3. River
“Damn. You’re prettier every time I see you,” I said when I opened my front door.
Erissa smiled as she entered my home. “Thank you. I’ve been meaning to ask, do you ever stay at the condo you mentioned?”
“My condo is mostly for my extracurricular activities. I haven’t had time for much of those since I became a father.”
She nodded as she looked around.
“Where’s Riverlynn?”
“Surprisingly, she’s still sleeping. We had sort of a rough night last night.”
“Did you try all the things I showed you?”
“Yeah, but nothing worked. I just held her and let her cry it out until she finally cried herself to sleep. Let me take your luggage upstairs, and we can check on her.”
I took the handles of both her suitcases and pulled them along, while she followed close behind me. She’d been here a few times before to watch Riverlynn while I ran some errands, so she was familiar with everything. We stopped in her room to leave her luggage before heading to Riverlynn’s room.
“As I told you the last time you were here, I’m going to need a lot of help decorating her room. I don’t even know where to start.”
“I’m sure we can turn it into something Riverlynn will grow to love.”
“I didn’t plan on settling down and having children for at least five more years. I’ve never thought about what a nursery should look like. I feel unprepared as hell.”
“I mean, no disrespect, but you are unprepared. Anybody would be if they were in your situation. I love that you’re trying, though.”
“I appreciate that. I’ve ordered some stuff here and there as needed, including clothes, but I doubt I have a quarter of what she needs.”
“Okay. Last week, I started taking inventory of what you have. I’ll finish up today and place an order, if that’s okay with you. I know nothing about decorating, but I’m sure we can find someone who does.”
“I trust whatever decisions you make. Whatever you decide will be better than anything I could do.”
“Thank you, but we’re both in the learning stages.”
“True, but for some reason, I trust you. I’ll leave you to get settled while I check on Riverlynn and get ready for practice.”
“Okay.”
I went to my bedroom, feeling much better about my situation.
My mother cursed me out for hiring an inexperienced stranger to watch my daughter, but I told her I had a good feeling about Erissa and to stop worrying.
She’d been bugging me about meeting her over FaceTime, but I’d been avoiding it for fear of what my mother might say.
The woman had no problem speaking her mind.
When I stepped out of my walk-in closet after getting dressed, I saw Riverlynn struggling to move her chunky little body in the center of my California king-sized bed. By the time I made it to her, she was already starting to fuss.
“Don’t start all that whining, baby girl. Give me a minute to get to you.”
I picked her up and sat on the side of my bed. Every time I looked at her, I questioned how her mother could have left her. Had she told me she was pregnant, once Riverlynn was proven to be mine, I wouldn’t have sent her away, expecting her to raise my child alone.
We could’ve come to an agreement that would’ve kept both of us in Riverlynn’s life. I’d been trying not to be angry and give her mother the benefit of the doubt, but not knowing her situation, I found it hard to curb my anger toward her, and I had no idea who she was.
“Daddy has a surprise for you.”
I cradled her in one arm while picking up my gym bag and putting it on the opposite shoulder. I headed to Erissa’s bedroom and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” she said.
I opened the door and found her sitting on the floor in front of her suitcase. She lifted her head and smiled when her eyes landed on Riverlynn.
“Glad to see you’re making yourself at home.”
“Thank you for being so welcoming. It looks like our little angel is awake.”
She stood with a few papers in hand and headed toward us. I got a whiff of her scent once she was in front of me, and I was tempted to bury my nose in her neck.
“She sure is. You know her morning nap is never very long.”
“It looks like you’re ready to head out. So I’ll take her, and you take these.”
I placed my daughter in her arms and took the papers. It was a copy of her driver’s license, CPR card, and a letter of reference.
“I told you none of this was necessary, but thank you.”
“I should’ve given them to you days ago. I want you to feel comfortable leaving her with me for long periods of time, and overnight. I promise I will take care of Riverlynn like she is my own, but can you do me a favor?”
“Of course.”
“Can you not be this trusting of anyone else? As much as I appreciate the good feelings you have about me, I could be insane. You have a daughter to worry about now. You can’t allow just anyone around her. Please be more selective in the future.”
