Page 68

DAVINA

When March rolled around, I drove to Atlanta with Mama, Abe, and a swirl of excitement. We had our Atlanta Ravens gear on, all of us wearing number seventeen as we walked toward the stadium.

This was the third time we attended one of Deke’s home games, and it was one of the last games before playoffs. The temperature was perfectly warm, and the spring air caressed my skin.

As soon as we checked in and took our courtside seats, I was bursting with energy. There was just something about coming to a basketball stadium—inhaling the scent of buttery popcorn and greasy pizza, the lively chatter as everyone took their seats and sat with drinks, sipping and laughing. The sight of the fans who appeared, decked out in team colors, with colorful wigs and face paint.

It was glorious.

Octavia met us at the gates so we could all go in together. Abe sat between Mama and Octavia, while I sat next to Octavia, who had Aleesa on her lap. Aleesa was squirming, ready to get down and make a show cheering for her dad.

“She’s a handful, but an angel compared to Roger,” Octavia said, and I laughed, remembering the bratty three-year-old she last nannied.

Shortly after Javier let me into his house to talk to Deke (something I would be forever grateful for) he called Octavia back and asked if she could look after his daughter. I couldn’t say I was surprised. Even before she was officially hired, Deke insisted that Javier talked nonstop about whether or not to hire her. Deke and I knew what that meant: she was still on his mind, even months later.

According to Octavia, Javier was a pure grump who mostly ignored her when she was around. He did, however, enjoy her cooking, and she was positive that was her only saving grace.

I leaned forward as Aleesa looked up at me with round green eyes. “You ready to cheer for your daddy?” I asked.

“Yeah! Daddy!” she shrilled, and I gave her cheek a little squeeze.

As the stadium filled, I noticed some familiar faces and gasped when I realized it was Whitney and Camille making their way toward us. Whitney squealed, and I hopped up to hug her.

“Whitney! Hi!”

“Hey, Vina!” she sang over my shoulder. She stepped past me to hug Octavia and to introduce herself to Mama and Abe. I could tell Abe wanted to ignore her and sit still with his soundproof headphones and Ravens hoodie on, but Mama insisted he say something.

“Camille, as beautiful as always.” I gave her a big hug and then fist-bumped Eli, who was next to her.

“He bought tickets for everyone, huh?” I asked, sitting.

“He did! He even got Mama and her new boo seats in the box.” Whitney bumped my shoulder, and I laughed. I’d heard all about Mrs. Blake’s new boyfriend through Deke, who constantly griped about it but was willing to do anything to make her happy (like get them tickets for a date in box seats).

It didn’t take long for the lights to dim and the players to be announced. When they said Deke’s name (and they saved it for last, of course), the entire stadium went into an uproar as he jogged out.

I swear I was never going to get tired of this image. My man running out, a wide smile and dimples, both of his hands up as he basked in the attention and love he most definitely deserved.

I screamed his name as Whitney whistled and Aleesa tried reaching for him, which was adorable.

When the players lined up to prepare for the national anthem, Deke’s eyes found mine. I grinned while waving at him.

Deke waved back, then mouthed, “You’re blushing, D.”

I laughed, and he winked, raising two fingers to his lips, kissing the pads of them, and then pointing them toward me. I kissed mine, too, and pointed them his way. It was the silent message we sent to each other before every game. Even if the game was televised and I couldn’t make it, whenever he dropped that first bucket, he’d kiss his fingers and point them at one of the cameras. It was damn sweet, and I would never get enough of it.

Deke balled his heart out that day. I hadn’t seen him shine so brightly in so long, but it must’ve been an amazing feeling, knowing all the people he cared about—his 1 percent —were in the stadium cheering him on. All he had to do was look over his shoulder, and we were there, rooting for him.

When halftime rolled around, there were a few shooting contests and T-shirt launches into the crowd from the Ravens mascot, a big black raven in a red uniform.

But just as quickly as the halftime show started, the people dispersed, and I noticed Deke emerging from the locker rooms to accept a mic from the announcer.

“What’s up, Ravens!” Deke yelled into the mic as he made his way to the middle of the court. The stadium went wild, people screaming at the tops of their lungs and crying out his name. Deke chuckled into the mic, and when the crowd settled a bit, he spoke again. “Listen, I don’t usually do this. If you know me, you know I can’t stand giving public speeches unless I absolutely have to, but I need to do it right now, because there is someone in this crowd I have to send my love to.” Deke turned my way, eyes latching with mine, and I stifled a breath.

“What is he doing?!” I whisper-hissed to Whitney.

