15. River
“Are things going well between you and Erissa?” my mother asked.
“Ma, you talk to her more than you talk to me. If she was unhappy, you’d know before I would.”
She laughed. “Probably, but I want to hear it from you.”
“Things are great, Ma. Being in a relationship is easier than I thought.”
“Son, I’m glad you feel that way, but I hope you know it won’t always be easy. There are hills and valleys in all relationships, romantic or otherwise. People just have to learn not to run at the first sign of trouble, as long as boundaries haven’t been crossed.”
“I know we’ll have issues, but they can’t outweigh the peace she’s brought to my life.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say my son was in love.”
It had been two weeks since Erissa and I had made it official and since I’d last slept alone. Something about waking up and falling asleep with her next to me calmed my spirit. Her presence gave me a peace I didn’t realize I needed.
I couldn’t imagine my life without her and my daughter, and the thought of them not being here when I came home made my chest tight. The women I used to mess around with couldn’t give me anything close to what I received from those two.
“I don’t know, Ma. I’ve never been in love.”
“All I have to say is for once, I’m glad you didn’t listen to me.”
We laughed at her comment and talked a little more about when she and Rylee would visit next.
“I gotta get ready to head to the arena. I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you too, Son. Good luck tonight.”
Tonight was our first game of the season.
It was a home game, and since Erissa didn’t come to our preseason games, I convinced her to come to our home opener.
I wanted her sitting courtside, but realized that might be too much for Riverlynn, so she would sit in the team’s suite with the other girlfriends and wives.
“Run back everything I told you for tonight,” I said to Erissa when I found her in the family room with Riverlynn.
“River, we’ve already gone over it twice. I know what time I should leave here, where to park, what entrance, what elevator, and what suite. I got it, so will you please stop worrying?”
“Okay. Text me when you leave and when you get to the arena.”
“I will. You can go now.”
“Are you putting me out of my own house?”
“Yes, because you’re getting on my nerves.”
Riverlynn squealed in agreement.
“Damn, baby girl. You want Daddy to leave too?”
She giggled as she excitedly reached for me. I took her from Erissa’s arms and planted several kisses all over her chubby cheeks.
“What are you wearing tonight?”
“Shakira is going to help me put something together. Don’t worry, I’ll be presentable. Rivvy is going to wear the jersey dress with your number and last name on the back.”
“Bet. I have to get going. Gimme a kiss.”
With Riverlynn still in my arms, I leaned down, and Erissa tilted her head back. Our lips connected in a lingering kiss, although our tongues remained in our mouths.
“Good luck.”
“Thank you, baby. After the game—”
“I know. We’ll wait for you outside the tunnel. Will you please leave? You’re stressing me out.”
She was serious, but I chuckled anyway. She took my daughter from my arms, and I smacked her ass as she walked away.
“If we win, you gon’ do that thing you do with your tongue?”
“Bye, River!”
I finally grabbed my bag and headed to the arena. A year ago, you couldn’t have paid me to believe that today, I’d have a five-month-old daughter and be in a serious relationship. Honestly, I could hardly believe it now, and it was my life.
The moment I found Riverlynn at my door and looked into her big, bright eyes, something shifted in me. My inner spirit knew she belonged to me before the paternity test confirmed it, and the shift wasn’t slow; it started immediately.
Then came Erissa. A fool would know I shouldn’t have hired her and welcomed her into my home without a thorough background check, but just like with Riverlynn, my inner spirit gave me the confirmation I needed.
Two short months later, a lot had changed, and if anyone asked, I’d say it was for the better. I felt like a different man, . . . a better man, and I was looking forward to experiencing my continued transformation.
Jaxon and I arrived at the same time, parking next to each other. He exited his vehicle first, got his bag from the back, then leaned against the door to wait for me. A few minutes later, we were headed inside.
“You ready?” Jaxon asked.
“As ready as I can be.”
“Let’s get this ‘W’ to start the season.”
“Let’s do it.”
We walked in silence until we entered the building. As soon as we entered the locker room, our moods shifted, and we shifted into game mode. Pregame was more than just our warm-up on the court, so we arrived at least three hours before tip-off.
