Ballers: His Game (Ballers Series Book 1) (18 page)

“Guess you don’t have this one as locked up as you thought,” Donna snarls.

“What is your damn problem,” I hiss back at her.

“You are. You come in here with your little brat. She is so cute and everyone is falling all over themselves to please her and you. You have no right to be here,” she says with venom dripping from her words.

“I have no right to be here,” I scoff. “By who’s rules?”

“Oh come on honey, you aren’t stupid. Name one star football player with a black wife. Name one quarterback… name an open relationship between a white player and his black plaything.

“Didn’t think so. You see honey that is all you are, a plaything. When Brad gets tired of playing house with you he is going to find himself the right kind of woman to be by his side, a woman that will fit into his world. Nope, you and that brat won’t be around long at all, especially when he remembers how good he had it before you,” Donna finishes with a nasty grin on her face.

I refuse to let her words sting me. I won’t allow her to plant this poison. Not tonight of all nights. I have always known Donna disliked me. A large part of me has suspected that my color plays a part in it, but this confirms it all. I stand up taller and narrow my eyes at her.

“Last time I checked Brad and I could care less what other people do. Who cares? Our relationship has nothing to do with his game on the field,” I snap. “If you have a problem with me and my daughter than that is on you. But I will tell you this…call my daughter a name again and you will find out what a plaything is, because I’m going to whip your ass like a ragdoll.”

I turn and walk away from a stunned looking Donna. I look around the crowded tent for my fiancé but I don’t see him or the woman he stormed off with. I refuse to acknowledge the tears burning the backs of my eyes because that means I will have to acknowledge the fact that some of her words did get to me.

“Hey Tam, there you are,” Ann says cheerfully. “Mama has been looking for you and Brad. They want to start the presentation. Where’s Brad?”

“I have no idea,” I say more bitterly than I mean to.

“Is everything okay,” Ann asks looking confused and concerned.

“I don’t even know right now,” I huff and pinch the bridge of my nose. Ann grabs my hand and pulls me off to the side away from prying ears.

“Okay spill, what is going on,” Ann demands. I need to vent to someone.

~B~

“What the hell are you doing here?” I growl at Tiffany once I have pulled her from the tent.

She pouts at me and moves closer to rub her hand up and down my arm. I snatch my arm away and cross my arms over my chest. I can’t believe she is here. I have been avoiding her calls and even blocked her number a few times as she has started to call from different numbers.

I have never invited her to meet my family, so I have no idea why she would even be here now. How the hell does she know about tonight? We may have invited a lot of people, but it was made clear this was a private event for me and Tam. We didn’t want the press getting wind and ruining things. I have a million thoughts running through my head and I need answers.

“Aren’t you happy to see me?” she purrs.

“No,” I hiss.

“Oh come on Brad. We were so good together. Why are you being like this? You can’t really be in love with this woman. Not after the chemistry we had,” Tiffany coos as if she has lost her mind. She must have.

“I don’t know what chemistry you are talking about. Maybe we were in two different relationships because I told you from the start I wasn’t in to it. You pushed for more and I gave you the only thing you were going to get. We are over and have been way before I got together with my fiancée,” I snarl at her.

“Oh please Brad, she will never fit into your world and you know it. We on the other hand fit together. With you on your way to the super bowl and my new movie coming out we can really give this a go and make so much happen for both our careers,” she says with an enthusiastic look on her face.

I groan internally. Was she always this out of it and I just ignored it? I can’t believe she is this delusional. I couldn’t get rid of her things from my place fast enough. I made it pretty clear back then that it was over. What the fuck is she rambling about right now?

“Look Tiff, I don’t know if you are on something or not but you have lost your mind if you think I am leaving my woman to be some publicity stunt for you and your career. I want you gone. How the hell did you get in in the first place? It was by invitation only,” I narrow my eyes at her with my last question.

“I came as Collen’s plus one,” she says with a smug smile that I want to slap off her face. If my mama didn’t teach me better I would.

I can’t believe that bitch Donna. Collen is her little brother. There is no way he met up with Tiffany on his own. He is barely a kid. This has Donna written all over it. I plan to have it out with my brother’s wife once and for all. I warned her about messing with my family.

I am fuming. I know I need to get back inside to my woman. Tiffany is just staring at me with crazy eyes. I pull my cell phone from my pocket and text security to come and collect her. I want to watch her be removed from the premises. I plan to have a restraining order filed first thing Monday. Tam was right, we have a little girl to protect. I won’t let any harm come to my woman or my child.

“Brad, can’t we work things out,” Tiffany asks sweetly just as security walks up behind her. I nod my head at them and she turns to notice the two broad men ready to escort her off the premises. “Oh my God Brad, seriously? We have been friends for so long. Are you really going to throw me out?”

“See that she leaves the property and does not come back,” I snap.

~B~

“He just took off with her and said nothing to me,” I finish in a hushed whisper to Ann.

Ann opens her mouth as if to say something but closes it quickly. I freeze as large arms wrap around my waist. “Mama wants us up front,” Brad says with no explanation of where he has been. I turn in his arms and glare at him. “We’ll talk about it. I just don’t want to ruin the night.”

I just nod and follow him as he leads us to where the rest of the family has gathered. Donna is there with a smug smile on her face once again, as she clings to Trevor. He looks none too pleased with her as usual. Brad steers us clear of them, but I can feel tension rolling off of him. I’m not sure what to think about it.

Ann stands between Sam and Trevor and whispers something to Trevor that makes him frown and snatch his arm from Donna’s hold as he turns to glare at her. The stupid smile on her face melts a little as panic starts to rise in her eyes. Trevor puts as much distance between them as he can without making a scene.

