Authors: Alexandra Warren
Epilogue
Kennedy
So… Bryson was right.
It was exactly a year later and I still hadn’t found my own place, with no intentions of actually doing so. Getting to know Bryson while already living with him was like killing two birds with one stone, though I understood how unique our circumstances were. But I suppose we were just doing things
our
way.
That alone felt amazing.
I made myself busy bouncing Baby Lilah on my thighs like she was in a jumper while she blew spit bubbles in delight. I couldn’t believe she was only a few months short of being a one-year-old, her bright eyes and infectious smile giving me baby fever like no other. Of course, if it was up to her father, we probably would’ve already gotten started working on a sibling for her. But me bringing a child into the world was completely contingent on one thing.
Being a wife first.
So Baby Lilah was gonna have to be plenty for now.
And according to the smells coming from her third diaper of the day, she was more than plenty.
“Bryson, Lilah’s stinky!” I yelled into the kitchen where he was busy fixing her a bottle.
He strolled into the living room, looking like a total DILF as he tested the bottle’s temperature against his wrist, before he said, “Well go change her.”
I looked to Lilah who was still bouncing in my hands as I told him, “Nu uh. I did the last one. It’s your turn.”
He gave me a kiss on the forehead before he tried to give Lilah a couple on her cheek, backing away when he smelled what I had already been hit with.
“Kenn, I gotta call Leslie back. Just do it this one time, then I’ll do the next two. Bet?”
I rolled my eyes, standing up with Lilah extended just in case she had had a blow-out.
“I’m gonna hold you to that too, Bryson. So don’t even think about dodging it with a phone call from Leslie next time.” He smacked my butt, before he laughed and grabbed his phone.
I held Lilah in the air so I could check her clothes, before putting her against my waist so we could walk up the stairs. One of Bryson’s many guest bedrooms had been transformed into a nursery that was beautifully decorated with soft pink and leopard.
Okay, so maybe I was just tooting my own horn.
I laid Lilah on the changing table before I told her, “I hope you were good to me, little girl. Cause it sure doesn’t smell like it.”
I reached down to grab a fresh diaper from the stock. Then I reached over to grab a wipe, but I realized the box was missing when my hand kept going into its usual space. I looked over and saw that where the box of wipes usually was, there was a small box.
And not just any small box.
“Surprise, baby.” I jumped at the sound of Bryson’s voice coming from behind me.
My breathing was staggered as I asked, “Bryson…
what is
… what is this?”
“What does it look like, Kennedy?” He teased, making me smack him on the chest already on the verge of tears.
He picked up the box, then dropped down to one knee in front of me. My hands flew to my face in disbelief as he cracked the box open, revealing the most beautiful diamond I had ever seen.
Now the tears were real.
“Kenn baby, you stole a piece of me the second you strolled into that interview. You’ve been nothing but a blessing over this past year we’ve spent together and hell, even before that. So will you
please
do me the honor of being Mrs. Harris?”
I couldn’t answer with real words so instead I frantically shook my head yes. He slid the ring on my finger with a giddy smile before he stood up, wiped my tears, and pulled me into a hug so tight it lifted me off of my feet. Even Baby Lilah looked happy as she rocked side-to-side on the changing table with a smile like she had any idea of what was going on.
Bryson put me down eventually, but didn’t let me go as he peppered soft kisses all over my face.
Even in the bliss of the moment, I couldn’t help teasing, “So I guess bomb ass pussy really
does
get a proposal before the two-year mark, huh?”
He gave me a lingering kiss on the forehead as he confessed, “Baby, I was ready to propose to you the first night I tasted it in the strip club.”
I slapped him on the chest again, this time a little harder to do with the rock he had put on my finger.
“Oh my God! I can’t stand you, Bryson.”
He only smiled proudly, holding me tight as he said, “I love you too, Mrs. Harris. I love... you…
too
.”
The End
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More Books by Alexandra Warren
Check out a sample from
The PreGame Ritual
, featuring Bryson’s little brother
Miles!
Ava knows that she’s the best girls basketball player in the country at the collegiate level.
She knows that she’s going straight the pros once her senior season comes to an end.
And she knows that finding a man is the least likely thing to happen while she’s chasing that dream.
That’s until she meets Miles.
A freshman phenom who has no idea what college life is like but is in for a red-headed surprise with a mean crossover.
Their chemistry is a given, but will age be more than just a number?
Or will the PreGame Ritual be enough to even the score?
ava.
How many times must a girl watch
Love & Basketball
before she realizes that shit is just a movie?
I mean, I’ve had my share of pick-up basketball games against the boys.
I’ve had my share of athlete boyfriends.
And I’ve had my share of breakups to makeups.
Yet, there no was inkling of a
Quincy
involved.
Being in my senior year at Lynstone University, it was a known fact that I would graduate and play professional ball; first in the states then most likely overseas since that was where the real money in women’s basketball was made. But it was also beginning to
feel
like a known fact that I would be doing it all as a single woman. It wasn’t like I was even looking for a relationship. But in the same, I wouldn’t mind if it somehow, some way found me.
Between school and basketball, I was kept pretty busy so I really didn’t have much time for the boys anyway. But when I did have time, I surely didn’t wanna spend every minute of it watching
Love & Basketball
alone in my apartment.
