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Page 43 of Out of Bounds (Atlanta Demon Series #4)

“Zone right, on one,” Jrue called.

I nodded—heart steady, mind locked in.

Watch the edge, trust the line, cut backside if it closes.

The ball is snapped, and as soon as I see it fly into Jrue’s hands, I run toward him.

With precision, he passes it to me. Rushing down the field with the ball clutched to my chest, I dip to the side to avoid getting hit.

The fans are screaming, and my cleats are digging into the ground with every move I make, but I’m so laser-focused that I tuned all of it out.

The more I advanced down the field, the more my lungs felt like they’re on fire.

As I inch closer to the end zone, it hits me.

The silence in my head, the roaring of the stands, the rush in my veins—motherfucking touchdown!

The cannon boomed throughout the stadium, solidifying our win.

The Demons had defeated the Buccaneers by six points.

All week long, we had heard how the Demons weren’t going to win.

Nobody picked us. They talked about how all season I’d let my personal life interfere with my game, and how I needed to lock in.

Game after game, the fans showed up and cheered us on, so this one was for them.

This game felt personal. We’d beat the Saints last week, twenty-eight to fifteen, but even that wasn’t enough to satisfy the analysts and bettors.

Coming out of the gate, I knew we had to show everybody who the fuck we were.

“They counted us out! Said you forgot who the fuck you was! Tell ’em this that big boy shit!” Deuce gloated as he ran towards me.

Passing the referee the ball, I slapped hands with him. “That shit hit different, my nigga.”

“Hell fucking yeah!” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“We hitting the muthafucking strip club tonight!” Jrue yelled. “Magic City Monday! Please tell me you down?”

Pulling my helmet off, I shook my dreads. “I’on know, bruh. You know I gotta get my kids to school in the morning. Sai gotta be at the office early.”

“Nigga, use the driver.” He frowned. “I’mma get me some new friends. You and this old geriatric nigga right here don’t never wanna do shit.” He jested.

“Ain’t our fault yo’ girl prefer work over hanging with you,” Deuce said as he jumped on my back.

Jrue frowned. “See… you stay taking shit too fucking far.”

“Leave that man alone.” I chuckled. I was getting ready to head off the field when I spotted Ashton standing on the sidelines. “Aye!” I passed Deuce my helmet. “I’mma meet y’all in the locker room. I need to handle something really quick.”

Jogging over to where she was standing, I grabbed KJ out of her arms. “Why you ain’t tell me y’all was gonna be here? I would’ve had you set up in the suite.”

She looked like she was scared to respond. Shit between us had been cool since I took her ass to court. Timidly, she replied, “I didn’t know if your family was going to be in there or not.”

“You should’ve hit me up. What’s up, man?” I held him up and blew strawberries on his stomach. “Yo’ mama got you out here with all this noise.”

“I had his headphones on.”

“Cool. How y’all get here?”

“Uber Black.”

“That’s what’s up.” I nodded. “You good? You need anything?”

“No, we’re fine.” She sighed.

“Aight, bet. I’mma hit you up Thursday when I’m on the way.”

“Okay. About his party…”

“What about it?”

“Um…” She kicked up imaginary grass. “I found somebody to make his cake.”

“You still doing the rodeo theme?”

“Yeah. I bought him the cutest little pair of cowboy boots.”

“I can’t wait to see them.”

“You’re coming?” The way she asked, it sounded like she had gotten a little excited. I was still on the fence about attending her party. I talked about it with Masai, and hell, she was the reason I was even considering pulling up.

“I haven’t decided yet. You know I’m doing something for him at the crib.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot. Well, I wanted you to see him before we left.”

“Cool, cool. Bye-bye, man.” I kissed his cheek. “Daddy gon’ see you in a couple of days.” I passed him back to her. “Let me know when y’all make it to the crib.”

“I will.” Ashton waved bye before turning to walk off.

Once they were out of eyesight, I jogged off the field and went to the locker room. I needed to hit Masai up before any pictures and shit started circulating on the internet. I was trying to stay in her good graces and didn’t need a scandal taking us back to step one.

“You going out there?” Deuce asked when I flopped down beside him.

“In a minute. I need to call Sai.” Digging in my bag, I pulled my phone out and dialed her number.

“She good?” he quizzed.

“Yeah, she cool.”

“Aight.” He nodded.

“Why are you calling me?” Masai asked after finally answering the phone.

“You know yo’ ass wants to hear my voice.” I joked, trying to make light of the situation.

“I could’ve gone to bed without hearing it. I saw the game, though. Good play.”

“You know I do what I do.”

“Ugh.” She scoffed. “Where is the humility?”

“Ain’t got it for ’em. Them muthafuckas been dragging my ass all week.”

