But Who's Counting?

Chapter Twenty-Three

"My coach says I'm one of the best players. I can shoot threes and the boys can't even do that." Maya said from the backseat while she patted her basketball in hands.

We were on our way to her basketball game which she was excited for since it was the championship. She would be playing the best boys team on the east coast and if she won, she would then be playing for the best boys team.

She had been talking about it, nonstop.

"Well, are you ready to play?" Alexander said, pulling into the parking lot. He quickly pulled into a space while Maya chanted about how ready she was.

"You gonna score?"

"I sure am!"

"You gonna defend?"

"I sure am!"

"Are you gonna help show them who the best team really is?"

"I sure am! Are we gonna go get ice cream afterwards?" Maya said, repeating it in the same voice Alex was asking his questions.

"We sure are!" He laughed. I chuckled to myself before turning around and seeing Maya unbucklinbher seatbelt and doing a weird dance that consisted over her rollin her hips and failing her arms around. She stuck out her tongue and shuck her head around while Alex praised her. She spun around in the tight space before leaning forward and turning the music up. She opened her car door, hoping out and continuing her dance. Alex and I laughed. He opened his door, screaming 'yeah baby! That's my babygirl!' while Maya continued her silly dance. She put her hand up and Alex slapped it before twirling her around. They then both danced robotically before locking ankles and jumping in a circle. They then high five again before laughing loudly. She climbed back into the car quickly to grab her basketball before slamming the door.

Alexander stuck his head into the car and took the keys out the ignition. "Come on!" He said, a bright smile on his face. As if his smile was contagious, I opened the door and slid out. Closing the door behind me, I walked to wear Maya was holding her basketball and Alex stood beside her with his #8 jersey T-shirt. 'Parker' was printed above the giant 8.

"I do that before every game! It's good luck! We always win when I do that!" She said, bouncing the ball as we walked to the arena.

"I did like it. I think you'll win either way though." I said, confident in my words. Alexander agreed before waving to a small group of kids who were wearing a matching jersey to Maya's. The boys all waved back before running towards Maya who was too busy dribbling a ball to notice them. As the kids all talked and walked, I turned to Alex.

"I liked your lil' dance." I smiled. He ran a hair through his already messy hair. He sparkling white smile could make me melt in this hot ass sun right here and right now.

"We've been doing it since her very first game just cause she was nervous. It just stuck I guess. It's fun seeing her do it.. she gets really excited from it." He said, continuing to walk. We eventually made it inside the building.

On the court, the rest of Maya's team was starting warm up while the other team was switching their jerseys from their dark navy blue to white. Shoes squeaked against the floor and basketballs pounding against them. Maya and the four boys that we met out in the parking lot jogged to their side of the court while Alex and I found a spot in the bleachers to sit.

"Your toes look nice," Alex said, looking at my slides. I had just gotten them done earlier with white polish but on the big toe there was a small heart.

"Thank you. Your hair looks nice." I said in reply, running my hand through it in an attempt to tame it.

This is how it goes until the game starts, Alexander and I complimenting each other on random things from his trimmed and clean nails to my birthmark on my right wrist. The loud buzzer alerts us that it's time for the kids to play. We look into the court to see Maya and four boys from her team walking into the court. Maya adjusted her headband before licking her hands and rubbing the bottom of her sneakers. She then ran to the center, shaking hands with both the refs and opponent. She smiles brightly before giving Alex and I a thumbs up. Alexander return it while I wave before watching the ref toss up the ball and seeing Maya push it of the tip of her hands.

One of her teammates ( Who's jersey says Johnson) runs after it. Johnson grabs the ball before chucking it down the court. The ball lands near a child with the last name Ellis, he takes the ball and shoots.

He scores.

The whole crowd chants for Ellis as he takes out the ball and passes it to Maya.

"Concentrate, baby!" Alexander calls out. Maya visibly nods her head before putting up two fingers. The other team and I watch in confusion as all the boys go off to the side, except the ones on the opposite team. They all scatter to find a player and one comes to guard Maya. Maya attempts to shoot the ball but as soon as the ball released, the boy brings his hand onto Maya. She falls to the ground at the same time the ball goes inside the basket. The crowd is applauding while Alexander is standing in worry.

Alexander begins to walk down the bleachers but I hold him back as the referee calls a foul. Maya gets up, giving a thumbs up to the crowd. She then wipes her eyes before walking to the free throw line.

Alexander sits down at this but a frown is etched onto his face. He crosses his arm as Maya shoots her three free throws.

The crowd cheats after each one, Maya just added six point to the board while the other team was losing.

As time goes by, Maya has scored 15 more points and her team is winning by 10. The other team has the ball now, all the kids are in formation as another one brings the ball down the court. Maya is quick to guard them, moving her feet in perfect stance. The guard doesn't know what to do so he throws the ball over her and it lands in our teams hands. Maya's team races down the court, tossing the ball up and making a point.

