“This is incredible.”
“My mother bought this years ago, but I thought it was too. . .feminine for my bachelor pad. Would you like it?”
Smiling, I held it close to me. “I’m going to put this in my office.”
“Good. I thought you had a thing for elephants. You’ve got a bunch of paintings of them.”
“Yeah. The elephant is the unofficial symbol of my sorority. Delta Sigma Theta.”
“Why?”
“One of the twenty-two original founders enjoyed collecting elephants. Many members began collecting elephants in her memory. Then, it became tradition.”
He peeled off the Tupperware top and whistled. “This smells so good.”
“Let me know your thoughts.” I took my new painting and backed up. “And. . .thank you for my housewarming gift. Now I owe you again.”
“You don’t.”
“Are you sure? Because Trey and I made apple pie.”
“With those facts, I must say you do owe me.”
“I’ll send some around after we’re done with dinner.”
“I’ll be waiting with my tongue out and drooling.”
I pictured that. Warmth rose in my core.
Girl, get your butt out of here!
“Uh. . .see you later.” I headed away.
7
Moonlit Baseball
Zain
T
here was an MMA fight on tonight. Usually, I would have been in my living room, chugging a beer and watching a man twist another man’s leg backward. The more blood and groans of pain, the better.
Instead, I sat on my back porch and watched Nadia play baseball with her two boys.
The full moon bathed our yards in light.
I had a perfect view.
Cory threw the balls. Trey and Nadia hit them. Neither could get a good swing in. Cory was just that fast.
He’s talented. His father should put him on a team. He needs a coach and some guidance.
After several throws, Nadia hit the ball. She screamed in joy. “I did it!”
“Now, you have to run, Mama.” Trey pointed to the right.
She widened her eyes. “And that’s the base?”
“Yeah.”
She ran off. Her breasts bounced in the shirt. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Even in a regular t-shirt and jeans, she was captivating.
“Did I make it?” She looked around. “Yeah. I made it. I’m at first base.”
Cory stopped running her way. “This isn’t fair. I don’t have anyone on my side to help me stop you.”
“Or maybe you can’t catch me.” Nadia danced by the tree, wiggling her hips. “Maybe, I’m too fast.”
I laughed.
“No, Mama.” Cory shook his head and went back to his pitcher’s mound.
“Do you want to put Trey on your team?” Nadia held her hands out. “At this point, I’ll outrun the both of you.”
“Really, Mama?”
She laughed.
I propped my feet up on the porch’s railing, put my beer to my lips, and took a long pull from the bottle.
Then, Trey yelled, “Why don’t we get Zain to join us?”
I choked a little on the beer, wiped my mouth, and turned their way.
All three looked back at me.
Nadia opened her mouth. “Oh. . .we can’t bother him.”
To my surprise, Trey walked over to my fence. “Are you busy, Zain? We need your help.”
“Trey, relax.” Nadia shook her head.
I set my beer down and rose. “It’s fine. I should run off the steak anyway.”
After this morning, I truly enjoyed hanging with the boys. Such a simple moment, but one filled with joy. It reminded me of my brother and me.
And now I’m back over here. They’re going to get a restraining order on me soon.
Nadia gave me a sad smile. “Okay. Let’s thank Zain for this. We’ll do one game, and then it’s bed time.”
“What?” Cory frowned. “Bedtime already? It’s Saturday.”
She hit him with a serious look. “Eh. I said what I said.”
Cory closed his mouth.
I smirked.
No nonsense. Just like my mom.
I left the porch, walked across the yard, and entered their yard.
Cory glared at me.
I get it, buddy. And protecting mothers don’t get easier as you get older.
I walked over to his side. “You and I against your mother and Trey.”
Cory frowned. “That wouldn’t be fair. We would destroy them.”
Nadia waved his comment away. “He can’t catch me either.”
Cory scowled at her. “Zain will catch you.”
I sure will and I will love every second of it.
“Boy, please. With that big body, he’ll be too slow. I’m as light as a feather.” She did a twirl and giggled.
I looked back at Cory. “What do you think?”
“Let’s go for the easy win.” Cory got on the pitcher mound. “They’ve been dragging me all night.”
I walked over to second base.
Nadia crossed her arms over her chest. “You don’t want to come over here?”
“No way. This is where I’ll stop you.”
“We’ll see.”
“We sure will.”
The game began. And surprisingly, Nadia was right. I couldn’t catch her. She was short and light on her feet. When Trey and her both scored, I stood there in shock.
“You see what I mean?” Cory gestured to them. “And I was going after them by myself.”
“Don’t worry.” I rubbed my hands together. “It’s our time at bat.”