Page 94 of Only for Me

Avi frowned then flashed me a smile before turning and heading in the opposite direction. I was about to respond to my mother when an alert popped up on my screen from Baller Alert.

Honeymoon Is Over. Omiri Hayes Spotted At A Strip Club.

My brows pinched as I tapped the notification and pulled up the Baller Alert page to find images of Omiri entering Poles andPastries, time stamped a few hours ago when he was supposed to be at practice.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I mumbled, scrolling through the article about how the family man title no longer existed and that he only accepted me and Avi in his life as a push from his team to clean up his image. They quoted sources close to Omiri claiming he was never serious about being a father and the statement released a month ago was my idea, not his.

There were multiple other posts with their versions of the story along with sports blogs speculating about whether or not his personal life would affect his time on the field. Tattle Tales, who was known for being messy, said that I was tempted to believe he would settle down and that I needed to take the money and run since that's what I wanted in the first place. Some even said we were in this together and Avi wasn't his but I agreed to this to help clean up his image with the fake baby news.

The fuck…

My phone was ringing seconds later and I assumed it would be Omiri but it was my mother. I answered to get this over with because she wasn't going to let up.

"Do you have any idea how bad this looks?"

"Hi, Mom. Nice to hear from you after a year and a half of ignoring us. Yes, I'm great and so is your granddaughter."

"Don't be immature, Makari. You know exactly why I'm not in your life. That was your decision, not mine. Now can we discuss the calls and questions I'm getting about your name being attached to all these scandals?"

"No, we can not. I'm sorry that my life choices are so embarrassing to you but they aremylife choices."

"Your life choices are attached to me. Getting involved with a professional athlete who can't keep it in his pants, having a child out of wedlock, and today's headlines of him spending time at astrip club instead of choosing to parent his daughter make me look like I'm a bad parent. I raised you better than to make such stupid decisions about your life, Makari."

Of course she knew about the latest headlines. She couldn't keep up with Avi's milestones but she could keep up with the negative headlines attached to my name. That's some world class parenting.

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"I want you to be smarter than this. Did you really expect anything different from a man like that?"

"I'm not doing this with you. Good chat, Mom. Goodbye."

"We're not done. I'm coming to Crescent Falls to bring you and Avi home. I can't do anything about her being here but maybe I can salvage things. There are a few respectable men who wouldn't mind that you have a child…"

Is she fucking for real?

"I'm going to hang up now. I don't need or want your help. I've been doing just fine without it."

"Clearly you haven't. Your life is a mess."

I closed my eyes to calm my irritation. "When you can get past your own ego and ignorance and want to be a part of your granddaughter's life, give me a call. Until then, please stay the hell away from us."

I hung up on my mother and called Omiri. It went straight to voicemail so I texted him.

Me: Call me ASAP

I locked my phone and tossed it on the sofa before walking over to get Avi ready for bed. It was almost eight so it was time for a bath, bedtime story, then I’d be opening some wine. I damn sure deserved it after today.

By ten, Omiri entered the living room looking exhausted and annoyed, but he still walked up to me and dropped a kiss on my cheek.

"I know you're ’bout ready to cuss me out but it's been a long fucking day and not what you think."

I lifted the remote, muted the reality show I was watching and looked up at him. "I'm not even going to jump to conclusions but I really hope you can explain what the hell you were doing at a strip club when you were supposed to be at practice."

"I can but let me go check on Avi first and hop in the shower…"

I narrowed my eyes at him and he smirked. "Bruh, calm down those violent ass thoughts you're having right now. I was on the field when I got a call and had to leave. I didn't have time to shower and change."

He unzipped the windbreaker he had on to expose the shirt with the Sharks logo and his name printed on the chest. "I'm still in my practice shit."