Page 45 of Still Forever
“I’m not calling her,” He assured me as he sat back in the chair. Gun still resting on his lap, and scrolling on his phone. He looked up from it.
“You know I have two trips, Ma. Italy for the Summit and Bolivia with Santos.”
“I know. I’m trying to map out what days I’ll be in Italy. I’m not going to make it to Bolivia. That’s the week that me and Storm are hosting the toy drive at the Plaza.”
“Damn, I forgot. I’ll push the trip back a day. I’ll slide through and help you.” He said as he started typing on his phone.
I smiled at him. Jaxon had done so much better with being present; our arguments about time management hadn’t been a thing since we reconnected. Now all we argued about was why I kept turning all his good T-shirts into house dresses.
“Juree, ma ma, go sit down,” Jaxon said as we tried to sneak out of the house for the third time. She wasn’t having it, just kept screaming. The girl had the lungs of an opera singer.
Losing a child made me a clingy mother, and I may or may not have spoiled them. I can admit that. The fact that my kids reacted like this anytime we tried to leave them with someone was proof of it.
Jaxon picked her up, and she stopped immediately. I narrowed my eyes at her. She lay her head on his shoulder and twisted his earlobe, as if she knew it would melt him. I could see it working, too.
I avoided eye contact with her. I needed the break and some adult time, so there was no way that I was about to let her cute little face manipulate me into taking off my dress and these heels.
The nanny we hired stood by with a smile as she waited for Jaxon to hand her over. He disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a bowl full of ice cream. He handed the ice cream and Juree over to the woman. She didn’t make a sound as she tried to take the spoon out of the bowl.
Then we eased out the front door and into the back of the awaiting truck.
Hand in hand, we walked into the restaurant and found the party that we had come for. “You look so pretty. Every time you get a big belly, your booty grows.” I teased as I kissed Remy’s cheek and hugged her.
She laughed and turned to the side like she was giving me a better view. Ironically, she had become a staple in our lives. She had the sweetest personality, and Zo didn’t play about her. They got married right after having the twins, and now she was pregnant with their third child, and we were there celebrating her birthday. She had been invited to everything we had since the night we clicked at the wedding and vice versa.
Still, I missed Zo in his old role. With the national elite promotion came his and Sanchez’s, and they had been promoted to underbosses, so they were no longer the heads of the securityteams. Although he wasn’t my security detail anymore, I still saw him often, and that was enough.
The night flowed easily—drinks, well wishes, and laughter.
“Damn, when they say one monkey don’t stop no show, that’s what they mean, huh?” Judah came in, looking around at us, enjoying the night without him.
“Judah, why would I start my birthday dinner late because of you?” Remy laughed.
My phone vibrated and once I glanced at the caller ID, my stomach dropped.
“I’ll be back, baby, I have to take this,” I said as I excused myself from the table and rushed toward the restroom.
It was the nanny, and as soon as I saw her calling, I panicked.
“Is everything okay?” I asked as soon as it connected.
“Yes, I’m sorry for scaring you. It’s bath time, and I know you mentioned that one of the kids has sensitive skin. I forgot to write it down. Which is it?” she asked. Immediately, I exhaled.
“Juree, the soap in the tan bottle is hers.”
“I’ll make a note of it. Enjoy your night, Mrs. Jennings.” She said before we disconnected.
I turned to walk back outside, but ran right into Jaxon. His eyes searched mine in only a way he could.
“You good, baby?” He questioned.
“Yeah, it was just the nanny asking about soap. I thought something was wrong for a second,” I laughed at how scared I had been.
He didn’t laugh with me. “They gone be aight, KD.” He assured me.
“I know,” I said lowly, trying to convince myself.
I tried to take a step toward the door, but he blocked me again. His hand went to my jaw, tilting my face up so that my eyes locked on him.
