20. Somee
Somee
“Let me see,” I signed and wiggled my fingers demanding Marlee’s phone.
We are on the sofa in the living room, with Marlee on my right and Makari on my left.
I was barely squeezed between them since they were both damn near on my lap.
That may or may not have been due to the four bottles of wine we shared and our need to scoot in as close as possible so we could see the tiny screen of Marlee’s phone.
Well maybe it wasn’t that tiny and my eyes just weren’t cooperating enough to focus.
Marlee handed over the device and I squinted at the screen but gave up on any hope of getting a good look at the person in question. Instead of torturing myself, I opened Skroll, navigated to the search field, typed Taven McClain, and rolled my eyes when I noticed his handle: TavMacs_.
Okay, so strike one. He thinks he’s macking women, which screams player.
When I tapped his profile and all the pictures loaded, Marlee grabbed the phone. “Damn, girl,” I signed with a grin.
She smiled big as hell and tapped a picture of him sitting in a chair, legs stretched in front of himself, spread wide. He was slouched just enough to look relaxed, shirtless and wearing thin lounge pants that were very intentional with what he was trying to highlight.
“Fine, right?” Makari signed and I nodded.
“Yes but a H-O-E.”
“How do you know?” Marlee signed.
“T-A-V-M-A-C-S and you know what the S is there for. He M-A-C-K-S.”
She smiled lazily and shrugged. “The man is fine, fine. That’s understandable.”
Makari waved her hand and Marlee and I both turned to her. She waited until she had our attention before she spoke. I frowned, barely catching most of it because she was slurring just a little. Marlee signed what she said to make sure I understood.
“Men are players until they cross paths with the master of games and can no longer compete.”
I laughed and shrugged. “True, but that doesn’t always work.”
“I’ll make it work.”
Makari obviously agreed because she did a little dance and high-fived Marlee, almost making contact with the side of my head. Thankfully I ducked and leaned back in time for a near miss.
“Okay, let me go set this up.”
Marlee struggled to get up, failing twice before I shoved her in the ass to help on the third. Once she was somewhat steady on her feet, she walked to the kitchen and thrust her phone into Ryland’s face, then Omiri’s.
Her back was to us, so I couldn’t see what she was saying. Neither of them were impressed, which made me and Makari look at each other and fall out laughing.
She came back and flopped into the spot next to me looking defeated. “What happened?”
“Your man…” she signed, then pointed at me. “And your man…” She pointed at Makari. “Are haters. They don’t want me to be great.”
“Don’t worry. We want you to be great so we’ll make it happen,” I signed.
Her drunk ass threw her arms around my neck, damn near cutting off my oxygen. A few minutes later, Omiri and Ryland stood over us and Omiri was pulling Makari to her feet. After a few kisses he was in her ear and she smiled, nodding and turning to us.
“We’re leaving. Early flight.”
Omiri and Ryland discussed us flying back with them since they’d chartered a private jet but Ryland had an appointment with a law firm here handling the paperwork for his father to sign over his parental rights.
He hadn’t planned on being there but wanted to be in town just in case the exchange didn’t go as planned.
We all got up and said our goodbyes. Makari and I made plans for next week.
She invited me to some lunch she was having to introduce me to the two wives on the team she spent the most time with.
She also made Marlee promise to come visit soon and the two of them exchanged numbers before she and Omiri left.
After I locked up, I told Ryland I was going to kick it with Marlee for a while so he headed to the bedroom while I got cozy on one end of the sofa with Marlee on the opposite side.
“I’m jealous you have friends already.” Marlee playfully kicked my shin pouting.
“That just means you need to hurry up and come to Crescent Falls so we can have friends.”
“Your hating ass man is not trying to let my love shine.” She rolled her eyes.
I grinned. “Just come visit. We’ll pull up on your boy. We don’t need Ryland for that.”
“Remember you said that when I book my flight and show up with my fuck me braids freshly done.”
I laughed because those fuck me braids were Marlee’s go-to. She said she didn’t have time to be sweating out her silk press so when a wild time was expected, so the box braids were freshly done.
“That man has no clue what he’s about to experience. I’m almost afraid for him.”
