"Well grandma avó," I sigh into the speaker as the phone lays between my head and balances on my shoulder. "Thank you so much for the help. Hopefully it's all cooked so she doesn't end up with food poisoning before the game."

-grandma

Today was a big day for me and the guys. Scouts were coming from different teams to check us out. And not only that, but we played Stanford today as well, one of the teams that was doing just as good as we were this year.

In the crowd would be a scout from the Warriors coming to check us out today and I needed to perform my best in order to get on their radar if I wasn't already.

" Boa sorte no jogo, Carson. Estaremos torcendo por você daqui." My grandma wishes me luck as I turn the stove off." Nós te amamos."

-Good luck at the game, Carson. We'll be cheering you on over here. We love you."

" Eu também amo vocês." I blew a kiss towards the screen as she waved goodbye. I tapped the end call option on the screen before turning to the breakfast I had cooked for her.

-I love you guys too.

I made her cheesy eggs and Pao de Queijo.

Cheese puffs were my favorite part of waking up on Sundays when I visited New York for the summers. My grandmother made them for me every Sunday when I visited after basketball camp.

Hopefully I didn't fuck it up, lord knows I needed my lucky charm cheering me on today more than ever.

If I choked at this game, that would be it for me. Everything that I worked hard and dreamed for would be over.

I needed to give more than 100% this game.

The soft patter of her feet alerted me that she was awake. I turned around with the pan of eggs and spatula as she took a seat at the bar.

" You cooked?" She asked as she hesitantly grabbed a cheese puff. I feigned offense as she bit into the warm bread, waiting for her reaction.

Her eyes widened as she chewed," This is actually really good," she compliments as she picks the bread apart and pops another piece into her mouth.

This is a good sign— She isn't running to the bathroom with her hand over her mouth so maybe I did something correct.

And made the right decision to call my grandmother and not my mother.

" I know that it's not much," I say as I place half of the eggs onto her plate. " I don't know how to cook at all. Kyler and Haze usually do the cooking, I do the eggs."

I only knew how to make eggs but they were some good ass eggs if I do say so myself.

" It's delicious," she shoves another forkful of eggs into her mouth before raising her eyes to me. " What did you put in them?"

" If I told you that I would have to kill you," I winked as I sat on the stool next to her. I gripped her stool, pulling it closer to me by the legs and gripping her thighs once she's close. I place them on top of mine as she scoots a little closer to the edge of the chair.

" So Valentine's day is next monday," I look at her as she stuffs her mouth with another cheese puff. " Got any plans for that specific date?" I questioned as she slowly raised her gaze.

Ayanna shrugs as she swallows," Depends on if my super hot future NBA player boyfriend asks me out. As of right now that date is looking pretty empty."

" We'll maybe you should pencil that date in for a special night with your future NBA player boyfriend," I grin as her eyes shimmer in excitement.

" And what does my future NBA player boyfriend have in mind?" She questioned as I massaged the insides of her bare thighs. Ayanna reached out and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me in closer as I slid off of the stool.

I nuzzled her neck with my nose as I wrapped her legs around my waist, "Now why would I want to ruin that surprise that I have in store for you?" I whisper as she throws her head back.

" You know that I hate surprises," she whined as I chuckled into her neck.

" You're— going— to—love— this —one." I press a kiss to a different spot of her neck between each word as she giggles. " Now let's eat so we can make it to the game on time." I slapped the side of her thigh as we pulled away from each other. Ayanna happily twisted in the stool and began to eat as I admired her.

The sun shone through the windows casting a golden glow down on her skin. Her hair was thrown into a loose bun, she wore one of my old tee shirts, and a smile graced her lips.

" You're staring," she says.

" No," I start to correct. " I'm admiring."

_______________

" You five," Coach Z yelled at me and the guys." Get over here," he says yelling us over to him before we walk out onto the court. We jog lightly over to him, huddling around him as he holds the clipboard before scanning the other players.

" Campbell!" Derrick turns around, eyes widened as if he just had a mini heart attack. Once he got over the shock, he stepped away from his water bottle and made his way towards us.

" Okay now that you all are here," Coach starts once Derrick pushes his way between Marcus and Kyler. "There are scouts here tonight looking at you six," he stresses as he looks us each in the eye.

" You guys are fantastic players with lots of potential and they know it. All you have to do is go out on that court tonight and show them that they need you on their teams."

" Make them remember you, don't screw this up, he says before dismissing us to the court. "

I could feel my nerves start to raise as I scanned the crowd, searching for that smile that gave me the push that I needed. I spotted her sitting just behind my mom with the girls. They had both been too engrossed with whatever they were talking about to notice my stare. My father on the other hand noticed and waved at me.

I waved at him as I took my spot on the court. I faced the Captain of Stanford's team for the tip off and prepared to play my ass off tonight.

By the first half Stanford was ahead only by a slim lead. My nerves were getting the best of me by the time we started the first half of the second quarter.

" You good?" Abel asked as he appeared next to me.

