Page 56 of Tyriq & Teaira
“There’s nobody else for me either, baby.”
I place my right hand on the side of her pretty face and my other on her stomach. “Look at me,” I say and she tilts her head. “I promise I’m gonna show you both how much I really love you,” I tell her before kissing her soft lips. “I gotta go, baby. Tell them what you want to eat; they’ll fix it. I’ll call you when I land.”
“Okay. Be safe and I love you.”
“When I leave, check the pillow in the room.”
“What’s on the pi—”
I kiss her again to stop her questioning. “Just check when I leave.”
“I’ll wait.”
To store up for the week we are about to be apart, I kiss her one more time then we walk back into the cabin. Everyone is in the living room now, so I say goodbye, then leave. A black sedan is outside waiting.
We arrived in New York on Monday morning and Tyriq has been on go since we landed with meet and greets, press interviews, and meetings. From morning to night, he’s been going hard and I’ve been supporting him at each scheduled pre-draft event. Things are really real now. In Diamond Falls, everyone knows who he is and he’s still just Tyriq there, but here, away from our little city, he’s a celebrity, the predicted number one draft pick and shit has been crazy. Everywhere we’ve been, he’s been recognized, praised, photographed, and questioned. I’ve been stuck in a state of shock and awe but he’s remained steady, cool, calm, and his usually confident self. However, today is the big day, draft day one, and he’s on edge.
Since six o’clock this morning, he’s been on the phone. First, his mother and Quay missed their flights last night. This morning, he was making arrangements with his agent, Mick, to get them on another plane. They had to fly out of CFA to make it here on time and thankfully, their plane landed two hours ago.
He is scheduled to arrive on the red carpet of the Barclays Center at five-thirty and we are currently in our suite at the Baccarat Hotel and getting last-minute alterations to his tailored all black suit. The poor tailor and his two-person team have to keep stopping and starting because Tyriq is so rattled that he’s sweating, slowing down the process. He needs to calm down and I need to help him.
I’m sitting at the dining room table picking over room service, a granola parfait and a seasonal fruit plate. I’m nervoustoo and my stomach or my baby aren’t being too cooperative today. I’m not sure which it is but the end result is the same. I’m not hungry but I need to try and eat something before tonight.
My nervousness is small as shit compared to his but I’m still keeping mine from him. He has enough on his mind to be concerned about me. Tonight is big, huge, and life changing. All of his dreams are about to come in a matter of hours and that’s the only thing that should be on his mind.
“Can I borrow him for twenty minutes?” I call out from the dining area but no one seems to hear me. So I cover my yogurt and fruit, stand, then walk into the living room where they are working. “Let’s take a twenty-minute break. I need to borrow him,” I say.
“Bae, they gotta get this right,” he says with slight agitation.
“I know and they have time. I need you for a minute,” I insist.
“Give me twenty,” he tells them. After placing a few pins in his jacket, the tailor carefully removes the jacket and Tyriq follows me into our bedroom. As soon as we have privacy, he looks at me with concern. “You good?”
“No, ’cause you’re not. Sit on the bed,” I say and he just stares at me with knitted eyebrows. “Please, baby, sit down right here,” I say, directing him to the chaise lounge at the foot of the bed. I step to him and place my hands on his chest. “Down,” I say with a smile. Finally, he eases down on the chaise and I knee his leg. “Open please,” I tell him and he does so I step between his legs. I raise my hands and rest them on the sides of his face. Staring into his eyes, I ask, “Why aren’t your hands on my ass? I’m all up in your space and you’re not touching me. I don’t like that.”
A smile finally spreads on his handsome face, causing me to smile wider. Then his big hands grip my ass. While holding his face, I lean in closer and touch his forehead with mine. Our eyes lock and we just stare into each other’s eyes for a much-needed quiet moment. I need his mind to stop racing, his heart rate to normalize, and his anxiety to dull. I need him to focus on only the positives of today and definitely tonight.
After about five muted minutes, he mumbles, “What did you need, bae?”
“This,” I admit before softly pecking his lips. “I want you to relax and soak this all in. Your momma and Quay are here now. Shit happens. Anyone can forget their ID. Push any other reason out of your mind. Fuck any other outside noise too. Today is all about my man, Tyriq Hill. He has been balling since he was two feet tall and he worked his ass off to be in this suit, getting ready to walk the red carpet in the NBA Draft.” My hands gently squeeze his face. “Did you hear me? I said the gotdamn NBA Draft.”
“I heard you, bae,” he says with a grin.
“Well act like it,” I tease. “You did this. You dominated that combine. You! Ranked number one in all of the stats. You did that shit, baby. You and nobody else and you deserve everything that’s coming your way tonight. I love you so much and I’m so proud of you. So starting right now, I only want positive, you-did-this-shit vibes. Agreed?”
“You’re right, baby.” He pecks my lips this time. “Agreed.”
“Now, go let them get this suit together and I’m going to go check on your mom and Quay. When I get back, if you are all fitted, I’ll take care of you.”
I wink then kiss him passionately. When I take a step back, he stands then leans in and kisses my forehead. “Thank you, bae. I needed that.”
We walk out of the room and he heads back to the tailor. I grab my room key and cell from the dining table then head two floors down. I knock on their room door and Miss Latisha answers. She’s dressed in the hotel robe and white slippers and holding a coffee mug in her hand.
“Come in,” she says with a smile.
Our relationship is good. We have an understanding because we both love her son. After our little talk on Mother’s Day, we have been really good. She’s in communication with my mom and they are actively planning my shower with Rebel. And just last week, she and I had lunch to discuss this trip and today.
“Did y’all get any sleep?” I ask as I enter.
