Fuck!

Yes, how was she going to explain this? This was a bad idea coming down to meet the players. To cover for the picture that would swarm the gossip rags soon, she turned to Anthony.

"Would you take a picture with my daughter? She is such a fan. And my father and uncle are here too, they all would love to meet you guys."

"Anything for you," he said to her.

She took her phone and took pictures of Autumn with several of the players. If the media saw that they were giving several players focus, maybe there wouldn't be a big deal about Autumn hugging Rico. She had not spent any excessive time with Rico while the media was watching. She was cognizant of that when she tried talking to him privately.

"I'm sorry about this," she whispered to him, while her father and uncle met several of the players.

"I'm glad you came," he whispered back.

"Can I see you later?" she whispered.

"If you can spare any time, I would love to see you."

Some of the media aimed their cameras at them, and she quickly played it off.

"Well thanks, Mr. McGhee for being sweet to my little girl. You and the rest of the team. Congratulations on another win."

"Thank you, Ms. Foster, for stopping by."

She motioned for Vincent and Alvin to get them out of there. It was a good thing the sports media was not like paparazzi after celebrities. They did not try and follow her, they were more focused on the players. But as they walked by, she could hear someone shout out, "So which one of you is dating Tika Foster?"

She inwardly groaned, turning back to look at the crowd. She could see Rico watching her and ignoring the media. But he did not look happy.

"I think he's a nice guy. We hope he is a nice guy. I've heard good things about him," her father said. "Invite him over to dinner so your mother and I can get to know him. And we can watch a game together."

Of course her father was happy that she was dating an athlete. Someone he could watch all the sports with. 

"Uh, dad, we're kind of staying lowkey right now."

"Well, he met your kid, there's nothing lowkey about it now. And you're going to be on the news tonight and once other gossip shows hear about this, they will put it all together."

"They don't know who on the team I'm dating. It could be anyone."

At least that was her hope. Distract the media, and her fans.

She was so happy when they made it to her limo and took off without instance. Autumn would not stop talking about all the players and the games, but she knew she was over-stimulated because it was late and she was sleepy.

Once they got home, Autumn fought going to sleep, but she gave her a nice soothing bath with lavender, dried her off, put her in pjs, pinned her two braids down, wrapped her hair in a scarf and tucked her in bed.

"This was the best day ever!" she said between a yawn.

"Honey, this won't even be on your top ten list. I want to make every day special with you."

"Another game?"

"Oh, I've created a monster." She kissed her daughter's cheek. "Goodnight my love, Mommy loves you."

"I love you too."

Now that her daughter was sleep, she made it to her room and showered the long day away. She dressed in shorts and a tank top then grabbed her phone to check on Rico.

"Have you made it home yet? I am on my way."

"I just pulled up and heading inside of my place."

"I will see you in a bit."

Only Vincent drove her over to the building, and because Rico gave her the code to enter, she put it in and Vincent escorted her up to his door. Soon as Rico opened the door, she wrapped her arms around him, took his scent and inhaled.

"Sorry about today. We should not have come."

"No, I'm glad you were there. I don't like all the frenzy it caused." He rubbed her back as he closed the door. "They hounded all of us after you left about who you were dating. They wanted to talk more about that than the great game we played."

"Oh no! I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." He gave her a kiss. "I just know if we want to continue to keep this secret, we have to avoid the media."

"But I love watching you play."

"I love having you there, as long as I don't know you're there. I have performance anxiety if I know you're there. And I know it's a stupid superstition, but-"

"I get it, I get it. I will not come to another game. I will just watch you at home." That's what she would tell him, but she would secretly go to a game again. But now that the media was onto her, she had to do it more undercover.

"I don't think it's anyone's business who you date. I don't see how you have dealt with it for so long."

"Enough talk about all of that. What are we going to get into tonight? Did you cook for me again?" She walked off to his kitchen, everything still immaculate, and opened the fridge. "Oh Lord! What is this?"

"Hey, wait, don't look in there!"

But it was too late to see the madness that was inside his refrigerator. Well, the nothingness that was there. Absolutely nothing. Not even condiments on the side of the door. Not even a bottle of water. Not even a takeout container of leftovers.

"What are you, anorexic or something? You don't eat?" She was confused. She knew he did not cook that dinner, but at least he should have had some items to at least make a sandwich. Some milk for some cereal or something.

"I eat!" he said, closing the fridge door and pulling her away. "I told you I don't cook."

"But if you eat you have to have food in the house. What do you do, eat air sandwiches. Feed your belly with thoughts and hopes."

"Oh, you have jokes?"

She crossed her arms across her chest. "Well, I'm listening. Please tell me I am not dating some kind of food nazi or something. I grew up with parents that were very strict about what I ate, but this may be bananas."

"It's not like that," he said. "I have a very strict regimen as well...and I get my meals delivered to me daily from a-"

"Whoa! Really?"

"Yes, see, I know a guy that makes healthy meals catered specific to me and he delivers them as needed. I just order on the app, and then it's here when I need it."

"So you have no groceries at all?"

"I said I don't cook."

"Make a sandwich? A bowl of oatmeal? You don't even have food for a bowl of cereal. I mean, I don't cook either but my mom at least showed me the basics so I would not have to depend on others for something simple. Do you know how much money you are wasting not-"

"Not the self-made millionaire talking about my spending." He sat her on the sofa with him. "Anthony hooked me up with JeVonte and he's a personal trainer slash life coach slash nutritionist. He's a good guy and building his business. And a great cook. I don't even have to go shopping."

"What about necessities, like soap, deodorant, lotion..."

"I get it all delivered. So no, I don't really shop either."

This was all perplexing to her.

"Mmm-hmmm. But didn't your mom teach you about the basics? Boy, there is nothing there."

"No. She said it was women's work and I'd find a woman to do that for me."

She jumped up at his comment. Now her perfect guy didn't seem so perfect.

"Whoa, Tika, I'm not saying I expect you to do that or anything." He took her arm and pulled her down to his lap. "I would never ask you or any other woman to do that stuff for me, and I don't believe in that old fashion a woman's place that my parents do. I guess I'm still living that bachelor life, doing the best I can, on my own."

He was still young, so she would give him that. But his parents? Why would they raise him with that kind of thinking? And now she wondered what did he expect from her. She never minded cooking for a man, but it was the expectancy that bothered her. Besides the cooking, he at least needed some food in his house he could heat and serve.

"Are you willing to at least learn how to cook? Make your own sandwiches?"

"If that means I'm the best man for you, I will. What else do you want me to change about myself?"

She rubbed her fingers through his thick head of curls, touched his freckled cheek, then leaned in to rest her forehead on his. "Rico, I don't want you to ever change for me. Change to be a better person for you, that's it. I'm not perfect, I don't expect you to be."

"But you are perfect, perfect to me."