Aldrich #2
I went to the area where our families were waiting for us speaking to everyone and handing out hugs before I saw my mama holding Ami in her arms. Sterling had gotten my jerseys and added these custom Mama patches over our last name.
The tutu outfit she’d made by attaching the baby version of my jersey to a skirt she’d made of leftover jersey material had my baby looking adorable.
Ami wanted to see more and do more and since she was almost six months old she was about to start solids in the next few weeks.
Between her sitting up and starting to scoot, I couldn’t handle how fast she was growing.
Ami’s face broke into a grin as soon as she saw me and she started to kick her little bootie-covered feet to get to me. My whole body got that warm feeling only she could give me and I didn’t think I’d ever felt something so innocently perfect as my daughter being happy to see me.
I finally reached them and leaned over to kiss my mama’s cheek before I took my baby from her. “Where’s Ling?”
“She was handling the closing up of the suite and should be down any second.” My mama looked around before her eyes fixed on someone over my shoulder. “There she is.”
I turned around and, gotdamn my eyes wanted to roll out of my head like the Howlin’ Wolf cartoon used to.
Sterling had the audacity to have her thighs out in these leather shorts that were tasteful but made her body look crazy.
I had walked toward her without thinking but my mama laughing at me stopped me in my tracks.
Her jersey was cropped showing off a sliver of her stomach and my chain was nestled comfortably on her chest. Her face lit up when her eyes found me but I wasn’t sure if it was because of me or Ami.
She headed in our direction walking shyly and I needed her to cut that shit out.
When she got within arm’s reach of me I wrapped my free arm around her to pull her into me and kissed her like I missed her.
Which I did because it had been three nights since I shared a bed with her.
We normally ended up sleeping in her room to be closer to Ami in case she woke up in the middle of the night.
I didn’t even mind the lil ass bed in there because it gave me a reason to be right up on her all night.
I knew I was doing too much cause I felt my body responding to her in front of all these people. My hand dipped lower from her back and rested on the top of her ass, battling the urge to squeeze it in public.
Can’t be fondling my girl in front of all these people.
“Boy, turn her loose!”
My mama would of course be the one to bring me back to reality but I would’ve kept going if Sterling hadn’t pulled back slightly.
I cut my eyes at my mama and she had her brows raised in a silent say something. Sonya liked to use her big kid words a lil too freely so I wasn’t about to test her gangsta in front of my teammates.
Sterling had her lips folded like she was fighting a smile and when I looked at my baby even she was laughing at me.
“Not you too, Ami.” She grinned harder, the little tooth she’d taken us through hell to break through poking out from her bottom gums. She looked completely unbothered at my getting in trouble with my mama.
“Let me get her before you go back to acting like I didn’t raise you to be a gentleman.” My mama reached for my baby who went straight to her without issue. The way my mama’s face lit up to hold Ami gave me that feeling of contentment again.
“You act like I didn’t catch you and Daddy many times being amorous with each other.”
“Shut up, Aldrich. I’m glad you learned something.”
“You look good as hell, Ling.” Her head dipped bashfully and when’s he looked back up she was grinning. “What’s so funny, Ling?”
“Your favorite girls got you a present.” She bit her lip as she grinned and I knew that my gift wasn’t pussy but I was going to be excited about whatever it was. When she lifted her hand it held a box that I knew was a jeweler’s case and my face frowned up.
“Tesoro, what the hell is that?”
“A gift. Open it.” She shoved the box toward me with a grin so I couldn’t refuse it.
“Ling, I know you didn’t—”
“Aldrich, I promise you don’t want to complain about this right now.” Sterling cocked her head to the side and folded her arms over her chest.
“Are you going to let me give you my gift?” I couldn’t believe she had refused jewelry from me but was handing me this box like she was my sugar mama.
“Maybe.”
My lips thinned but I said nothing. I opened the box and couldn’t believe what the hell was in the box. I shut it quickly and looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “You serious, Ling?”
“I am. Now why are you being weird?” When she pouted that full bottom lip it really hit me then that Ling didn’t realize how fucking sexy she was.
She had the whole smokey eye thing going on, making her look mysterious but her long-ass lashes still made her look tempting.
And that pout? Had me imagining her spread out on the bed begging for me to make her cum.
Really acting like my mama ain’t right here.
“You didn’t have to do this, Sterling.”
