Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
DAYLEN
It’s been a great few weeks for Kennedy and me.
We’ve found our groove. We rarely spend a night apart, except when I have team obligations like mini-camp.
She even stayed with BJ the few nights I was gone because she didn’t want BJ to be lonely.
I think she loves that dog nearly as much as I do.
I know the feeling is mutual, and it warms my heart to see how protective BJ is of Kennedy.
She follows Kennedy everywhere in the house, and if a delivery person approaches the door, she always places herself between Kennedy and the visitor, usually scaring them away.
Kennedy is amused by it, but it hits me right in the heart seeing my two girls interact like that.
More and more of her belongings have slowly trickled into my house.
Without speaking of it, I’ve cleared plenty of space for her.
I have two giant walk-in closets in my bedroom.
I moved my stuff to the smaller one. I’m pretty sure closet space is the way to her heart, so I happily gave up mine for her.
We’ve continued her training. She’s so darn close. Millimeters away from making a dunk happen. It might not be this season, but hopefully next. I even installed a basketball net for her so she can practice anytime she wants.
I haven’t broached the future at all with her. I’m trying to live in the moment while slowly and subtly making space for her in my life and house. I think I’ve fallen in love with her, but I’m not telling her. She’ll feel pressured. She needs to get there in her own time.
What I don’t love is what she’s selected for me to wear to walk into our first game. I lost a bet to her months ago, well before Vegas, and she has done her best to do me dirty.
I wouldn’t want it any other way. I would have done the same to her if I had won the bet.
I’m in our stadium parking lot, sitting in my car and bracing for the chaos that will surely follow from what I’m about to wear into the stadium.
I slowly step out of my car in my green fleece robe and take a deep breath as I think about the huge amount of humiliation I’m about to face.
A bet is a bet, and I lost it. Time to pay up.
I slip the swim cap on my head and place the swim goggles over my eyes before grabbing my bag and tossing the robe into the car.
I open my Spotify app and press play for the song “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees, blasting it on the speaker as loud as my phone will allow.
In only the tiny pink Speedo that leaves nothing to the imagination, I strut into the stadium like I own the place.
Did I mention that the speedo has a beaver over the crotch?
I’m not sure where she found this thing, but she was mighty excited when it arrived last week.
Teammates begin to notice me and laugh hysterically.
The press goes berserk, as I knew they would.
Flashes are going off at a pace that’s hard to imagine.
Yep, this will be all over the internet in mere seconds.
I hope that spiteful bitch, who I think I love, is enjoying herself right now.
I have no doubt she’s following online with a mischievous glint in her gorgeous green eyes.
I might as well own it. It could be worse. At least I look good. Damn good.
I pose like a swimsuit model for all the cameras, sucking in my cheeks and placing my hands on my hips. I even shake my ass a bit for a little something extra. They’re eating it up. I knew they would.
Vance walks over and holds his cowboy hat over my family jewels to cover them but then laughs and removes it. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him smile as much as he is right now.
Coach then walks by. He stops short, and his face drops when he takes in my wardrobe.
“You know, Humblecut, I used to judge your generation for being so adamant about supervised playdates. My generation certainly never had any, and we managed to survive. But right now, I’m thinking you could have used a little more supervision. ”
Vance laughs. “Blame your daughter for this horrific scene.”
He turns to look at Vance. “Why would I do that?”
“He lost a bet to her months ago. The terms stated she got to pick his outfit for today. This is what she chose.”
I nod. “I’m a man of my word, but your daughter is batshit crazy.” And I dig the fuck out of her for it.
He shrugs. “Tell me something I don’t know, Humblecut. What was the bet?” he asks.
Vance smirks. “Whether she could knock him down with one karate chop to the side of the neck?”
Coach raises an unamused eyebrow. “She’s a blackbelt in karate, Humblecut. You never stood a chance.”
My face falls. “What?” I yell out. “She never mentioned that. That cunning bitch had hidden skills. Holy crap. It was fixed.”
Coach grins like I’ve never seen before, and Vance nearly pees his pants in laughter.
KENNEDY
My long-awaited Google alert pings just before we’re about to leave the locker room for warm-ups.
