“I’ll tell you what we were talking about right after you two tell us what you were talking about in the other room,” Lamar challenged, the thought alone making Nova uncomfortable as her eyes flashed with panic.
Her best friend was the one to save her, crossing her arms to fire back, “Not. Gonna. Happen.”
“Didn’t think so, shorty,” Lamar replied with a chuckle just as I felt something poking my thigh.
“What the…” I thought, looking down to find Jaxson in full costume with his hands - and fake teeth - digging into my sweatpants. He popped up with his hands clawed to whisper, “I’m a scaryyy vampire now, Daddy,” breaking character just long enough to let me know it was him since he was the only vampire who referred to me as that name. Then he moved onto Nova, sneaking up and taking a bite near her calf that made her yelp.
We all bursted out laughing as she held a hand to her chest like he had really scared her. And he was just as quick to explain himself to her the same way he had explained things to me which really only made it funnier. But even in his innocence, Lamar somehow found a way to let the conversation we didn’t have out loud be known when he shook his head and joked, “Like father, like son I see.”
“Wow. Would you look at the time? We should probably get going,” I announced as I hopped up from my seat at the counter to grab Jaxson’s bag, stopping to give Miss. Cheryl and Kaylin a hug and waiting for Jaxson to do the same before leading us towards the door.
I was already getting Jaxson’s car seat set up by the time Nova joined us outside, surely catching the heat that I had skipped out on. But she didn’t seem too bothered by it, wearing a genuine smile as she climbed into the passenger’s seat.
“Everything good?” I asked as I started the car, trying to find some of the casual air we were supposed to be sharing. But it was hard to ignore how natural it felt to have her riding passenger with my kid in the back after borrowing family so we could have a night alone together, even if that hadn’t been the plan going into things.
Still, while I focused on the family-vibe it seemed we were already falling into, Nova’s mind was on a family of her own when she replied, “Besides the fact that Mama Cheryl just not so secretly asked me to give her the grandbaby Kaylin and Lamar aren’t working hard enough on? Yep, everything’s fine.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, especially since I was the only one on her good side when it came to that category. “Mama Cheryl can be a little crazy sometimes. And she can’t even help it.”
“Oh, I’ve learned,” Nova replied with a laugh of her own just as my phone began to ring through the car’s speakers, Mariah’s name scrolling across the dashboard in a way that seemed to cut Nova off even more abruptly.
But I still tried to play it cool, pressing the button to take the call as I answered, “Yo.”
“Hey Guy. How are you?” she asked, her voice unusually pleasant, not to mention she had actually taken the opportunity to ask about me first instead of going straight for baby boy which meant she was really up to something.
I could only imagine what was going through Nova’s head as she listened in, even when I kept the conversation casual by simply replying, “I’m straight. What’s up?”
“Well... I was just sitting here looking at flights, and they’re actually not too bad price-wise for it to be such a hot time to travel that way. Do you boys have any plans for next weekend?”
Even if it wasn’t her intentions to exclude Nova since she didn’t really know much about her outside of the times Jaxson mentioned her during his rants, I had a feeling Nova would feel a way about her speaking towards just the boys. But she didn’t show it on her face, distracting herself with her phone instead as I answered, “Not that I know about. You comin’ by yourself?”
“Yeah. Howard has to work that weekend, so I figured it would be a good time to come check y’all out.”
If it was just us talking, I probably would’ve made a joke about Howard’s old ass, or a joke about Jaxson and I coming second, or even a joke about Howard being worried with her coming down here even though we both knew there was nothing between us. But since I had extra ears around, I simply replied, “Well I’m sure Jax would love that.”
“And you too, Daddy?” he asked from the backseat, always in tune with how his parents felt about each other.
While I wished I wouldn’t have had to answer that question in front of Nova, to satisfy my son, I agreed, “Yeah. Me too.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll be there next weekend,” she announced excitedly as if she was purchasing her flight at that exact moment.
I kept my voice as plain as possible when I replied, “Cool. See you then.” The silence in the car borderline deafening once I ended the call.
And when the silence was finally interrupted, it was only with some bullshit as Nova said, “I can umm… just stay at Kay’s house or something. So you all can have the place to yourselves.”
“Nah, Nova. It’s just as much your spot as it is mine. I really should’ve been asking you for permission,” I told her, feeling a little bad for even agreeing to plans without her approval.
If push came to shove, I would be fine shelling out a little cash for Mariah to crash in a hotel room nearby. But of course, Nova made it seem as if it was really no big deal, brushing me off when she insisted, “It’s the mother of your child, Guy. You don’t need my permission. And besides, it’ll be good for Jaxson to have both of his parents around. I mean, it’s clear how much he loves the both of you.”
While I knew that was a fact, I couldn’t help myself in finding a way to also include her when I shared, “Well according to Mama Cheryl, he couldn’t stop talking about you. So maybe that love extends beyond just his parents.”
“Yeah. Maybe,” she replied shortly, her expression nonchalant as she turned towards the window.
