Ryland
Iglanced at my phone, scanning the message then shoving the device back into my pocket, watching the small body asleep in her new bed.
Her tiny frame was covered with a sea of purple that matched the silk bonnet on her head.
The covers were pulled up on her shoulders so I couldn’t see the pajamas she wore at the moment but they were also purple.
I knew that because when Rylee was looking droopy eyed after dinner, Somee suggested it might be a good idea for bed, considering the long day she’d had.
Rylee first insisted she was fine but was dozing minutes later while slumped in her chair, so I promised a fun day tomorrow if she promised to get a good night’s sleep.
I assumed Somee would move through Rylee’s nighttime routine but she stepped back and placed me in charge, stating I might as well dive right in and get acclimated.
We bypassed the bath—just for tonight—and Rylee picked her pajamas, changing into them before she climbed in bed.
I covered her head with the bonnet, tucking her thick ponytails beneath.
She asked to watch TV for a bit before going to sleep.
This kid was obsessed with the Bear With Me animated show.
Cartoon bears that went on adventures that were supposed to be educational but they always ended up in some chaotic shit. It was actually pretty entertaining. Minutes after I had her changed for bed, her head sank into the pillow, her eyes closed, and her breathing slowed, signaling she was asleep.
I watched her, feeling content that she was here, safe, and we were making this work.
The only thing that pulled me from her room was a notification from my security system that someone was in the driveway.
I dug my phone out of my pocket and checked the camera, seeing a familiar black Charger parked in my circular drive.
My hand yanked down my face, because as much as I fucked with my boy, I wasn’t sure if I was mentally prepared for the conversation he wanted to have. The easiest option was to get this over with.
After leaving Rylee’s room, I headed back to the kitchen where Somee was boxing up what was left of our dinner. I waved, getting her attention, and pointed to the door before I signed.
“I have company.”
Her eyes widened and she nodded before her hands were moving. “I’ll give you some privacy. I’ll be in my room.”
I smirked because she assumed I was telling her I had company so she would leave but I didn’t mind if she met Omiri. It was inevitable. “I would like you to meet him.”
Her eyes went wide again. “Oh, okay.”
She stacked the boxes, brushed her hands over her thighs, then raked them through her hair. I left her with a grin in place because she looked like a rumpled mess but still so fucking beautiful.
When I reached the door, I was surprised to be greeted by not only Omiri but Makari as well.
“You brought back up?” I asked and he glanced at his wife.
“Nah, she found out you have a woman at your house and couldn’t wait to get over here.”
“It’s not that kind of situation, Kari.” She shrugged.
“He said it is; where is she?” Makari said, pushing past her husband to enter my house. The two of them had been here enough times that she was comfortable with my space so I didn’t bother stopping her.
Instead, I dapped my boy and locked the door after he stepped into the foyer. “Where the kids?”
“With Janice. Kari asked her to stay late so we could come check you out.”
I tossed my chin in acknowledgement. “Did you tell Makari Somee was Deaf?”
“Yeah, I did. Kari’s been on VidShare watching videos and shit since I told her your sister and Somee were coming. She’s trying to learn ASL and is making me learn too.” He seemed frustrated but I chuckled. Whatever his wife wanted was done.
“You don’t have to.”
“Nah, it’s cool. We’re gonna be around her and your sister. We might as well learn.”
“’Preciate that.”
He nodded and we walked into the kitchen in time to see Makari hugging Somee. When she pulled back, Makari introduced herself and finger spelled her name. Somee smiled and returned the gesture, finger spelling hers.
I got Somee’s attention as soon as we entered the kitchen and did formal introductions.
“This is O-M-I-R-I H-A-Y-E-S and his wife M-A-K-A-R-I. They live out here too.”
“Nice to meet you,” Somee signed, did a double take, then tried not to stare at Omiri but seeing his eyes was wild as hell for most people. What made it even crazier was both of his kids had them same mismatched eyes.
“She said nice to meet you and what the fuck is wrong with your eyes,” I relayed, speaking the words and signing them for Somee.
Somee tensed and punched me in the arm, making me laugh before I made a correction. “I’m just playing. She didn’t say shit about them weird ass eyes.”