We have a game early this afternoon. The Camels have a late afternoon game that we’ll go to when ours ends.
I was hoping Daylen would make his grand entrance before my game started so I could see his outfit. Sure enough, it’s happening.
Sulley, Layla, Palmer, and Shay stand behind me, looking over my shoulder. We’ve all been waiting for this. They have no idea what outfit I selected. They just know today is the day.
I pull up the picture and hear gasps and giggles behind me. Sulley says, “Holy cow. That’s incredible. I don’t know how you think of this stuff.”
Palmer mumbles, “Now that’s a sausage I would happily eat.”
I burst out laughing and turn around to her. “Palmer, do you incorporate food into your sex life?”
She turns a bright shade of red and chews her lips nervously. “As you’ve said many times before, we all have our kinks.”
I hold up my hand for a high five, and she smacks it. I’m proud of my girl. She’s really come out of her shell.
Layla mumbles, “Ay, dios mío. He’s packing un salchichón grande.”
Yes, ladies, that is one large sausage. There are going to be a million memes of his beaver-covered package all week. It could be worse. I could have exposed a small sausage.
“He should be thanking me,” I proudly announce. “He’ll have half the women in this country begging for a date.” And I owed him this for having Booster post the small dick pic last year.
Sulley scoffs. “Pft. Are the other half blind? His body is amazing.”
I know. I traced it with my tongue last night. And again this morning, after he woke me up with his head between my legs. He said he’d now like to eat me for breakfast before all his games, calling it his breakfast of champions. I’m happy to oblige that request.
Our budding relationship is getting harder and harder to hide, but he’s been amazing at respecting my wishes.
We’ve had the best month of doing normal dating.
A lot of it has been hanging out at his house because we’ll be recognized in a public restaurant, but he sometimes finds creative ways for us to go out.
Honestly, I don’t mind staying in with him because he’s so much fun.
Plus, being in his house isn’t exactly a chore.
His backyard pool situation is fun, I enjoy the serenity of his roof balcony, and I’m obsessed with his dog.
BJ can sing in tune. It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.
She gets on her hind legs and dances with Daylen while they sing together.
Seeing him as the father of my child gets easier by the day.
He’ll be everything my father wasn’t. He’ll be present and involved and will make our kid feel so damn loved. I have no doubt.
He's working so hard on us. Without mentioning it, he moved his stuff into the smaller closet and my stuff into the bigger closet, even though I only keep a few things there, though it seems to grow by the day. That closet is my dream come true. It’s massive, with rows and rows of hanging space, shelves, and a whole seating area in the middle.
Though I did find a bunch of my lipsticks in the back of one of his drawers.
They had gradually been disappearing from my apartment and my purses, and I thought I was going crazy.
I can’t manage to be upset with him, knowing he did it because he prefers me au naturale.
He makes sure Chef Benny has all my favorite foods on hand. There’s nothing that man doesn’t think of to make me feel loved and happy. How did I misjudge him so badly when we met? He’s perfect.
I hear Palmer giggle as she stares at her phone. “Oh my god. #HumbleCock is already trending.”
I roll my eyes. Oh, cheez, he’s going to have a field day with that one. He’s probably already had T-shirts and hats made with the hashtag.
Sulley lets out a laugh as she looks at her phone. “Ha! This post has a picture of him from today and reads: I thought it was a game of inches, not feet. So funny. And this post says the Camels should change their name to the Tripods.”
Shay smiles as she looks at her phone. “This one reads: There’s the Super Bowl and there’s the Super Bulge. One already down for Humblecut. Will he get the other?”
I can’t help but smile. “I’m kind of a genius, aren’t I? I should go into marketing when I retire.”
Palmer sighs. “I could use marketing help.”
My good mood immediately sours. Palmer has been the subject of a hate campaign this summer.
I don’t know why, but she’s getting crucified for her body on social media.
We haven’t been out much as a big group lately, with the guys in training and our playoffs about to begin, but Beau body slammed a guy at a club last week who was hassling Palmer.
I know it’s weighing on her. We’ve been trying to find other fun things to do as a group that are a little less public.
It works for me because I can’t drink. It’s easier to stay away from the club scene.