The Lord came through.
With Niko securing the rebound after Milwaukee’s All-Star small forward put up a wild three-pointer, the game was now going into a second overtime, both teams clearly exhausted as they prepared for an additional five minutes of play.
Well, everybody except for Kage who was busy trying to hype his team up, the sight of him taking his role as one of the team’s leaders seriously making my heart swell as I thought about how we’d even gotten to this point.
He was many years younger than me, an athlete, so damn full of himself and persistent to the point that it should’ve been annoying. But now, I knew that was just him being so certain that there was something worth exploring between us, making me grateful that he hadn’t completely given up then the same way he hadn’t given up on this season.
When the second extra period started, I could tell he was on a personal mission to finish it out, every point he scored bringing them that much closer to getting the win. But Milwaukee wasn’t going down without a fight, the reigning MVP matching Kage’s energy in a way that had the game tied yet again going into the final thirty seconds.
This shit was beyond stressful. But once again, Kage came through when him and Zeb used the same pick and roll play for Kage to attack the rim, drawing an extra defender that allowed him to kick the ball out to Niko in the corner for a three-pointer that swished through the net.
Holy shit.
As expected, Milwaukee called timeout. But even with that, it already felt like the Trojans had really pulled it out this time, making the whole thing even more exciting until a referee ruled that Niko’s three-pointer had actually been a two because his foot was on the line.
Still, that didn’t take away from the Trojans being in the lead going into what was sure to be the final possession of the game, both teams returning to the court as Milwaukee set up to run what looked similar to the play they’d attempted at the end of the first overtime. But when the ball was passed off by the referee, it turned out to be completely different as their shooting guard got a baseline screen that allowed him to fly to the corner to receive the inbounds pass for a wide-open three-point shot… that he made.
Oh fuck.
My heart was literally pounding as I glanced at the clock to see there were only two seconds left. And with no timeouts remaining, the Trojans were forced to throw a Hail Mary style full-court pass that was easily tipped out of reach, sealing the victory for Milwaukee in what had been one of the most competitive semi-finals series I’d ever seen live.
Of course, being on the losing end of that sucked tremendously. And I had a feeling this game would stick with Kage for a long time. But to my surprise, he was actually smiling when I found him near the locker rooms after it was all said and done, a suspicious look on my face when I asked him, “You’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” he answered with a nod.
“Really?”
“Yeah, really,” he laughed. “Why you sound so shocked?”
Struggling to find the right words, I replied, “I mean, that game was just… a lot.”
“Yeah, that shit was crazy,” he agreed. “I guess I’m just happy I was able to be out there, though. I mean, my ankle hurts like a bitch right now, and I might need to see about some offseason surgery, but… it matters that I was even able to compete at all. And I wouldn’t have been able to do that without you.”
“Without me? But I…”
“Was the one who showed up that night determined to help me rebound,” Kage explained. “Without that moment, without you and Ms. J, ain’t no way I would’ve made it back for the season even with the delay. I’m grateful, baby. Thank you.”
The way he’d put it so beautifully, it was hard not to smile under my mask when I told him, “You’re welcome.” And I only smiled even harder once he pulled me into a hug and pressed a kiss to my forehead that told me everything really was okay.
Well… almost everything, a tiny hint of disappointment in Kage’s voice when he acknowledged, “Only bad thing now is, with me leaving the Bubble, that means I won’t get to see you in-person ‘til you’re finished with all your work stuff.”
Truthfully, I was already thinking of ways we could make the most of his final night here before his team flew back to Nashville in the morning. But even without that, I knew there was another way we’d be able to get creative, already grinning about it as I pulled back to find his eyes and told him, “There’s somethin’ hot pink in my luggage and an app on your phone that says we’ll be able to handle the distance just fine.”
Once he realized what I was talking about, he was grinning right with me, pulling me in to press another kiss to my forehead where he sighed, “You always on top of shit. That’s why I love you.”
Hearing those words - appreciating those words - from Kage Steele of all people was honestly still a little crazy to me. But it also felt so right, and I was excited to see what our future held, feeling confident about it as I settled deeper into his arms and responded, “I love you too.”