“Oh, I’m Sterling now, Money?” Her face turned haughty but even that shit was sexy as hell. Like she was about to boss up and put me in my place. If she had some glasses on it would’ve been….
Nigga, chill the fuck out!
I laughed softly at myself before I opened up the case again.
I could tell by the feel of it that it was leather so I knew this necklace had set her back a grip.
It didn’t matter that she had the money to spend, spending it on me felt wrong.
But I could tell by the look on her face she was so excited for me to have this.
“Oh, Sterling, that is beautiful!”
I nodded at my mother’s words because it was beautiful.
Inside was a diamond Cuban link chain with the words Fast Money on a pendant.
The pendant was a dollar sign with the word FAST going down the front in baguettes.
The S in fast was another money symbol and it was an elevated look to the original pendant that she wore around her chest.
“Not you trying to ice me out.”
“I mean you got the hottest chick at the game wearing your chain. It’s only right that I return the favor, right?”
“Damn right. Thank you, baby.”
“You’re welcome.” I couldn’t believe she’d given me something so priceless but I wasn’t about to turn it down.
I knew that Ling felt weird about people knowing about her money.
Her being honest with me and also spending her money on me was a big thing for her.
Especially since she went through so much to make sure all my people had a seat at a game but also enjoyed it in the same luxury they had at home games.
I gave her a kiss just as the bullhorn sounded letting us know we needed to head to the buses.
“That’s our cue. You’re heading back with Billy and her people on the plane, right?”
“Yes, I’m sorry Anthony took the last seat.”
The team flight was scheduled to take off before theirs was but Anthony had gotten special permission to grab a meal with Aphrodite and catch a flight back with Mac. It was the last seat, which meant I had to take the team charter flight back.
“Next time his ass ain’t gone be the one making special requests.”
She tapped my chest playfully, careful to avoid hitting Ami. “Stop being mean.”
“I ain’t mean. I’ll be at the hangar waiting for y’all as soon as I get my car from the facility.
” Since Ling hadn’t driven to the airport to catch their flight, I had no problems ensuring she got home safely.
If I played my cards right, she’d be wearing nothing but these two necklaces as she rode us both into an orgasm. That’s my type of Victory Monday.
She nodded and hugged my mama before settling Ami in her stroller. Ling kissed me goodbye and then walked over to where Billy and Mac were corralling everyone together to get to the buses Mac had rented to transport them back to the hotel so they could check out.
“You should’ve told her you loved her.” My mama gave me a knowing look as she looped her arm through mine. She was catching a red-eye straight back to Cali and would be heading straight to the airport.
“You're really meddling, Sonya.” I put my arm around her shoulder and watched as Ling laughed with Rye and Lyric as she gently pushed Ami’s stroller back and forth.
“You're not denying it.”
“No reason to deny the truth, lady. I’m not trying to. But I don’t want to scare the girl away.”
“You’re supposed to be all suave, make it happen.
You’re your daddy’s son so I know you more than have it in you.
Be the man I know you are and you’ll be fine.
” She leaned up and gave me a kiss before she looked down at her phone.
“My ride is here. I’ll text you when I get to the airport. Amazing job tonight, baby. I love you.”
“Love you too, Mama.”
I waved over someone from security after giving her another hug and asked them to escort her to the pick up station for car services.
I went to get into the line of guys lining up to head to the bus but kept the box with my gift tucked in my arm. It was crazy how I didn’t want to let this box out of my sight and wished I’d had her put it on me before she left.
“Not your girl using your money to buy your own gift.”
This nigga Lucky hadn’t seen the field besides warm-ups but he was over here talking shit about Sterling. And he said girl like she was a sex worker or she shit.
“You’re real funny, Lucky. But just so you know, my girl's got the money where she could buy a necklace like this without a second thought. So while you were trying to call her a gold digger she’s the one with the gold.
Bet you’re pissed at how badly you fumbled that night.
Not like you had a chance, anyway. That was always me, bitch. ”
“Yeah, whatever nigga.”
“Oh, one more thing, Lucky. I hear you say my girl’s name wrong, I’m on your ass.
I don’t play about her respect. Don’t get fucked up.
Hate for that jaw to be wired shut the whole season cause your mouth wrote a check your jaw couldn’t cash.
” I winked at him and walked off to find Marcel or Runt.
One of them niggas would have to keep me off Lucky if he said something wild.