I hated to see the way the conversation seemed to change her mood, so much so that I wondered if she was telling the truth about how she felt about it. I mean, she really didn’t have anything to worry about when it came to Mariah and I. But she also didn’t have a reason other than my word to believe that. Then again, the only way any of this could’ve mattered to her was if I mattered to her. And since she had already made it pretty clear that the only thing she was interested in with me was something physical, I figured it was best for me to continue following her lead.
Nova
I shouldn’t have cared, I wasn’t supposed to care, I had purposely designed things to be carefree. But something about Guy’s conversation with his baby mama was sitting heavy on my mind long after I should’ve been thinking about it at all.
She was coming to visit soon, something that shouldn’t have really surprised me since I had pretty much talked it up myself. But that still didn’t mean I would actually be prepared for it when plans became solidified.
Her boyfriend was mentioned, but he wouldn’t be joining. Her trip was only for the weekend, but I wasn’t exactly sure where that left me, or if I fit at all. I mean, we had just found our routine of getting Jaxson off to school, sharing cooking responsibilities, and even planning out activities together with Jaxson’s insistence. But now that would all be… interrupted.
Then again, it was probably a good thing that she’d be visiting, reminding me that neither Jaxson nor Guy were my responsibility. They already had someone to look after them, someone who knew them from the very beginning, the missing piece to their puzzle. And really, I needed to find my own.
So instead of joining Guy and Jaxson in their plans to make brownies and watch movies together, I found a lounge to go hang out at, going all out with my make-up and twisting my hair into a cute updo that I hoped screamed, “single and ready to mingle”. I found a slinky black dress to throw on, matching it with a pair of heels I knew I wouldn’t last all night in. But maybe if I found a guy handsome enough to buy me a few drinks, that would become a non-factor.
After picking out the perfect jewelry pieces and spraying on a
little fragrance for the final touch, I headed to the kitchen intending to sneak in a pre-drink to cool my nerves before my Uber driver arrived. But the only thing I got were two sets of curious eyes and a, “Damn. Where you headed, girl?”
“Out for a drink,” I answered as I poured a quick glass of wine and practically finished it in one sip which only made Guy’s eyebrow raise even higher.
“With Kaylin?”
“No. By myself,” I replied shortly, trying to make it sound more normal than it was. But I knew it wasn’t normal, which was why I hadn’t told Kaylin at all since she more than likely would’ve called me crazy and tried to talk me out of it. Either that or insist she join me which meant she would’ve only been judging every guy I came across and comparing him to Guy each time; the last thing I needed if I really expected to find my own lane.
“You’re going out by yourself looking like that?” he asked as if my outfit was out of place for the circumstances.
In fact, his reaction was enough for me to challenge, “How do I look?”
He gnawed at his lip, his eyes washing over me as he brought his fist to his mouth and shook his head. “I… can’t answer that without being completely inappropriate.”
“Daddy, what’s inappropriate?” Jaxson asked, his face covered in chocolate from his attempt at licking the brownie batter bowl clean.
But it seemed as if he wasn’t the only one trying to lick something clean the way his father shot me a heated gaze when he answered, “In this case? Nasty.”
While the single word sent shivers up my spine now that I knew just how nasty he could get, it only made Jaxson’s little face scrunch in disgust. “Ugh, Daddy. Don’t be nasty. That’s… nasty.”
“Tell him, Jax,” I added with a teasing gaze of my own.
Guy was too busy laughing at his son to catch it, wiping his nose and cheeks with a wet paper towel when he asked, “You really gonna be alright out there all by yourself? I mean, I’m sure Mama Cheryl wouldn’t mind looking after him again.”
Now it was my face scrunching. “So you can knock my game? I think not.”
“You’re really on that, huh? What’d you call it? Finding better company?” he asked in a way that I couldn’t tell if he was teasing or serious.
Either way, it didn’t matter once I explained, “Just finding company of my own.”
Regardless of his situation with Mariah, nothing about it made me feel like Guy was an available candidate in my pursuit of something new. And even though my body was still screaming for him days later, I had to mute the call if I expected to stay open-minded about going out and meeting new people.
Still, it seemed as if me exploring my options actually bothered Guy the way his head snapped back when he asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I could already feel myself crumbling under the pressure of having to explain myself. So instead of giving a real reason, I rushed out, “It means what it means. Have fun tonight, boys.”
“Yeah, you too,” Guy replied with more attitude than I was used to, though it was quickly overshadowed by Jaxson waving goodbye with his chocolate-covered hands.
“Bye Bye Miss. Nova!”
“See you later, sweetheart,” I told him with the best smile I could muster before turning to leave, though I didn’t get too far when I heard Guy calling after me.
“Yo, Nova. Wait up!”
My shoulders went stiff before I slowly turned around to find him right behind me. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants as if he was nervous, making me nervous until he finally said, “Be careful out there, for real. Niggas is crazy these days and…”
I cut him off with a laugh. “Guy, I’m grown. I may not have done this in a while,” Or ever. “But I still know how it’s done.”
While he still didn’t seem too thrilled about it, he at least offered me a smile. “Yeah aight, beautiful. Do your thing.”
“Oh I am,” I told him, turning to head towards the elevator once again.
