Chapter 3
Jayme
I spun my chair around and smiled as my client took in her reflection. She immediately nodded then started dancing in her seat.
“This shit is fly, Jayme.”
“Thank you. Thank you.” I dusted my shoulders off and we both laughed. “It’ll be two fifty.”
“Good look.” She opened her purse, grabbed the money, and offered it to me.
“Thank you.” I counted it and slid it into my pocket.
“No. Thank you. I can’t wait to be in the club showing my ass and looking cute as fuck.” She hopped out of the chair and turned sideways, looking at her reflection. “I’ll see you again in two months, right?”
“Yeah, girl. Just let me know when and we can get you on the books.”
“Bet.” She turned around and gave me a quick, one-armed hug. “Have a good weekend.”
“Have a good vacation.” I waved her off and collapsed in my chair.
I grabbed my phone from my work station and checked my text messages and emails. I saw my final appointment for the day had cancelled and sent a message letting me know she appreciated me and would rebook when she got a chance. I sent a quick thank you then dialed Arris.
He had Blake for the day while I was at work but I was ready to scoop him up and let Arris head to the tattoo spot to get his own work done.
Despite our relationship ending, Arris was one of my best friends and we had a great coparenting relationship.
He kept Blake during the day while I did hair.
I kept Blake at night while he ran the streets with the gang or did tattoos.
When we had something come up that required the situation to change, we adapted and hadn’t had an issue yet.
We were good at balancing our solo time and time with our son. We never had any issues with making sure Blake was good physically or financially. I couldn’t have gotten any luckier than sharing a child with Arris.
“What’s up, Jay?” Arris answered on the second ring.
“I finished early. You want me to come get Blake on my way home?”
“Nah. You’re good. We’re getting pretzels.
Then I owe my boy a toy for how good he’s been today while I was getting my chores done, so we’re going to run to the store and shit.
Just go ahead and head home. Have some wine and take a nice bubble bath or something.
I’ll have him home before my appointment though. I promise.”
“Alright. I’ll see you then.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Arris hung up.
I pouted.
Even though I’d never infringe on Arris and Blake’s time together, I could admit I missed our son whenever he was gone for a significant amount of time.
I sighed but climbed up and started cleaning my work station. After I swept and made sure all of my things were locked up, I headed to my apartment.
I decided to take Arris’s advice. I ran a hot bath with bubbles, poured a glass of wine, and hopped in.
I let music play and sank into the water, reveling in how nice it felt having my muscles relax.
I soaked for about an hour or so, just doing my best to enjoy my time, but jerked up in the bath when I heard the front door open and close.
I glanced at the time on my phone. Reena wasn’t supposed to be home for several more hours. I hopped out and rubbed the bubbles off as fast as I could before wrapping a towel around me and rushing out of the bathroom.
I paused and screamed as I collided with Arris’s chest.
He laughed. I pushed him as hard as I could with both hands.
“That’s not fucking funny, Arris!”
“I don’t know. That shit is funny to me.” He shrugged. “But happy early birthday, Jaybird.” He smiled. “Throw some clothes on and meet me and Blake in the kitchen please.”
I exhaled. “Alright.”
I reached over and smacked him again. Then I slipped back into the bathroom, let the water out of the tub, took a shower, and hopped out.
My eyes automatically drifted to the tattoo on my hip while I was moisturizing.
It was one of the first tattoos Arris had ever done for me, a small rose with “DP” in the petals, the calling card of the women who meant the most to the men who repped D-Ville.
The wives and girlfriends of the guys were typically called concrete roses.
Arris had been new to the gang and tattooing when he’d given me mine.
I’d briefly thought about getting it covered up, but decided against it, partially because it was still a symbol of a time in my life that meant a lot to me and partially because Arris still had the tattoo he’d gotten in honor of me proudly on his neck.
It was a beautiful bird with my initial in it, an ode to the nickname he’d thrown on me: Jaybird.
I didn’t stare at it too long. I finished and headed to the kitchen where I froze in the doorway. I poked my bottom lip out automatically. There was a cake with candles already lit in the center of our table beside a vase of flowers and a gift bag. Both Arris and Blake had party hats and smiles on.
“Happy birthday to you,” Arris sang while he rocked side to side with Blake in his arms. “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Jaybird. Happy birthday to you.” Arris shook Blake, making him laugh uncontrollably.
“Arris—”
He cut me off. “Don’t tell me today isn’t your birthday. I know when your birthday is but I also know we probably won’t see each other on the actual day, so…” He shrugged.
