something. Thirty million is a lot of money…but what on Earth would give him the idea that he could buy you off?”
I shrugged. “Maybe it’s because I have no job, no degree, and no real-life plan?” I had to laugh or I might’ve shed a God-forsaken tear. It’s not as though I didn’t have some plans in the works, but what I wanted for my own life came second to what my family needed. I’d be okay no matter what. I could get three jobs to take care of myself, but that’s not what was most important.
She squeezed my hands. “I know you took a leap of faith entering the marriage auction. And I also know the money I paid is going to make a huge difference in your family’s lives. I’m sorry you couldn’t share that with my parents, but if they ever found out about the auction, they’d never stop trying to break us up. Believe me, I’ve been trying to escape their meticulous life plan for me since I was in middle school.”
“Babe, I can handle your father. I can even handle Malik. As long as the two of us are open and honest with each other, we’ll make it through anything they can throw at us. Still, one day, I have hope of winning your parents over. Once they see how happy I’m going to make you…” I grinned and leaned forward to steal a quick kiss. “Maybe then they’ll realize what we have is real.”
She looped her hands around my neck and stared deeply into my eyes. “Is it really real? This thing we have going?” She swallowed slowly, and I watched as the uncertainty crossed her face.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.”
“But the money…” she whispered, reminding us of the cross we both bore.
“Money has nothing to do with how I feel about you.”
“And how do you feel about me?” She licked her lips, and I watched that pink tongue slide across the plump flesh, another part of me also took notice and hardened.
“I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. Sitting in front of the woman of my dreams, my ring on her finger, us planning to get married and start our lives together as one family.”
She pressed her forehead to mine. “Good answer.”
“And what about me? How do you feel about me?” I asked, needing the answer more than I needed my next breath.
“I feel like I was meant to meet you from the second you sat down in the seat next to me at the bar in Las Vegas. There was this shiver that ran down my spine as if something supernatural was saying, ‘Pay attention, this moment matters.’ And there you were, all smiles and kind eyes.”
I wove my fingers into her long hair and kept her close, our breaths puffing against each other’s faces. “Whatever fight we have before us, with your parents, with mine. We’ll win them over together. If it takes an hour, a week, a month, a year, or more. Me and you…we got this.”
A knock interrupted our private moment.
“Come in,” Naomi called out.
Rupert opened the door, took one glance at the two of us, Naomi still in bed and me half dressed, and averted his gaze.
“Your mother has come home from the hospital. She would like the courtesy of your presence in the parlor off her suite in one hour for brunch.”
“Thank you, Rupert. Please tell her we’ll be there,” Naomi answered.
Rupert nodded and shut the door.
“Time to armor up for battle,” I teased.
Naomi chuckled and flung her body forward, knocking me back onto the bed, her body straddling mine. “But first,” she grinned, “shower time!” Then she curled her fingers around the hem of her satin nighty and pulled it over her head.
I instantly went for her bare, bouncing breasts, but she was too fast, jumping off me and dashing into the bathroom.
“Come on, slow poke! I thought footballers were fast!”
The day started with highs and lows, and I was beginning to realize that when a person had something important they were building with someone else, there would always be highs and lows. What counted most was how they handled them.
I was about to enjoy the hell out of Naomi in the shower.
Definite high.
Brunch with her mother after the chat I had with her father…could be a high, could be a low.
The outcome has yet to be determined.
“Are you coming or what?” I heard Naomi holler from the bathroom.
I chuckled, shucked off my shorts and entered the bathroom.
I was learning with every new day that life was all about balance.