Chapter Eight

The morning sun filtered through my bedroom windows, painting Vegas in shades of pink and gold. I'd barely slept, too excited and nervous about Jordyn's return. The last 24 hours had been a rollercoaster – from the heartbreak of thinking I'd lost her to the relief of Cara's unexpected support. Now, with just hours until Jordyn's flight landed, I was a bundle of nerves and anticipation.

Seven years in the WNBA had taught me a lot about handling pressure, but nothing in my career compared to the anxiety of waiting to make things right with the woman I loved.

My phone buzzed with a text from

Barbie🩷: meet us for breakfast? Jackie's buying."

I smiled, grateful for my friends who'd been my rocks through this whole mess.

A✨: Cheap ass Jackie? Oh I can't miss that, Be there in 20.

Jack🤍: oh not to fucking much

The café was quiet this early, just a few tourists nursing hangovers and some early-bird locals getting their coffee fix. Jackie and Angel had grabbed our usual corner booth, the one with the view of the Strip that never failed to remind me how surreal my life had become. From rookie of the year to MVP, I'd grown up in this city. Found myself here. Found love here.

"You look like you haven't slept," Jackie said, sliding a coffee my way. "Nervous?"

"Is it that obvious?" I wrapped my hands around the warm mug, breathing in the familiar scent of vanilla and espresso. My absolute favorite.

"Girl, you're practically vibrating," Angel laughed. "But after everything that happened... it's understandable."

I took a sip of coffee, letting the warmth settle my nerves. "I just want everything to be perfect when she gets here. After this mess..."

"About that..." Jackie's expression turned serious. "You might want to check Instagram."

My stomach dropped as I pulled out my phone. There it was – a series of photos posted by Bam's PR team, showing our interaction in the parking lot from a carefully curated angle. The caption read: "Vegas sunsets hit different with the right company"

"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered, scrolling through the comments. Our fans were already coming to our defense, posting photos of me and Jordyn from last month's Pride game where she'd worn my jersey and we'd shared that viral kiss at center court. But still, the sports media vultures were having a field day with Bam's post.

"Don't panic," Angel said, reaching across the table to grab my hand. "We've got receipts, remember? I was vlogging and yall are in the background. Plus, the people who matter know the truth."

As if on cue, my phone lit up with Jordyn's face. "Hey baby," I answered, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I saw the post," she said, and I could hear airport announcements in the background. "You okay?"

The fact that her first concern was for me, even after everything, made my heart swell. "I'm better now. Where are you?"

"Just landed in Dallas for my connection. But A'ja... we need to talk about how to handle this. Not just Bam, but everything. I've been thinking a lot about what your mama said."

"My mama?" I sat up straighter, ignoring Jackie and Angel's curious looks. "When did you talk to my mom?"

Jordyn laughed, the sound making me smile despite my anxiety. "Last night. After your talk with my mama, she called yours. Apparently, they had quite the conversation about us."

"Oh lord," I groaned, but I was smiling. "Should I be worried?"

"Of course not but..." she paused, and I could picture her biting her lip the way she did when she was nervous. "They both think it's time. You know, for what we talked about in Paris."

My heart skipped a beat. During our off-season trip to Paris last year, we'd talked about having kids in the future, marriage, and starting nonprofit. So this could literally mean anything.

"Which part love? Non profit or the baby?" I asked softly. The girls looked at me like I lost my mind as I waved them off.

"Oh no not yet. The nonprofit mama," she said with a laugh. "But I can't wait to have babies with you and get married. That's the part I'm looking forward to," she said making em smile. I got the sudden urge to want to do something special for her cause she so deserved it. I decided to order these shoes she'd been looking at and called Rio, a car guy in New Orleans to detail her car while she was here. After we hung up, I focused on getting through practice, trying not to check my phone every five minutes. Jackie insisted on taking me shopping after – "You need something nice for your makeup dinner date," she said with a suspiciously bright smile.

What I didn't know was that across town, Jordyn was already landing at a private terminal, where Allisha Gray – my best friend since our South Carolina days – was waiting to pick her up.

"Everything set?" Jordyn asked, hugging Lish tight.

"Girl, you know Angel and Jackie got it all handled. Your parents are checked into their hotel, and A'ja's folks' flight from Columbia just landed. Though she thinks they're 'just visiting Vegas for the weekend.'" Lish grinned, making air quotes. "Now let's get you ready. We've got a sunset to catch."

Meanwhile, I was letting Jackie talk me into a flowing cream-colored maxi dress that, according to her, was "perfect for desert photos." I didn't think much of it – Jordyn and I often took sunset drives out to the desert when she visited. It was our thing, our escape from the constant buzz of the Strip and arena lights.