But I hadn’t even taken a full stride when he said, “One more thing.” Prompting me to turn back around. And when I did, he caught my face by the chin, landing the hottest, wettest, most stay-your-ass-at-home kiss against my lips before pulling away to ask, “Keep that in mind too, aight?”
Speaking didn’t seem necessary. In fact, leaving no longer seemed necessary. Still, for my own good, I gave him a nod before getting on the elevator where I thought I belonged.
&
Going out alone was… not what I was expecting it to be.
Maybe I had binged-watched one too many rom-com movies, had read one too many romance novels. But the whole, “man buys a drink to court woman, they share conversation and maybe a dance, then exchange numbers or take each other home” thing was practically a fairytale myth compared to what I had experienced.
One man bought two drinks, only to drink both himself. Another man couldn’t stay off of his phone long enough to share a conversation, Snapchatting everything around us from his beer bottle to shots of the crowd. And the most recent man… my God, he wasn’t the most attractive but he was nice enough to entertain, until his girlfriend showed up.
You would’ve thought I had a, “Trash men only” sign hanging from my bar stool considering the bunch that had been bold enough to approach me. Then again, maybe that was what I deserved for trying to go out of the box and do something I had no business doing. I mean, I had never been one to go out explicitly looking for a man, even before David, since they usually didn’t approach me anyway. And then when I was with David, any man that just so happened to approach me got sent off immediately out of “respect” for him. But now, you would’ve thought the ghost of David was still haunting me by sending the worst picks of the litter my way.
Instead of continuing to be haunted, I decided to make my way back to the condo, surprised when all the lights were off besides the one in the kitchen creating a spotlight over the leftover bite-sized brownies Guy and Jaxson had made. It only seemed right for me to taste one to put the sugar on top of my shitty night. And I was pleasantly surprised when they were actually pretty damn good, just moist enough for my teeth to sink into without being too cakey. In fact, I grabbed a second one before heading down the hallway to peek into Jaxson’s room, the sight of him sleeping peacefully always a bright spot in my day even if he wasn’t my child.
We still had a bond, a connection, a…
“You’re back.”
The sound of his voice made me jump back, putting a hand to my chest to calm my thumping heart as I whispered, “Shit, Guy. You scared me.”
His expression was a little sleepy as if the sound of me coming in had startled him awake just as he was on the verge of dozing off. But his sleepy expression also gave his eyes a dreamy-like haze, reminding me of the terms we had left on; the kiss he had laid on me to prove the point that everything I called myself going out to look for was right here in front of me.
I tried to shake off the thought just as he brushed a hand against the back of his neck. “My bad. I’m just… happy you made it back.”
“Why? You missed me or something?” I asked teasingly as I slipped past him towards the kitchen to grab another brownie bite.
From behind me, he only semi-agreed. “Maybe. More Jaxson than me. Wondered where Miss. Nova was going looking all pretty.”
While Jaxson’s compliment might’ve been the heartwarming ego boost I needed, the fact that I was looking all pretty and had still came up empty-handed was enough for me to shove the brownie in my mouth, my teeth surely covered in chocolate when I replied, “Well when he wakes up, I’ll be sure to tell him it wasn’t worth a damn.”
Of course that only made Guy laugh, pouring us both a drink - something dark over ice - as he asked, “Rough night out there on single’s row, huh?”
“Rough is an understatement,” I answered, accepting the glass he slid my way and not even complaining about it not being mixed with anything.
In fact, I took the fir
st short sip with confidence until it burnt my throat and chest, and had me shimmying in my seat with tight eyes to fight against the sting. I wasn’t even sure if he was talking about my outing or the drink by the time he insisted, “It was your first go-round. You’ll get better with time.”
“Or maybe I’ll just... stay alone,” I told him, wondering if I sounded as pitiful as I felt.
Guy only shrugged, taking an easy few sips from his glass. “Nothing wrong with that either.”
“There’s definitely something wrong with that,” I countered, shaking my ice cubes against the walls of the glass before taking another sip in hopes of the straight liquor making my misery dissipate a little quicker. Or maybe it would just burn my throat lining to the point where I could no longer vocally complain about what had happened.
I wasn’t certain if it was intentional, but Guy only added insult to injury when he asked, “Is that why you stayed with David for so long? Didn’t want to face this part? Being alone?”
“Probably. Who knows. Who cares,” I answered with a shrug as I downed the rest of the glass, slamming it against the countertop just in time to hear Guy give a two-word response that I hadn’t heard often enough.
“I care.”
Tingles rushed from my head to my feet, though I wasn’t sure if it was from Guy’s flattery or the alcohol. Still, it was enough to get me out of my seat, heading towards the window as I tossed over my shoulder, “Well I don’t know why you do.”
My attention was immediately focused on the bay as a cargo ship passed through, but all attention was stolen when I felt him press against me from behind, his beard tickling my exposed neck when he leaned in to say, “Because I actually kinda like you, Miss. Nova.”
He sealed his statement with a soft kiss against my skin, the tingles returning as he continued, “I like your style, the way you operate, the way you deal with my kid, the way you suck a mean…”
“Guy!” I screeched, turning my head to find his eyes that were twinkling with mischief under the moon’s glow through the window.
If Only for the Summer Page 16