Page 25 of Me For You
If I could get her here with me, start working on proving I was the better option, then the court wouldn’t consider handing Rylee back to a woman who’d proven more than enough times that she did not want to be a parent. My sister deserved stability, a good life, and a family. I would be all of those things. I also couldn’t deny Somee being here would make Rylee a hell of a lot happier.
No matter how ambitious I was in regards to feeling as if I could balance football and my sister, reality plagued mythoughts. I needed help. I wanted that help to be a beautiful honey hued woman with distrusting eyes, full lips, and a gorgeous face framed with hair that reminded me of her fiery attitude.
I grinned as I removed a Ziplock bag of precut frozen fruit from the freezer to make a protein shake to pair with my lunch. My meals were delivered twice a week by the team’s chef. Most of the players had wives and girlfriends to make sure their diets were balanced during the season but a few of us utilized the team resources. No woman would be all up in my living space, feeling comfortable enough to spend time in my kitchen. Even if she was there for me.
Yet another reminder that I needed help with Rylee. She would require more than my high calorie, nutrient dense meals. Rylee would have no need for lean proteins to build muscle and complex carbs for energy. Kids her age lived off chicken tenders, fries, and whatever sugary snacks they could get their eager little hands on. Instead of sending a text, I navigated to my call log on my tablet and hit video call. While the device was connecting, I attached the tablet to a stand I’d purchased after realizing it was easier to communicate. I needed my hands and laying the device flat on a surface felt off because I had to look down and sign above it. I liked seeing Rylee’s face so I could sign to her. Texting was cool, but as smart as my sister was, communicating via text with a six-year-old wasn’t glamorous.
“Hey, she’s doing homework. Can you give us an hour?”I searched Somee’s face, then the background, noticing she was in the kitchen. I knew from calls earlier in the week that Rylee did homework at the table just outside the kitchen.
“That’s cool. I wanted to check in with you first before I talked to her,”I signed. Somee’s brows pinched.
“About?”she signed with that left brow rising slightly.
“How’s she doing?”
“She’s great. We’re having a good week so far with school.”Somee smiled brightly and her hands moved animatedly when she expressed how the week was going.
“So her grades are good?”
“Yes, she would be A-B honor roll but we’re struggling a bit with math. I’m working on it.”Her eyes were hopeful, so I nodded.
“Any updates on whether or not you can stay for a while once I bring you guys back here?”
I decided not to leave any room for her to bail on coming back with us to get Rylee set up at the very least. Pending how Sunday’s game went, I would need Somee here to make sure Rylee settled in. I also wanted Somee to help me with selecting who I would hire as security for them and the handful of staff I would need. Everyone who had access to my sister, which would be a very limited few, would be required to have working knowledge of ASL so they could actively communicate with Rylee and Somee.
If I had to guess, she’d spent enough time being secluded with Felicia and in the world. My goal was to ensure home was a safe, comfortable space where she felt seen and understood. That started with having people around who could accommodate her needs.
“My leave was approved.”
“Yeah?”I signed with a curious expression because Somee was stressed.
“Yes. They weren’t happy about finding a sub last minute to take over my class but I’ve been there for six years and never needed time off or taken leave. I explained that I have a family emergency.”
“We’re family.”I grinned and her eyes narrowed before her hands moved quickly.
“Rylee is my family. I teach summer enrichment, so I can only stay through the first week of June.”
June didn’t work for me. I would be in the middle of summer training. Shit, Omiri was right, I needed a system and help. I needed Somee to stay, but why was I so pressed about Somee being the person to help?
The obvious answer was because she was good with Rylee. The more complicated one was that I wanted Somee to be good with me. The last one posed questions I wasn’t ready to address because I barely knew this woman. What I knew made me eager to observe every detail of her life. I couldn’t focus on that at the moment, so I lifted my hands and responded.
“That will give you plenty of time to get Rylee settled here with me.”
Her beautiful face twisted in irritation.“Are you sure having Rylee there is a good idea? If you’re too busy…”
Now I was the one irritated because my hands moved to cut her off.“I’ll make time. Rylee is my priority.”
“Football is your priority. Remember? It pays the bills.”
I snorted at the retort but didn’t bite. She threw the statement I’d made while there back in my face. My hands jerked quickly when I signed,“I’m her family. She belongs with me.”
Somee bit down on her lip. Based on the tension in her expression and the way her eyes narrowed slightly, I sensed she was attempting to refrain from expressing her true thoughts, which was confirmed when she signed back.
“This is happening. I don’t have to like that she’s leaving but I can’t do a damn thing about it. I will do my best to make sure Rylee is happy no matter what. Rylee is the priority.”
“She is,”I responded before I added,“Have you talked to her about living with me since I left?”
I was curious to know how she felt. When I talked to Rylee, I did my best just to have light conversations. We talked about herday, shows she watched, and other things. Most of which always circled back to Somee. My sister truly loved the woman and that was my only saving grace, which calmed my nerves about making the decision to leave her there. But living with Somee was temporary.
