Page 126 of Don Caselli

“I know that. You know that I’m not saying it because it feels nice, either, right?”

He softly kissed my forehead. “I believe you’re my person, Bleu. My purpose, and I want to spend my life making sure that you feel and know that. That everything that you want, I want those things with you.”

I put my arms around his neck and kissed his lips. “You’re not dying, right?”

He chuckled. “Say it, Bleu.”

Kissing his ear, I said, “I love you, Landon Caselli.”

He melted in my arms hearing me profess my love to him. It made me feel powerful knowing that my words could do that to him. “Love you, too, Pooh.”

“I’m only your Pooh, right?”

“Only mine, baby.” He kissed my lips.

“Now tell me what’s going on, please. My heart can’t take this.” I rushed him because I felt like I was about to pass out.

“I recently bought the Sonics basketball team.”

The words left his mouth, but they were having trouble landing so I could understand what he was saying. “Like as in purchased?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“Are you fucking with me?”

“Nah… me and Menace went in and decided to buy it.”

I sat on his lap trying to wrap my head around how someone could be so rich they could decide to purchase an NBA team. “And that’s how much pussy makes?”

“Navy!”

“I’m sorry, baby, I’m trying to wrap my head around this… feel like you’re joking with me or something.”

“Papers are right here… wire went through, we own the team. I wanted to talk to you about getting your signature.”

“For what?”

“I made you 25 percent owner of the team. Menace and Stevie own the other 50 percent,” he revealed. “Navy, what the fuck is you doing?”

I slid from his lap onto the floor and covered my ears. “No, you didn’t just say that… no, no, no,” I said, while rocking because those words didn’t just leave his mouth.

I was imagining it, and we were talking about him being a pimp, not the fact that he bought a whole basketball team and made me co-owner of it. Landon stood up from the chair, pushing it away, and getting on the floor with me.

“Why you on the floor… come here,” he pulled me over toward him and kissed my face. “Talk to me.”

“Landon, why would you do that? I don’t deserve that… this is your family’s legacy, not mine.”

Kissing my neck softly, he wrapped his arms around me. “Don’t know if you picking up what I’m putting down. I eventually want my family’s legacy to be yours… eventually wanna change that last name to Caselli, Pooh.”

I held his face. “I’m not against that… but giving me a damn basketball team. No, I cannot accept that. Why would you even do that? I’m not signing it… I love you because of you. The jets and everything are nice, but that’s not why I’m here.”

“You wanna know why?”

“Yes.”

“You said you wanted to retire your family, that is your dream, Bleu. Your family is important to you and that was one of the first things I learned about you. You would never take the money or allow me to do it myself, so this is a way for you to do that. Retire your family… take care of them.”

Tears poured down my face as I stared up into his. He could have bought me a car, or even another purse and that would have been way too much, but I would have accepted it because it was a gift.

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