Page 161 of Me For You
“So you’re just gonna hit me with a ‘get the fuck out of my house’?”
“Our house,”she signed and smiled smugly. I chuckled and kissed them both.“I’ll see you at the field and you better be dressed appropriately.”
She smiled big as hell.“You threw out all my Tigers jerseys, so I’m pretty much stuck R-E-P-P-I-N-G the squad.”
“You can grab one on the way if that’s how you want to get down today.”
I wish the fuck she would…
“Nope, I’ll be R-E-P-P-I-N-G the finest man on the field.”She lifted onto her toes and delivered another kiss before leaving our son’s nursery. I watched her go, admiring the jiggle of her ass, contemplating how pissed she would be if I got her pregnant before our son reached his first birthday.
I let the thought go and decided to get my ass moving before I really was late. Today was a joint practice with the Tigers. We’d played them multiple times since being put out of the playoffs two years prior, and each time, we walked away with a victory. We also never got too comfortable. The rivalry was set on both sides. They wanted a win. We refused to give them one, so the next two games would be very physical.
The Tigers’ coach reached out with the request for a joint practice, which meant we were facing off with them in two games before our preseason started. They had a new lineup and were trying to gauge how they would do this season. It only made sense to suit up against the team they couldn’t beat no matter how they showed up on the field.
When I reached the kitchen, Sah’mel was in his high chair while Somee was making one of those nasty ass matcha drinks. Joy had a full spread on the table for Somee and our son with her homemade blends of baby food, which was the reason why he was so damn fat.
“Good morning,”I signed and spoke to Joy. She returned the greeting and pointed to the counter where a protein shake waswaiting, along with an insulated lunch bag. Based on what was on the table, I was sure I had three breakfast burritos, made with egg whites, vegetables, turkey sausage, and avocado.
“Thank you,”I signed, then went right to Sah’mel.
“Let me get that good luck so Daddy can do his thing on the field.”Before each game, I tried to have a moment with my family, carrying their energy as my good luck.
He watched my hands moving, babbling. I touched my fist to his and he kicked his legs, smiling. After I kissed his head, I was on his mother, pulling her into my chest. “Let me get that. I need my dose of good luck from my baby…” I said, bringing a smile to her face before she looped her arms around my neck, bringing me down to meet her mouth for a kiss.
“Don’t embarrass me.”
I chuckled. “I’ll try not to.”
With one last kiss, I let her go, brushed my hand over our son’s head and was out the door. Rylee had spent the night with Areena, so Toya was bringing her to the game. My baby was geeked as hell because her rec cheer team partnered with the Sharks for the summer. They got to cheer at our joint practice games and be on the sidelines for the preseason games. You couldn’t tell her little ass shit. She really thought she was doing big things. As soon as I was in my truck, my mind shifted to game mode. It was time to put in work.
Somee
The Omari Corp Performance field was packed. Looking around at all the bodies surrounding the field, you would think the entire city showed up for the joint practice games between the Sharks and the Tigers. We had beat them multiple times lastseason, but each time they faced off, Sharks fans felt like there was something to prove. The win needed to be secured by any means necessary.
It was mid-August and fairly warm, but rain last night cooled things off enough for the temperatures to be bearable. I still appreciated the tents they had set up for us out here. Families were seated on the fifty yard line, providing the perfect view of the players and coaches.
This was my happy place. Outside in the parking lot, almost every food truck in the city was lined up and they had activities available for the kids—face painting, balloon art, inflatable jumping houses, and football-themed fun stations. It was a perfect day to kick some Tiger ass and the Sharks had better not disappoint. I grinned and laughed internally at how much things had changed. I was officially a Sharks fan and not just a Ryland Parks fan.
Marlee nudged me, motioning toward Rylee as she moved through a sequence of jumps that were pretty damned good for only a few months of cheerleading. Since May we had been juggling cheerleading and dance classes. Thank goodness for Toya and Marlee because getting Rylee where she needed to be multiple days a week with overlapping schedules while keeping up with Sah’mel was damn near impossible.
Regardless, I handled the task and showed up as much as possible, but Marlee and Toya stepped up, refusing to let me burn out. Makari and Shiya had even pulled a few shifts since Avianna and Shiya’s daughter Zaya were also enrolled in the rec cheerleading summer program.
I had no idea what “it takes a village” meant until I needed one and I was so grateful for mine. Marlee moved to Crescent Falls six months after my birthday weekend and my relationships with Makari, Zina, Shiya, and Toya had turned into a sisterhood I hadn’t expected to depend on so much.
After I accepted the role as first grade instruction coach, things began moving at a fast pace. I did so well with the job that they offered a raise and the opportunity to take on the same role for kindergarten to second grade, which meant I now had twelve teachers under me.
The job was perfect, but added a lot more work than I originally anticipated. However, I made it work and was figuring out my rhythm with getting things done. Unfortunately, the school year was about to start, and that was always the most stressful time for me because the teachers were preparing and planning for the upcoming school year.
If I could get through the first of September, I could breathe a little bit.
“I think we have dance and cheerleading for the win.”
“Me too because soccer and basketball weren’t it.”I kept my eyes on Rylee, sporting a smug grin.
“Not at all. My girl wasn’t there for either of those.”
I laughed, remembering our trial and error with both. We signed Rylee up, took her to practice, and quickly learned that the only participation Rylee wanted with either of those sports was to hand out snacks. Each time the coaches attempted to get my baby to participate, she refused, content with sitting on the sidelines. That was a lot of wasted time, but her classes at LibertéAbstraite seemed to be a win.
