“Slow down, Nova,” I thought to myself as I pulled my lip between my teeth trying to remember the last time I had gotten that kind of treatment. And while I assumed I was only daydreaming through it all, I must’ve actually been staring too hard as the guy peeked up at me with a smile before I had the chance to look away.
Instead of being a complete creep, I gave him a polite smile before I casted my eyes back to my own phone where they should’ve stayed in the first place. Then I spent some time scrolling to delete an excess of selfies, and then through my messages to delete a bunch of those, and then….
“Shit!”
I looked down to my foot and found baby boy’s car sitting directly on top of my pinky toe, Lightning McQueen staring up at me with a grin as if he had done it on purpose. Any other child I probably would’ve gotten mad at, especially considering my toe was already beginning to throb. But since it was him, I picked it up and held it out with a smile so that he could come and get it.
The baby.
We’re talking about the baby.
He was slow on his approach, his expression a mix of shy and nervous and his cheeks already bright red as he said, “I sorry.”
I couldn’t help but smile, scooting towards the edge of my seat as I told him, “It’s okay, honey. Don’t worry about it. Just be careful next time.”
He nodded quickly as he took the car from me, then he jetted back over to where he had come from. But instead of going back on the floor to continue playing, he buried his face into his father’s chest as if he was in trouble.
Poor baby.
The sight immediately tugged at my heartstrings, especially since I wasn’t really that mad at him even though I had cursed. And while it was really none of my business by this point, his father already consoling him through it, I couldn’t help but want to do the same. So I got up and walked over to where they were sitting, squatting down in front of the little one to tell him, “Don’t be sad, honey. It’s okay. Your car just... scared me that’s all. But I’m okay. It was just an accident, right?”
Once again, he nodded quickly, his little bottom lip trembling as if he had already been on the verge of tears. And instead of going full blown creep mode like I was tempted to by pulling him into a hug to comfort him, I used the same method I’d use on my students, changing the subject completely when I asked, “What’s your name, cutie?”
My eyes were on baby boy, but the answer came from a deep baritone voice saying, “Guy.”
I felt literal shivers as I peeked up to his dad who was even bigger and broader up close, especially in the confines of the small airport chairs. He was wearing a teasing smile, one I couldn’t help but smirk against as his son said, “Not you, Daddy!”
“Yeah. Not you, Daddy,” I said, mocking his son before turning my attention back to baby boy to tell him, “I’m Nova. Can you remember that?”
His eyebrow piqued as he asked, “You mean, Miss. Nova? My daddy said big girls like you are miss and big boys like him are mister.”
I immediately laughed at his wittiness as I agreed, “Miss. Nova works too. Now what’s your name?”
“I’m Jaxson,” he answered with high shoulders and a proud smile.
A smile I matched when I repeated, “Jaxson. I like that name.”
“I like it too, Miss. Nova. It’s my favorite name,” he replied enthusiastically, making me laugh once again just as they announced it was almost time to board.
I stood up, my knees already aching from being in the squat position as I tossed my purse over my shoulder and told him, “Well it was nice to meet you, Jaxson. You have fun on the plane, okay?”
He shook his head yes, and I was glad to see him back to the happy kid he had been from the beginning. But as I turned to walk back towards where I had been sitting, I heard that already familiar baritone ask, “Hey, what about me?”
I turned around and found Jaxson’s father wearing a silly grin outlined with a goatee that went into his thick, full beard. The type of facial hair that took the right person to maintain. The type of facial hair that would feel great grazing against my freshly waxed…
“Shit. Get it together, Nova.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, mainly to cover my nipples that were steadily growing harder under the thin fabric of my Miami-appropriate sundress when I asked, “What about you?”
He stood up, giving me a complete view of just how large he was as he took the couple of steps over to where I was standing. And I was already busy deciding what sport he must’ve played growing up in my mind when he looked down at me and asked, “Aren’t you gonna tell me to have fun on the plane too?”
Instead of looking back at him, I looked down at the ground, refusing to get lost in his thick, luscious lips that I had already secretly stolen a few glances of back when I was talking to Jaxson. I was just sure they’d look even more delectable up close, not to mention how great they’d look wrapped around exactly what I was trying to cover up. But since thinking about a complete stranger in such an erotic way really only made me grateful when it came to my last minute decision to throw “Trevante” in my bag, I tried to get back into my right mind when I finally told him, “Have fun on the plane… Guy, was it?”
I looked up just in time to catch him licking those bad boys, giving me new content to fantasize about later as he answered, “That’s right, Miss. Nova.”
Something about his extra inflection on my name along with his heated gaze had my bottom lip back between my teeth as I turned away hoping he hadn’t already caught me blushing. And with perfect timing, the speaker announced, “Now boarding passengers in rows 1-20.”
“Oh! That’s me. It was umm… nice to meet you, Guy. Your son is adorable.”
He wore a sly little smirk, smoothing a hand down his beard as he said, “Yeah, so are you.”
I didn’t think I could blush any harder than I was in that moment, caught off-guard by his obvious flirting. And maybe under different circumstances, I would’ve really taken the bait and entertained his interest - our interest. But with David lingering in the back of my mind already scolding me for my dirty thoughts, I could only offer another polite smile as I turned to walk away.
