Page 41 of Guarding Our Love
I drank the last of the wine I had left in the glass then got up. Going inside the house was a good idea because the last thing I needed was to fall asleep on the back porch.
“You’re right.” I stood then grabbed the blanket and the glass. “Tell me about practice while I go into the house.”
As I entered the kitchen, Calil told me about practice and the team he had to play next. I quickly washed my glass and made sure the house was secure. Before I went upstairs, I dropped the blanket in the laundry room to be washed. Once I got upstairs, I checked on the boys. They were both knocked out. They had practice that day, so they were tired. I walked down the hall to my bedroom and closed the door. While Calil talked to me about one of his teammates, I changed into my nightshirt and got into bed.
“That’s crazy,” I stated when he was finished.
“They be doing some wild shit.” He laughed. “Are you in bed yet?”
“Yes, sir. Nice and comfy.”
“Good. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
I turned the television on to have some background noise and light. Reruns ofWhat’sHappeningwere currently playing, so I left it on that.
“I noticed I never saw anything about you in the blogs over the years. That’s strange, ain’t it?”
“Not really. You don’t keep up with sports, and nobody ever knows about my private life. I managed to keep everything I did a secret because it wasn’t anyone’s business. There had been a rumor or two going around about me years ago, but again, I kept my business private, so there wasn’t anything for them to talk about.”
“I guess that’s a good thing. I know how people talk. If you were to get married, would you keep your wife a secret?”
“Nah. I’m not going to keep you a secret, Sloan. That doesn’t mean I’m just going to go around broadcasting things because people are ruthless for no reason. I won’t hide you, though.”
I glanced at the television then closed my eyes. This man talked like we were close to being married already. The ink had hardly dried on my divorce papers.
I nervously laughed. “How do you know I’m going to marry you, Calil?”
“Because I feel it in my heart and soul, Sloan.”
What could I say to that? Did I want to be married again? I think I did. I wanted to love again, but could Calil be that guy for me? I didn’t know.
“Get out of your head. You’ll see when the time comes. It’s late, and we both have an early day tomorrow.”
I stretched then yawned. I grabbed the remote and set the timer for the television.
“You’re right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“You sure will. Good night, Sloan.”
“Good night, Calil.”
I hung up the phone. It took a while for me to fall asleep, even though I was sleepy. Calil’s words and the confidence in them kept me awake for far longer than I wanted.Could this all be for real?
Sloan:
Have a great game. I’ll see you later.
I hearted the message,then put my phone in my locker.
“You ready to win this shit?” Julian asked as soon as I closed my locker.
“You know it. This shit is about to be a cakewalk.”
We slapped five and walked out of the locker room with the rest of the team.
Excitement rushed through my blood as we walked toward the arena. The team we played hadn’t been too great this season, so it should be easy to beat them as long as we all stayed focused. Knowing Sloan was watching had me hyped and readyto show off. No other woman got me excited like Sloan. She gave me the same feeling in high school. I had to shake my head because I still didn’t believe I messed that up. They say if you let something go and it comes back, then it’s yours to keep, and I was keeping Sloan.
We were at home, so the crowd was loud and on their feet when we entered the arena. I scanned the crowd until my eyes landed on Sloan. It wasn’t hard to find her since she sat courtside. She was by herself, so I wanted her close. I told her she could have brought her friend with her, but her friend couldn’t make it. I waved at her then ran over to the team’s bench.