During those three hours, we dressed in our tunnel outfits, changed into our game gear, usually ate something light, and got stretched, taped, or massaged as needed. The time flew by, and before long, we were on the court, doing more stretches and going through drills.
Erissa did as I asked, sending me a text when she left the house and when she arrived at the arena. For some reason, knowing she was in the building with my daughter had my overgrown-ass feeling giddy.
“You’ve been smiling since before warm-ups,” Desmond said, tossing me the ball.
“Damn. Since when is a nigga smiling a problem?”
I stood at the free throw line, got into position, then put up the shot. It was all net, and Desmond grabbed it, tossing it to me.
“It’s never a problem, man. I’m just fucking with you. I take it things are going well between you and the nanny-chef-girlfriend.”
Desmond and Boris hadn’t met her in person yet, although they’d introduced themselves last week when I was on FaceTime with her after practice.
“It’s cool.”
“Nah. It must be better than cool. You’re noticeably different, and that’s not a bad thing.”
“Oh yeah?”
“We all gotta grow up some time. Out of the four of us, I didn’t think you’d be the first, but now that you’re out the game, that’s more women for us.”
We shared a laugh and finished the warm-up.
Once the game started, I pushed all thoughts that didn’t have to do with basketball from my mind and locked in.
I played the majority of each quarter, had twenty-two points with six assists and six rebounds.
We ended up winning by ten points. After the game, we headed through the tunnel, and I couldn’t explain the feeling of seeing Erissa and Riverlynn waiting for me.
“Nice game,” she said when I reached her.
“Thanks, baby.”
I pulled her against my sweaty body and kissed her lips, then took Riverlynn from her arms.
“There’s Daddy’s girl.”
I lifted her in the air, making her laugh uncontrollably. She loved that shit, and I loved the sound of her laughing. I kissed her cheeks and gave her back to Erissa.
“Hey, Shakira. I hope you enjoyed the game.”
“It was cool, but I had to check a few of those—”
“Kira, not right now,” Erissa protested.
“Fine.”
Shakira frowned at me as she folded her arms across her chest.
“Umm, I gotta do press before I shower and get dressed. Wait for me in the family lounge.”
“No. I’d rather meet you at home. I need to get Rivvy to bed,” she told me.
“Okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can, and we can talk about what’s bothering you.”
I kissed her and Riverlynn again before leaving. I was anxious to get home to find out what happened in the suite. Over an hour had passed before I could leave, and when I got in my car, my phone rang. It was the security office at my condo, which had me a bit concerned.
“Hello.”
“Mr. Westmore, I’m sorry to bother you after your first game, but this couldn’t wait,” LaRon said.
“What’s going on?”
“There’s a woman here that says she needs to see you.”
“A woman? What’s her name?”
“She won’t say, sir, but she says it’s urgent.”
“LaRon, I need a name.”
“Ma’am, Mr. Westmore asked if he could have a name, please.”
“Tell him it’s about Riverlynn,” I heard the woman say.
“How does she know—I’m on my way.”
I raced out of the arena parking like a race car driver, making it to my condo in under ten minutes. After parking haphazardly, I rushed into the lobby and was spotted by LaRon right away. He nodded toward a lady sitting near the windows.
“Thank you.” I approached the woman in a hurry. “Excuse me. Were you looking for me?”
She stood and offered her hand.
“Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. I’m Marveya.”
“No problem. Do you want to talk here or somewhere more private?”
She looked around, then said, “Somewhere more private, if that’s okay.”
“We can go up to my condo. Follow me.”
We took the elevator up to my floor and sat at the kitchen table when we entered my condo. She placed the folder she’d been holding on the table and opened it.
“I’ll get straight to the point. This is Riverlynn’s mother. Her name is Chala, and she’s my younger half-sister.”
She slid a picture across the table, and I picked it up to study it. The woman looked familiar, but I still didn’t recall meeting her.
“I won’t lie and say I remember her. If you say she’s Riverlynn’s mother, I believe you. I had a paternity test done, so I know she’s my daughter.”
“This photo album contains pictures of Riverlynn from the time she was born up until she was left with you.”
She reached in her purse and removed a small photo album. I flipped through the first few pages and smiled, marveling at how much Riverlynn had changed.
