Page 33 of Night and Day
She was a beautiful woman, and Tamika could see why she had been a former model. She was tall, with great bone structure, but more than that, she exuded charm and a positive energy.
“This is Tamika,” Anton said, resting a hand at the small of her back.
“Hi, Tamika, I’m Erica, the birthday boy’s mommy.”
“Nice to meet you. You have a lot of people here.”
“I know. This was all Marvin’s idea, so I’m a bit overwhelmed, but he loves to spoil the kids.” She shot a fond glance over toward the large grill. Marvin was cooking while two other men stood nearby drinking sodas.
“Why don’t you go join them?” Erica said to Anton. “I’ll take that.” She extended a hand for the gift bag in his.
“No, I’ll take that. You already have your hands full,” Tamika said with a laugh.
“You sure?” Anton frowned at Tamika.
She appreciated his concern but was perfectly fine mixing and mingling on her own.
“Yes, go join them. Do you need help with anything?” she asked Erica.
“Actually, I could use a hand taking the food from the kitchen. We had some of the meal catered, but I didn’t want to put out the dishes until Marvin was almost finished on the grill, and he told me a few minutes ago that he’ll be done in ten minutes.”
“I can absolutely help with that.”
“Holler if you need me.” Anton kissed her cheek.
Erica rolled her eyes. “She’ll be fine, Anton. We won’t abuse her, I promise.”
Anton chuckled. “Why you always gotta harass me, Erica?”
“Bye.” Erica put her arm around Tamika’s shoulder and guided her toward the house.
Tamika waved at Anton over her shoulder.
“He’s so protective, I swear,” Erica muttered. “But it’s a nice quality to have. He’s a good guy.”
“Yes, he is.”
When they entered the house, another woman was in the kitchen.
“Tamika, this is Naphressa. She’s Axel’s fiancée. He’s the guy in the green shirt at the grill. He works with Anton and Marvin. Naphressa, this is Tamika, Anton’s girlfriend.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Naphressa had dusky-dark skin and raven hair that spiraled to her shoulders in wide, lustrous curls. She extended her hand and Tamika shook it.
“So you’re the one Axel said has Anton acting all out of character,” Naphressa said.
“Yep, she’s the one,” Erica said with a grin.
“Wait a minute, the two of you have been talking about me and Anton?”
“Oh yes. Tell us your secrets,” Erica said.
“Sweetie, I don’t think you need any more help. You have two babies and one on the way. You’re good.”
The three of them fell out laughing, and from that moment on, Tamika had made new friends. She, Erica, and Naphressa took their time transporting the food from the kitchen and placing the dishes on a long table. While they worked, one of the other mothers jumped in to assist.
On the third trip out, Tamika paused to watch Anton chase some of the kids around the yard. The five-year-olds were laughing and squealing, having the time of their lives. But what struck her as interesting was that Anton was having a great time, too.
