Page 11 of What I Needed

Our eyes locked for a moment, and she didn’t look away. Her words were genuine and heartfelt, and she was right. She could be insane, and I’d invited her into my daughter’s life with almost no second thought.

“You’re right. Thank you for this.” I held the papers up.

“You’re welcome. Have your lawyer or somebody run a background check or something if you want. I just want you to know that your gut instincts are right . . . this time.”

“Maybe I will. Here’s some cash, a credit card, and the keys to the SUV that’s in the garage in case you need to go anywhere.”

“Umm, I have a car.”

“Yeah, and from the way it looks, I’m surprised you’ve made it here as many times as you have. If I didn’t think you would’ve been offended, I would’ve given you one of my other cars the first time you came over.”

She gasped and pushed me with her free hand.

“For your information, my car is in great condition.”

“It might be, but if you take my daughter anywhere, use the SUV. I gotta go. See you later, baby girl. Be good for Ms. Erissa.”

I leaned in to kiss her forehead, and she gave me a toothless grin. It was crazy how attached I was to her already.

“We didn’t think you’d show up,” Boris said, followed by a laugh.

“Why wouldn’t I show up?”

“Because you may have come to your senses and realized you shouldn’t leave your daughter with the nanny you found in that hole in the wall.”

“I’ve been vetting her for the past two weeks.”

“You don’t even know the name of the restaurant you found her in. What will you tell the cops if she runs off with her?” Jaxon joked.

Desmond laughed before saying, “Your baby and all the rest of your shit gon’ be gone by the time you get home.”

Boris and Jaxon joined Desmond in a fit of laughter. I didn’t find shit funny, so I walked away and headed to the room where our first meeting of the day was held. Regardless of what they thought, Erissa was a good person, and I felt comfortable with my decision.

The day dragged, and by three o’clock, I was tapped out. I barely retained any of the information shared, but it was typically the same each year, so I was good. Media Day was tomorrow morning, and practice would officially start the day after.

“What are you about to get into?” Jaxon asked.

“Nothing. I need to get home.”

“Baby girl already got you rushing home from work,” Boris teased.

“Nah. He wants to get home to make sure ole girl ain’t stole his baby and the rest of his shit,” Desmond said.

For the second time today, they burst into laughter at my expense.

“Remember all the shit y’all talking when y’all get caught up in some shit,” I told them before leaving the building.

As soon as my vehicle started and my Bluetooth connected, I called Erissa. I was tempted to text her a few times but figured if she needed something, she would reach out.

“Hello.”

“How’s Riverlynn?”

“She just woke up from a nap. Are you headed home?”

“Yeah. Do you need me to pick up anything?” I asked.

“No, I had some groceries delivered that should last the whole week. Your fridge was damn near empty. I hope that’s okay, and that I chose things you like.”