“Well, tonight, you gave them a reason to talk.”

“Absolutely. So, listen… Ashton came to the game and brought KJ with her.”

“She did, huh?”

“Yep. You know muthafuckas love a story, so I wanted you to hear it from me.”

“Kreed…” Masai sighed.

“Nawl. Don’t even start. I’m just telling you before you see it on Instagram.”

It took her a few seconds to respond, but when she did, she pushed out her words through bated breaths. “Thank you for that.”

“Ain’t nothing. I’ll be at yo’ crib first thing in the morning.”

“Okay.” The way her voice fell an octave, I knew she wanted to say something.

“Sai?”

“Yeah.”

“We good?”

“Yeah, Kreed.”

“Aight. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“See you in the morning.”

“I love you” was on the tip of my tongue, but I refrained. Masai was coming around, but that shit with Ashton would probably always be a sensitive subject for her. Ending the call, I dropped my head back and groaned.

“Fuck that was ’bout?” Deuce’s nosy ass asked.

“Nothing. I be tryna get in front of shit to keep Sai from feeling slighted. We in a good place right now, and I ain’t tryna go backward.”

“You do know there will never be a time when sis ain’t gon’ feel slighted. Like, that shit gon’ forever be in the back of her mind.”

“I’m already knowing.” Folding my arms across my chest, I sat back. “On everything… if I could go back to that night, Deuce, I would’ve stayed my stupid ass at the crib. That night ruined my fucking life.”

“And you say you don’t remember how it happened?”

“On my mama, I’on remember shit,” I reiterated.

“And that ain’t me just saying the shit ’cause I’m not trying to own up to my bullshit.

On my fucking kids, bruh, I remember going to the bathroom, and the next second, I’m fucking some random hoe.

I done tried to pray my fucking memory back, but the shit ain’t coming to me at all. ”

“I’on know, bih. You think she slipped some shit in ya drink or something?” he quizzed.

“I’on even remember seeing her ass in there. That’s just how foggy that fucking night is.”

“Hoes will do anything these days. Her ass might’ve gave you something. I ain’t never known you to be fucked up to the point where you can’t remember what the fuck you doing.”

“Me either. The shit ain’t never made sense. But it happened. KJ proof of that. Lil’ nigga mine; ain’t no way to deny it.”

“That shit crazy, bruh.” Deuce snorted.

“You telling me.” I sighed. “I want my wife back. My shit been fucked up since we signed them divorce papers. I’m hauling my kids back and forth, having to force myself in Masai mix just so I can be in her presence.

Dog… the other night, Sophie called me at like one in the morning.

I’on even think Sai knows her ass had slipped downstairs to grab her iPad.

But she called me ’cause she had a bad dream and couldn’t go back to sleep.

“In the past, I would get up out of bed and go sleep with her, but me being out of the house, I had to improvise. My baby had to prop her iPad up on her dresser with me still on it so she could get some rest. It’s shit like that I be missing.

That don’t even sit right with me ’cause I’m supposed to be there. ”

“You suggested therapy?”

I waved him off. “Sai ain’t tryna do allat.”

“Have you asked?”

“Nawl.., I haven’t.”

“Then maybe you should suggest it. It won’t hurt.”

“I’ll put it on her radar; see how she’s feeling ’bout it. With her calling herself having a lil’ boyfriend and shit, I’on think she gone go.”

“Still don’t hurt to ask. If you really serious ’bout wanting her back, you gotta start somewhere. And popping up at the crib ain’t the way to go.”

“Yo’...” I held my fist to my mouth and laughed. “Masai and Koya talk too fucking much.”

“You know she be hitting Koya up like, ‘Girl, tell me why Kreed ass is over here again,’ ” he mocked, sounding like Masai. “They be talking ’bout yo’ ass all in they lil’ group chat.”

“At this rate, I’on even give a fuck.” I chuckled. “I just be trying to be under her as much as possible.”

Deuce stood from his seat and patted me on the shoulder. “Put therapy on the table and get ya family back, nigga. We rooting for you,” he told me before walking off.

If suggesting therapy was going to push us in the direction of reconciliation, then I would give it a shot. Above everything, I really wanted my fucking wife back. I wanted my family under one roof so I could put my kids to bed at night. Shit just wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Pecking Aurora on her forehead, I stood and backed away from her bed. The kids had been with me all evening. After we had dinner, I brought them back to the crib and made sure everyone took their baths before going to bed.

Pulling her bedroom door, I trekked down the hall and peeped in on the kids one by one. Once I was sure that everyone was asleep, I made my way to my old bedroom.

“Knock, knock.” I tapped my fist on the slightly ajar bedroom door.

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