“And you should be. I told you I’m trying to upgrade my life.” She smiled lazily.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“Bitch I literally just hired someone when you texted me talking about what’s after level ten. I knew your ass wasn’t coming back. We’re locked in. You’re not leaving me. I can have Marlee Gardens Zen bi-coastal. I know your man has some rich ass friends who need my magic touch.”
“You would move?”
“Hell yeah. I was born and raised here. Don’t know nothing about this damn city except for the three mile radius around where I live.
It might be time for something new, and if that new just happens to come with a fine ass, chocolate wide receiver who looks like a guaranteed dick coma, then I’m catching flights. ”
“Oh so it’s not about me?” I cheesed.
“Did you not just say fuck our friendship and move your ass to Crescent Falls for a man?” She arched a brow and I rolled my eyes.
“Weren’t you the one who told me I should?”
“I did and I want you to support my decision to make the same decision.”
“Done.”
“Thank you, but you’re good though? Y’all are cute and everything but are you happy?”
“I am.”
“I’m so happy for you. I’m selfish, so I want you here, but I love that for you.”
“Thank you, but if you really mean that, you would move. I wouldn’t be mad about it.”
“I’m considering it.”
“Even without upgrading your life?” I arched a brow and she smiled lazily.
“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about it. I’m going to come visit and check it out.” She grinned. “But how big is that house though? You think I can kick it on the east wing and fly under the radar until I find me a baller who’s willing to sponsor my lifestyle?”
I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Go to sleep. That wine has you talking crazy.”
“It’s not the wine, friend. I’m dead ass.”
“I know you are, which makes it worse.”
“Fine, be a hater. Ol’ gatekeeping ass H-O-E.”
I lifted my foot and kicked hers before slouching down on the sofa and snuggling up with a throw pillow.
“I’m going to miss this and you.”
“Me too. Now take your drunk ass to sleep.”
It was Monday morning, and after the weekend spent in Chicago, I was ready to spend the day doing nothing.
I missed my Rylee Bear more than expected, so there was no way I would skip her school drop off.
Instead of sleeping in, I dragged my tired limbs from the bed, dressed, and rode shotgun to Chandler.
Ryland and I slept in separate beds, only because I insisted that we figure out how to approach our decision to be a couple with Rylee before we exposed her to the idea of us functioning that way.
She would be thrilled but she was also six and we had to consider the logistics of what things looked like moving forward.
Reluctantly, he agreed and slept in his room, but not before providing me with enough orgasms to expedite the process of me making a firm decision of his bed being where I ended up every night.
Ryland seemed to be in his head for most of the drive, so I allowed him the space to deal with whatever had him emotionally conflicted.
Burying Felicia and trying to process the lingering feelings he had for the way his father was open to a relationship with him but not his sister placed Ryland in an emotionally conflicted place, which explained why we were walking Rylee to the door instead of our normal drop-off.
She didn’t seem to mind based on the incredibly large smile in place as she held our hands, skipping toward the door between us.
“Have a good day kid,” I signed as soon as we reached the entrance.
“I will, bye.” Her little hands moved quickly as she separated and was about to run off but Ryland caught her attention.
“Can I get a hug?”
She grinned widely and threw her arms around his neck after he kneeled in front of her. Once she was free, he extended a closed fist which she met, then darted toward the door.
Ryland didn’t move until she was inside, and even then, he stared at the entrance for a minute longer before we were on our way back to the car.
“You okay?”
Dark brown eyes turned my way, stormy and conflicted, before his hands were moving. “I’m pissed that he took the money.”
“Your dad?”
“Yeah…”
“But taking the money means he signed over his rights to Rylee?”
I asked the question, hopeful that the answer was yes, but also understanding the conflict Ryland felt.
“Signed that shit without a second thought.”
“Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“I wanted him to fucking care that she exists. He was cool wanting me in his life but not Rylee and truthfully she’s a much better person than I will ever be. How the fuck you just write off your own kid? I really want to fly back out there and beat his ass.”
“You shouldn’t.” He frowned and I added, “Because you shouldn’t care enough about him to exert the energy or the effort. Fuck him. Not having you and Rylee in his life is his loss. You’re both worth so much more than whatever amount you gave him.”