Still, I didn’t get far enough to miss little Jaxson yelling, “Daddy, I gotta go pee!” making me giggle as I turned back around just slightly to find Guy still looking at me. In fact, he was in such a trance that Jaxson had to tug at his arm to get his attention while repeating himself with an urgency that said he really had to go. And even though that had been enough to get him to snap out of it, just the thought of having that much of his attention made me feel… tingly, something I hadn’t experienced in far too long.
Not that David didn’t make feel special on occasion. I mean, I had kept him around for all this time for a reason. But moments with him in general were so few and far between that I suppose I had forgotten what it felt like to be so outwardly… desired.
I tried to shake it off as I went to board the plane, getting good and comfortable in my window seat before pulling my phone out to shoot David a text.
“Boarding for Miami.” - Nova
I didn’t expect a text back since I assumed he was probably on set working somewhere. But to my surprise, a response actually came through, though it wasn’t exactly the kind of response I was hoping for.
“Miami? Since when are you going to Miami?” - David
I rolled my eyes, annoyed that he hadn’t remembered such a big detail from our last conversation. But since getting pissy over text was pretty much pointless, I responded with a reminder.
“I told you that when we talked the other day. Kay invited me to stay with her for the summer.” - Nova
This time, his response was practically immediate, reading with a disdain that really didn’t surprise me since I had mentioned his enemy.
“The summer?! Hell nah, Nova. You know Kaylin be on that bullshit.” - David
While I knew the “bullshit” he was talking about revolved aro
und how much she wanted me to get rid of his ass, I avoided defending her just like I hadn’t defended him earlier, reminding him of the actual point of this whole trip instead.
“The school year was crazy, babe. I really need this vacation. And I promise, it’ll be super chill.” - Nova
Even though I had no idea what Kaylin had in mind other than dragging me to do the things she didn’t want to do with her fellow basketball wives, I figured playing it down would at least put David a little more at ease. But I could still feel his attitude through his text when he sent, “Yeah, whatever you say…”
My face scrunched as my fingers fired off a quick reply.
“What’s the problem? I mean, it’s not like you’re ever around anyway. Won’t really make a difference to you.” - Nova
It wasn’t that I was mad at him for following his dreams in another city. I could never fault him for that. But the reality of the situation was, with him being away, it really didn’t matter what city I was in.
The technology would work all the same.
Still, while I thought of my text as simple, it was clear David had read into it way more deeply when he sent, “Yeah, well maybe we should keep it that way.”
Once again, my fingers were quick against the screen as I typed out, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
But for the first time, while things in the conversation were actually at a crucial and intense point, he chose not to respond as quickly as he had been, only making me grow more irritated. I tried not to get too antsy, only checking my reception a few times to make sure the satellite Gods wouldn’t make me miss his text. But when it finally came in, I wished he wouldn’t have sent it all.
“I gotta get back to work. We’ll talk later.” - David
“What the fuck?” I thought to myself, my face tight and my hands hot as I read his words over and over again. But just when I was getting ready to respond even though his message didn’t call for it, I heard a little voice shout, “Miss. Nova! You comin’ to Miami too?”
I plastered on the best smile that I could, nodding as I told him, “I am. I’ll be there all summer long.”
His face instantly lit up when he screeched, “Me too! I’m gonna see my Uncle Lamar play basketball!”
Wait, what?
While I knew Lamar was just as famous as anyone else on the team, the fact that Jaxson had referred to him as “uncle” caught me completely off-guard since I knew Lamar was an only child. Then again, maybe it was just something Guy had him doing, like whenever I referred to Michelle Obama and Oprah as my aunties.
But before I could ask either one of them about it, Guy nudged his son on the shoulder from behind as he told him, “Come on, Jax. We gotta get to the back of the plane. We ain’t got that First Class money like Miss. Nova.”
I peeked up at him just in time to catch his smirk that he quickly paired with a wink, making me blush yet again just as Jaxson was asking, “Daddy, what’s first class?”
Instead of answering him right away, Guy gave me a quick, “Enjoy your trip,” before continuing towards his seat that was really only a few rows behind me.
Not that I had peeked back to actually see.
Okay, I definitely peeked back to see.
And once again, I was hit with the adorable sight of Guy tending to his baby boy, getting him settled into his seat with a container of snacks and a couple books; a man after my own heart. It was the kind of shit that made you want to start a family on the spot, but only if they were going to look just like that, and act just like that, and be with someone just like… that.
I turned back around in my seat, clicking my phone on to see the cryptic text message from David still sitting on the screen, giving me almost the exact opposite vibes. And while I was tempted to fire off the text message I had considered sending when Jaxson stopped by, I quickly decided against it, turning my phone completely off before settling in for the flight.
Guy
“Jaxson. Jaxson, wake up. We’re here.”
I couldn’t believe my big boy had slept the majority of the flight from St. Louis to Miami, especially with the millions of questions he had about Miss. Nova who we had met during what must’ve been a layover for her considering nothing about her style screamed Midwest. It was more eclectic, like the kind of girl you’d find singing in a band at a hole in the wall bar in Los Angeles. But she wore it well, damn well, well enough to not only catch my baby boy’s attention, but mine as well.
