Page 114 of In the Safety's Zone
We parted and she pulled back to look at me. “There won’t be a next time.”
“You damn right. I ain’t have nothing to hide so I just said what I was feeling. It was that simple to me. My bad for not doing it in private.”
“I love you too.”
I grinned like the fool in love I was and just nodded at her. “I been knowing.”
Her eyes rolled but she was still grinning as I kissed her again. “Arrogant ass.”
“Nah, just feeling you the way you were feeling me. You can’t be laid up with somebody for months unless you feel something deep. And my shit is about as deep as my brother’s tongue down his wife’s throat.”
She threw her head back and laughed seemingly unbothered by the position we were in. “I want to take you to celebrate. Where should we go?”
“Lil baybeeh, why you playin’? You know we got a date at Leo’s. That chopped sandwich callin’ me. Besides, it’s your birthday soon. You not about to spend a dime on me. We gone celebrate all weekend long.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Rhythm
ANTHONY
“ALRIGHT, WE NEED to go over the lineup for this weekend so listen up. We’re making changes so I need y’all to take this news like men and don’t do any pouting and bitching. I’m not trying to have North Carolina come to Texas and think they can run shit so we’re putting together a defense I know will stop their asses doing that trick play shit all game.”
Life had been so good since that first game. We’d gone and had our food with Leo and he ain’t give a damn about his team losing; he was just proud as fuck of the two of us. We didn’t want any issues so Billy contacted a local protection firm so that we could move around without issue. He drove us up to Leo’s and gave us time to run in while he stayed with the car. We ended up eating on the way back to the hotel because we needed to get back to meet up with everyone else. We’d gotten permission to catch the flight back on Mac’s plane but we still had to be to work first thing that Monday for treatment. I’d still had gifts delivered to Aphrodite all day for her birthday in between her media commitments. We were able to celebrate us and keep us first while still giving our all to our careers. Life was fucking amazing.
The next few weeks had gone well for me. When I was put in the game I hadn’t been beaten deep once and I felt like I was making a mark on the game. Aphrodite and I both agreed to purchase the house that Parker had available once we did an in-person walkthrough. The price that Parker quoted us was one that was well below the current market value and he said it was because there was updating that needed to be done. The house had to be worth a million easily but he was selling it to us for alittle more than half that. I wanted to protest but I knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth and just appreciated the blessing. Parker still made a profit on the sale and we got a place to build a legacy. Six bedrooms, seven bathrooms a pool and enough space for us to put in a practice court for Phro. I gave her the deed as her birthday present.
I kept holding my breath for something crazy to happen but even Phro’s people had been silent. Rye and Aphrodite told us on the plane what happened with Jill and I still didn’t let her presence bother me. She must’ve left the stadium before the game was over because we never saw her. She’d started texting and trying to get us to send her money for her treatment but neither of us were budging until we talked to a doctor. When we gave her that hard line, she backed off.
I was ready to get out on the field so I was patiently waiting for our position coach, Coach Johnson, to finish his announcements. We were wrapping up a film session that we’d done on the last game and I wanted to implement a few of the suggestions he’d had. Gone was the kid who thought he knew everything. No one here was my enemy and we all had a common goal: get to the championship. Even when practice ran late it wasn’t a big deal for me. This was the work that had to be put in to be great and I was lucky that I had a girl who understood the sacrifices since she was an athlete as well.
“Phillips!”
“Yes, coach?”
I glanced up worried that I’d missed something but nobody was looking at me like I’d fucked up so I assumed I was good. The room held the ten of us who rotated positions and when we left the room we’d meet up with the rest of the defense to scheme for the next game.
“You’re starting.”
I stared at him for a minute, his words not truly sinking in.
“WHAT?”
I sat up straight in my chair and looked around, waiting on somebody to laugh. When they were nodding their heads like they expected this move I looked back at coach still surprised.
“Wait, what the fuck? Nah, y’all playing in my fucking face. Who decided this? I know it wasn’t Stew or Coach T.” Fontaine had a mug on his face like he couldn’t believe the shit had happened. Of the two of us, I had better stats this year so I wasn’t sure why he was shocked.
“What does Stew have to do with anything?” I could see the look on Coach Johnson’s face turn from calm to pissed as he gave Fontaine his attention.
“I’m just saying Stew wouldn’t like you making this kind of fucked up decision.”
I was on my feet now because the fuck he mean? “Fucked up? Yo, hol’ up—”
“Nah, this ain’t got anything to do with you. They're over here trying to keep one Phillips happy by taking pity on another. They're throwing you a bone cause they want your brother to sign another long-term deal. That shit not about to happen where y’all play me to the left for this nigga.” He was talking big shit like I wasn’t finna put him on his ass.
“Bruh, you being real disrespectful to a few people in this muhfucka, heard me? We been real cool and shit but you speaking on my brother gone have that cool shit done and more than ya feelings hurt when I put this cleat on ya neck.”
Coach stepped up as one of the DBs stood between me and Fontaine so I couldn’t swing on his ass. “You ain’t gotta say anything, Anthony. Anybody with two eyes and a working knowledge of football knows why we're making the moves we are. But if you want to hear that shit from Stew, Fontaine, I let him know you needed to speak with him. And just so y’all know,we're not leaving this room until this shit is done so settle in. I don’t want there to be any confusion when this is over.”
