Ballers: His Game (Ballers Series Book 1)(11)

I could give my baby that, to know a part of where their father is from. I need a change. I need a fresh start.

“I’ll come with you,” I tell Stacey.

“What? To Texas, are you serious? But what about your job, you wanted to be a lawyer?” Stacey says half excited, half concerned.

“I can take the bar exam there and find a job. My dad can probably help. There are just as many athletes in Texas as there are in New York. I can travel if needed. I want to go. He was from Texas I think it would be kind of cool to have the baby there,” I shrug.

“You do know Texas is huge. It’s not like you are going to run into him in the grocery store or something,” Stacey says and presses her lips.

“I’m not going there to run into him in the grocery store,” I huff.

“I think I get it,” Reese says with a smile. “I also think you can’t hide forever. These things have a way of coming out.”

“Reese, you of all people should understand why I’m doing this. What if he has someone that loves him? I don’t want to drop a baby on her doorstep and I don’t want to come in between them.”

“He had no problem coming in between your legs,” Alee snorts.

“Ugh, why do I bother,” I laugh for the first time in days and put my head in my hands.

“You’re really coming to Texas,” Stacey squeals.

I nod and give her a smile.

“You heifers are leaving me,” Reese frowns.

“Like you have time for us anyway, Tam wouldn’t be in this mess if you were there that night to save her from me,” Stacey chides.

“And why do we associate with you again,” Reese teases.

“Girl you stole the words from my mouth,” Alee laughs.

“I have no idea,” Stacey says and looks at her nails like she is bored, then looks at Reese and Alee, giving them a big smile. “I’ll miss you guys.”

“I’ll be back at least once a month to get my hair done.” I say pointedly to Alee then look at Reese. “We can hang out then unless you get Nico to move to Texas,” I wiggle my brows at Reese.

“Not happening, have you met the man? He is fierce about his family. So unless one of his siblings moves to Texas it’s not happening,” Reese chimes. She is right. From what I know Nico’s family has been through a lot and they have become inseparable, much like Nico and Reese. “Speaking of which he has been asking if you are ready to take on some new clients. So when you get yourself together know he has your back with a few clients and I will be spreading the word that my girl is handling business.”

And just like that I became a Texan.





Chapter 4


Five years, it has been five years of torture. I think about that night often and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about her. I have tried to move on and see other people, but I always find a reason that they are wrong, mainly because they are not her.

They’re not short enough, not curvy enough, or not smart enough. They don’t make me laugh, they don’t understand the game or anything about it and not one of them has been as good in bed as she was. Those full lips, her big brown eyes, her cute button nose, it was all perfection. I haven’t found one woman to match those standards.

The first year I couldn’t even get it up without imagining it was her. I tried everything, dating all colors, shapes, and sizes. Nothing would do. The second year I took a break from women altogether and focused on the game.

I had a great career in Cali. I was the starting quarterback and my team was the team to beat. We actually walked away with the ring last year. I had some great endorsements and I did some modeling here and there. Still none of that mattered. For five years I felt like something was missing. I lost a piece of my soul and it was out there somewhere roaming around without me.

I wasn’t going back home nearly as much as I or my family would have liked, because I felt ashamed of what I had done. Anyone of my family members would have read it on me and called me on it. All I had was a picture on my phone to comfort and taunt me. I made sure it was uploaded to my phone every time I upgraded. I had it printed out and blown up. I did things with that picture that made me look like a stalker or a whipped *, as Troy called me until he got traded off my team the year after I met my little lawyer.

But it was all because I knew I fell in love with her at first sight. She owned me the moment I laid eyes on her. I did go looking for her once. It was a few months after that night. I rented a car once I got to New York and drove to her place. I’d gotten the address from the car service that drove us to her place that night.

When I got there, there was a for sale sign up and they were having an open house. She lived in a really nice neighborhood. I entered the house to find the real estate agent and an older man who looked annoyed. One look at the man and I knew he was related to my little lawyer. It was in the bow of his lips the way he wrinkled his nose and the almond shape of his eyes.

He had to be her father or uncle or something. He already looked pissed off so I didn’t think walking up to him to say. “Excuse me, I think I slept with your daughter or maybe your niece a few months back. And well I don’t know her name, but I think I love her and I want to find her,” was going to work. So I did the next best thing.

I took the tour of the open house with the realtor and feigned interest looking around for clues of why she was moving or at least where to. I came up with nothing and felt sick to my stomach when I left. I didn’t think I knew enough about her to hire professional help and I didn’t know how to explain it without being embarrassed.