Page 49 of Going for Three

“I appreciate that.”

She straightened her posture, going back into professional mode then said, “Please follow me.”

Kianis closed the distance between us, grabbed my hand, and took the lead after her. I was excited to see what he was up to. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait for long. The hostess directed us to an elevator that took us upstairs. We were led out to a romantic picnic set up on a terrace overlooking the vineyard.

Since the sun was beginning to set, it painted the sky in a breathtaking collage of pinks, purples, and oranges. Kianis slipped his arms around my waist before he tucked himselfcloser to my body. He kissed the side of my neck, turning an already memorable moment into something heavenly.

I’d forgotten about the hostess until she said, “Aww, y’all are too cute. Enjoy yourselves.”

As soon as she was gone, I instantly turned to Kianis. “This is so nice, babe.”

He smiled down at me, stealing my breath away. If I could stay in this moment forever, I would.

“Come on. Let me show you what we’re doing.” He led me closer to the table decorated with candles, paint brushes, paint, and two canvases. There was also a charcuterie board of fruits, meats, cheeses, and nuts. When I saw the bottle of champagne, I sighed in relief.

“There’s alcohol,” I noted excitedly.

Kianis chuckled. “Yeah, I figured mama could use a break tonight.”

I couldn’t wait to pump and dump. I fucking needed this. Kianis helped me onto the cot. I happily plopped down on my cushion. He sat beside me, and we began to unpack the paint and sip sets he’d bought.

I smiled down at the image of a sunset on a beach that we were going to be painting and got excited.

“I would’ve taken you somewhere out the country if I felt like you could go a few days without KK.”

I set my canvas on the easel and nodded. “Yeah, I’m not ready for that yet, but this is just as perfect, baby. Matter fact, could you please pour me some champagne.”

He grinned before doing as I requested. I moaned after my first sip.

“Perfect,” I whispered.

We settled into a blissful silence, enjoying the sounds of nature as we began painting. After a few strokes, I reached for a little plate to pile on some grapes and pepperoni.

“What? No camera tonight?” Kianis teased after a while.

I shook my head. “No… just me and you. I think I might be over that era in my life.”

I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn’t turn to look at him.

“What? Why?”

“I was doing it as a way to grow my platform, but I don’t feel the same anymore. I am done pretending to be someone I’m not, and I don’t know if she will be well received,” I admitted softly. I didn’t intend to get emotional yet tears still welled in my eyes.

Kianis placed his paintbrush down and turned to face me. I sighed when the rough surface of his thumb swiped across my cheek. A soft kiss was placed on my lips that calmed the storm brewing in my mind.

“She will be loved because she’s perfect. I respect whatever you decide to do, but my two cents are that you were created for the camera. You’re a fucking natural, baby. It’ll be difficult not to love you. If you built an empire on a fake persona, imagine what the most authentic version of you could do.”

I nodded, allowing him to lower my head and place a kiss in the center of my forehead. That warmth was downloaded into my mind for me to play back later. No one made me feel the way Kinga did. He was in tune with my needs in a supernatural way. Words couldn’t describe it because it was truly something to be felt.

“Well, since we are talking about dreams, what’s up with yours? Are you done with basketball?”

I watched his demeanor shift but not in a bad way. This was obviously a sensitive topic for him. I reached for his hand as a form of support. I wanted him to know he could trust me. I thought he wasn’t going to respond and wasn’t planning on pressuring him to do so when he finally answered.

“I considered it, but honestly, I don’t want to be. For a long time, I thought I was playing for my father’s approval when Ihave a real love for the game. Since I was a young boy, I wanted to master it. I loved growing and learning how to be better. I didn’t want to be good at basketball, but I wanted to dominate it.” He stared deeply into my eyes, sending a chill down my spine. “I don’t feel like I’ve done that yet, and now, it’s the only thing I want other than to do life with you and our son.”

I palmed his cheek and felt a burst of his love shoot through me. “You’re going to come back better than ever before. If you were king of the court before, you’ll be god of it now. I’ve seen how hard you’ve been pushing yourself during your workouts. So, I can only imagine what your private practices have been like. I know everyone has their opinion about your suspension, but to me, it seems like a reset… a reset to get back in alignment with your first love.”

He smiled shyly. “You get me, Charm. That’s why I love you.”

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