Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 98524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“Davina’s got some meeting in LA. Everyone’s all over her lately. She says being engaged to me is a gift and a curse.” He laughed.
“How so?” I fidgeted with my car key as we stopped in front of my Mercedes G-Class.
“A gift because she’s getting hella opportunities for Golden Oil.” Deke plucked his keys out of his pocket. “A curse because she’s busier than ever and her sleep has been shitty. And, trust me, that woman needs her sleep. She’s like a grizzly bear when she doesn’t get enough.”
“Do you think she has also not slept well because of the wedding?”
“Possibly. Her and Tisha have been planning in between working. I keep telling her to take it easy, but you know how she is.” He shrugged. “Always wanting to keep herself busy.”
“Well, the wedding is in four months. It is coming down to the wire, and all those little details matter.”
“Well, that’s why we hired a wedding planner—so she wouldn’t have to worry about all those little details. My girl has some control issues she has to work on.” He paused and looked around. “Don’t tell her I said that.”
I laughed. “Tell Davina I said hello. I should get home and check in with Aleesa.”
“Tell little Leese I said ‘What’s up.’ Octavia still giving you hell?” He grinned, like he wanted to laugh. Deke always got a kick out of hearing my stories about Octavia. He liked that there was someone giving me a taste of my own medicine, as he called it.
“She has Aleesa calling me GG now.” I scratched my head. “No idea what that means, but Aleesa giggles every time and Octavia thinks I do not notice when she tries not to laugh.”
“GG?” Deke mulled it over, tugging on his bottom lip. “Yeah, no idea what that stands for. I bet D knows.”
“Yeah, I am sure she does. Those two talk on the phone almost every day.”
“Y’all coming to the party tonight, right?” EJ’s voice echoed through the parking deck. I looked over my shoulder and spotted our starting point guard jogging toward us with a brown sweat suit and backpack on.
“Hell, no.” Deke walked to the driver’s side of his Ferrari.
“Count me out,” I muttered. “I told you I hate your parties, EJ.”
“Oh, come on. Y’all haven’t been to one in months!” EJ frowned as he looked between us. “It’s because both of y’all are pussy whipped now! Deke and his fiancée and Javier with that fine-ass nanny.”
I smacked the back of his head.
Deke busted out laughing.
“Bruh, y’all are gonna get enough of smacking me on the head.” EJ puffed out his chest. “Can’t be mad at me for speaking the truth. What’s her name again?”
“Octavia,” Deke filled in when I refused to answer. Then he smirked. I wanted to smack him too.
“Well, shit. If you don’t want her, I’ll take her from you, Valdez.” EJ did some weird thing with his face, biting his bottom lip and narrowing his eyes while running a hand over the top of his head.
“You are not taking anything,” I grumbled. “She would not even want you.”
“Damn. Watch out, EJ,” Deke called before settling into the driver’s seat of his car. “Javier might fight you over that, seeing as he secretly wants her to himself.”
“I do not.” At least, I didn’t think so . . .
Yes, Octavia was beautiful. Only a fool would deny that. I loved her hair—locs, as she called them—and how she styled them in a different hairdo every other week. And I would never admit this, but I looked forward to seeing which style she wore next.
There was something fascinating about it, especially when she put those little hair jewels on them. Some days the jewels were gold. Other days they were silver. Either one made her brown skin pop. Made her seem ethereal, angelic. Untouchable.
Yes, untouchable.
Because she was untouchable.
She was my daughter’s nanny. There was no crossing that line. Ever.
Deke closed his door, then started the ignition of his Ferrari, causing it to growl to life. He crept forward in it, rolling his window down and looking between me and EJ. “I’ll see y’all later.”
“At the party, right?” EJ asked.
“No!” Deke said, then he peeled off and left the parking deck.
EJ twisted around. “Javier, my boy. Come to the party. Just this once. I promise it’ll be worth it.”
“Goodbye, EJ.” I gripped the handle of my car door. “I will catch you later.”
“Y’all never have any fun, man.” EJ scoffed and walked away.
I’d have felt bad for him, but nothing seemed to bother that guy. And it didn’t matter, because he spotted the next targets to harass about his party, our teammates Jacobi and Brantley.
As I drove out of the parking deck, my phone chimed in my pocket. I dug it out at a stoplight and saw a text from Octavia.