Page 27 of Fever: Love In Scrubs

T he weeks were rolling by. I looked up and I had been back in Silver Run for four months.

I was now fully settled into my job at St. Ambrose and loving every minute of it.

Just like in Colorado Springs, I felt fulfilled and that was one thing I worried about.

I was a person that liked to be intentional about things, especially work.

I poured so much of myself into my old clients and St. Ambrose was a place where I could continue to do that.

Silver Run was finally beginning to feel like home and so was my house.

After freeing my parents’ ashes, the space felt lighter.

Even with a whole renovation, there was still a heaviness in the air and I think it was because their spirits weren’t at rest. All my father wanted in this life was to be with the woman that owned his heart.

Putting them back together for the last time did that.

I still have some feelings toward him, but what could I do about that?

He wasn’t here to hear my grievances. I’d spent most of my life talking to one ghost and I didn’t want to start talking to another.

Instead, I’d been journaling my feelings and leaving it where it was.

Once that journal was full, I planned to burn it and release all the negativity.

I had too much to be thankful for.

I had life. I had my career, my aunt, and my cousin.

The cherry on top was the man at my side.

Jaxson was wonderful. That man was everything I could possibly want rolled into one amazing human.

I was so blessed to have him, Jamari, and his family as part of my circle.

With them, I found a surrogate family. Every Sunday, I was invited to dinner.

Even Sundays when Jaxson had to work, Ms. Tabitha made sure I came over to eat with them.

She loved on me the same way that she loved on Asia. At any given moment, she would smother my face with kisses or randomly hug me. The first time she did it, I locked myself in the bathroom and cried because I went so long without that kind of affection and I was missing it from my aunt.

When I told her how it made me feel, she told me whenever I needed a motherly touch, she was there.

She then proceeded to smother me with kisses, even having Kacie and Jamari join in.

Jaxson snapped a picture of the interaction and now it was the wallpaper on his phone.

He said he had all his girls in one picture, and it made my heart smile.

I was so in love with this man and fear of rejection made me keep it to myself.

Every time he hugged me, my stomach did backflips.

Every time he kissed me, my knees went weak.

Every time he made love to me, I fell that much deeper into him.

I had peace like no other with that man and I more than deserved it.

“Baby?”

I jumped at the sound of Jaxson’s voice.

“Huh?”

“You okay? You were standing there all zoned out.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking.”

I went back to plating the breakfast I cooked. He walked over and wrapped his arms around me from behind. Like always, a smile spread across my lips. He placed tender kisses to my neck as he caressed my midsection.

If I’d never felt confident in my thicker frame before, I did now. This man loved rubbing on me. Whenever we slept together, he had to hold me until he drifted off to sleep. I didn’t complain because being in his arms gave me comfort. I slept so much better when he was near.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked, kissing my temple.

I was quiet, contemplating telling him how I felt. He pulled the plate of bacon from my hands and placed it on the counter before turning me to face him. He caged my body between him and the kitchen island, peering down at me.

“Talk to me, baby.”

“I… I…”

“Just say it, Wynter.”

I sighed. “You know I care for you, Jaxson. You have been more than I could have asked for?—”

“You breaking up with me?”

“What? Baby, no. I’m… I’m trying to tell you… I’m trying to tell you that I love you.”

He stared at me with an unreadable expression.

“You love me?”

“Yes. I’ve been trying to find a way to say it without feeling like it was too soon.”

A grin spread across his features as he leaned into me and pecked my lips.

“So you love me, huh?” he asked, nuzzling my neck.

I giggled. “Yes.”

“How much you love me, baby?”

“With my entire heart.”

He cupped my face and kissed my lips with enough passion to make my knees feel weak. A moan slipped from my lips as he pulled away.

“I love you too, Wynter.”

My eyes widened. “You— you do? You love me?”

“I honestly started falling the day you were laid up in that hospital bed making a fuss.”

I blushed. “I was in pain, sir!”

“And giving my intern hell.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Our first unofficial date, I knew you were something special. I’ve never been ready to let you go every moment after that. I knew I loved you when I got to experience you with my baby.”

“I love Jamari.”

“I know you do. She loves you too. When you aren’t around, all I hear is Ms. Wynter this or Ms. Wynter that. She’s low key obsessed with you.”

I smiled. “I’m low key obsessed with both of you.”

We shared another passionate kiss that was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming into my kitchen. Jaxson and Jamari had spent the night at my house, something that happened a couple of times. I loved having them here just as much as I loved staying at their place.

“Oh my gosh!” Jamari exclaimed, covering her eyes as she walked into the kitchen.

Jaxson chuckled. “Must you be so dramatic?”

I giggled as she came over to greet us.

“Happy birthday, baby girl,” Jaxson said, kissing her forehead. “You’re officially a teenager.”

Jamari flipped her hair. “Which means I’m almost an adult.”

“Almost doesn’t count,” her father said flatly.

Excitedly, I pulled Jamari into a hug. “Happy birthday, pud!” I sang, rocking her from side to side. She blushed as I smothered her cheeks with kisses. “We are gonna have so much fun today.”