Her face was just… pretty. Not a lot of makeup, just a hint of blush against her cheeks. Her hair was in locs, the top half pulled back with the rest hanging long over shoulder. But what fascinated me the most about her was the half-sleeve of tattoos on her arm, something that naturally made the artist in me go wild.
It was honestly a little crazy to me that I hadn’t seen her in the few hours the flight lasted, but I could still remember everything about her so vividly, making me wish I could actually make use of her apparently being in Miami all summer like us. But since that wasn’t what we were here for, my attention stayed on Jaxson as he finally popped up from his nap, rubbing his eyes and looking out of the window to ask, “Daddy, we in Miami?”
“Yes, Jax. We’re in Miami. Now we just have to go get our bags and find Auntie Kaylin,” I told him, laying out the plans knowing he’d probably ask me about them again in the next ten minutes.
But instead of focusing on that, I focused on double-checking his book bag to make sure I wouldn’t be putting out any fires later because we accidentally forgot something on the plane. And of course, tucked in between the seats was Jaxson’s favorite toy car, his Lightning McQueen, the same Lightning McQueen that had me peeking a few rows forward to find Nova with her headphones snug over her ears as she slid through the row to exit the plane.
For whatever reason, the sight made me feel a way since this would more than likely be the last time I ever saw her. But before I could really process that, along with my feelings about it, I heard Jaxson ask, “Where’s Uncle Lamar?”
Here we go with these questions again...
“He has practice, but he said he’ll come see us when he’s done,” I told him as I slid out of the row before letting him out to walk in front of me.
But he didn’t move right away, turning around to ask, “Daddy, when can we go see Uncle Lamar play basketball?”
“I’ll tell you when we get off the plane,” I answered, turning around to the group of anxious people waiting to deboard behind us and offering them an apology. And I was grateful when they only smiled in understanding as I nudged Jaxson to walk without straight up pushing him like I was tempted to do.
When we finally made it off the plane, I grabbed his hand and led us to baggage claim, Jaxson walking unbelievably slow as he took in everything around him like usual. And I was just about ready to say fuck it and pick him up when he asked, “Can Miss. Nova come with us to see Uncle Lamar play basketball?”
Wait… what?
I shouldn’t have been surprised that my little boy was still thinking about the same woman that I was since she had obviously made a good impression on him - on the both of us. Still, I couldn’t help but ask, “Miss. Nova? Where’d that come from, Jax?”
“That’s my friend, Daddy. I remember her name and everything,” he answered enthusiastically, making me laugh since apparently that was all it took to be friends with someone.
And while my first thought was, “I remember everything too, son,” I was sure to explain, “I’m not sure if we’ll see Miss. Nova again. But if we do, how about you ask her if she wants to come?”
I wasn’t usually one to use my child as a way in with women. In fact, it usually worked the other way around, women using my child as their way in, for whatever reason finding the whole fatherhood thing super attractive. And I definitely took advantage of that on occasion, talking about kid playdates that somehow turned into adult-only playdates. But something about Nova had me off my game, though I was sure the only way we
’d see her was if she just so happened to be waiting on her luggage like us.
When I didn’t spot her in the area right away, I pretty much gave up hope on that idea until Jaxson pointed ahead and said, “She’s right there, Daddy. Talking to Auntie Kaylin.”
I looked up and sure enough, Nova was there, rocking Kaylin back and forth in a hug like she was her long-lost sister. Jaxson immediately took off running towards the both of them, my threatening voice not enough to make him stop. And I was just about ready to snatch his little ass up until I saw Kaylin’s eyes go wide as she opened her arms to pick him up.
“There’s my big boy!” she yelled, slinging him against her hip and sprinkling kisses all over his face that he only squealed against.
I made it over to them just in time to hear Jaxson ask, “Auntie Kaylin, how you know Miss. Nova?”
She cocked her head to the side, her face scrunched teasingly when she asked, “Excuse me? How do you know Miss. Nova?”
“That’s my friend, Auntie Kaylin. She likes my name too,” he answered proudly, making Kaylin burst with laughter as she noticed me approaching.
“Oh my God. Guy, what are you doing to this child?” she asked, giving him another quick kiss on the cheek before putting him down on the ground.
Then I leaned in to give her a hug of my own when I told her, “That’s all him, Kay.”
“Mmhm,” she groaned as she pulled away before asking, “Y’all ready to go? I already had Martin grab your luggage and put it in the car. But if y’all need to go to the bathroom or anything, I’d suggest you do it now just in case we hit traffic.”
While I was impressed by the special privileges as I bent my head to ask Jaxson if he needed to go potty, Nova was busy looking back and forth between the three of us before she finally piped out, “Uhh… I see you two know each other...”
Kaylin waved a nonchalant hand her way as she said, “Oh, my bad, Nova. This is Guy. Guy is Lamar’s best friend, from his hometown. Him and this little cutie pie are coming down for the summer to visit. I figured since you and Jaxson were already buddies that it must’ve came up in conversation.”
If Only for the Summer Page 3
