Through the Wire. [Lamar Jackson Fanfiction]

VII.

Around the perimeter of the cafeteria, workers were still setting up the buffet. I felt slightly out of place. All the other women here seemed to know each other, and looked years older than me. Lamar's laughs brought me back down to earth. He was playing with Layla but he became slightly concerned when he saw my face. "Ny, are you good?" I nodded.
      "Just getting used to all of this" I told him.
      "Lamar" a voice called.
      Behind me, a giant of a man wearing a #5 jersey appeared. "I wanted to introduce you to my family." A tiny woman stood behind him, with four children. "This is my wife, Dana, and my boys Stephen, Francis and Thomas. And my daughter, Evelyn." Lamar shook Dana's hand. "Lamar Jackson" he greeted. He then put an arm around me.
      "This is my girlfriend, Naya, and our daughter, Layla." I then exchanged handshakes with the pair. The man was Joe Flacco, the Ravens starting QB, who had brought a Super Bowl to Baltimore in 2013.
      "Dad, can we go play?" Joe nodded, "yeah, kiddo. Go ahead." The kids took off, and the rest of us took a seat at a nearby table. Four kids. I wonder how she does it. I definitely got "soccer-mom-in-a-mini-van" vibes from her. Dana just clicked away on her phone, not bothering to look up much of the time.
Layla squirmed in my arms. "Ok, ok, you can play too" I told her as I let her down.
Lamar and I sat and talked with the couple a while. I could tell that Lamar was soaking up everything that Joe was saying; he was his apprentice. Coming into the NFL, Lamar was taking as much advice as he could.
Layla toddled up to us, her sippy cup in her hand.
      "Daddy. Juice."
      "No juice right now, just water." Layla nodded with no rebuttal, and Lamar poured the water in her sippy cup. "Here you go, mama" he said, handing it to her. We watched her run back over to Joe's children and continue to play. Not long after, waiters began to go table to table, giving plates full of food to each family member. I sat Layla next to me, letting her have at the finger foods.
      It was weird to think that this was my life now...

.    .    .

After a day of eating lunch with Lamar and touring the Ravens' facility, I went off with Layla and ran some errands. I unlocked the front door, and let Layla enter the house before turning and locking the front door. Because of how long lunch lasted, I ended up being out later than expected. Layla was beginning to get cranky, so I had to get dinner going.
I slipped Layla's pajamas on her, and changed into some of my loungewear before going back downstairs to the kitchen. I took out pots and pans and began to make a quick dinner for the two of us.
Layla sat down playing with her dolls. "Shh, shh" she said, patting her doll baby's back. "Is the baby crying, Lay?" She nodded. "Baby, sad." I turned my attention back to the taco meat, and rice. Once I finished, I put the meat and rice onto soft tortillas and added toppings. I sat Layla's plate on the table and danced as she ate her food.
The front door jiggled then opened.
"Lamar?"
I walked in the living room as he slipped off his muddy Nike's by the door. "How was practice?" "I'm tired as fuck" he answered with a groan "Well, I made quesadillas, your favorite-" "I'm good, Nay." He walked past him, and I scrunched up my nose at the smell of must and sweat that trailed behind him.
   Layla smiled from her highchair.
"Daddy!"
He kissed her forehead. "Hey, baby girl!" He put his water bottle in the fridge, and then shoved one of the quesadillas off my plate into his move. "Hey!" I snapped, reaching for my plate, that he now moved above his head. "Too slow, shorty."
By time,  Layla finished eating, Lamar had already showered and gotten in bed. I, then took my own shower, and followed suit, getting into the queen size bed and turning off the lights.