She pressed her lips and shrugged, making an I don’t know noise.

“This person has been there for me like never before. I have this thing I like to call my one percent , and there are only a handful of people who make it there. These are the people I love with my whole heart, the people I care about, the people I respect, and right now not only do I give thanks to my family and friends for showing up for me today, but also to the beautiful woman sitting right there. Davina Klein.”

My eyes rounded as a gentle applause filled the building.

“This woman is the other half of me that I never knew I was missing. When I had that rocky game at the start of the season, it was because I couldn’t get her off of my mind, y’all. Y’all remember that, right? Yeah, I bet you do, ’cause the whole crowd was mad at me.” He chuckled, and so did many others. “Hold on—I just want to show her off to y’all really quick so we can squash all the gossip going around. D, can you come here?” He curled his fingers, gesturing for me to come.

I swallowed as Whitney and Octavia pressed their hands to my back to push me out of my seat.

“Go, girl!” Octavia insisted.

“Get it, Vina!” Whitney hooted.

My heart raced as I walked across the court, fighting a goofy smile.

What are you doing?! I mouthed at Deke, but he kept his hand held out and waited for me to take it. He then requested one of the people on the sidelines to toss him a ball. When he handed the basketball to me, I looked from it to his eyes.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” My question came out breathy and quick. All these people were watching us. I didn’t mind crowds, but this was new territory for me, standing in the middle of a jam-packed stadium with a megastar basketball player.

“Y’all should see how she shoots. I play her one on one all the time, and she’s got a nice form. Go ahead, baby. Show ’em,” Deke insisted, one hand gripping the mic.

“Deke, I can’t. This is—”

He tapped the ball, shot me a wink, and stepped back. I sighed as I looked around the stadium. If I got this over with, I could sit back down and pretend this wasn’t happening. I couldn’t say I was surprised Deke was doing this. He did tell me repeatedly that he was going to show me off to the whole world.

I drew in a breath and faced the goal. I rose to my toes to shoot the ball and thanked my sweet Heavenly Father for allowing it to sink into the net. I expected cheers and applause afterward, but the crowd gasped instead, and a wave of murmurs erupted.

The speed of my heart picked up again. I twisted around to find Deke, but when I saw him, I gasped too.

He was on one knee, a velvety black box in his hand with an oval-shaped diamond ring nestled inside it. The diamond gleamed in the light, and I didn’t even want to think about how much he’d shoveled out for it.

“Deke.” My eyes stretched as I stood there like a gaping idiot.

He smiled up at me with a glint in his eyes. He’d gotten rid of the mic, so the only person who could hear him speaking was me. Reaching for my hand with his other, he gave it a squeeze.

“Davina, there aren’t many things I’ve been sure of in my life, but when I met you, I was positive you were the one for me. Whether I could have you or not, you were the one my heart yearned for. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to kiss you every single morning and night, to hold you when you’re down and lift you up when you feel weakest. I want to see your smile every single day and hear you laugh about my corny jokes and nicknames. You’ve always been the woman for me, and I love you so much, D. I’ve never felt a love like this, and I can’t let it go, which is why I have to ask you right now ... Will you marry me? ”

I squeezed his hand back and bobbed my head, a hot tear sliding down my cheek. “Yes,” I said in a half sob. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Declan Bishop.”

He cracked a smile, taking the ring out of the box and sliding it onto the finger I swore would never belong to anyone else again.

But like a hurricane, Deke barreled right in and swept me up. There was no way of missing him, no way to avoid him. He was right there, leaving me no choice but to fall for him more and more each day.

When he rose to a stand, he reeled me in by the waist and held me tight as I laced my arms around the back of his neck. And when we kissed, the crowd cheered.

I couldn’t believe this was happening—this raw, romantic moment that was certainly in Deke fashion. All this time we’d been hiding from the press and keeping our relationship out of the public eye because I was afraid they wouldn’t accept me. But there was something about hearing those cheers fill up the stadium. They were rooting for our happiness, rooting for us .

My heart filled like air in a balloon, swelling to the point I swore it would burst from how much love I felt, not only from him, but from his fans too.

When you first learn how to play basketball, you stumble a few times and miss a lot of the shots you take. You grow frustrated, but you keep dribbling that ball, keep shooting, keep moving your feet. Your chin stays up, and even when you feel like you’ll never be great—that you’ll never accomplish your goals—that’s when it all falls into place.

Our love was a lot like that. Bumpy at the start as we learned, stumbling through feelings and grief, but coming out the other side with our heads up and our dreams in our grasps.

We had a love like no other—a beautiful, broken love that healed us when we needed it most.