"Kyra, don't put me in anymore ugly dresses. I'm the maid of honor which is higher up than a bridesmaid so I deserve to look nice." I complained from the podium in the dress shop that we were in. Kyra had me in a cranberry colored spaghetti strapped knee length dress with ruffles around the hem. I looked like I was about to go salsa dancing. It was just horrible and I couldn't believe that she was doing this to me. "Brit, you look beautiful. And I'm sorry that your dress won't look as good as mine." Ky laughed out.

"Come on, it's standard in the wedding party that the bridesmaids get the ugly dress, maid of honor gets the dress that's like pretty and such and the bride shuts all of them down. Either way, I won't look as good as you on your wedding day but I'm begging you to put me in a cute dress." I said trying to make her see that I shouldn't be in this horrible choice of a dress. "You're right." She sighed. "I am?" I was shocked at the fact that she was agreeing with me. I had already prepared myself to be yelled for giving my opinion.

"Yeah. I mean you won't look as fine as I do but I understand your pain and I agree with you. You can pick the dress that you like as long as you don't try and outdo me or I'll have to hurt you." She smiled. "I won't." I promised. "Just remember when you and Don get married I get to choose my dress. Now hurry up because I'm hungry." After about forty more minutes of trying dresses on I found one that both Ky and I agreed on and we left the shop.

"So, it's almost the day." Ky started dancing in her seat and I shook my head at her. "I know that Kyra, I don't need reminders. I remind myself every morning and night. My phone even has the reminder but thanks for telling me." I told her after thanking the waiter for the sweetened iced tea that I had ordered. "Well aren't you excited? You don't seem like you are."

Her question had me stuck. Was I excited? I didn't even know anymore. Anxious? Yes. But excited? Ehhh. Six weeks ago after meeting with and talking to Renee, I let my dad know about what happened and Ant gave him the recording. My dad did his lawyer magic and Don was moved to the local county jail and was to be set free a week from then.

That was a month ago when his release date was set. He had been moved back to the jail at home the week of his original release date. This was all good but he received some extra time due to an incident with one of the other prisoners who I later found out was Jayden. Renee and her crazy ass actually kept her word as far as the entire Jayden issue.

I wasn't sure how long Jayden was down for but I did know that Renee got a good four years for perjury. None of my business because in a few days it would be just me and my man and nobody else mattered.

"I don't know Kyra. I mean I think that I am but maybe it just hasn't hit me yet." I shrugged. "I understand. Don't worry you'll feel it." "True but I'm upset because as far as I'm concerned he could have been home by now but he just had to get into some trouble. Why throw months of good behavior away?" Kyra just shrugged her shoulders. Of course she didn't know. Once we finished our food Kyra dropped me off at my car that was parked at the dress shop and I headed home.

"Adonis!" I squealed causing him to look my way once I walked through the door. He was in his jumping bouncer and began babbling when I was finally into his view. "Hi Juicy." I grabbed him and placed kisses all over his face. "Mommy missed you. Where's your uncle, he left you in this big room all alone?" I placed him on my hip and we went to the kitchen where I mashed some pears up to feed him.

"Aw shit. Did he climb out of the bouncer? I was gone five minutes and- Britni is going to kill me. Somebody kidnapped the kid." I heard Maleek talking from the living room. I pulled my phone out and sent him a text asking about the baby. "And she just text me. How do I tell her that I lost her kid? Shit I'm as good as dead." I knew that he was sitting on the couch with a scared expression on his face instead of searching the house.

I couldn't take his panic attack any longer so I made my presence known to him. "Stop leaving my baby alone unless you have the baby monitor with you. Anything could have happened Maleek." I told him. "I meant to bring the monitor but I had to take a mean smash." "I don't want to hear about your shitty boo boo experience. Kill that noise."

"You finished for the day?" Leek asked. "What you mean?" "Like do you need me to watch the baby anymore today?" He rolled his eyes. "You looking real female like rolling those big ass eyes." I laughed. "Answer the question." He smacked his lips and pushed me. "Do you not see my son in my hands and you pushing me? You lucky we ain't fall or we would have fucked your life up, and Juicy is going out for the night with Ant."

"Stop calling that boy Juicy. His name is Adonis or Junior." "But look at him! He's so fat and squishy like a gushers fruit snack. Makes you want to eat him up. Isn't that right baby?" I kissed him all over his face earning baby drool all on my cheek as he was trying to do the same. "Aw look, he's trying to give Mommy some kisses." "Y'all wack." Leek shook his head. "Adonis, say hello to the hater." I turned him towards Maleek. He reached out and started whining for him.

"Who is she?" I asked Leek. "Who is who?" "Stop playing stupid! Who's the girl?" I watched as he stared off at nothing in particular while his mouth turned into a smile and his eyes lit up. "Ooo! You're in love! The world is about to end, my Maleek is in love!" I was so excited for him. "Chill it's not even like that Brit."