I am pulled from watching their interaction by Bradley squeezing my hand. I look up at him and he gives me a weak smile before placing a kiss to my lips. Vernon and Gloria join us with Brielle hanging from her grandfather’s hip. He is telling her something that has her quiet amused as she giggles in his arms.

“Okay everybody,” the DJ calls out. “It looks like we have the whole family here now. I’m getting the head nod that we can start this little show.”

The projector lights up and I feel myself relax as pictures of Brad as a little boy come up on the screen. Everyone aws and ahs at the pictures and then a few of my baby pictures come up pulling the same reaction. I smile when my pictures are followed by Brielle’s. I love that they have included her in this moment. When Ann asked me for Brielle’s pictures I had no idea it was for this.

The crowd roars with laughter as a picture of the three of us hits the screen. Brad and Brielle are making silly faces at me and I am laughing to the point of tears. I remember that day. We were all at dinner over Ann’s. It is just dawning on me how much time we spend with Ann and her family. I have really taken these people in as family, which means Bri is as attached as I am.

This fact stings as uncertainty tries to creep in. Looking at the three of us we look like the perfectly happy family, but how long will that last? What am I signing up to put my daughter through? I could forgive Brad for breaking my heart, but never for breaking Brielle’s. She loves her father so much.

As my thoughts start to stray the pictures disappear from the screen bringing me back from my reverie. I look around to see the confused faces of Ann and Gloria. A rumbling voice rings out through the room instead of the soft music that had been playing with the video.

It’s Brad’s voice. I could never mistake his voice. I look to the screen to see him shirtless lying in bed. At first he is all you can see and hear, but then a female voice joins in.

“Babe, do you love me,” the woman says.

“Of course I do,” Brad says in return.

Tiffany comes into view as she lays her head on his shoulder. “It will be just like you promised. We will always be together. Nothing can keep us apart,” Tiffany says while looking up at him longingly.

“Yeah baby, just like I promised. No matter what I will always come back to you. This is only temporary. When I get my head cleared we will be together. I just need some time, but you know I have never loved anyone the way I love you….”

The rest of his words are lost on me. Brad and Trevor both have run to the projector trying to cut it off. I can hear Brad shouting. “Turn that fucking thing off.”

It doesn’t matter. I have heard enough and so has everyone in this room. I feel stupid and embarrassed beyond belief. Brad told me he never loved her. I remember asking him. I remember his words, but the words on that screen tell me something else.

Brad is a liar. I am barely holding onto the tears that are threating to spill over. I back away from everyone, ignoring Vernon and Gloria calling my name and start to run. I don’t know where I am running to, I just run.

I can’t breathe. Why is this happening to me? I finally have to admit to myself how much I have really wanted this with Brad. However, I have not signed up to be humiliated or to ruin my career. I have been so stupid in really thinking about changing my life for him.

I choke on a sob as I think about how I was considering being a stay at home mom and giving Brad the baby he has been asking for sooner, rather than later. I often regret the time I have missed with Brielle as I have built my career over the last four years. Even without Brad I could afford to take a break. I just thought it would be better to do it with him and for our family.

This ranch is huge and Brad drove so I don’t have keys to just take off. I know Bri is in good hands. When I get far away from here I’ll text Ellerie to drop her off to me once I find a hotel to stay in. We rented out my old place just last month. Maybe my parents will take Brielle for a few days while I figure things out.

I look around frustrated and see the stables. Thinking of the horse Vernon gifted me with this evening, I head there. I snort as I think of the car Brad gave me. I would take off in it but it is blocked in by everyone else.

I slip into the stable and the calm of the horses grounds me. I head straight to Autumn, my new horse. I see a blanket outside her stall and reach for it as it has gotten cooler out. The tent for the party itself was actually heated. I wrap myself in the blanket and lean my head against Autumn’s, as I pet the side of her head. She is such a sweet horse.

“What do I do, Autumn?” I whisper. “I have never been so hurt. All of his promises mean nothing because he lied.”

I don’t know how much time goes by while I continue to plea with Autumn for answers she will never give me. I haven’t been able to stop the tears that started the moment I realized she wouldn’t be answering me and that I still don’t know how I got here.

I feel him in the stable with me before I see him. I look for the nearest exit but I am too late. He wraps his arms around me and buries his face into my hair. In that moment, I shatter. This is home for me, what do you do when your home is taken from you?

~B~

I have looked all over for Tam. I had come into the stable to grab a horse to broaden my search and cover more land. I have no idea why I didn’t think to look here first. My head is still too messed up at the thought that Tiffany and Donna would go so far to ruin my engagement party.

That video was not what it looked like, but I know that it looked a certain way to Tam and our hundreds of guests. This is all on me. I let my family down once again, but I won’t lose my woman over this. I can’t.

“Tam, baby, you have to listen to me,” I say gently into her hair.

She spins in my arms and my heart breaks even more as I see the tears soaking her face. I never want to see my baby hurting. I love this woman with everything that I am. I go to cup her face but she pulls away. I place my hands on the stall behind her and bend to place my forehead to hers as my own tears form.

“You hurt me,” she chokes out. “How could you lie to me like that?”

“I have never lied to you,” I say as my own tears start to fall. I have never cried like this, but with Tam I feel everything in the depths of my heart. This lie that I have no control over has hurt her, but it is not a lie I have told.

She scoffs and turns her face away from me. I press my forehead to the side of her face and move my arms to wrap around her. She struggles at first but I tighten my hold.

“Just leave me alone,” she whimpers.