“What you bring to cook, Bunny?”
Mason chuckled. “You still call her that?”
“All the time.” Aspen snickered.
The nickname came about when they were in the fifth grade. It was field day. Mahari and Aspen were up against one another in the sack race. All day, Mahari had been taunting and teasing Aspen about how he was going to smoke her. When the time came, he couldn’t back up anything he’d said. Aspen beat him by a long shot, and the only comeback Mahari had for her was that she was hopping around like a bunny.
Ever since then, that had been his nickname for her.
Since Aspen was engrossed in conversation with his family, Mahari took it upon himself to look in the bags. His stomach growled upon seeing the ingredients for his favorite childhood breakfast. It was one he and Aspen shared on many occasions, one he’d never gotten tired of his mother making.
“Mama, you gotta get in the kitchen with Aspen on this one,” Mahari announced, smirking.
“What all did she get?” Jaxen peered in the bags and beamed. “Oh, you know Mama can handle this. Aspen, you don’t need tobe on your feet, so just come sit in here and keep me company. You too, Mahaley.”
Gathering the bags, Jaxen led the girls into the kitchen, leaving Mahari and his father alone. Mason peeked around the corner before reaching into his pocket and holding up a joint. The two of them dapped one another up, then disappeared to Mahari’s room to access his balcony.
Mason fired up the joint and passed it to Mahari. Silence lingered between them before Mason cleared his throat and turned to his son. From the expression on his face, Mahari knew where the conversation was going.
“Say what’s on your mind, Dad,” Mahari encouraged before taking a deep pull.
“Do you have anything you need to tell me? Anything you want to talk about?”
“What you getting at?”
“Is there anything going on between you and Aspen?”
Mahari almost choked on the weed. Mason reached over and patted him on the back until Mahari gave him a thumbs up. Passing the blunt back to his father and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Mahari leaned against the balcony and carefully thought of his answer.
“There’s nothing going on between us but our friendship, Dad. We’ve been close for years. Nothing has changed.”
“I don’t know about all that, Son. I thought y’all would’ve been a little distant from one another when she got with Lance, but it seems to have brought y’all closer.” Mason raised a hand. “I’m not saying that’s a bad thing either. If Lance was cool with it, then it’s all good.”
“We got closer because Lance was the one who became distant. He started neglecting Aspen in ways I never would as a man, so as her best friend, I stepped up. Just because Lance ismy cousin doesn’t mean it’s going to affect what I do for Aspen. You know how I’ve always been about her.”
“And I respect that. I do, it’s just . . . In situations as such, you must be careful. Lines can easily be blurred. I know that from experience.”
Mahari understood what his father was saying. His parents’ relationship started off as them being friends and blossomed into one of the most beautiful relationships Mahari had ever seen. In many ways, he strived to be like his father, which was one reason he never let Aspen down. When Heaven was alive, he was the same way. The love and adoration he had for both women drove him to be a better man in many aspects.
Once they finished smoking, Mahari and his father headed back inside where Aspen, Jaxen, and Mahaley were all sitting at the dining room table, talking. He stood back, watching the women interact with one another, admiring the way they all vibed with each other. Aspen fit in perfectly.
To know his family loved and adored her as much as he did had his mind wandering to forbidden places, places he’d been hiding from, but it seemed Aspen was secretly discovering them all.
Later that night . . .
Two hours ago, Aspen asked Mahari to get ready. She didn’t give any details on anything, only stating to dress casually and to be ready by eight. Mahari had to pry it out of her to know if he needed to send a car or not. He didn’t want her driving with the pain she’d been in and how late it was, so Aspen happily obliged.
Usually, he spent his birthday in the club or at the studio, so he was anxious to see what the night with Aspen held for him.
Studying himself in the mirror, Mahari ran his hands through his beard and nodded. The weather had warmed up and extended throughout the night, so Mahari chose a pair of army green cargo shorts with a nude tank. Gold jewelry adorned his neck, ears, and wrists. His freshly retwisted locs were in two-barrel twists, and Mahari had to admit, he looked good. He snapped a few pictures in the full-length mirror just as his doorbell rang.
After gathering what he needed, Mahari jogged down the steps and opened the door for Aspen. She stood there, smiling, but exhaustion was written all over her face. When she opened her mouth to speak, and her words were replaced with a yawn, Mahari chuckled.
“I don’t know if we need to go anywhere, Bunny. It seems like you and the girls need to rest.”
Aspen swayed her head. “I’ll be fine. I’m off tomorrow, so I can sleep in before I get up to study.”
Another yawn escaped her lips. Mahari gently gripped her wrist and tugged her inside. “What did you have planned?”
