Aldrich #3
“You trying to let this ride? I didn’t think you were happy with how they were acting.” Bryan was studying me again and like a good agent he was trying to meet my needs before I put voice to them.
I ran my hand over my curls and felt that they were damn near to my chin, which meant I needed more than an edge up, I needed a haircut.
“I can’t be that bad either. If I get pissed off then that’s mental energy that I’m taking away from Ami for people that don’t deserve it. I gave her no attention in life so she’s trying to snatch it from me in death. I refuse to give her that.”
The respect Bryan felt with my answer was written all over his face.
“Good. Then let’s get this together and see what these people want.
Hopefully, before the end of the day, we’ll have it resolved and you won’t have to think of them again.
But first, you've gotta talk to the team about what’s going on. ”
I didn’t want to be here.
I had always thought I was a good person but this right now made me rethink every action I’d ever done like maybe I was reaping some type of karma for something bad I’d sown. I felt her move closer to my side and I braced myself for whatever it was she was going to say.
“I know baby but breathe and let’s at least hear what they say.”
I nodded my head and was damn near fighting back tears.
My tears were the gratitude because this woman’s love covered me when I didn’t feel worthy.
She never made me feel weak for my emotions and didn’t expect me to act like I had all his shit figured out.
Because I didn’t. The one thing I could focus on was football, Ami and Ling, but when I didn’t have any of those things I was a fucking shell of myself.
Sterling would catch me staring off into space and I knew she was getting worried because just like her I thought I would be getting better by now.
“Money, you know you called this meeting today, right? Not to rush you, but whatever you've got to say, you can tell us without judgement.”
I nodded before taking a deep breath and looking up at Parker who was seated across the table.
Billy, Bobby and Marcus, my other lawyer, were seated to my right and Sterling was on my left holding my hand.
It took everything in me not to rock back and forth like I was on that shit but that was how I was feeling.
“I thank y’all for agreeing to have these people meet us here. I hate to involve the team in my personal business—”
“You know when we say this team is a family, we mean that shit.” Parker spoke up and I could only nod because he was the main one who practiced what he preached.
Stew nodded but when he sat forward I knew he was going to say something crazy. “Don’t get it twisted. Just like blood family we like summa y’all muhfuckas more than others—”
“Stew, why would you say that, man?” Parker’s cheeks were turning red like he felt bad about Stew’s honesty.
“Chill, P. You've always been family but you're about to be family for real since you're marrying in. You need to learn by now we might in-fight but we will all come together like the Power Rangers to beat someone’s ass that tries us.”
Stew was schooling Parker who was nodding his head and I had to laugh at his quick education in Black culture.
“Parker, did you find out how security was breached?”
The easy look on his face disappeared like he was angry all over again about what happened. “Yeah. Appears she got a press badge.”
“Press?”
“Yeah. It’s an ongoing investigation but trust, we have it covered.” With the way he spoke, I knew he knew more than he was letting on but I was confident when I needed the information, they’d give it to me.
Coach Stew and Coach Johnson were the only people from the team besides Parker that were here with us and I wanted to be grateful that this meeting was kept small, but that didn’t do a lot to make me feel better considering what was going on.
“I don’t want y’all to doubt that my focus is on ensuring my production stays—”
“Money, you’re on pace to rush for over two thousand yards this year, bruh. Calm down.” Coach Johnson tried to put a genial smile on his face but I wanted to emphasize that I wasn’t going to let this distract me from work.
“I’m not sure if they’re going to come in here and spread lies about me, but I have to tell y’all this despite how I wish I didn’t.
” I wished Doc would’ve just released my information to my coaches but he refused to.
He told that speaking about it was something that I needed to do in order to stay in control of what was going on.
He was right, but that didn’t mean that I wasn’t feeling like my stomach was about to fall out of my ass.
“Is it something that you think is going to damage the team’s reputation? We had eyes on the situation with your daughter’s mother but we didn’t see any need to step in especially after she passed. Is something else going on?”
