Sterling #2
Aldrich huffed like I had him fucked up but the truth was the truth. “You know what’s crazy? I don’t even see you as her nanny. I told you that long ago. You’re her mother. She smiles for you, reaches for you, hell she damn near likes you more than she likes me some days.”
“Aldrich—”
“You've gotta stop crying, Ling. You’re going to give me a complex.” His eyes looked watery and if a tear fell I was going to be sobbing.
“You just said that you think of me as Ami’s mother and I’m giving you a complex? You called me a balm to your soul and that’s something I’d never heard. I was the kid nobody wanted to deal with. That is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me.”
Aldrich wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close, and I cried without shame. Doc reached over and pressed tissues into my hand and I took them and gave him a grateful nod.
“I want you to know that I had a big question to ask you. It’s not the question, not yet, because I know I have to continue to prove to you each day that we can handle all of this.
I know I have to shelter you from the storm of the media.
I have to deal with it because it’s my job, but my job is also to protect you in any way I can from it. I’ll never slack on that.”
I gave him a watery smile as he kissed my forehead.
I was letting his words sink in. He knew he was going to ask me the question.
That he wasn’t stalling but ensuring that the two of us were well equipped to handle the spotlight and what it would bring.
This was the type of planning that so many men didn’t do.
They rushed and then got frustrated when they fumbled a blessing.
I was more than happy to go through the process of love because anything worth having is worth working hard for.
And that’s what love was. It was a commitment that you woke up everyday to make.
The heady rush of emotion was the simple part of it.
Being in love was like being in the trenches with your partner and no matter how ugly it got, you never wanted to be there with anyone but them.
That’s how I felt about Aldrich. It was only solidified the night we thugged it out when Ami was sick.
“What did you want to ask me?”
“How would you feel about adopting Ami?”
My sob was immediate, audible and from my soul.
I covered my face with my hands and cried overwhelmed that he wanted this type of permanence with me.
This was something that gave me a title that surpassed being his wife in her life.
More than an employee. I’d be her parent in every form but blood and the paperwork would be there.
No matter what happened with us, he was offering me a forever bond with the daughter we’d raised together and I would never say no to that.
“I…I would love that. Are you sure?”
“I am. This with us feels permanent but I know that even a ring on your finger and all our last names matching doesn’t mean as much as the paper that will bear your name as her mother.
You might not like my ass in twenty years and although I’d never be trifling enough to keep her from you, this is me being in love with you enough and vulnerable enough to share the greatest blessing that God ever gave me.
I’m thankful everyday that you love us the way you do and I want a lifetime of us returning that love to you tenfold, Sterling. ”
He wrapped me up in his arms and just hugged me close to his chest as he spoke affirmations and love over me. My sobs were quieted, no more than a constant stream down my cheeks until I could finally gather myself.
“I think you’re handling this entire situation much better than you thought you would when you first came in, Money.”
“You can only go up from being an asshole, Doc.”
“That’s true. That behavior was a simple coping mechanism. It was never who you really were.”
“Thank you for letting us speak with you. And for the Kleenex.”
“You’re more than welcome, Sterling. One thing I want to add.
You’re not wrong to feel how you do about her egg donor.
She wasn’t a good person and her absence from Earth doesn’t allow people the opportunity to rewrite the harm she did while she was here.
She doesn’t get to be made a saint so guilt over your emotions isn’t necessary. ”
“But her daughter—”
“Your daughter. You love her. You’ve raised her.
She would’ve used that precious baby to manipulate Aldrich and the media because she already was.
And despite the person that you’ve learned she was, you still see the product of her womb and haven’t loved her any less.
In my eyes, you’re an amazing woman and an even better mother for that, Sterling. ”
I was nodding and the tears were falling again. These two men were hellbent on having my eyes swollen by the time we left this office.
“Thank you.”
“If you need anything else, call me.” Doc stood up, and we followed suit, Aldrich’s fingers wrapping around mine. “For right now, I think the two of you should go and kiss that sweet little girl of yours. Congratulations on making it official.”
He was playing like he had something to prove.
Thanksgiving night was clearly when everyone brought out their style A-game because people were dressed tonight. It was probably the combination of the time slot for the game and how much family was in town that made people step it up.
Saying he had something to prove could’ve been a theme for this whole year.
After a slow start to the season, his words not anyone else’s, he had really turned it up.
Today he was going for what seemed to be a single-game record.
Grant was being pressured and the O-line wasn’t as able to protect as long as they normally would.
The Sentinels were clearly still pissed about what happened during the first game of the season and were trying to turn up the pressure to get revenge.
We were the Primetime game today so everyone would be having their true Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow instead.
