I stood at the bottom of the stairs with Bryce and Savannah, waiting for Bronny. His barber had just left a few minutes ago, and now he was upstairs freshening up for the game. The house was calm, but I could feel a shift in the energy—a good one. It felt like Bronny was finally stepping out of the darkness he'd been stuck in.
Savannah turned to me with a soft smile. "Thank you," she said gently. "For everything. I know this hasn't been easy... but you being here—it's helped him more than you realize."
I smiled back. "Of course. I care about him... a lot."
She gave me a little side hug, her eyes warm. "He's super lucky to have a girl like you around. Strong, patient, and grounded. That baby boy's gonna have an amazing mama."
I blushed a little, brushing some hair behind my ear. "Thank you, Mrs. James. That means a lot coming from you."
We stood there for a moment, chatting with Bryce about the game and how packed the arena was probably going to be tonight. Bryce kept checking his phone, probably keeping up with the pre-game buzz.
Then, we heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
We all turned, and there he was—Bronny. He looked like a completely different person. His hair was freshly braided and lined up perfectly. The overgrown beard was trimmed and shaped, and his brown skin was glowing, like he'd finally taken a breath of fresh air. He wore a white tee shirt with a purple sweater around his neck, grey jeans, and some glasses. Simple, but clean. Confident. Fresh.
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Savannah gasped and put her hand on her chest. "Oh my goodness... look at you!" she said, her voice light and happy. "You look like my son again!"
Bronny chuckled softly, walking down the rest of the steps. "Yeah... I'm feeling better."
He looked over at me and smiled. It was the first real smile I'd seen on him in a while, and it made my chest feel warm.
"You ready?" he asked me.
I nodded. "Let's do it."
Their driver pulled up shortly after, and we all climbed into the SUV. Bryce sat in the front, while Bronny and I sat in the back. The ride to Crypto.com Arena wasn't too long, but the city lights made it feel even more exciting. Bronny sat beside me, his hand resting close to mine, and even though he wasn't talking much, his energy was lighter. He was slowly coming back to himself.
•••
When we arrived, Bronny went off with the team to sit on the bench, and Bryce and I found our court side seats. The crowd was electric, camera flashes going off, music booming, fans cheering.
I sat back in my seat and glanced toward the bench. Bronny was there, talking to his teammates. He was present, and that's all that mattered.
I shifted in my seat, trying not to look too awkward sitting next to Bryce again. This was the second time today we'd been alone together for more than five minutes, and I couldn't lie—it still felt a little weird. We didn't really know each other like that. But this time, he wasn't just sitting in silence.
