THE BABY FEVER FREE ME

THE BABY FEVER FREE ME

My Paigey

Pairing: Paige Bueckers x Reader

Fandom: Women’s College Basketball / WNBA (UConn, Dallas Wings)

Summary: bringing Paige home for Easter, where our (my) five-year-old niece Aria quickly claims Paige as her own(once again)—and refuses to let go.

🏷️: @paigeshirleytemple , @unknowngirlypop , @yailtsv , @nicebellee, @sitawita , @thatonesuschix , @vamptizm , @elalfywhore , @starfulani , @authentic-girl03 , @paxaz535 , @azziswrld , @jadasogay , @paigeluvvr, @melpthatsme , @lessi-lover , @courtsidewithlani , @imnotkaizer , @italyyy , @lightsgore , @private-but-not-a-secret , @aubreygriffin , @issilovesherself , @graceeeeeesblog

Easter back home always meant chaos: pastel dresses, chocolate bunnies, church pews packed tighter than my carry-on suitcase, and Aria—my five-year-old niece who had enough sass and charm to run the whole family if we let her.

This year, though, she had a partner-in-crime.

“Are we almost there?” Paige’s voice curled softly in my ear, her hand resting on my thigh as I drove down the familiar two-lane road to my parents’ house.

“Two more turns,” I said, glancing over with a grin. “Excited?”

She smiled, brushing her long hair behind her ear. “Yeah. Nervous too. Your mom likes me, right?”

“She already follows you on Instagram and sends me screenshots when you post anything remotely cute.”

“That’s almost everything I post.” She smirked, the cocky confidence slipping in—my favorite look on her.

I parked the car and we hadn’t even finished getting our bags out before the screen door slammed open.

“YOU’RE HERE!”

A blur of curls and bunny socks came flying off the porch and slammed into my legs. “Hi Aria—!”

“No! I wanna hug Paigey first!”

I watched, mock-offended, as Aria let go of me like yesterday’s news and threw her tiny arms around Paige’s waist, looking up at her with sparkling brown eyes.

Paige crouched down, giggling. “Hey, Jellybean. Missed you too.”

“Are you staying forever this time?” Aria asked seriously, and I saw my mom chuckle behind the screen door.

Paige glanced at me, then back at her. “I’m here all Easter weekend. That cool?”

Aria nodded, then clutched Paige’s hand like she was some magical Disney princess who’d just stepped off a float.

That set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

Aria insisted on riding to church in Paige’s lap—obviously not allowed—so we compromised. She sat next to Paige, then climbed into her lap halfway through the opening hymn, arms tucked around Paige’s waist like she was shielding her from rogue hymnal books.

I leaned in, whispering, “You good over there, P?”

Paige smiled down at Aria, whose head now rested on her shoulder. “I think I’ve been claimed, for marriage and it’s not to you.”

“I see that.”

Aria looked up. “I told the Easter Bunny to give Paigey the biggest basket.”

Paige laughed quietly. “Wow, thank you. That’s very generous.”

“I didn’t get you chocolate ‘cause Mommy says I’m not allowed sugar before naps. But you can have my yellow jellybeans.”

“Those are your favorites,” Paige said softly.

Aria shrugged like a martyr. “You’re my favorite now.”

I gasped dramatically. “Wow. I’m right here.”

“You still smell like car air-freshener.”

Getting Aria down for her nap was usually an ordeal involving at least two parents, one sippy cup, and a very specific Spotify playlist of ocean waves and Moana ballads.

Today? She snuggled into Paige’s arms on the couch while the adults cleared up post-church snacks and deviled eggs. Her eyes drooped, her thumb popped into her mouth, and Paige just rocked her gently with one arm while sipping sweet tea with the other.

“She’s out,” Paige whispered to me proudly.

“You’re literally a miracle worker.”

“She called me her ‘Paigey’ again.”

“You are her Paigey,” I teased. “Face it. You’re hers now.”

Easter Egg Hunt – Later

As soon as Aria woke up, her first word was, “Paigey?”

Paige appeared in the doorway with her sneakers on and a pink hoodie. “Ready to hunt some eggs?”

Aria lit up. “YES. But only if you help me.”

She refused to let Paige leave her side during the entire backyard Easter egg hunt. Even when she spotted a plastic egg half-hidden behind the tulips, she waited for Paige to walk with her to go get it.

“I got the sparkle egg,” she announced proudly, then looked at Paige. “You get to open it.”