" No," I turned to him." Are you good?"

Abel chuckled as we waited for the whistle to blow." I'm shitting bricks right now but I know that we got this," he turns to me with a cocky grin." We are the dream team after all, right?"

I returned the grin as my nerves settled down a little. My eyes searched the court for the rest of our friends, finding them in their positions as we prepared to steal the game.

Even though our nerves were off of the charts, I knew that they wouldn't allow them to push them off of their A- game. We would try to steal this game with everything in us to prove to those scouts that we deserved to be on their team.

As soon as the whistle blew, a team player on Stanford gunned for the ball. He dribbled it towards his end of the court and attempted a dunk, only to get blocked by Marcus.

Marcus made quick work of stealing the ball and passing it to Kyler. I waved my arms signaling that I was open since no one was guarding me. Kyler threw the ball towards me and once it was in my grasp, I booked it for the three point line.

I squared slightly before aiming the ball and letting it fly from my fingertips. The ball traveled through the air, hit the backboard, and fell into the net.

" That's what I'm talking about baby!" Kyler fist bumped me as he ran backwards, spinning around and jogging at my pace towards the other end of the court.

As the clock dwindled down, our score went up.

We each played our best and worked our strengths this game, doing whatever it took to secure a win and look good for those scouts.

During the fourth quarter the coach pulled us within the last few minutes of the game, letting some other players get some time in as we took a moment to catch our breath.

We won with a score of 113-104. It was a close game but we played our asses off to secure that win.

" You did so good, wonderbread!" Ayanna mumbled into the crook of my neck as I smothered her in a hug. Her hands rubbed at my back as I rocked us from side to side.

I pulled back slightly from the hug to see her smiling up at me proudly. I returned the smile before bending down and connecting our lips together, once and then twice. She smiled bigger into the kiss as I rubbed the tip of my nose against hers and backed away.

" Yuck!" Dominic playfully gagged as he approached us with our mothers.

" Now Dominic." Ayanna's tone was one of warning as she wrapped her arms around her mothers neck. " How is it that you and Rhegan star—"

Dominic was quick to cover her mouth as my mom and Raven all of a sudden took interest in their banter." I mean y'all are so cute," he forced a smile onto his face as he glared at Ayanna." My favorite couple on this whole planet that we call earth."

I choked on my laughter as my mother nodded her head slowly." Uh-huh," she said unconvinced as she turned on her heels to me, letting Raven handle the two.

" Meu bebê." I leaned into my mom's palms as she reached for my cheeks. A ghost of a smile formed on my lips as I leaned into her touch.

-my baby

I was a momma's boy and I wasn't ashamed of it either.

My dad was cool and all but I was a momma's boy through and through.

" You did amazing today," she stood on her toes, pulling me down a little more to reach her height to allow her to kiss both cheeks. " We're so proud of you," she whispered as I wrapped my arms around her body.

" Obrigado,mamãe," I thanked her as I squeezed her waist, " I try my best to make you guys proud."

- thank you, momma

" You always make us proud son." My father made his presence known as he clapped my back.

I pulled away from the hug with my mom and greeted my father. " Hey dad!" I grinned as he clasped the back of my neck, smiling widely as he brought his forehead to mine.

" You did good, son! You did amazing!"

Hearing those words from my parents made me happier than winning a damn game or impressing scouts. All I ever wanted to do was make them proud of me.

" You went out there and left it all on the court. If those scouts don't see your talent then they are..." he pauses to think on his words." How do you kids say... buggin?"

" No," I shook my head as my fathers eyes twinkled in amusement. " You do not use the word buggin ever again," I chastised him as the group around us laughed.

" What's wrong with buggin?" Jax spoke in defense of his best friend." Albeit buggin is a funny word to use-" Dominic shook his head as Jax tried to make sense of the word itself.

" If you don't understand the meaning of why people say buggin," Dominic spoke to Jax. " Then you don't need to use it father," he poked the tip of Jax's nose, earning a playful side nudge from his father.

"We're just trying to keep up with the times like your mother suggested." My father shrugged as my mom smiled proudly at him listening to her advice. He pressed a kiss to her forehead as she snaked an arm around his waist.

A love like theirs— that's what I strive for with Ayanna.

Sure they weren't perfect, and they had their moments from time to time. But they always found healthy ways of fixing their issues to improve their problems and relationship.

We all stood in the circle talking a little bit longer before rushing off into the locker rooms to get ready for the dinner plans that we had tonight with our family and the girls. As we walked out of the locker room, the coach pulled us aside once again and motioned for us to join him in his office.

I sat in the chair in front of his desk, every nerve in my body was in a frenzy as he sat with an unreadable expression gracing his face.

I exchanged looks with the guys, most of whom were nervously chewing on the inside of their cheeks, or biting on their nail beds in anticipation for what he was about to say.

A smile— a real fucking smile broke out a coach ax's face as he clapped his hands and stood up from his chair." I've got to hand it to you six," he chuckled as he rounded the desk. " You really showed your fucking asses out on that court and impressed every single scout that came out tonight."

