Page 22 of Going for Three

I rolled my eyes as I shouldered my purse and headed to the front. The two of them trailed behind me after she ended her live. The trip down to the black truck was quick. I met my photographer, Nick, in the lobby, and the content creating began.

I took my work seriously and never missed a moment to get content. It was keeping the bills paid, no matter how many people believed being an influencer wasn’t a real career. We ended the shoot with video footage of us heading to the blacked out Eskimo truck waiting on us.

I texted bae to let him know we were on the way while my mother popped open the bottle of champagne inside the cooler. I could already tell what kind of night this was going to be. She poured me up a glass, which I pretended to drink. She was so into her own world that she didn’t turn around once to notice I wasn’t drinking with them. Thankfully, Vari took my glass and drained it by the time she was ready to pour more.

I knew I would eventually have to tell her about my pregnancy but was choosing to keep quiet for as long as I could. The last thing I needed was any negativity spoken over my baby. Every day, I fell more in love with the idea of becoming a mother, especially whenever Kinga was around. He couldn’t stop rubbing my belly, declaring he was ready for the day I couldn’t hide anymore. He was ready to tell the world while I was hesitant.Women were always judged more harshly than the men in these situations.

Aunusti met us at the arena, and Nick was on it getting all the angles as we were led to our seats. I gasped when the arena came to life before us. The seats were already filled from the front to the back. The players were on the court warming up in preparation for the game. Vari held my hand to help me down the stairs. I couldn’t stop myself from looking for my man. The second he saw me, he came racing over.

I loved the way his uniform fit his large frame so well. That red curl was as moisturized and bouncy as ever. I licked my lips reading that big tattoo across his throat wanting nothing more than to let him take me to pound town while I stared up at it.

“Hey baby,” he greeted me. “You look beautiful.”

I blushed, trying to hide my smile. “Thank you. Good luck out there tonight.”

He winked. “I have my good luck charm here. Ain’t no way I’m walking away with anything other than a W.” He stepped closer and placed a kiss on my cheek. Turning to Vari, he said, “Take care of my girl.”

He waved him off. “Boy, get out of here. I’ve been doing that since before you came along.”

Kinga held up his hands in surrender. “My bad. You right.”

I could tell he didn’t want to walk away, but his coach was calling him over. He backed away slowly then started to jog over to where his team was huddled.

Vari shimmied beside me. “That man is in love with you.”

I waved him off. “No way. We just started dating.”

He shrugged. “They say when a man knows, he knows, and Kianis moves like a man who knows what he has.”

As we took our seats, I couldn’t help but think over his words. If I was being honest, I could admit there was some truth to his statement. That was why I couldn’t keep my eyes off himthe entire game. Sitting courtside was so magnetic and exciting. It was the only way I could watch a basketball game moving forward.

I’d never been one for the sport, but watching Kinga play so close awakened something new in me. I loved every second of my time at the game, especially hearing the commentators replay what he was doing.

“Nothing but net,” one commentator noted as the crowd went wild.

My man used any and every opportunity to make me feel seen. He clearly didn’t care if the world found out about us. I couldn’t say I did either after the way he made me feel so special. After one of his step-back threes, he did his signature shoulder dance, and I did it with him.

By the end of the game, I finally understood why he was called the king of the court and wore the number one jersey. He dominated everyone. He was in the fucking zone all night, and everyone in the arena could feel it. No one could take their eyes off him for a second for fear of missing his next play.

I wasn’t even shocked when Vari nudged me and placed his phone in front of my eyes. It was a carousel blog post. The first photo was from when we first arrived, and Kinga came over to greet us. The next slide was a video of him blowing a kiss at me after a shot. The next was us doing his signature dance once he slammed dunked on his opponent, and the last one was a close up of my jacket highlighting his jersey number. I couldn’t say whoever was in the press tonight wasn’t good at their job. They caught everything.

“Damn, that was fast.” I sighed.

Vari nodded. “Very, but don’t worry about it. Who cares what they have to say? That’s your man at the end of the day. If you’re happy, then that’s all that matters.”

My attention returned to the court in time to see Kinga barreling down the court before flying through the air to slam the ball in the net for what felt like the hundredth time. I hopped to my feet, dropping my purse in the process as I cheered him on. He did a heart shape with his fingers as he went jogging by that melted me. I decided to take Vari’s advice to not worry about the world, not when one look from him made everything disappear into oblivion.

As the final seconds in the game spiraled down, the entire crowd was on their feet, watching and waiting with bated breaths. I’d never felt so charged up as I was in that moment. The score was 113-97 with the Suns being up.

Kinga stood in the huddle with his team after their opponents called a time out. His chest heaved from playing all night long. His towel was draped over his head, temporarily hiding his face. I could tell he was feeling the pressure but knew he would handle it well.

I sighed in relief when the towel came off and I could see him again. The rest of the team rushed on to the court, but he paused to find me. I gave him two thumbs up and winked. A slow and proud grin spread across his face. I inhaled a sharp breath when it wrapped around my heart like an answered prayer. He kissed two of his fingers, placed them across his heart, and then pointed at me. Everything ceased to exist at the moment. It was only me and him.

I watched him take his position on the court. My heart was racing like I was down there playing, too. The ball was tossed to him by a teammate and then the clock was running again. Back and forth, both teams went laying up solid shots.

With a minute left on the clock and only down by two points, Kinga charged down the court, coming in clutch with a beautiful half-court shot. Everyone flooded the floor completely doped up on adrenaline and joy.

Reporters all rushed Kinga, trying to get an exclusive post-game interview, but he barreled through them all. His target was clear as his eyes found me, and he closed the distance between us quickly. I nearly stopped breathing when he came to stand in front of me.

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