Epilogue
Two Months Later.
She looked so beautiful walking down the aisle.
Lowkey, that shit had me about to tear up as I thought about what it all meant, seeing two people I loved dearly become one a crossover in my life that I couldn’t have predicted as I stood nearby as one of two witnesses to their backyard elopement.
Bleu was the other, looking good as hell even as she wiped away a tear before accepting Ms. J’s bouquet so that she could take her position in front of Coach Joe. And with the two of them holding hands, they ran through all the usual wedding stuff, the vows in particular really making me choke up as Coach Joe talked about how his health scare made him realize life was too short to delay the inevitable of “Jeanny” becoming his wife, and Ms. Jeanine talked about how she’d stopped looking for love a long time ago but knew in her heart when they met that Coach Joe was the one.
Honestly, both of their asses had me to thank for that shit. But I wasn’t about to ruin the beautiful moment, instead doing my duty of handing over the ring to Coach Joe as Bleu did the same for Ms. J so the two of them could exchange and seal the deal with a kiss that I did end up clearing my throat about when they both started getting a little more handsy than necessary.
My disturbance didn’t stop shit though, somehow making the moment even more beautiful since it was obvious they were truly into each other. And for that reason, I decided to stop being such a hater, instead focusing on my own love when I pulled Bleu under my arm and teasingly asked, “You tryna have next or nah?”
Peeking over at me, Bleu frowned as she questioned, “Was that supposed to be a proposal? Cause if so, it sucked.”
“Damn, baby,” I chuckled. “It wasn’t. But if it was, I’d be crushed.”
“Your fault,” she insisted with a smirk. And rightfully so since I knew better than to come at Bleu with some half-assed nonsense; especially now that she was really that girl.
Her vlog series, Inside the Bubble with Bleu Taylor was still being talked about even with the NBA Bubble season now being a thing of the past. The attention of the vlog series had expedited the production of her network television series, Beyond the Bench with Bleu Taylor which she was getting ready to film the first episode of in a few days. And because the online viewership of the vlog series had been so massive, the network had also greenlighted her for another web series, Everyday Athletes which was inspired by Ms. Jeanine who Bleu had already solidified as her first guest.
In other words, my girl had rebounded from all the bullshit in a major way. And I was beyond proud of her for it, hopeful that some of her greatness would rub off on me now that it had officially been announced that our season would be starting next month.
The layoff was a lot shorter than any of us had anticipated, a lot shorter than any of us were used to. And with my ankle still healing from all the extra stress I’d put on it during the playoffs, I was lowkey nervous about how that would impact my
performance. But there was also a confidence that came with having Bleu by my side, genuinely excited to see what an entire season with her as my woman would be like as she glanced my way to ask, “What are you over there grinning about?”
“How lucky I am to be your man,” I answered honestly, making her blush even as she teasingly grumbled, “Forever on that cute shit.”
“That’s how I got your fine ass,” I reminded her. “Why would I switch up now?”
“You better not ever,” she insisted with a grin, lifting to her tippy toes to press a kiss against my lips before we went to give an official congratulations to the newlywed couple. But as I watched Bleu interact so effortlessly with the two I considered family throughout the day, and then experienced the way she loved up on Poochie and me later that night, one thing became certain.
We definitely had next.
The End.
Extras
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Also by Alexandra Warren
Attractions & Distractions Series
Getting The Edge
An Unconventional Love
The PreGame Ritual
Distracted
The Real Deal
A Rehearsal For Love
An Encore For Love
Love at First Spite
In Spite of it All
Accidental Arrangements
Heated Harmonies
If Only for the Summer
In His Corner
The Games We Play (FWB Book 1)
The Lessons We Learn (FWB Book 2)
Wins & Losses
Building 402 Series (Book 1-3)
A Tale of Two Cities Holiday Collection
Baggage Claimed
One Last Shot (Nymphs & Trojans Book 2) – Series collaboration with Nicole Falls
Love Unsolicited
Uncovered Truths: A Novella
Oops!
Whoa.: An “Oops!” Spinoff Novella
On The Rebound Page 23
