Page 93 of Impending Consent

"Discovery on the case of me?"

She rolled her eyes. "More like getting to know my husband."

The words hit different. The term husband still felt new when she said it, especially since she’d stopped saying it with that damn sarcastic tone, like it was all a big fucking joke.

I pulled into the parking lot near the basketball courts, which were already busy with pickup games, even this early. The familiar sounds of bouncing balls and shit talking brought back memories.

"I spent more time here than at home during the summers," I told her after we were out of the car and leaning against it. “My mom would pack lunches, drop me off in the morning, and pick me up when she got off work. Said it kept me out of trouble."

"Did it?"

"I plead the fifth." I grinned. "But trust, trouble can find you no matter where you are.”

"Hassan! That you, fam?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see someone jogging toward us from the courts with a wide smile spreading across his face. It took me a minute to place him then I grinned.

"Jason Phillips.” I pushed away from the car and met him halfway for a complicated handshake I shouldn’t have remembered. "Damn, how long has it been?"

"Too damn long." Jason followed me back to the car where Sailor was waiting. “I see life has been treating you right."

"Can't complain." I turned to include Sailor. "Jason, this is my wife, Sailor. Sailor, this is Jason. We played ball together all through high school."

"Wife? Damn, hold up, hold up. Mr. I’ll Never Settle Down is married?"

Sailor stepped forward, extending her hand. "Nice to meet you, Jason."

"Same." He shook her hand, then turned back to me with a grin. "Damn, sure didn’t see that coming."

"People change.” I leaned against the car and pulled Sailor into my chest, hooking my arm around her waist. Jason leaned in the spot next to us.

"Some things don't, though." Jason motioned to the courts with a toss of his chin.

“Yeah I see that. I figured they would be out here.”

“Just like we used to be. Sunup to sundown. You want to hear some crazy shit though?”

“What’s up?”

“That’s Wilson’s grandson.”

“Coach Wilson?”

He nodded and I chuckled, shaking my head. “That shit is crazy.”

“Very fucking crazy. We’re old as shit.”

I grinned. “Yeah we are.”

“You remember Coach Wilson's face when you dunked on Darnell Smith? Senior year, championship game? He was mad as fuck.We play technique ball, Hassan. Not that street stuff.”

"How the fuck could I forget? He benched me forshowing offeven though we were up by twenty and it didn’t matter."

"Wait," Sailor interrupted, looking between us. "You dunked on someone in a championship game and got benched for it?"

"Yeah, shit wasn’t fair either. It wasn’t even that serious."

"Excessive? Bruh, you hung on the rim, pointed at Darnell, and did his signature celebration move right in his face! Coach had to bench you before a fight broke out."

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