Her and the Basketball Champion

bonus chapter

Eliza

"I'm telling you, just trust me on this okay?" I try not to snort out loud, but Jonas knows me too well by now and he can sense the oncoming laugh that's about to burst out of me at his words.

He's smart enough to just roll his eyes and ignore it though. "Yeah yeah, let's see what happens after the fifty other times you've told me to trust you." I reply, trying but failing to keep the smirk off of my face.

It's been seven years since Maha was born and I'm basically a 29 year old granny because I have terrible back problems.

It also might be because of the ton of weight I'm carrying on my belly right now. Yeah, Maha has another sibling coming along which means that Jonas is cooking and cleaning and taking care of all the chores like a good man.

You can only imagine how tragic that gets, though. Once he made a rice dish and he accidentally put three tablespoons of cinnamon in it thinking it was garlic powder. I honestly don't get why he thought they were the same because the two have a very distinct sense of smell and look to them, and after our almost two hour debate on that matter he finally relented and ordered a takeaway, all the while grumbling about how cinnamon in rice is legendary.

I'm blaming his white boy taste buds for that one.

I only have a week until my due date and I'm really hoping the baby doesn't come early. Maha was early but only by a few days so it's not that much of a big deal.

"Come on." Jonas mumbles as he stirs the pot with mysterious ingredients. He claimed - after I had threatened to break his big toe if he didn't make me food (blame the cravings and mood swings for the aggressiveness) - that he had a special recipe he wanted to try out that would make me feel calm.

It smells horrible and I'm betting on my unborn baby's only strand of hair that it tastes just as bad.

"Just tell me what it is. Maybe I can point you in the right direction." I shrug and attempt to slide off the barstool, but he puts a hand out to stop me, still facing the hob.

"No no, I got it. It's almost done babe." It's never going to be done with the way it's smelling of a rotten mattress, not that I've ever smelt a rotten mattress before.

I shudder at the thought and continue to stare at my husbands back, admiring the luck I have at being able to keep him. He hasn't changed one bit from when we were seventeen except for the fact that now his jokes have become infinitely worse.

He wears his glasses more because I love them and I always joke about him role playing as a dilf teacher. Of course it's only a joke because.. yeah whatever.

"Mum! Where's the remote?" Maha's jumpy footsteps thunder down the stairs and into the kitchen. She stops right in front of me, chest puffing from her mini marathon.

"No TV yet. Me and you are going to try your dads infamous special recipe." I'm happy to say that my daughter looks almost exactly like her dad with the perfect blue eyes and Cheshire smile that melts me whenever I see it. The only thing she seems to have inherited from me is my doc obsession and dark hair. I'm proud to call her my daughter because anyone who hates on Docs has no place in this household. Jonas knows that firsthand after he threw my oldest pair out the house for a, and I quote 'joke'.

"But I'm gonna miss my show and-"

"Remotes under the sofa baby." Jonas the traitor says, and I fake glare at him when he sends a sheepish smile over his shoulder at me.

"Thanks dad, love you." She grins and kisses his check before scurrying off into the living room.

I tried way to hard to get Maha to not call us mum and dad and instead resort to the old way I called my parents, but she always struggled with pronunciation. Probably because Jonas used to whisper 'dad' in her ear every night until that was the only word she knew until she was three years old.

"You spoil her way to much. Don't blame me when her eyes become rectangles because the girl sits way too close to the TV." I say, leaning my elbows on the counter behind me.

Jonas turns off the gas and places the lid over the pan before walking towards me. He places a protective hand in the centre of my stomach and rests his forehead against mine, a small smile playing on his lips.

Even after so long I still get nervous when he comes close to me, never tiring of the fluttery feeling inside of me when he touches me. It all still feels so surreal, but I wouldn't change a thing for the world.

"Forgive me for trying to spend some time alone with my wife." He kisses the side of my head, and I wrap my arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer to me.

My second baby stops him from ever getting too close because whenever he tries to kiss me he bumps into my belly so he ends up having to stick his ass in the air just to avoid it. It's the best sight if I had ever seen one.

"You spend time with me literally 24/7."

"Sue me for still being obsessed even after twelve years. You caught me that day on the basketball pitch and I will forever be happy for it." All those memories from our school days are still as bright and vivid in my eyes as if they had only happened yesterday.

After we got married, I ended up writing a book really similar to our love story and thanks to Jonas and his - well my - business, it was easy for me to publish it and get it out there.

Now it sits on a shelf in our bedroom and sometimes at night we re-read scenes together. Kind of stupid but I guess nothing has changed at all because he still likes to watch me read.

"Mhm. You were so whipped." I say, running my fingers through his still silk black hair.

It still startles me sometimes how beautiful he is, like when I wake up in the morning and see his face sleeping next to mine or when he's doing such a simple activity like brushing his teeth.

"And I'm proud to admit it. Trust me, I knew from day one, and all those other times you tried to run from me, that I would eventually marry you and have kids with you. You're still so gorgeous." He whispers the last part before planting a soft kiss on my lips, the intimate contact sending fireworks shooting through my body. I think the baby felt it too if the small little kick I get in response says anything.

"Me and the Basketball Champion. Who would've thought."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

PEOPLE I'M BACK WITH THE FINAL BONUS CHAPTER.

I honestly could resist and it's all because of my attachment issues that I had to revive Eliza and Jonas. I just missed them way too much to be true and I needed this last thing.

I still know I'll miss them because they were my first ever couple and ugh it's so hard to leave them after so long.

I wanted to thank all of you again because y'all don't know what it means to have you as supporters and lovers of this book, just like me. So thank you and I love you so much.

-A