Page 21 of Kassir and Rebel (D-Ville Projects #2)

… almost nine months later.

Perfect.

There’s only one word to describe my life right now and it’s definitely perfect.

When my original three-week vacation ended, Kassir and I were in a great place and I had a tentative verbal offer to be the new head track coach at Douglasville Prep for the upcoming school year.

I returned to Miami, but only long enough to get my affairs in order.

I gave Miami-Dade my two weeks’ notice for my assistant coaching job but agreed to stay on as an adjunct online instructor.

The two mandatory office hours a week for their online courses can be conducted via Teams or Zoom, so I can work comfortably from anywhere. My favorite place is on our balcony.

I broke my condo lease and Kassir paid the penalty.

He also flew down to Miami and helped me load my boxes for the movers he hired to bring my stuff back home.

He has gladly allowed me to make our apartment a home for me too and my touches are all through it.

I even got rid of the sectional once he admitted it was the spot where he fucked other women.

It was on the curbside trash pile that following garbage day.

When I returned to Diamond Falls, I taught three courses during the Fall semester but I’m sitting this semester out.

Track season began the second Saturday in February and I don’t want to commit to any online courses during my first season.

I’m glad I didn’t because a few of my girls need extra attention, which is why we are having two-a-days until district next week.

All team members are on the field and a few parents and siblings are scattered throughout on the aluminum bleachers.

“All in!” I yell and the team gathers in a circle with their arms outstretched. “One team!”

“One team!” they repeat in unison.

“One mind!” I yell and they repeat the same.

“One goal!” We all yell together.

“Great job tonight, everybody. Remember, conditioning starts tomorrow morning at six,” I say and hear a few grumbles but no one objects coherently.

As they start to rush off the field, I reach out and grab Kiara. She’s a junior and actually my best athlete, but today she was a little sluggish and I’m concerned.

“What’s up, Coach?” she asks.

“Are you okay? Your time was off on your straightaway.”

“My bad, Coach. My period is about to start and I’m bloated and tired.”

“You have to limit processed meats like subs and dairy. That’ll help some, but most importantly, you have to rest. Go to bed and stop staying up all night scrolling through Cliqued.”

“Okay but subs? Really? I was going to get an Italian tonight at Vic’s,” she says with a sigh.

“Trust me. Skip it. Try the chicken parmigiana sub instead. It’s made with a real chicken breast. No cheese.”

“What’s the point of that?” she replies.

“Food is fuel for performance, not?—”

“Enjoyment. Yeah, yeah. I know,” she says and I smile. “See you in the morning.”

“Six sharp.”

She sprints over and grabs her bag from the bench then walks over to Max and Renae.

They usually ride home together after practice.

My assistant coach, Lashonda, is gathering the starting blocks off the track so I walk over and assist her with the last ones.

When we are done, she volunteers to take them into the gym.

“Looks like your ride is here,” she says with a smirk and I look up.

My man and his mini-me are heading my way. Kassir is walking in his normal steady yet sexy stride but Kassan is running full speed. When he sees Lashonda holding the bag filled with the blocks, he huffs.

“I was gonna help,” he says.

“I know but we got it tonight,” I tell him.

He’s such a big help. He loves coming to practice and helping when he’s with Kassir.

He’s a natural athlete and I think he likes all outdoor sports.

He’s an official D-Ville Raptor now and his first basketball game is Saturday.

I’ll be there with my purple T-shirt and matching pom pom cheering him on.

Thankfully, his momma has some damn sense now and we can co-exist and be in the same space without her saying something slick or acting a damn fool.

A month after I moved back, when we were dropping Kassan back home, I actually got out of his ride and she and I had a conversation.

She didn’t invite me in though and I didn’t push it.

She was petty at first, but when she realized that I would give her pettiness in return, she calmed the hell down and we talked like two grown ass women on her walkway.

Her son adores me and I adore him too. She’s woman enough to realize that, plus she’s also in a serious relationship, so that helps too.

“You ready?” he asks me right before Kassir approaches.

“I am.”

“What’s up, bae?” Kassir says before commandeering my space and kissing the hell out of me like he didn’t just see me right before practice.

Like usual, he stopped by before he scooped up Kassan.

Yahzi had her baby girl a week ago and he and Suleem went to smoke one this evening to officially celebrate.

Leem hasn’t left her side since she had the baby.

Hell, since he found out she was pregnant.

After losing their first child, both of them were very cautious and I don’t blame them.

“Hey, you,” I say when he releases my mouth. “How’s Leem?” I ask as we start to walk off the field.

“Happy as fuck and talking too damn much. We barely chilled an hour. He was ready to get back home to his girls.”

“When am I going to see the baby?” Kassan asks.

“Soon. She has to get a little older before they let people over,” I tell him. Yahzi is adamant about that. Aside from pictures, we are not seeing her until she’s at least a month old.

“Well, when are we having a baby?” he rebuts and I elbow Kassir in his side.

“Did you put him up to that shit?” I huff in a whisper.

“Nah. Damn. He just wants a little sister,” he says and I know his ass is lying.

His mother, Ma, and him are all so ready for us to have a baby but I’m not.

While I definitely want kids and one hundred percent want them with him, I’m not ready to have them yet.

I just moved back and just started this job a few months ago.

Plus, I can’t ask for maternity leave when I haven’t worked an entire school year.

“We will, but later. Besides, you have to lock me down first, remember?”

“You are already locked down. I just got to get yo’ ass a ring.”

“A ring. A nice ass, epic proposal, and an engagement gift,” I add with a smile.

“I just brought you that CLA.”

“I know. That was for my birthday and I love it. Thank you, baby, but our forever has to be special. You have to go all out when you finally ask me. Don’t we deserve that?”

“You deserve it all, bae. I love yo’ spoiled ass,” he says before grabbing my ass. Then he leans over and whispers in my ear, “But I want you sitting on my face then on this dick tonight. Until we have a baby, we are practicing every fucking night.”

God, I love this man.

How can I say no to that?

The End