Page 20 of The Only Shot that Mattered

She could hear the smile in his tone when he responded. “It’s a date. Oh, and it’s in Atlanta.”

“Atlanta?” Kenna screeched. “Wait, I didn’t sign up for all that.”

He chuckled. “We’ll only be there for one night, and I’ll charter us a private jet. Please, Ken Ken. I want to see your beautiful face again. Is that a crime?”

Kenna was in awe. She had one of the most famous basketball players in the world begging her to go to an out of town game with him. Was this real life right now?

She’d barely traveled, and she had always wanted to, so once again, without overthinking, she agreed. “Okay, send me the details. We’ll be there.”

“You have no idea how you just made my day. I have to get to practice, but lock my number in. When I’m done, I’ll send over all the information.”

“Okay,” she responded, nerves bouncing around inside her.

“And, Ken Ken?”

“Yeah?”

“I can’t wait to see you again. Thank you for saying yes.”

“Thank you for thinking of me.”

There was a brief pause before they said their goodbyes. Kenna spent the rest of the ride home in complete silence, processing what had just happened. The fact that a celebrity, someone of Damien’s caliber, wanted to spend time with her blew her mind, but deep down inside, teenaged Kenna rejoiced. Finally, some fun in her dull life.

When she pulled up to her house, she immediately parked her car and picked up her phone to text her best friend.

Kenna: Hope you got some PTO since you want to be all up in my business and play matchmaker. Pack a bag. We’re going to Atlanta.

The temperaturein Skylar’s part of the house was always freezing. For someone who was always cold, she kept the AC on. Since she was a child, she loved a nice cold room and plenty of thick blankets to burrow under, not just when she slept, but any time of the day.

Damien pulled the hood of his Ellwood Inferno hoodie over his head and tugged on the strings before knocking on her door.

“Come in,” Skylar called out.

Damien walked into his daughter’s room, which was actually two rooms, but he knocked the wall down the year before to give her more space and her very own teenage hangout. Her friends loved coming over here, and Damien prided himself on making his home a fun one for his daughter. She mostly stayed with him during the off season, but that day, she and Jendaya visited him before he had to leave for his game.

Jendaya was currently in the family room watching a movie and eating up all his food.

“Hey, baby, I’m about to leave.”

Like he expected, Skylar was burrowed under a bunch of purple, pink, and light blue blankets reading a book. He loved that about his daughter. Since she was old enough to read, she’d been a big bookworm. He looked forward to reading books in tandem with her when he retired because he was a big bookworm too. He loved all fiction, and when he was a kid, he would read for hours on end. It was the little things like that he missed.

Skylar put her Kindle down and flipped some of the blankets off her, revealing a mass of jet black curls. She got that pretty hair from her mama. The rest of her was all him. Skylar was only a couple of shades lighter than his midnight skin, but her dark eyes, sharp jawline, and nose came from him. The pout on her face at the moment was all her mama though.

“Do you have to go, Daddy?”

Damien walked further into the room, surprised he couldn’t see clouds of heat puffing out as he breathed. It was so damn cold in there. He sat down on the bed next to her and pulled her into his side.

“You know the drill, Sky. I’ll be back late tomorrow night. I promise to FaceTime you.”

She huffed out a breath. “I guess.”

“You know we only have a little longer of this, right? We almost there, girl. Don’t go getting pouty on me now.” He pinched her cheek, and she playfully swatted him away.

“I know. I just miss you is all. I want to live with you. I love Mommy, but I’ve been with her my whole life. I like your house better.”

“Aye, man, look out. You know I laced ya mama’s crib up real nice for you,” Damien joked, and he wasn’t lying.

Jendaya’s husband, Grayson, bought the house they lived in. It was a nice house with plenty of room. Damien made surehis baby had everything she needed over there though. He went all out for her space at his home and at her mama’s. Skylar really wanted for nothing, and she never would as far as he was concerned.

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