Of course while I spent my Friday night with popcorn and my favorite movie, my roommate/little sister Avery was spending it out on the town with some dude she probably just met during the week. Avery was completely opposite of me. She didn’t play sports, she loved getting all dolled up in dresses and heels even for a regular ass Tuesday, and she bounced between boyfriends more than I bounced my basketballs.
I couldn’t knock her game though cause truth be told, I wished I was out too.
The movie came to an end and I wiped my tears before I changed the channel to ESPN. They were giving a rundown of the players to watch from each college and I noticed my school was next up on the list. I figured they were gonna talk about Darrell Sims, one of my best guy friends, since he was considered the star of the team and team captain. But to my surprise, they brought up a little freshman they described as a Phenom. They bragged on and on about how good he was in high school and how he had the potential to take a starter’s spot. They cut to an interview with the little dude and even more surprisingly, he wasn’t little at all.
He was...
a freshman
.
A cute ass, kinda grown ass looking freshman.
Hmph, must’ve been held back a few times.
I knew most of the guys on the team because we shared practice facilities so I wasn’t sure how I had missed this...
kid
. My eyes were glued to the screen as they asked him about what he thought of the team so far, how he was enjoying college, and if he was gonna try to go pro after his freshman year. He gave a little laugh, flashing a smile that embarrassingly went straight to my southern half.
Damn girl, you need some action.
I don’t know why I was even wasting my time sweatin’ him through the television as if it was possible to give somebody so young the time of day. I mean, surely he was still caught up on chasing fast ass girls and building his playa resume. He wouldn’t even know what to do with a woman like me. A woman with goals, and dreams, and visions, and an actual life compared to the young broads who were busy trying to chase after him instead of chase after something of their own.
The screen cut to the next college and I let my thoughts of him cut right with it.
miles.
College was the shit.
I only had to be in class for a few hours out of the day, then spend a few hours at the court or in the weight room, and the rest of the day was mine. I had a feeling things would change once the season started but for now, college was feeling a little like heaven.
I was just finishing up a workout session with the team, when I saw the girl’s basketball players heading our way. We crossed paths on occasion but I hardly ever paid them any mind cause keepin’ it real, a few of ‘em looked manlier than me. I gave a
what’s-up
nod to the few I was familiar with before I grabbed my towel to clean off the sweat I had worked up.
Since I was dead tired, I decided to find a seat in the bleachers next to some of my teammates who were still hanging around. We watched the girls do their warm-ups which were pretty similar to ours. A light jog, a few lay-up drills, and a few passing drills. One of the girls threw a bad pass and the ball flew into the bleachers right over my head.
“Yo Miles, you better watch out up there,” yelled my boy Cam, before he gave a laugh. I shrugged him off and reached behind me to grab the ball, planning to pass it back to the court. Instead, I turned around right into a pair of titties that were squeezing against one of the familiar practice jerseys. When I looked up from her chest, I found a pair of scolding eyes and flat-lined lips.
“Damn, you act like you’ve never seen boobs before. Give me the ball, bro.” I handed it to her before she strided back down the bleachers and onto the court. Once she was out of earshot, my teammates couldn’t wait to clown me.
“Bruhhh, are you a virgin or somethin’? I swear you were on stuck for a minute straight lookin’ at her rack.”
“Nah, man. I was just...reading her jersey.” That was easily the worst lie I could’ve came up with considering their practice jerseys were identical to ours.
“Bullshit. Everybody knows Ava has some big ass titties. I bet she has to wear two or three sports bras a game.” All the boys laughed but my eyes were back on the girl I now knew was named Ava.
She was gorgeous, with her long, red hair pulled back into a high ponytail accessorized with a Nike headband and a face so flawless you would’ve thought she was in one of those face wash commercials. I was sure a lot of her shape was muted by the baggy practice gear but there were still undeniable hints of an athletic but womanly frame. She looked
nothing
like the other girls I knew on the team.
How the hell did I miss her?
I watched intently as she dribbled down the court, giving a little crossover before she set up the play for her team. She quickly realized how scrambled the defense was and dribbled right past her defender at the speed of light into an easy lay-up. It was a textbook move, but she did it with a finesse that only an experienced baller could do it.
“Ava is the fuckin’ truth, man. I don’t know why she keeps actin’ like she doesn’t wanna talk to ya boy.”
I didn’t wanna sound too thirsty for the details but I couldn’t help asking, “You tried to talk to her before?”
“Hell yeah. A couple times. But ever since I messed with her little sister, she’s not feelin’ me.”
Well duh.
Instead of responding to Cam, I focused my attention back on Ava. She was hanging out at the three-point line with her hands on her knees and her ponytail slung against her shoulder while one of her teammates shot a pair of free throws. Even though the girl missed the first free throw, Ava still went in and gave her a pat on the back before pointing out to her teammates what defense they were gonna go into once the girl shot the second free throw. Every one of her teammates listened attentively and it was then that I knew just how in control she was.
It was sexy as hell.
“Miles, pick up your lip dude. You don’t stand a chance with Ava.”
“Who said I wanted a chance with Ava?” Even though in my head I knew it was the truth, it was the last thing I wanted somebody like Cam to know. We were cool and all but it didn’t take long for me to recognize that he was a talker; meaning if he had any idea what I was even
thinking
, it would be campus news before I could make it home that night.
“That drool hangin’ from your lip said it all.” I gave my lips a quick swipe and found out Cam was just fuckin’ with me. He laughed me off as he said, “Gullible ass. You got a lot to learn, freshman.”