"You're being weird," I told Jackie as she insisted on doing my makeup. "It's just a dinner date."

"Can't a teammate want you to look extra good for your girl?" Jackie replied innocently. Too innocently, but I was too preoccupied thinking about making things right with Jordyn to notice.

At 6 PM, Jordyn picked me up in our favorite vintage Jeep – the one we'd bought together last summer for our desert adventures. She looked stunning in a tailored white jumpsuit I'd never seen before.

"Wow," I breathed, taking her in. "You look amazing."

"So do you," she smiled, leaning over to kiss me softly. "Ready for an adventure?"

We drove out past Red Rock Canyon, music playing softly, our hands intertwined on the center console. The setting sun painted the desert in shades of gold and rose, the kind of beauty that still took my breath away even after seven years in Vegas.

"Remember our first time out here?" Jordyn asked as we pulled onto a familiar dirt road.

"How could I forget? You tried to convince me you knew how to read a map and got us completely lost," I laughed.

"Hey, we found our way eventually!"

"Three hours later!"

She parked at our favorite spot, overlooking the valley with the Strip glittering in the distance. But instead of our usual blanket setup, there was an elegant arch decorated with desert flowers and twinkling lights.

"Jordy..." my voice caught as I realized what was happening.

"Come with me?" She held out her hand, leading me toward the arch.

That's when I saw them – our families emerging from behind the rocks, Angel and Jackie with cameras ready, Lish wiping tears already. My parents, who I thought were "just visiting," stood with proud smiles next to Jordyn's family.

"A'ja Riyadh," Jordyn's voice was soft but sure as she took both my hands in hers. "Seven years ago, you came to Vegas to chase your dreams. Two years ago, you helped me chase mine when you loved me without hesitation or fear. You're my best friend, my biggest supporter, my home court advantage."

I was crying freely now, not even trying to hold back the tears as she dropped to one knee, pulling out a ring that caught the last rays of sunset.

"I don't want to spend another day as anything less than your forever. Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" The word burst out of me before she could even finish asking, tears streaming down my face as I pulled her up into a kiss. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Our families cheered as she slipped the ring on my finger – a beautiful emerald cut diamond that somehow matched perfectly with my dress. Now I understood Jackie's insistence on the cream color.

"Did everyone know about this?" I asked, laughing through my tears as our families surrounded us.

"Baby girl, why do you think we 'happened' to be in Vegas this random weekend?" my mama said, hugging me tight.

Mrs. Love was next, wrapping us both in her arms. "Welcome to the family – officially," she whispered to me.

As the sun set completely, casting the desert in purple twilight, our friends and family celebrated around us. Angel and Jackie had set up a beautiful dinner spread, complete with champagne and our favorite desserts. Lish was still filming everything, probably for the video montage she'd been threatening to make since we started dating.

But in that moment, all I could see was Jordyn – my fiancée – glowing in the desert sunset, wearing a smile that outshone every light on the Strip. She looked ethereal and I was obsessed.

"You really surprised me," I said later, as we slow-danced under the stars to Snoh Alegra playing softly from someone's portable speaker.

"That was the goal," she smiled, pressing her forehead to mine. "Though I almost gave it away like ten times. Do you know how hard it is to keep a secret from the one person touching want to tell everything to?"

"I love you," I whispered, the words feeling bigger somehow, more permanent with the weight of the ring on my finger.

"I love you too, Mrs. Love."

"Hmm. Idk I think Jordyn Wilson sounds so sexy. Don't ya think?" I said as she side eyed me before shaking her head. Above us, the desert stars twinkled like the lights on my new ring, like the tears in our mothers' eyes, like the dreams we'd been chasing all along. Some people spend their whole lives looking for their perfect court, their home team, their winning play. I'd found mine right here, in the arms of a woman who loved me enough to plan the perfect surprise in the middle of the desert.

And as our families and friends celebrated around us, as the desert night wrapped us in its quiet magic, I knew – this wasn't just a game-winning shot. This was the beginning of our greatest season yet.

Liked by lvaces and 34,938 othersAja22wilson Love, The Loves🤍✨View all 10,930 commentsAjaslegsleeve omg omg omg?!? User2293 wasn't she just with bam?R.ickea Congrats Goat 🥹👏🏽

Liked by Kamoreaarnold and others Jordylove "if I ain't have all these tattoos I would think that it's your skin..." that pretty much sums up how I feel about this amazing, smart, beautiful woman. There are enough words in the English language that can express my love for her. So instead I decided to give her the name Love itself. Thank you for making my biggest wish come true. Sincerely, The Loves❤️

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