The crowd goes wild.

Alexander claps his hands before taking a sip of the water her bought during halftime. He looks at the scoreboard before looking at me.

"If our team scores 6 more points, the other team had to forfeit. Once one team hits 50 points, the other forfeits if they are down by more than 10. They are down by 12 right now." He whispers. I nodded before sitting back against the wall and watching Maya take a sip of her water. They were on a timeout but I could tell from the way Maya's coach instructed them with such passion that I knew they were about to bring this game to an end. The teams scramble back onto the court, Maya's team getting the ball. Jackson took the ball out, passing it into Howard who dribbled it in. Maya was standing in the corner with a smaller boy on her. They both subtly fought with each other, it seemed as if he was elbowing her but you could barely tell. I see her whisper something to him before he turns around, giving Maya the chance to surge forward and be given the ball. She catches the ball on the air and turns once before shooting. The boy try's to block her shot but ends up jumping on her, causing them both to fall. He got up a lot quicker than Maya did, which alert both Alex and I this time. Alexander was halfway down the bleachers by the time the gym got silent. Maya was still on the ground and her coach was now running over. She was clutching her ankle and was now crying for Alexander.

"Daddy!" Her voice echoed throughout the silent gym, which prompted me to start to find my way down the bleachers.

Alexander was already with Maya, the physical trainer, and coach. They all stood above her while Alex sat next to her on the floor. Her head was in his lap.

I had just stepped foot on the court when Alexander was standing, digging in his pocket. He threw the car keys my way before picking a crying Maya up. I tried my best to jog over to wear the keys landed before going towards them. As I got closer I heard Maya chanting quietly, "I'm sorry, Coach Howard! I'm sorry!"

Her coach reassured her and the referee called a tech on the boy. We stayed long enough to see Ellis shooting the three points for Maya — making them all.

Maya's team win the championships just as we are walking away. Maya's ankle is slightly swollen so Alexander is carrying her like a baby. She's clinging onto his neck while looking back at her team who is now shaking hands with the other team. Alex and I started to speed up since the crowd was now emerging from the stands to get their children.

We made it outside safely and Maya calmed down, not caring about her ankle but reminiscing on her previous moment on the court.

"Daddy! Did you see that three? It went straight in! Splash!" She said, putting up three fingers and flashing them towards me. I unlocked the car, going to the passenger seat while Alex buckles Maya in. I buckled myself in before leaning over to put the keys in the ignition.

"I did, good job. How does your ankle feel?" He questioned as he closed her door. He opened his before sliding in and looking at her.

"It kind of hurts. Only when I push on it. I still want ice cream." She said, making it clear that ice cream was the only thing on her mind. Alexander rolled his eyes before looking at me. I shrugged with a short smile as he began to drive.

"Sophia! Ryan said you're cute! He asked me if you were my mom and I said yes just because I didn't want them to talk about Leah." She said, quietly. When I looked back, she was toying with the bottom of her jersey while looking down.

"Okay." I stated as nice as I could. I looked back to the road in front of us before hearing Alex speak.

"Tell Ryan to back off. Soph is mine." Alex said before laughing.

"Yeah, yeah. Now, can we go get ice cream?"

"Sure, Princess."

-

"I want birthday cake rolled in sprinkles... but add a bowl and spoon just incase I don't like this cone either!" Maya's small voice rang from the table as Alex and I walked back to the counter.

We were at the ice cream shop, ordering Maya's second ice cream. She ended up not like the wafer cone and upon realizing she didn't, dropping her ice cream on the floor. Alex decided to go get her another one — even though he told her that she wasn't going to like the wafer one — and insisted I come up with him. I didn't get ice cream because I knew if I got some, I was gonna want some off of Alexander body.

That's how wonky my hormones were right now.

So I stayed quiet while Alex and I stood at the counter.

Well, until now that was.

"You want some ice cream, mamas?" Alexander asked me, one of his hands tapping against the top of the counter. He and the guy behind the counter both looked at me with awaiting eyes. I shook my head no with a polite smile before hearing Alexander speak up again.

"Yes she does. Can I have a regular, but large, bowl with vanilla bean ice cream. On one side, put a little bit of caramel. Also, can I have a brownie?"

"Do you want the brownie in the ice cream or on the side?"

"On the side." Alex nodded before smiling at me.

"I said I didn't want any." I rolled my eyes. The guy behind the counter - Charlie - began to make Alexander's order. I could see him smile a little as he scooped ice cream into a cone for Maya.

"No, I already know as soon as I go sit down you're either going to ask me for some or you're going to try to eat mine. I know how your kind works." He joked, causing Charlie to laugh at his spot behind the counter. I looked up at Alexander's smiling frame.

He looked so happy. I could barely see his eyes from how much he was smiling. It was truly a beautiful sight.

Which made my current dilemma a little worse.

I desperately wanted to jump in his pants. His loose curls and his eyes?

