Page 41 of Raising Love
“How are things at home?” Simeon asked, pulling me back to the present. “How’s life in Greene Gardens?”
“Still adjusting, man,” I admitted with a shake of my head. “Still adjusting.”
“You know my parents supply the market out there with produce.”
My brows shot up. “Oh, word?”
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “I brokered the deal for them.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” I said with a grin.
We laughed together, the sound easing some of the weight on my chest.
“And Ivy?” Simeon asked next. “How has living with her and raising…umm…hmm. I’m sorry, I don’t believe I know the baby’s name.”
I chuckled. “We don’t either, man.”
There was silence on the line, which made me laugh a little harder.
“Simeon, it’s a long story,” I told him. “Just know we’re trying to figure that out along with other things, too.”
He snickered. “Oh, I can imagine.”
“Ivy has adjusted more than me, though,” I added. “She just… gets it. She’s a fast learner. You would think she’s been training to take care of a baby at the last minute all her life. She’s amazing, Simeon.”
“Hmph.”
“I don’t know where I’d be without her,” I admitted, a smile tugging at my lips. “She’s a good partner. A great one.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were talking like a man in love, LV,” Simeon teased with a chuckle.
I scoffed and laughed. “Man, what?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I just sense something in your voice. You sound different talking about her today.”
I shook my head. “Nah.” I laughed again, brushing it off. “If you only knew how opposite Ivy and I are, you’d never say that. We could never happen.”
“Well,” Simeon started, “never say never. Being opposites isn’t a dealbreaker in a lot of cases. It can be the greatest attraction. Me and Eryn are a testament to that. She and I are very, very different, but I married her, and she’s carrying my baby, and I’m the happiest man on this planet.”
I rubbed my lips together, his words making me pause.
“Don’t sleep on the idea that being opposites could work,” Simeon added. “In the grand scheme of things, it might mean very little, you know?”
“Yeah,” I replied, though the thought lingered.
But how true was that for Ivy and me?
“Anyway,” Simeon said, his tone shifting. “We’re getting a little off track from the reason for my call.”
I blinked, refocusing. “Go ahead.”
“I’ve got that extra stream of income you’ve been looking for,” he revealed. “And it’s something you already told me you love doing.”
My brows shot up. “Word?”
I've been pushing Simeon to help me figure out how to grow that sign-on bonus from the Ballers. I ain't about wasting money on nonsense. I want to make sure I've got something solid lined up for when I retire.
One of Simeon’s first clients, Dallas Roque, who played for the Oakland Flames, had exactly that—a sports nutrition brand growing exponentially. I wanted something similar. Anything, really.