“You’re an ass.” Makari glared at me while I signed what she said to Somee. “Tell her if she decides that being with you was due to a temporary lapse of judgment, we have plenty of rooms at our house.”
After I relayed the message to Somee, she grinned and signed thank you to Makari, who moved on after shooting me a smug grin.
“Where is Rylee?” Makari asked and I signed the question when I responded so Somee was aware.
“She’s asleep. Long day with the flight and getting settled.”
“Can I see her?” Makari asked and I posed the question to Somee.
“Do you mind taking M-A-K-A-R-I to see Rylee?”
“No, I don’t mind,” she signed back.
I spoke aloud to Makari and signed as well. “Somee can take you up.”
I then signed to Somee. “Would you like her to know you read lips?”
She nodded and I relayed that to Makari.
“Somee reads lips. Make sure you’re facing her and speak normally. Don’t slow down, speak loud, or overenunciate your words. That makes it harder to understand.”
Taking ASL in college wasn’t just about learning the language. We were expected to learn the culture as well as the particulars on how to make communication work best between hearing, Deaf, and hard of hearing people.
Somee glanced at me and offered a grin before signing, “Thank you for explaining.”
“You’re welcome.”
The two of them left with Makari removing a phone, holding it up for Somee. I assumed to exchange numbers so they could communicate. As ambitious as Makari was, there was only so much she could have learned in a week of self-taught ASL tutorials.
Most people could learn the basics in three to six months, but it would take up to a year or more to be somewhat fluent in conversation.
“Kari is all in with this shit. She’s been teaching Avi and MJ simple signs and asked Janice would she be opposed to learning sign language just in case she had to babysit your sister.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“Yeah, shit is wild, because Kari has taken on a whole mission but Janice knows ASL. She said she’s not great but had a job for two years with a Deaf couple. The kid wasn’t Deaf but she learned ASL to communicate with the parents.”
I nodded. “Yeah, the more I’m in this, the more I learn it’s more common than people think. We just don’t pay attention because that’s not our life or our world.” I frowned and Omiri smirked.
“You’re figuring this shit out.”
“Yeah…” I brushed a hand over my head. “I have to, this is what my life looks like now.”
“So how is all that? You cool with keeping Rylee with you?”
“For now, yeah. The temporary judgement has to be revisited before they allow me full custody. I was required to put in a valid effort to find Felicia and our sperm donor. Either way, I’m not letting either of them get close to Rylee again, which is why this trade talk has me fucked up.”
“That’s not happening, Land. No fucking way.”
“Sovoya’s working on it, but you know like I do, when it comes to the owners; it’s fuck my feelings and the time I’ve put in with the team. Especially when shit gets personal and this is personal.”
“What you mean personal?” I yanked a hand down my face and motioned for Omiri to follow me. We moved through the house to the dining room where I had a cart set up with a display of several bottles. I grabbed the Black Ops and held it up. “You drinking?”
“Yeah.”
After I filled two glasses, I handed one over and downed some of mine.
We crossed into the living room and settled on each end of the sofa. I slouched down and balanced the glass on my leg when I offered the real reason I was in the middle of trade talk. “This is about Mia Bashay.”
“What this got to do with her?”
“I won’t fuck her and she’s pissed. Her husband doesn’t like that his wife is on my dick like a fiend, so he’s trying to take that shit out on me.”
“Bruh… she fucked damn near the entire roster. What does that have to do with them wanting to trade you?”
“Karl can’t satisfy his wife and is scared that I might step up and do it for him since she’s so damn pressed.”
“That’s bullshit. You know that for sure?”
“It’s for sure bullshit, and yeah, Sov has someone in the front office who leaks stuff when it’s connected to her clients. Whoever it is gave her a heads up when she threatened to come for the entire franchise.”
He nodded. “Oh I know she’s on their asses. But why you though? Like I said, she made her way through half the team.”
“I have no clue, but I’m guessing because I shut her down and she didn’t like being told no. I have my ways. I’m damn sure not perfect but I don’t do the married woman thing. Fucking Mia would have been career suicide.”
“Hell, looks like not fucking her is career suicide.”
I glared at my boy who shrugged. “But it’s still not making sense. Your wife doesn’t get passed around an entire team without you hearing about it. He has to know how she gets down.”