“What’s your sister’s deal? Why didn’t she reach out to let me know she was carrying my child, instead of leaving her at my door with a note?”
“Chala made a lot of decisions that most would deem questionable, but I’ll tell you what she shared with me, and hopefully you’ll understand.”
“Thank you.”
“The night she hooked up with you, her fiancé had just ended their relationship. She was hurt and wanted to forget, if only for one night. Somehow, she ended up in your VIP section at a club, and by the end of the night, she was in your bed. You gave her the time of her life, and one of those times, the condom broke. By morning, that little slip-up was forgotten, and she went on with her life, even reuniting with her ex.”
“Good for her, I guess.”
“Not really. Not long after she found out she was pregnant, she found out she had stage three breast cancer in both breasts.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. When she found out how far along in the pregnancy she was, the timing didn’t match up for the baby to be her fiancé’s.
He told her if she got rid of the baby, he’d stay and support her through the cancer treatment.
She didn’t want to abort her baby, and she refused treatment because she was afraid of what it would do to the baby. ”
“Wow.”
“As you know, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, but by that time, the cancer had progressed to stage four, and it was aggressive. The treatments didn’t work, and she could barely take care of Riverlynn.”
“Fuck. Did she . . . Is she dead?” Marveya nodded. “Why didn’t she come to me? I would’ve made sure she had the best care.”
“She died almost a month ago, and unfortunately, our relationship wasn’t the best. We share the same father and didn’t meet until a few years ago. She was the product of an affair, and I didn’t pursue a relationship with her, because my mother made me feel guilty.”
She shook her head solemnly, and tears filled her eyes. It was clear that she regretted her decision.
“What about her friends?”
“We only talked a few times a year, so I didn’t know much about her personal life except for what she told me when she finally reached out. I think she had a few friends, but my gut tells me her relationship with her ex caused those friendships to end.”
“Damn. Did she die alone?”
“No, thank God. I was with her. She finally called me about two weeks before she died and told me what I’ve shared with you today, and how to get in contact with you. This folder contains Riverlynn’s birth certificate, medical records, and some other important paperwork you might need.”
She slid the folder across the table, but I decided I’d look at it later.
“This is a lot and not what I expected to hear, but thank you for giving me this information. My mother and girlfriend think I hired a private investigator, but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
I’m glad I found out what I needed from you instead of a complete stranger with no connection. ”
“I failed my sister in so many ways; this was the least I could do. She wanted to be cremated, and I have her urn in the car if you would like to keep it for Riverlynn. The money from the sale of Chala’s house is in a trust for your daughter, and a copy of the life insurance policy for which she is the beneficiary is in the folder.
I figured I’d let you take care of that. ”
“Thank you. I feel fucked up because I don’t remember her, and I wish she’d gone about this another way.
I was angry with her for leaving Riverlynn the way she did, but I’m so grateful she chose not to abort her.
Our daughter has changed my life for the better, and in ways I didn’t think were possible.
If it weren’t for Chala leaving Riverlynn at my door, I wouldn’t have met the woman I one day hope to marry. Wait! Did I just say that?”
“You absolutely did, and you seem like a man of your word, so don’t mess this up.”
“I won’t. I hired Erissa to be Riverlynn’s nanny, and things have progressed quickly since the moment she accepted the job. She quickly became much more than a nanny. She loves Riverlynn like she gave birth to her, and she even puts up with me.”
“You don’t seem like you’re very hard to put up with, but she sounds like a great woman. Listen, you don’t have to answer this right now, but I was wondering if I could meet Riverlynn. I didn’t take the opportunity to get to know my sister, and I don’t want the same thing to happen with my niece.”
“If you genuinely want to have a relationship with her, I’ll never keep her from you. Let’s exchange numbers, and once I process all this, either Erissa or I will reach out. My basketball season just started, so my schedule might be a little hectic.”
We exchanged phones and added our numbers before standing to leave. After securing my condo, we headed to the elevator, and I broke our silence once we were inside.
“With everything you shared, I forgot to give you my condolences. I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“So am I. Thank you.”
The elevator doors opened, and we stepped into the lobby. As soon as we turned the corner, cameras flashed, and paparazzi swarmed in our direction.
“Oh shit!” I shouted.