Parker was now sitting forward like he needed to brace himself and even Stew and Coach J were more alert than they’d been.
“Something else is. The reason I didn’t believe that I was the father of her baby was because I never had sex with her.
Not that I could remember.” Sterling squeezed my hand when I added that last part and instead of lowering my head like I immediately wanted to, I kept it high and looked each man in the eye.
Their faces held various emotions. Confusion, worry and then clarity. That clarity meant that their faces quickly morphed into anger.
“She stole your seed?”
I nodded before shifting in my seat slightly and telling them the truth. “She broke into my house and drugged me.”
“We have video evidence of everything. Her tampering with his drinks is how we think he got the drugs in his system. And then the act itself was captured.” Billy relayed that information as gently as possible but it was still hard to hear.
The other side of the table looked stunned at then their eyes went to me, which made me uncomfortable as hell.
“Bruh, how are you handling this?” Stew’s voice had a tone in it I didn’t like. Not quite pity but something akin to it bothered me.
“I’m doing all right. Like I said, my production—”
“Ain’t at all what we’re talking about. You think that’s what we’re thinking about?
Fuck that field, Aldrich. You telling us this shit months after it happened and you’re way too calm for me.
And now her parents are trying to do what exactly?
Because I know y’all are great at your jobs but the team has a team of lawyers that will bury them in so much paperwork and red tape that they won’t be able to think about releasing some shit.
” Stew looked at Parker who was angrily nodding his head like they were about to team up like Batman and Robin and take on the bad guys.
“He’s hoping they will come to their senses since this involves their daughter’s reputation and granddaughter but so far they are still trying to extort him.”
“Extort him? For what? Showing that their daughter is a fucking rapist?” Coach J was tapping his fingers on the table and I could see he was getting pissed.
“Listen here, this shit hits home with a lot of us because it affects you and your family. But this shit is personal to me because I’ve been accused of some shit like this before.
It almost took me out of the game completely so I don’t take lightly to people who play around like that.
” Coach J had a girl accuse him in college and if it wasn’t for a recording at his dorm showing him entering the building at the time the crime supposedly happened, he would’ve lost everything.
As it was, plenty of people had tried to discredit him even after he was cleared.
“We get it, but we are here to determine the best situation for everyone involved.” Billy was taking back control because I certainly wasn’t.
I knew Coach J had gone through some shit but allegations like that were damn near par for the course in this line of work.
The worst part about it was that people assumed you’d done it because of the reputation that athletes had.
Hell, I’d braced myself my entire life for something like this to happen.
Made sure I was clear on consent and even had people sign NDAs to prevent any bullshit from happening.
I just didn’t expect to be on the other end of it.
And maybe that was the part that was still fucking with me.
“How can we help?” Stew took a deep breath and I knew he was feeling some type of way.
Probably remembering the frantic call I’d made to his wife in the middle of the night and putting together how long I’d been keeping this from him.
I was sure he was just disappointed that I hadn’t confided in him, probably Coach J too, but I wouldn’t have known how to express this shit to anyone.
“I’m not sure. I want to end this harassment but they seem hell-bent on pushing the issue. They keep threatening to get custody of my daughter acting like I haven’t done the best to provide for her. They’re citing the fact that it’s what their daughter would’ve wanted—”
“With not an ounce of respect, fuck what she would’ve wanted.”
Parker hit him on the shoulder clearly not agreeing with what Stew said. “We gotta give a little respect because she’s the mother of his kid, Stew.”
Since Stew and I were on the same page, I had to be honest with Parker.
“Nah. Sterling is the mother of my daughter. Their daughter was just her incubator. A fucking glorified, unpaid and unwanted surrogate. Someone who would try to kill their baby just to get the attention and sympathy of a man who didn’t want her.
A man she had to drug and assault and to even get pregnant. ”