The team had hosted a dinner for everyone, but even Tiana and Parker had plans to redo the holiday tomorrow with Coach Stew.
Since Aldrich’s family was here, he was having dinner at his house tomorrow and camping out in front of the TV to watch football since we didn’t have a game on Sunday.
The food for the team had been catered by Sampson’s restaurant and I was thankful I’d had the forethought to wear something loose and comfortable for the game today.
The blue wide-leg pants were high-waisted but very forgiving.
With the crop sweater I paired it with, I was comfortable even though the outfit looked put together.
Since everyone wanted to talk about me, I gave them something to talk about by putting a large Desperados blue $ sign that covered the length of my sweater.
Folks online were shocked that he was with a plus-sized girl, some even going so far as to say I was a downgrade from his baby mama.
I was damn sure going to give them a reason to keep my name in their mouths since they wanted to speak on shit they knew nothing about.
My face was beat, my outfit was beyond perfect and my hair was up in a high bun, showing off my features.
I always felt beautiful but today I was on goddess status.
One of the highlights of the season had been some of the clothes I’d designed for my friends ending up on the Desperados’ website.
They held a whole catwalk for the women who were part of the organization.
It went all the way from Tiana to the women who worked at the facility.
If you wanted to dress to impress, this was your chance.
They posted us with our permission on their social media and people loved a lot of the clothes I wore and the outfits I’d designed.
My mother would’ve been appalled at the idea of me relishing being a homemaker.
The idea of my being happy with who I was and chasing my interests instead of goals to prove my self-worth would’ve confused her.
But I was happy with my choices. My man and the life we were building together.
“That man playing like he’s wanting to be MVP of the game.”
Reese was sitting next to me, sipping tequila, watching the game just as closely as I was.
She and Runt had been talking for a year according to her but he wasn’t her boyfriend like that.
Whatever that meant. He didn’t play about her and she wasn’t mad about it so to me that was her man.
She was trying to be inconspicuous by not wearing anything with his number on it like the blue designer dress she had on today.
But Runt would beeline to her after each game after greeting his people who’d traveled to see him, she was being delusional.
I watched the offense huddle up again and smiled just seeing him on the field doing what he loved. Aldrich had been moving like his mind was settled and he had no worries after I’d agreed to Ami’s adoption.
“He already said he’s not eating that turkey leg if he gets it this year. He tried to be polite last year but he said it tasted like ass.” Aldrich’s brother hadn’t even looked up from his phone as he dropped that tidbit of information.
“Mateo, I know you’ve lost your whole mind saying ass in front of me like I’m your lil friend.
” Ms. Sonya was holding Ami in a seating area just behind us as Ami tried to gnaw through the netting holding the grape slice she was eating.
We’d done a lot of baby-led weaning and slowly introduced foods.
One thing I was happy about was that Miss Sonya never tried to overstep with Ami.
She followed whatever we were doing and never did the back in my day stuff I’d seen so many people complain about.
When Rich told her about my being okay with adopting Ami, she cried for what had to be five straight minutes.
And when she hugged me and did the side-to-side rock I’d only witnessed in movies, my soul exhaled and I cried too.
I hadn’t realized that being accepted by her was so important to me, but her calling me a blessing and welcoming me to the family made it hit home.
“My fault, ma. I was just quoting Richie. Be mad at him; he said it first.” He looked up dead serious and didn’t have any qualms about throwing Aldrich under the bus.
I threw a piece of popcorn at him, which he dodged with wide eyes shocked at my actions. “Not you being a snitch.”
His face broke into a grin as he tucked his phone in his pocket as they broke the huddle. I wanted to ask if he was on the phone with somebody’s daughter but I wasn’t about to pry.
“I’m saying, sis, she can’t do anything to him cause he's grown. She can and will beat my ass. Help me out.” Mateo’s voice was low but I could tell his mama knew exactly what he was saying by the way she looked at him.
“I ain’t in it. Ms. Sonya is not about to stop liking me cause you wanna drag me into this.”
“See I knew you had good sense the first day I met you. Just like I told you that you were exactly what they needed. Was I wrong?”
I got choked up again as I shook my head. “No, ma’am.”
“And you over here trying to will him to victory with that outfit on. I see you. Go ahead and make me a grandmother again. The twins will be in college by the time the next one gets here. I’ll happily move to Texas.”
“Mama, don’t wish a baby on her like that!” Cassie was sticking up for me but it wasn’t like I didn’t think often about what the future might hold
“You see she ain’t protesting, Cass. Watch what I say. We’ll be renting out the house in Sun Valley. Let me look for a place here. I get the feeling I’ll need it. And probably sooner rather than later.”