Our eyes locked for a moment, and she didn’t look away. Her words were genuine and heartfelt, and she was right. She could be insane, and I’d invited her into my daughter’s life with almost no second thought.
“You’re right. Thank you for this.” I held the papers up.
“You’re welcome. Have your lawyer or somebody run a background check or something if you want. I just want you to know that your gut instincts are right . . . this time.”
“Maybe I will. Here’s some cash, a credit card, and the keys to the SUV that’s in the garage in case you need to go anywhere.”
“Umm, I have a car.”
“Yeah, and from the way it looks, I’m surprised you’ve made it here as many times as you have. If I didn’t think you would’ve been offended, I would’ve given you one of my other cars the first time you came over.”
She gasped and pushed me with her free hand.
“For your information, my car is in great condition.”
“It might be, but if you take my daughter anywhere, use the SUV. I gotta go. See you later, baby girl. Be good for Ms. Erissa.”
I leaned in to kiss her forehead, and she gave me a toothless grin. It was crazy how attached I was to her already.
“We didn’t think you’d show up,” Boris said, followed by a laugh.
“Why wouldn’t I show up?”
“Because you may have come to your senses and realized you shouldn’t leave your daughter with the nanny you found in that hole in the wall.”
“I’ve been vetting her for the past two weeks.”
“You don’t even know the name of the restaurant you found her in. What will you tell the cops if she runs off with her?” Jaxon joked.
Desmond laughed before saying, “Your baby and all the rest of your shit gon’ be gone by the time you get home.”
Boris and Jaxon joined Desmond in a fit of laughter. I didn’t find shit funny, so I walked away and headed to the room where our first meeting of the day was held. Regardless of what they thought, Erissa was a good person, and I felt comfortable with my decision.
The day dragged, and by three o’clock, I was tapped out. I barely retained any of the information shared, but it was typically the same each year, so I was good. Media Day was tomorrow morning, and practice would officially start the day after.
“What are you about to get into?” Jaxon asked.
“Nothing. I need to get home.”
“Baby girl already got you rushing home from work,” Boris teased.
“Nah. He wants to get home to make sure ole girl ain’t stole his baby and the rest of his shit,” Desmond said.
For the second time today, they burst into laughter at my expense.
“Remember all the shit y’all talking when y’all get caught up in some shit,” I told them before leaving the building.
As soon as my vehicle started and my Bluetooth connected, I called Erissa. I was tempted to text her a few times but figured if she needed something, she would reach out.
“Hello.”
“How’s Riverlynn?”
“She just woke up from a nap. Are you headed home?”
“Yeah. Do you need me to pick up anything?” I asked.
“No, I had some groceries delivered that should last the whole week. Your fridge was damn near empty. I hope that’s okay, and that I chose things you like.”
“It’s cool. I’m not picky. As long as it’s healthy.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
I ended the call with Erissa and called my mother. It was a little after five o’clock in Chicago, and she should be home. The phone rang a few times before she answered.
“Hello, Son. How was your first day back?”
“It was fine. I’m headed home now to see how Erissa’s first full day with Riverlynn was. Did you check Rylee’s schedule yet?”
“As a matter of fact, I did. We have a three-day weekend in a few weeks. I’ve already looked at some flights.”
“Bet. Let me know when you book them, and I’ll send you the money.”
“I can pay—”
“Ma, please. We go through this every time you visit. You know I got it.”
“Fine. Did you do the background check on the nanny like I told you?”
“She actually told me to do it before you did, and yes, my lawyer took care of it, and there’s nothing about her that is concerning.”
“Good. Make sure you FaceTime me when you get home. I want to meet her.”
“She’s pretty as hell, and—”
“Boy, I don’t care what she looks like. I’ve been telling you I want to meet her since you hired her. If you don’t FaceTime me today, it’s gon’ be a problem.”
“Okay, Ma, dang.”
“I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”
“Love you more, Ma.”
I turned into my long driveway and parked in the garage.
When I entered my house, the first thing I saw were bags and boxes.
