Page 86 of Fever: Love In Scrubs
She laughed out loud and it made me smile.
“Was that a subtle way of calling me fat?”
“Nah. It was a compliment.”
“Jaxson!”
I turned to see Stacey strolling over with a smile on her face and a gift bag in her hands. I grabbed Wynter’s hand and met her in the middle.
“Good to see you, Stacey,” I said, giving her a side hug.
“You know I wouldn’t miss Mari’s birthday. You’re looking good and happy.” She turned to Wynter. “You must be the reason for that. Hi, I’m Stacey.”
“Wynter. Nice to meet you.”
“Asia told me you were dating. I’m so happy for you, Jaxson. You deserve this. Girl, come give me a hug for taking care of this big ol’ man!”
She pulled Wynter into a hug as they shared a laugh.
“He takes care of me too,” she admitted.
Stacey winked at her. “I bet he does. Soooo… is that thing gonna be here?”
The disdain on her face for her ex-best friend was obvious.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I extended the invite. The rest is on her.”
“Well, I wore my sneakers and tied up my hair in case I have to beat her ass today. Don’t worry, I’ll take it outside.”
I shook my head. “You hell, Stacey.”
“Got to be. Anyway, Wynter, it was nice meeting you. We have to get to know each other a little later. Right now, I’m going to get my skates and show these youngins how we used to do it back in the day.”
She left us with a smile as she went to rent a pair of skates. My phone chimed and when I looked at it, Wynter’s surprise was here.
“Come with me right quick,” I said, pulling her toward the exit.
“What are you up to?”
“You’ll see.”
We stepped outside and she looked around, confused. The doors to an SUV opened and her aunt and cousin stepped out. Wynter screamed and ran to them. Of course, she and Tikayla were happy to see each other and hugged it out. When she got to her aunt, she buried her face in her hands and cried audibly. I smiled as the older woman pulled her into her arms and rocked her from side to side while kissing her head.
I made my way over and Tikayla greeted me with a hug.
“I’m glad y’all made it.”
“I wouldn’t have missed this,” Tikayla said. “My girl is the big thirteen!”
She and Jamari had developed a relationship too. She’d visited twice since the first time and every time she and Wynter were on FaceTime around her, Jamari had to insert herself. She thought Tikayla was cool and reminded her of Asia.
“It’s nice to finally meet you in person,” Ms. Kira said, still holding on to a crying Wynter.
“Likewise. My baby has been missing y’all.”
“We’ve missed her too.” She squeezed Wynter and held her away so she could wipe her tears. “Stop all that crying now, baby,” she said with a smile. “Let me get a look at you.” She twirled Wynter around. “I see you are being taken care of. You look so happy, Wynnie.”
Wynter smiled. “I’m very happy, Auntie.” She turned to me and cupped my face then kissed my lips. “You got me good.”