“You realize you didn’t have to do all this, right?”
“Yeah. I know, but you deserve it.” He grinned.
“Well, thank you.”
“Of course.” He nudged his head toward the table. ”Come on and blow out these candles. I know you see this wax melting.”
“Alright, alright.”
I walked over, closed my eyes, and leaned in. I blew the candles out and stood back up. Blake clapped for me. I ran a finger through the icing and put some on Blake’s nose, then his lip.
I dipped my finger a second time to try it out myself. I hummed in contentment.
“I got it from your favorite bakery, handmade chocolate icing and red velvet cake beneath.” He shook his head. “Nasty ass shit.” He shifted Blake to his other side and pulled his phone from his pocket, glancing at the screen.
I collected a knife. I cut the entire cake then got a little piece for Blake and took him from Arris. I sat him down in his seat at the table and gave him one of his spoons to eat with.
“Do you want cake to take home?” I asked.
“If you really want me to have some.”
I rolled my eyes but collected a container and tossed two pieces of cake into it.
“So, what do you have scheduled for tonight?”
“I only have three tattoos on the books but I always get a good number of walk-ins so I’m not really pressed about it. What do you have planned for your birthday?”
“The one that’s next week, Arris?”
“I mean, yeah. That shit only comes around once a year, right?”
“Yeah, smart ass.” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know. I’m thinking Reena and I may have plans but we don’t have anything locked in.”
“Well… if she doesn’t plan anything, you know how DP gets behind you.”
“Yeah, I hear you and I’ll keep you updated.” I grabbed the birthday bag off the table and peeked into it.
I dug into the bag and lifted an eyebrow when my hand touched something soft and fuzzy. Arris had a big, stupid ass grin on his face. I grabbed the gift and jerked it out. It was a stuffed capybara. A small laugh came out of me.
“I picked it!” Blake announced proudly.
“I figured.” I leaned down and kissed his head. “I love it, baby.” I smiled and set it down on a chair.
Arris and I consistently let Blake pick out the gifts we got for birthdays and other large holidays. We liked for him to be included and we loved the thought of seeing the different gifts he’d choose throughout the years before he could go off and buy us things on his own.
“I got you something too,” Arris said. “Keep digging.”
“Yeah?” I stuck my hand back in the bag and felt around for a little while before I pulled out an envelope and a small box. “Which one first?”
“The card.”
“Okay.” I plucked it open and smiled at the happy birthday card with Spider Man etched on the front. “Wait. This is the best card I’ve ever gotten. Who picked the card out? Arris, was it you?”
“No!” Blake said quickly. “I picked it!”
“You did?” I acted shocked. “Wow. You pick the best presents.” I leaned down and kissed him again, twice.
Then I popped open the little box. It was a pair of beautiful diamond earrings and I grinned as I looked at them. I’d lost an earring swimming on vacation and had yet to replace them so this was actually something I genuinely wanted and hadn’t been expecting.
“They’re beautiful, Arris.” I closed in on him. “Thank you.” I gave him a hug and felt like my entire body melted in his arms as he squeezed me. “They aren’t as special as the capybara but I appreciate them anyway.”
He chuckled. “I’m glad my little gift at least tried to put up a fight.”
He plucked the birthday hat off his head and put it on mine instead.
We both looked at the door as it opened.
“Hey, baby.” I greeted Reena as she entered the apartment.
She looked around, taking everything in carefully before walking further inside.
“What’s up, Arris?”
“What’s up?” Arris finished snapping the hat on my head before he turned toward her.
He dapped her up and my eyes went back and forth between them.
“What y’all up to?”
“Celebrating Jayme’s birthday,” Arris said. “Blake found the best possible birthday gift for his mom and couldn’t wait to give it to her.” He gestured to the capybara seated at the table. “I decided to just do the whole gift giving shit tonight.”
“Oh. Okay. Cool.” Reena shifted on her feet.
Arris smirked and I cut my eyes at him.
“Yeah, but I’m heading out.” He walked over to Blake. “Bye, man.” Arris kissed the side of Blake’s head and gave him a one-armed hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Be good and don’t eat all your mom’s cake, alright?”
“Alright.”
“Thank you.”
“Welcome.”
Arris walked over and gave me a one-armed hug.
“Happy early birthday, Jaybird. I hope you have a great night, and if you need me, call me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Arris grabbed his cake and headed out.