Distracted

by Warren, Alexandra

  Why do I even remember that?

  Because you remember everything about Kennedy.

  I smiled as I stood up to wave her over. She looked around for a few seconds before she finally caught my gesture and smiled.

  My heart bloomed immediately.

  She held her clutch tight as she squeezed past the other tables to get to me.

  And when she did…

  I couldn’t have pulled her into my arms fast enough.

  At first she didn’t seem completely sold, but eventually she sighed and fell deeper into my embrace. I pulled away just enough so that I could see her face before I pulled her in once more.

  “Bryson, I can’t... breathe.”

  I laughed before I released her just enough, but not completely. “My bad, Kenn. I just missed you. Like really, really missed you.” It almost felt a little psychotic how complete I felt just holding her in my arms.

  “Well you’re really, really gonna be missing me when I die from not getting enough air,” she teased.

  I finally let her go, pulling out a chair for her before finding my own chair. “Hey, don’t talk like that.”

  She waited until I was sitting before she replied with a smile, “I was just joking, Bryson. But how have you been? Living the dream, I’m sure.” She had a light air to her that kind of surprised me, but not enough to deter me from my mission of getting her confidently back on my side.

  “To be completely honest with you, right now feels like more of a dream than anything else I’ve experienced in the last couple weeks.” She looked down to her lap so that I wouldn’t see her blushing, but I had caught her anyway. And when she finally did look back up, she tried to change the subject.

  “Well how’s baby Harris? Do you know what you’re having yet?”

  Though I hadn’t been to an appointment to see for myself yet, I was still proud to share, “A girl.”

  Her eyes went wide as she immediately started goin’ in. “Ha! Should’ve known God would give you a girl. They call it punishment for a man when he hasn’t treated the women in his life the best. So now you’ll get to find out what it’s like when a girl comes home crying over a boy that did her dirty.”

  I shrugged, knowing there may have been some truth to her little statement. But my truth was, “My treatment has never been the issue. It's the honesty they don’t seem to like very much.” It would take all of my fingers and toes, plus hers, to count how many times a woman didn’t appreciate my honesty.

  Her tone was a little withdrawn as she expressed, “Well I do. Even when it’s not good news.” I knew exactly what she was implying. The whole situation was pretty fucked up, but there wasn’t much more I could do about it other than beg for her forgiveness.

  So that’s what I did.

  “Kenn baby, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you right away. It was an honest mistake that I own up to completely. I just hope maybe one day you’ll forgive me for it.”

  She took a sip of her wine, then a second before she said, “I’ve already forgiven you, Bryson. It’s the next step I’m afraid of.” Just the mention of a next step had me ready to give her everything I had.

  But I played it cool and asked, “What do you mean?”

  She took a few glances around the restaurant, then another sip of wine, clearly stalling her answer. So I knew I had to assure her, “It’s okay, Kennedy. Say what you need to say. I’m all ears.”

  She sighed, setting her nearly empty glass on the table. “I mean… you’re getting ready to be a father and… I don’t know. That’s a lot.”

  “Well according to the notes from Leslie, Nicole has agreed to joint custody. Of course for the first couple of months, the baby will primarily be with her mother. But once she gets a little weight on her, we’ll be splitting time.”

  I could tell Kennedy’s mind was running a mile a minute as she lifted her glass to finish it off, then used the back of her hand to swipe her mouth. Her uneasiness about the arrangement made sense, but I had to ask, “Why are you freaking out right now, Kenn?”

  She motioned for the waitress to bring her a fresh glass before she answered, “I guess I just… the whole idea of being a wicked stepmother was like the first thing in my head. And considering I’m not even ready to have children of my own, there was no way I was gonna raise someone else’s.” A laugh slipped out before I could contain it. The last thing I could ever see Kennedy being was a wicked stepmother, but in the moment that was beside the fact.

  “Kenn, this baby… my baby… is nothing for you to worry about. You only have to be as involved as you wanna be, but you don’t really have to do anything you don’t wanna do. If you wanna be with me that is.” I couldn’t get too ahead of myself though it felt like things were going in the right direction.

  “Bryson, come on now. Do you really think I would’ve shown up if I didn’t wanna be with you? And besides, even if I don’t want kids yet that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate open-mouthed kisses and unexpected snuggles just as much as the next woman.” My smile grew for more reasons than one.

  But mainly because, “Kennedy, you’d be pretty sexy with a little baby bump.”

  She rolled her eyes, taking a quick sip of her newly delivered glass of wine before she said, “Ugh! Don’t jinx me like that.”

  “What? I’m just sayin’. Whenever the time comes that a lucky someone gets to plant their seed in that glorious body of yours, it’ll be dope. I can already see your little fashionistas strolling around now.” I was just sure Kennedy’s children would come out of the womb dressed like Baby Gap models.

  She bit her lip to stifle a grin before she brushed me off. “Oh whatever. And why’d you say lucky someone as if you don’t want that person to be you?”

