Page 33 of Caught Stealing Your Heart
I couldn’t see myself with anyone but her.
“Oh, wow!” Paisley exclaimed, bouncing in her seat.
“What is it?”
She tossed her phone over to me, and what I saw blew my mind. I massaged my beard as I looked over Leilani’s post on FameVsYou, announcing her exhibit with Blaque. That wasn’t what stood out to me. She thanked Brandon and me for allowing it to happen, explaining it was the reason the photo of why she and Brandon got out. It wasn’t anything regarding their relationship. It was all about business.
I glanced up at Paisley who was happily tapping her fingers together. “If you would’ve had a simple conversation with her, you would’ve known.”
“You’re right.”
“Now, how are you going to get your woman back? There’s no need in reinstating a contract that obviously doesn’t mean anything to either of you. You and Leilani are falling in love with one another, Banks. Don’t let her slip through your fingers again.”
“I don’t understandwhy you won’t reach out to Boss, Leilani. Y’all need to talk,” Willow encouraged, handing me a glass of wine and sitting next to Mamie.
“I agree with Willow. You got us in here watching this man play when we could be there live and seeing all the action. When have we ever watched any sport together besides basketball?” Mamie questioned, nudging me with her elbow.
I waved them off and kept my focus on Banks. He was pitching and doing quite well. So far, he’d only walked one person, had three hits off him, and struck out two. They only needed one more out until the ninth inning. He was at full count with his pitching, so he needed a strike.
“Strrriiike!”
“Yes!” I cheered, jumping up and almost spilling my wine. It had been the best game he played since he ended our contract, and I was beyond proud of him.
Willow snickered. “I don’t know what happened, but apparently it was good for you to be jumping up like that.”
“I haven’t seen him play like this in weeks, so I’m glad he’s finally getting his head back in the game.”
“So, you’ve watched all his games since the breakup?” Mamie inquired.
I sat down and hunched my shoulders. “I’ve grown to love baseball, especially watching Banks play. But to answer your question, yes. I have.”
Regardless of the space we were in and how we ended, I still wanted to support Banks. He had done so much for me that it was the least I could do. While I was still in my feelings about how he’d basically left me in the dust, there was something in me that wouldn’t allow me to turn my back on him just yet. Maybe it was because I needed to thank him personally for getting my name in a room.
“I think you’ve grown to love more than baseball,” Willow stated. “Tell me something, Leilani. If Banks wanted to mend things without a contract, would you accept?”
“Without a second thought.”
“Why?”
“He’d shown me more in the almost three months we were together than any man ever has. He was intentional with the way he treated me. Off rip, he kept his word to our contract, inside and outside of the media. That was how I knew he truly cared for me. There were times I tried to test him and push him away, letting him know he didn’t need to do all the extra when it was only the two of us, but he was consistent. His consistency allowed me to become comfortable with being vulnerable too, doing things out of the ordinary. I ended up falling for him, hard.I did, which is why I wish he would’ve talked to me before ending the contact. If he had, then he would’ve known me being with Brandon was business.”
When I saw the pictures of Brandon and I circulating around the media, I figured that was the reason Banks did what he did. The images were extremely deceitful. They showed when he held my hand, us smiling at one another, and us hugging before departing. Everything between us seemed far more intimate than it truly was.
I despised how the media could misconstrue things, but not more than Banks’s lack of communication. He wasted no time blocking me from everything, including his life. Everything caught me off guard that I didn’t know how to react, other than accepting it all. It was the hardest pill I’d ever tried to swallow dry.
Mamie draped her arm around my neck and pulled me into her, placing a soft kiss to my temple. “You know what you need to do, right?”
“What?”
“Get your man back, sis. Do a pop-up on his ass or something. Force him to talk to you so you can explain yourself.”
Willow clapped her hands. “You better let her know, Mae! I was about to tell her the same thing. I want to say don’t let that man get away, but he’s the one missing out on the prize with you. If you don’t want to lose his fine ass, go get his fine ass. Show him what he’s been missing out on and how dead his life would be without you. You added that sparkle to his life, cousin. I’ve never seen that man glow the way he did with you.”
“Okay! Even his fans were saying the thing. It’s obvious you brought out the best in him, and he brought out something in you too, Leilani. Something I haven’t seen in a long time. Something I love seeing on you, so take some time to thinkthings over. I say go for it,” Mamie finalized, kissing my temple once more before letting me go.
She and Willow had great points. Banks did bring something out of me I’d buried deep inside after me and Brandon broke up. He gave me a glimpse of the love I desired the love I didn’t realize I yearned for.
My phone vibrated against my leg. It was a private message notification from Paisley, inviting me to have dinner with her. She wanted to talk about Banks. It took me hours to think things over, wondering why she would reach out instead of him, but I eventually agreed. She and Banks were close, so if anyone could speak for him, it was her. I just hoped it would put things in perspective for me to where I could move on. If not, I wasn’t quite sure what I would do.