I left my shoes by the door, walked through the kitchen, and followed the sound to the family room.
Erissa and Riverlynn were in the middle of the floor on a blanket, and boxes surrounded them.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” I asked, startling Erissa.
I bent down to pick up my daughter, and the smile she gave me went straight to my heart. It was then that I realized I’d missed her today.
“Hey. She just finished eating. I burped her, changed her diaper, and now we’re playing.”
“Good, and these boxes?”
“Oh, yeah. I ordered a bunch of stuff for Rivvy. Most of it needs to be taken to her room, and I figured I’d let you do that.”
“Rivvy? Is that your nickname for her?”
She smiled timidly and nodded.
“I hope that’s okay. I was talking to her, and Rivvy came out, and it stuck.”
“I like it. Riverlynn is a mouthful and does sound a little formal.”
“Great. I think she likes it too.”
“Good. Let me see what’s in all these bags and boxes.”
I sat on the couch and put Riverlynn on my lap while Erissa commenced to opening boxes. By the time all the boxes in the family room were open, it looked like the baby department at JCPenney.
“I’m surprised I didn’t get any alerts from the credit card company. Your ass made a killing.”
“Did I do too much?”
“Not at all. I’m grateful for your help. I didn’t know where to start.”
“I got her some clothes and other essentials too. I didn’t get a crib or any bedroom furniture, because I thought you might want some say in that, but I got a portable bassinet/playpen so she won’t have to sleep in your bed.”
“I appreciate you. Maybe you can show me some options later.”
“That’s what I’m here for. If you’re good with her, I’ll start dinner,” she offered as she stood in front of me.
My eyes zeroed in on her pussy, and I couldn’t help but lick my lips before responding. She had on a pair of leggings that sat low on her hips, and a shirt that stopped right above her navel, exposing about two inches of her waist.
“You don’t have to cook for me. I’ll order something.”
“I promise, it’s not a problem. I enjoy cooking, and it’ll be nice to cook for someone other than me. Do you eat leftovers?”
“I’m from the South Side of Chicago. Hell yeah, I eat leftovers. When I was younger, we ate them until they were gone, which could be a week sometimes.”
“Interesting. I’m surprised you don’t have a chef who comes in and preps your meals for the week.”
“I should, and it would probably save me a lot of money, but unfortunately, I eat takeout a lot.”
“Really? You’re in great shape for someone who eats out a lot.”
“This is California. The number of healthy restaurant options is plentiful. It’s actually insane.”
“That’s true. I guess since I was born and raised here, I don’t notice as much. I’ve never been able to afford eating out much anyway.”
“Cooking is not in your job description, but I won’t stop you and will gladly eat whatever you put in front of me.”
For the second time in the past few minutes, my eyes were on her pussy. It was fat, and I could only imagine how juicy it was.
“Okay. I’ll let you know when dinner is done, but feel free to come and keep me company. Do you have any allergies?”
“No.”
She walked away, and I watched her ass sway until she disappeared behind me.
My level of attraction to this woman was unexpected.
I’d been with women who spent hours in the mirror before hooking up with me, and I still didn’t feel them the way I was feeling Erissa.
I pushed those thoughts to the back of my head and focused on Riverlynn.
“Wassup, baby girl. Did you miss Daddy today?”
She cooed and smiled up at me.
“Is that a yes? You missed Daddy?”
I’d already fallen in love with the sound of her little voice. I listened as she told me about her day. She looked happy and content, so I assumed her day with Erissa went well. It may have been a knee-jerk reaction to hire Erissa, but I believed I’d made the right choice . . . for a few reasons.
My second phone vibrated, and I pulled it from my pocket, smiling when I saw a text from Alana, a woman I’d hooked up with a few times over the past few months.
Alana:
You busy?
Me:
That depends on what you wanna do.
Alana:
How does bouncing on your dick sound?
Me:
Give me an hour and a half. You know where to meet me.
Alana:
See you soon.
Although I’d rather Erissa bounce on my dick, Alana would have to do. My dick got hard just thinking about the last time we’d hooked up, and cumming down Alana’s throat was a good way to end the day.