  I quickly assured her, “Oh, I most certainly want it to be me. But I’m not ready to press my luck quite yet. Just taking this one thing at a time.” She nodded her head to agree with me, so I continued on. “But I was hoping maybe we could… I don’t know. Pick up where we left off?” I figured I’d attack while she was clearly in a good mood. In all honestly, I would’ve taken any type of relationship she was willing to give me, even if it was at the basic friendship level.

  Would I have pushed the boundaries?

  For sure.

  But I was willing to restart wherever she saw fit as long as she was gonna be in my life in some capacity.

  She wore the cutest little smirk as she said, “I’m pretty sure we left off in your bed.”

  “Perfect. Let’s go,” I teased, halfway standing up before I sat back down. “Nah, I’m kiddin’. We should probably take our time. Do things the right way.”

  She didn’t seem too enthused about the idea as she said, “Bryson, if we were really trying to do things the right way, we would’ve lost the game a long time ago. How about we do things ourway?”

  I nodded to agree with her. “I like the sound of that.”

  She could only smile and I was proud knowing I actually had something to do with it. It was the same kind of smile she used to give her phone when ol’ boy would hit her up while she was working with me.

  Speaking of which...

  “Hey, did Landon ever tell you I stopped by before the big game?”

  She immediately looked confused as she answered, “What? No!”

  Punk ass bitch.

  I gave Kennedy the edited version, “That scrub. Is he still hanging around?”

  She went back to her withdrawn self, taking another one of those hearty sips of wine before she explained, “Well… we were splitting rent. So since he had paid his part of the rent for the month, he got to stay. And then the stay was extended. Which actually reminds me… I’m kinda homeless right now.”

  “Homeless? Homeless how? Where have you been staying, Kennedy?” I was already ready to beat Landon’s ass if he had pulled some weak shit.

  She held a hand up as she said, “Relax. I’ve been at the apartment, but we… we got into it, right before I came here actually, and I
told him I’d leave.”

  An idea came to my head instantly.

  I tried to hide my excitement as I told her, “Well I have tons of empty rooms for you to choose from if you’d like.”

  Of course she looked at me like I was crazy. “Bryson, do you really think that’s a good idea?”

  “Hell yeah. In fact, I think it’s a great idea. Best idea I’ve had all day. So what do you say, roomie?” I was only teasing, knowing the last thing I would ever think of Kennedy as was a roommate.

  She looked at me dead on with a smile as she said, “You’re crazy.”

  “Don’t act like you aren’t considering it though. And I won’t even charge you rent. It’s a win-win situation for the both of us.” I couldn’t have imagined a better outcome of our little dinner than this one.

  If she actually agreed to it.

  She eyed me for a long time before she asked, “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Dead serious, Kenn. It gets lonely in that big ol’ house by myself. And besides, those few days that you stayed over was the most action some of those rooms have ever seen.” The memories of every position we did in every room was still engrained in my head to this day.

  She tossed a hand at me, looking partially embarrassed and partially turned on as she said, “Shut up!”

  “But seriously though, I’d be honored if you took me up on the offer. I’ll keep my hands to myself and everything.”

  She challenged me with her eyes over the rim of her wine glass before she said, “That might be the first lie you’ve ever told me.” We laughed together and it felt so damn good to not only be in her presence, but be on her good side.

  Now I was ready to press my luck.

  “So… when do you wanna move your stuff? I mean, unless you’d rather not move that stuff. We can just get you all new stuff.” If I had it my way, she wouldn’t ever have to step back into her old apartment.

  She looked completely amused as she said, “Bryson, you’re making this offer a little too good to turn down.”

  I grinned cheesily as I replied, “Ah, what can I say? I don’t really like to hear no if I don’t absolutely have to.”

  She bit her lip as she thought it over and I widened my smile to show her how happy she could be if she said yes, even if the whole thing seemed a little unorthodox, with a hint of crazy, and maybe a hint of...

  “Fine.” My heart literally jumped in my chest.

  You didn’t hear her right, bro.

  I swallowed my premature excitement to ask, “Fine?”

  She smiled brightly as she nodded her head yes. “Fine. I’ll move in with you. For now. Until I can find my own place.”

  I grabbed her hands from across the table, rubbing them with my thumbs as I assured her, “Baby, you know you aren’t gonna want to actually leave. In fact, I’m gonna make sure of it. You’ve already walked out on me enough. I refuse to let it happen again.”

  Epilogue

  Kennedy

  So… Bryson was right.

  It was exactly a year later and I still hadn’t found my own place, with no intentions of actually doing so. Getting to know Bryson while already living with him was like killing two birds with one stone, though I understood how unique our circumstances were. But I suppose we were just doing things our way.

  That alone felt amazing.

  I made myself busy bouncing Baby Lilah on my thighs like she was in a jumper while she blew spit bubbles in delight. I couldn’t believe she was only a few months short of being a one-year-old, her bright eyes and infectious smile giving me baby fever like no other. Of course, if it was up to her father, we probably would’ve already gotten started working on a sibling for her. But me bringing a child into the world was completely contingent on one thing.

  Being a wife first.