“As much as I know that, it still pisses me the fuck off.”
“I know. I’ve been there.”
He frowned hard. “What do you mean?”
“My dad.” I sighed, feeling tightness in my chest. “I love my mom. She was my world and she loved me more than I can ever thank her for, but even with her heart connected to mine, I still felt like something was missing. When I turned eighteen, I went looking for my father.”
“You found him?”
I nodded stiffly. “It wasn’t like he was hiding, he just didn’t want to be in our lives. My life.”
“What happened?”
I laughed dryly and my chest was tight again before my hands were moving.
“He owns a pizza place with his wife. I drove there and sat in the parking lot for hours, waiting. It took a while but I finally built up the nerve to get out and speak to him. Marlee was with me because I really wanted the chance to talk to him and needed to be sure he could communicate with me.”
“Did you?”
“No, I told him who I was, he got anxious and demanded that I leave. He said he had no interest in revisiting his past mistakes and didn’t want to put that guilt on his family.”
“He really said that shit?”
“Sure did. Which literally meant he thought of me as a past mistake and assumed his family would only embrace me out of guilt. He didn’t want to put them in that position.”
“He’s in Chicago?”
I grinned because I felt his mind working and knew exactly where his thoughts went.
“He’s where he is and where he’s going to stay, detached from my life.”
“He needs to see me.”
“No, he doesn’t. Marlee cursed him out, stormed into his restaurant and told his wife that she married an insensitive dick and she should be ashamed of being married to a man who refused to love his own flesh and blood.
We left, but not before she shoved a roll of toilet paper in every toilet at his store and flooded the bathroom. ”
Ryland laughed, shaking his head. “Your girl is wild.”
“She doesn’t play about me.”
He frowned hard. “And you think I do?”
I shook my head. “I know you don’t, but that man has no relevance in my life.
I’m only telling you because I understand how you feel.
I also want you to be okay with saying fuck your father.
You have people who love you and so does Rylee.
Neither of you need him in your lives. Walking away and never acknowledging his existence again is far more impactful than putting your hands on him. I’m glad that he took the money.”
“My hands on him would be a hell of a lot more impactful when it comes to his understanding of what a piece of shit he is.”
“Well that’s not happening…again.” Ryland had already done some damage to his father’s face at his mother’s funeral.
His expression softened. “I’m sorry about your dad. It’s fucked up that he’s too ignorant to see how perfect you are.”
“Thank you, but we’re done giving them our time.”
Ryland reached for my hand, kissed the inside of my wrist, and everything was right in our worlds because we made the conscious decision to exist in whatever peace we created.
“I need to make a stop before we head to the house. You cool or you want me to take you back now?”
“Are you taking me to meet another one of your very female team members?”
He grinned and nodded, signing when we made it to the traffic light. “Why you hating on me for being an advocate for women’s empowerment?”
My eyes rolled and his smile expanded. “Don’t be rolling your damn eyes. I’m D-E-A-D-A-S-D. My team is legit as hell. I have the best of the best.”
“I’m sure you do.”
He chuckled, pulling away from the light and using his knee to steady the steering wheel when he signed, “I have to go see S-O-V. They sent a new contract, but with all the shit going on with Felicia and Gavin, I haven’t had a chance to go over it yet.”
“Wait, they’re giving you a new contract?”
“Yeah, why you look so surprised? I told you my team is the best.”
“Damn, so no hope of me keeping my Tigers jersey.”
He narrowed a glare on me and my smile expanded before he was putting our lives in danger again by steering the Range with his knee. “Even if I was traded, whatever jersey you have would be trashed because it wouldn’t have my name on it.”
“So not a sharer, noted.”
“Play silly games and get fucked for my prize.”
I laughed and rolled my eyes. “You know that’s not the saying, right?”
“That’s my saying, because if you play with me, I’m fucking some sense into you and doing so is going to be your act right and my prize.
” He winked and I tried hard not to show how every inch of me was onboard with being his prize based on the stampede of butterflies that launched in the pit of my stomach.