I let out a sigh of relief as an uncontainable smile spread across my face as I tried to contain the excitement that blew replaced the nervousness I'd felt all day.

" The scouts that came out tonight were more than impressed with your performances," he leaned against his desk, crossing his arms as his demeanor became serious once again. " But keep in mind that they are always watching. You guys always put 110% in your work ethic on the court, but I need you guys to push yourselves just as hard as we come down to the final stretch of the season."

We had lost only a few games this season. And even then those games were a close call, only losing by a few points off. But we still had enough wins to make the playoffs this year.

" You guys did great tonight," Coach complimented once more. " Now, go out and celebrate with your families, but don't overdo it because I don't want to hear Collin's yapping."

The boys and I chuckled at the hand motions Coach made as he rounded his desk again. " Thanks Coach!" We replied as we shuffled out of his room.

It wasn't until we were out in the parking lot did we all lose control.

" Fuck yes baby!" Marcus yelled as we jumped around, celebrating the news of the scouts being impressed.

" We did it boys!" I laughed as we all embraced in a group hug. " We're one step closer to being in the NBA!" We jumped around in the hug until we heard the clearing of a throat.

Our heads lifted as we took notice of the girls and our family staring at us in amusement. " Well I take it that the news was good," Skylar teased as she crossed her arms expectantly.

We quickly dispersed from the hug, clearing our throats as we stood straight. " Yeah, yeah," Kyler played cool as if they didn't see us have a huge moment together. " The news was good," he tried to downplay it as if it was no big deal.

The girls smiled broadly as we tried to play it cool in front of them.

" Ahhh!" Elizabeth took us all by surprise as she took a running start off to Abel and jumped into his arms." I'm so proud of you," she said as the girls walked over to us with smiles. " So— so— proud." Abel grinned as she showered his face with kisses.

Skylar was being squished by both Marcus and Kyler's bodies as they embraced in a hug.

Rhegan held Dominic's face as his arm pulled her body close to his. She smiled brightly, closing her eyes as he pressed a kiss just above her brow.

Sade was wrapped in Derrick's arms as the two rocked back and forth.

He had finally stopped leaving her on read after she marched into his room and ripped him a new one a few days ago. He was quick to get in line after she reminded him that she could have any other guy on campus, and that he should be grateful that she was even gracing him with her presence after his petty behavior.

It was very funny to hear him chase after her as she attempted to leave the house. At one point I started to believe that he was on his knees the way he was begging for her to stay.

" So my future NBA player boyfriend is one step closer to making his dreams come true, I see." My girlfriend stood in front of me expectantly.

" That is correct," I say, pulling her closer to me as she runs her fingers through my hair.

" I'm so proud of you," she whispers as her hands trail to my neck, lazily wrapping her arms around them as we step closer into each other's space.

My heart warms at knowing that all the people I cared about were proud of me. My body was buzzing with uncontainable happiness as I got to share this joy with my friends and family.

And having my friends share the same experience as me made it all the more better. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to go through this journey with.

" I'm so happy and grateful to have you," I expressed as she tilted her head to the side. " And to hear you say that you're proud of me makes me feel like one of the happiest men alive right now, because that's all I ever want to do..."

" Is to make you proud." The sun beat down on my face as it began to lower, Ayanna pulled my face down to her and kissed me slowly. It was of as if she were at a loss for words and were expressing them through the kiss right now.

" You always make me proud, Carson," she whispers against my lips. " I'm proud to call you my boyfriend and my best friend. There's nothing that you could do that would ever change that."

And that was when I knew— that was when I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this girl.

" I love you," I say.

But there aren't enough words to express how much I love her. There aren't enough words to express every emotion that runs through my body when I see her. There aren't enough words to express how much I fear the thought of losing her.

Ayanna is my everything.

" I love you too," she rasps as I press my chin against her forehead. She removed her arms from my neck and squeezed them in between mine, placing them on back as she pulled my body closer to hers.

And as we stay like that, a black cadillac pulls up in front of us. Ayanna turns in my hold, leaning into my side as we all turned our attention to the doors of the black truck opening.

Out walks Taylor Clarke in casual clothing, a gleaming rolex in his wrist as he smiles at his daughter. Rhegan's mouth drops as immediately runs towards her father as he awaits her with open arms.

" Hi dad!" She squeezed him tightly as smiles grew on our faces.

The sound of the second door closing caught our attention as another man rounded the SUV. He too was dressed in casual clothing, he was tall, had tanned skin that seemed to glow as the sun kissed it, and he spotted a big grin for a certain brunette in the circle.

He opened his arms as Jora stood still, it was as if she was staring at a ghost. " Well are you just going to stand there or are you going to greet your old man?"

Old man.

" It's Gabriel Sanchez," Haze whispered in disbelief as we stared at the man in front of us.

Jora's bottom lip quivered as she off for her father. Her body slammed into his on impact as he wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off of the ground slightly.