  So Baby Lilah was gonna have to be plenty for now.

  And according to the smells coming from her third diaper of the day, she was more than plenty.

  “Bryson, Lilah’s stinky!” I yelled into the kitchen where he was busy fixing her a bottle.

  He strolled into the living room, looking like a total DILF as he tested the bottle’s temperature against his wrist, before he said, “Well go change her.”

  I looked to Lilah who was still bouncing in my hands as I told him, “Nu uh. I did the last one. It’s your turn.”

  He gave me a kiss on the forehead before he tried to give Lilah a couple on her cheek, backing away when he smelled what I had already been hit with.

  “Kenn, I gotta call Leslie back. Just do it this one time, then I’ll do the next two. Bet?”

  I rolled my eyes, standing up with Lilah extended just in case she had had a blow-out.

  “I’m gonna hold you to that too, Bryson. So don’t even think about dodging it with a phone call from Leslie next time.” He smacked my butt, before he laughed and grabbed his phone.

  I held Lilah in the air so I could check her clothes, before putting her against my waist so we could walk up the stairs. One of Bryson’s many guest bedrooms had been transformed into a nursery that was beautifully decorated with soft pink and leopard.

  Okay, so maybe I was just tooting my own horn.

  I laid Lilah on the changing table before I told her, “I hope you were good to me, little girl. Cause it sure doesn’t smell like it.”

  I reached down to grab a fresh diaper from the stock. Then I reached over to grab a wipe, but I realized the box was missing when my hand kept going into its usual space. I looked over and saw that where the box of wipes usually was, there was a small box.

  And not just any small box.

  “Surprise, baby.” I jumped at the sound of Bryson’s voice coming from behind me.

  My breathing was staggered as I asked, “Bryson… what is… what is this?”

  “What does it look like, Kennedy?” He teased, making me smack him on the chest already on the verge of tears.

  He picked up the box, then dropped down to one knee in front of me. My hands flew to my face in disbelief as he cracked the box open, revealing the most beautiful diamond I had ever seen.

  Now the tears were real.

  “Kenn baby, you stole a piece of me the second you strolled into that interview. You’ve been nothing but a blessing over this past year we’ve spent together and hell, even before that. So will you please do me the honor of being Mrs. Harris?”

  I couldn’t answer with real words so instead I frantically shook my head yes. He slid the ring on my finger with a giddy smile before he stood up, wiped my tears, and pulled me into a hug so tight it lifted me off of my feet. Even Baby Lilah looked happy as she rocked side-to-side on the changing table with a smile like she had any idea of what was going on.

  Bryson put me down eventually, but didn’t let me go as he peppered soft kisses all over my face.

  Even in the bliss of the moment, I couldn’t help teasing, “So I guess bomb ass pussy really does get a proposal before the two-year mark, huh?”

  He gave me a lingering kiss on the forehead as he confessed, “Baby, I was ready to propose to you the first night I tasted it in the strip club.”

  I slapped him on the chest again, this time a little harder to do with the rock he had put on my finger.

  “Oh my God! I can’t stand you, Bryson.”

  He only smiled proudly, holding me tight as he said, “I love you too, Mrs. Harris. I love... you… too.”

  The End

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  More Books by Alexandra Warren

  Attractions & Distractions Series

  Getting The Edge

  An Unconventional Love

  The PreGame Ritual

  Check out a sample from

  The PreGame Ritual, featuring Bryson’s little brother

  M
iles!

  Ava knows that she’s the best girls basketball player in the country at the collegiate level.

  She knows that she’s going straight the pros once her senior season comes to an end.

  And she knows that finding a man is the least likely thing to happen while she’s chasing that dream.

  That’s until she meets Miles.

  A freshman phenom who has no idea what college life is like but is in for a red-headed surprise with a mean crossover.

  Their chemistry is a given, but will age be more than just a number?

  Or will the PreGame Ritual be enough to even the score?

  ava.

  How many times must a girl watch Love & Basketball before she realizes that shit is just a movie?

  I mean, I’ve had my share of pick-up basketball games against the boys.

  I’ve had my share of athlete boyfriends.

  And I’ve had my share of breakups to makeups.

  Yet, there no was inkling of a Quincy involved.

  Being in my senior year at Lynstone University, it was a known fact that I would graduate and play professional ball; first in the states then most likely overseas since that was where the real money in women’s basketball was made. But it was also beginning to feel like a known fact that I would be doing it all as a single woman. It wasn’t like I was even looking for a relationship. But in the same, I wouldn’t mind if it somehow, some way found me.

  Between school and basketball, I was kept pretty busy so I really didn’t have much time for the boys anyway. But when I did have time, I surely didn’t wanna spend every minute of it watching Love & Basketball alone in my apartment.

  Of course while I spent my Friday night with popcorn and my favorite movie, my roommate/little sister Avery was spending it out on the town with some dude she probably just met during the week. Avery was completely opposite of me. She didn’t play sports, she loved getting all dolled up in dresses and heels even for a regular ass Tuesday, and she bounced between boyfriends more than I bounced my basketballs.