She wanted to have a party at the skating rink, so her father rented it out for the night.

“Can you skate, Ms. Wynter?”

“It’s been a minute, so if you see me on my butt, look the other way.”

“Don’t worry, baby,” Jaxson said, kissing my cheek. “I got you.”

“Daddy, please don’t be in there being fresh,” Jamari begged. “I know you love Ms. Wynter and all, but?—”

She covered her mouth like she wasn’t supposed to say that.

“It’s okay, baby,” her father assured her. “I told her this morning.”

Her hands fell and a grin spread across her face. “You love my dad, Ms. Wynter?”

“Very much, pud. I love you too.”

Tears swelled in her eyes. Every time I told her I loved her, she always got misty eyed. When she told me she rarely heard that from her mother, it pissed me off.

“I love you too,” she whispered.

I pulled her in for another hug and kissed her forehead. “Have a seat so you can enjoy your birthday breakfast. I made all your favorites.”

“Thank you, Ms. Wynter.”

“Anytime, baby.”

She went to the table while I finished plating the food and Jaxson made our coffee. Finally seated, we joined hands and said a prayer before digging in.

“Daddy?” Jamari said softly.

“What’s up?”

“Did you invite Mom to my party?”

Things with Amandela hadn’t been the best. She showed up for the first supervised visit and showed her ass.

Ms. Tabitha had gone with Johnathan and almost put hands on that woman.

According to them, she kept questioning Jamari about the statement she wrote for court.

When Jamari started crying, she got to cursing about her father and calling him all types of names.

That night, I had to all but sit on Jaxson to keep him from going over to her apartment.

He ended up calling and cursing her clean the fuck out.

I don’t think she got a word in because he didn’t let up on her until he was done and hung up the phone.

She didn’t show up to the next visit, and came late the one after that.

Since then, she’s been showing up, but Johnathan said there was mostly silence.

She tried to talk to Jamari, but baby girl was checked out.

This had been going on for a month and a half and I didn’t see anything being resolved.

“I told her, but I don’t know if she’s coming, baby,” Jaxson answered.

Jamari simply nodded. I knew she didn’t want her mother to come, but Jaxson never wanted it to be said that he was keeping her away and excluding her from their daughter’s life. He did his part, and it was up to her to do the rest.

“Can I give you your birthday gift?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Jamari’s ears perked up. “You got me something?”

“Of course, I did!”

I got up from the table and went to the coat closet to grab her gift.

I’d made her a beautiful basket full of things I knew she loved.

When I came back around the corner with it in my hands, she grew excited.

She set her plate aside as I placed it in front of her.

Her smile grew as she plucked the card from the front and read it.

Happy Birthday, Pud!

Today, you are officially a young woman.

I pray that God continues to bless and guide you as you enter this journey of self-discovery.

Always remember that you are enough and you deserve greatness because you are worthy of it all.

I pray that your wishes come true and your dreams are never small.

Remember that you have a village behind you and we love you so much, beautiful.

Love,

Wynter

“Ms. Wynter, why do you always have to make me cry!” she whined, wiping her eyes. “You’re going to be the best Mommy to my future siblings.”

I giggled. She was adamant that her father and I would get married one day and she would finally be a big sister.

She put the card down and pulled the ribbon to release the wrapping paper from around the basket.

An audible gasp left her lips. Inside, the basket was filled with all sorts of things.

I’d gotten her a designer crossbody bag with a matching card case, a pink pair of Air Pod headphones, and gift cards to her favorite stores.

She’d been raving about my perfume, so I got her a bottle of that, some Fenty body cream and lip gloss, a few books she asked for, a new watch band, and a personalized name plate.

When Jaxson helped me put it all together last night, he told me how much he appreciated that I listened and paid attention to his daughter when she spoke.

That made me feel good because I wanted to love Jamari like she was my own.

“Thank you, Ms. Wynter!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around my neck.

“You are so welcome, baby.”

“I guess I can give you my gift now,” Jaxson said.

He stood and walked over to his bag in the living room, returning a few seconds later with an envelope that he handed to her. Eagerly, she took it from him and opened it. The scream that left her lips pierced my ears.

“You got me tickets to Siana J!”

Siana J was one of her favorite singers and as popular as she was, I knew those tickets cost a pretty penny.

“Floor seats and backstage passes.”

She screamed again, jumping to her feet and into his arms. “Thank you, Daddy! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have to go call Tyanna!”

She kissed us both, before grabbing her basket and taking off upstairs.

“I think she burst my damn ear drum,” Jaxson said, chuckling.

“Now imagine all those screaming fans in that arena. You set yourself up.”

“That I did. Anything to see her smile.”

“You think Amandela is coming to the party?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I want her to stay away, but I also want her to show up for our daughter. I really hate this shit, Wynter.”

“I know, baby.” I stood and kissed his lips. “Let’s just hope that if she shows up, she’s on her best behavior.”

“She better be.”

For the sake of Jamari, I prayed her mother would act right.