Magnificent.

I remained quiet as the guy passed me the ice cream bowl that I had not asked for, along with Maya's cone-in-a-bowl. Alexander told me to go back to the table as he slid down to pay.

I made my way back to the table, sliding Maya her ice cream before setting Alexander in the middle of the table.

"My Aunt is 1 years old. And my Uncle. Sebastian and Stella." She said, randomly.

I was still surprised Alex had more siblings besides the two he shared a birthday with.

"Really?"

"Yep. I'm older than them."

"I thought you were 7 months old..?" I joked, causing her to sit up straight. She dropped her spoon before looking at me with furrowed eyebrows. She dropped her jaw before seeming as if she was trying to decipher whether or not I was playing. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Alexander beginning to walk back.

"No! I'm 3-about-to-Be-4!" She said, outraged. Alexander satdown, pulling his chair in as Maya and I continued to chat.

"I didn't know that!" I feigned oblivion as she widened her eyes.

"Daddy! Sophia really thought I was 7 months! Tell her I'm not 7 months!"

Alexander, obviously knowing I was joking, decides to play along.

"Amaya, you are 7 months..." he said in a tone that even I would believe. She rolled her eyes at him before taking a scoop of her ice cream and muttering a simple 'no, I am not,' to her self. Alexander turned to me before sliding the bowl of ice cream towards me.

"Girl. Eat this."

I wanna eat you, damnit.

I kept that part to myself.

"I don't want any. You eat it." I said like a child. Alexander looked at me with a smirk before taking the spoon and scraping some ice cream on to it. He pushed the spoon towards my closed mouth,  making cooing noises as if I was a one year old being fed. Maya began to join in on her father shenanigans by saying, "Here comes the airplane! Say ahhh!" She instructed me with a giggle as Alexander waved the spoon around.

"Stop before I put cream on your buns." Alexander said. His s****l innuendo went unnoticed by Maya but definitely didn't go unnoticed by me. My mouth opened with a gasp and Alexander took that as the perfect time to slide ice cream right on to my tongue. The cream substance found its way to the back of my throat, forcing me to swallow it. Alexander and Maya both chuckled as Alex had found a way to catch me off guard and eat the stupid ice cream.

I watched as he put a spoonful in his mouth, licking his lips afterwards. He put the spoon back in and put it to my mouth. I decided to oblige this time instead of fighting it. He put a larger amount on my tongue this time while Maya began to talk.

"So, when can we go to Disney world?"

"What?" Alexander questioned, sitting back in his chair with a confused face.

"You said if I win the championship, I can go to Disney world."

"No, I didn't." He said. I vaguely remember him agreeing to this though, it's none of my business. 

"Daddy!" She whined. She crossed her arms over her chest before administering a hard glare to Alex. I watched in silence — as usual.

"Maya!" He retorted. Like father like daughter, really.

"I wanted to go.. can we atleast go to the water park then?" She asked, breaking a piece of her cone and swiping it through her ice cream.

"Not with your ankle like that. When it heels, then of course."

"Oh my god! Every time it's something, Alexander." Maya said in a exasperated tone. She rolled her eyes before taking a huge spoonful of ice cream. I watched intently as she licked the sprinkles off before trying to bite each individual piece of birthday cake in her ice cream.

"Stop calling me that before I take away all your s**t, Maya." Alex said, rolling his eyes similar to the way Maya did. Maya looked up to see if he was serious, and realized he was, before squeaking out an apology.

We all sat quietly, Maya eating her ice cream, Alexander eating his ice cream, while I scrolled on my phone.

"You know, I think the babies want some ice cream." Alexander said, grabbing my phone. I watched in confusion as he slid it into his pocket. He pulled me over and leaned down to my stomach before speaking.

"Hey, Daddy is here. Tell Mommy you guys want some ice cream. I know right, she's stubborn. She doesn't EVER listen to Daddy. Exactly! I know you guys want ice cream! I'm trying to give you some! Mommy won't open her mouth so I can feed you guys. Now on three, we are gonna tell Mommy we want ice cream. One, two, three. Give us some ice cream!" Alexander said, feigning a conversation with my stomach. He spoke in a hush tone but looked up at me with accusing eyes. 

"Give my kids some ice cream, woman." He demandingly joked. I rolled my eyes before holding my mouth open. He took this opportunity to slip some ice cream into my mouth. I had a couple more bites before being interrupted by Maya's small voice.

"Are you guys going to get married?" Alexander's head snapped to his child with confused eyes. She sat oblivious to our current thoughts as she picked at her ice cream cone. She finally looked up before further explaining herself. "Ms. Amanda said you only have babies with someone you love a lot and want to get married to. Daddy, you and Sophia are having babies so that must mean that you want to marry her."

Luckily, Alex was saved by his phone ringing.

"I have to take this." Alexander said, spotting his chair back and leaving me with Maya who was still looking for answers.

Why me?