“I feel honored.”

“It’s just jellybeans,” Aria said, then paused. “You want the yellow ones.”

“I do.”

After the hunt, Paige lifted her onto her hip like it was second nature, balancing Aria with one arm while helping my mom clean up candy wrappers with the other. I just stood there watching her like an idiot.

“You’re down bad,” my brother whispered, nudging me.

“She’s got my niece under a spell.”

He smirked. “So do you. Just not the same kind.”

The next morning, Paige and I were saying our see you laters and panicking up so we could head back home, and everything was going smoothly.

However, except I could hear Aria’s dramatic wails before I even zipped up my suitcase.

“NOOOOOOOO.”

I walked out to the living room and found her gripping Paige’s leg like a lifeline, face scrunched, little cheeks tear-streaked.

“She said she has to go back to Netticut,” Aria sniffled. “But she’s mine.”

Paige bent down gently. “I am yours. I just have to pack my stuff that’s at the me and auntie Y/n’s place so I can go play basketball with the big girls, remember?”

“No!” Aria shook her head violently. “I wanna come too. Please. I’ll be good. I’ll pack jellybeans.”

I looked at Paige.

She looked at me.

I nodded. “Screw it. We’re taking her.”

We had set Aria up on the pull-out couch in our guest room, with her favorite pillow from home and a giant stuffed bunny Paige won her at a carnival last summer.

She FaceTimed her mom the first night.

“Hi Mommy. I’m good. Paigey made me waffles. Okay, bye.”

And hung up.

That was the new routine.

FaceTime in the morning: “Hi Mommy, I brushed my teeth! Paigey let me use her sparkly toothpaste! Okay bye.”

FaceTime before bed: “Paigey read me three books. And I had mac and cheese. Okay, night!”

She barely remembered we were supposed to be dropping her back off at home after one weekend.

“Okay, Jellybean” Paige said, lifting Aria into the air while I folded her last pair of UConn sweatpants. “Want to help me put this in the box?”

Aria dropped the shirt in and looked around. “Your room is empty.”

“I know. I’m moving to Dallas soon, remember?”

“Do I get to come to Dallas?”

I laughed. “You’d love Texas. Big parks. Lots of bunnies. Maybe Paigey can find you some yellow jellybeans there too.”

Paige looked at me over Aria’s head. “We’re seriously taking her to Texas, aren’t we?”

“Don’t tempt me.”

Aria crawled into one of Paige’s empty storage bins. “I fit in here.”

“You do,” Paige said, grinning. “You ready to move in with Auntie Paige and Y/N?”

“I been ready.”

“She’s gonna forget she has parents,” my sister joked over FaceTime as Aria ran around in the background in Paige’s oversized practice jersey.

“She has parents,” I said. “She just… prefers her Paigey.”

Paige walked by, sipping a smoothie. “Is it weird that I kinda love it?”

My sister smiled. “It’s not weird. It’s a little terrifying, but also adorable. You guys are her favorite people in the world.”

“Paigey is my best friend,” Aria said, running up to the phone.

“And who am I?” I asked, teasing.

“My other best friend. But Paigey’s my favorite-favorite.”

Paige just shot me a smug look.

We ended up flying Aria home two days before Paige left for Dallas.

She cried the whole ride to the airport, clutching Paige’s hand the entire time.

“I’ll come visit you,” Paige whispered into her hair. “And I’ll send you pictures from every new place, okay?”

“You pwomise.”

“Yeah, jellybean. I promise.” She said locking pinkies with Aria.

When we finally got back to the apartment, Paige leaned her head back on the couch and exhaled.

“I miss her already.”

“You’re gonna be the coolest WNBA auntie ever.”

“I’m gonna send her a stuffed armadillo from Texas.”

“She’s gonna sleep with it every night.”

We both looked out the window in silence for a moment.

“She’s gonna grow up so fast,” Paige said softly.

I reached over, lacing my fingers with hers. “We’ll still be her Paigey and Y/N.”

“Always?”

“Always.”

Later That Night

I got a text.

From Aria.

(Okay, from my sister’s phone, but still.)

It was a drawing. Paige and I holding hands. Aria in the middle. A rainbow over our heads. And above it, in Aria’s all-caps handwriting:

“MY PAIGEY. MY Y/N. MY FAMILY.”

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

                 -Thank You For Reading!🩵🩶

                             -prettygirl-gabi🎀✨️