"Then what is it like? Why else would you just do what you did?" I tilted my head to the side waiting on an answer. "Do what?" "Nothing yo. Tell me about her." I said. "Her name is Ashlynn and I don't know what to tell you. Damn, why you putting me on the spot?" He huffed. I placed the baby on the floor and immediately he got on all fours and stayed in that stance not moving. My head shook at that before I went back to Leek.

"She work? Kids? Cute? Fat? Skinny? Bald headed? Are her teeth real?" I ran questions off. "She's a nurse. No kids. She's cute to me but it's not her looks that I'm after. I ain't even gonna lie, she's a big one. She makes me feel all different and shit. I can't explain it but I fuck with her heavy." I nodded my head and looked down to check on my son and he was down at the other end of the couch.

"Adonis, how did you- did you crawl?" I was shocked. "He can't answer you and he did something to get down there." Leek said. I just stared at my baby in shock. We didn't work on this at all and if he did just crawl, I missed it. "Looks like he's trying to make room for the next one." "Next what? Kid?" I questioned and Leek shook his head yes. "I'm not having anymore children. If Don wants more then he better leave me because I'm not doing it."

"Bet you turn up pregnant before or after New Years. It's December sixteenth and he comes home this week, I smell a baby coming. No sex since July? Hell yeah y'all about to have another one." There was nothing for me to do except to ignore his theory. "It's so hard to believe that it's about to be Christmas and a whole new year in a couple of weeks. I was pregnant with Juicy this time last year. Ugh time is moving so fast and my baby is going to be a year in May. Make it stop, Leek." "I can't because I'm trying to convince you that baby number two is coming. I'm not the godfather of this one, maybe your third or fourth. When you have a girl, all me."

My eyes rolled and I picked Juicy up and we went upstairs so that I could bathe him and get him ready to spend a night with his uncle. This was our first night where we would be separated. I didn't know if I could do it. I had made it a habit of allowing him to sleep beside me every night and I had gotten used to 3it. I know that I shouldn't have but it's done.

"Thanks for getting him even though I don't want you to take him." I said to Ant in a sad voice. "Chill, go do something. Go out and have a good time or better yet, get you a bottle of wine and relax." That didn't sound like a bad idea. "Alright. Don't over feed him on the rice cereal and don't put any inside his bottle because I don't feel like cleaning it. Bedtime is at nine, change his diaper before you lay him down. Don't have your hoes around my baby either Anthony. If you need me call me. Oh, and he likes when you play with his fingers while he goes to sleep, and-" "Goodbye Britni." Ant said pushing me out the door before he locked it.

"Really, you locked me out? I have to give my son a kiss and hug!" I called through the door and getting no answer. "Ant! Ant! Twin!" My fist pounded on the door. "Well fuck you too, bitch." I turned to walk out of the building and his neighbor had their head popped out the door just staring at me with an annoyed expression across their face. "You stay with your head out the door or peeking out the window. Worry about what's going on in your house." She didn't say anything and quickly shut her door.

When I made it back home, I headed straight for the large couch for a seat. "Ohhh what am I going to do? My baby is with his uncle, Maleek is with his girlfriend, I'm not going to my parents, I just saw Kyra, my little sister doesn't like hanging out with me unless I'm spending money on her bratty ass, Brian is out of town, Don won't be around until Monday morning and I can't fucking wait to see him and when I see him, I don't know what I'll do. Why in the fuck am I talking to myself?"

Clearly I was going crazy and I needed something or someone to keep me sane. "Hi Daddy." I spoke into the phone. "Hello daughter, how can I help you? Did you get your- uh what can I do for you?" He quickly corrected. "Did I get my what? And I just wanted to talk." "Nothing, I didn't ask if you got anything." He said. I pulled the phone from my ear and made a face as if he could see me. "Derek, Daddy or whoever you are just asked if I got something. Did you send me a package?" I sighed once the phone was back at my ear. "Something of that nature, look I have to go. Call you tomorrow. Bye." He hung up before I could say anything else. He was up to something. "I can't take all these lies." I said getting up to start a bath.

I grabbed my pomegranate bubble bath and bath beads along with some candles and started to run some bath water. "Shit, I forgot my music." I ran into the bedroom and grabbed my speaker and phone going to Tank's station on Pandora before stripping out of my clothes. Right when I was about to put my foot in the steaming hot bath my phone began ringing. Rolling my eyes I yanked my phone up and answered.

"Hello?" The line was quiet for a moment. "Look, I don't have time to sit and wait so if you're not going to say anything then I have no choice but to hang up." "Wait! No! Miss Britni, please don't hang up!" The voice yelled. "I need you. Can you come and get me please?" They asked sounding as if they were on the verge of tears or trying to stop them. "Tati?" I asked. "Yeah, it's me." "Okay first stop crying and tell me where you are." I said calmly. "Uh, I'm on the hill. I don't want to rush you but can you hurry because he's probably looking for me." She said quickly. "I'm coming. Go to the park and I'll be there in five minutes." I was already putting clothes back on and going down the steps to be out of the door.

Tatiana or Tati was a girl from one of my dance classes who I immediately and strangely took a liking to. She would come and just watch since the summer time and one day I finally asked why didn't she join. She didn't have the money so I allowed her the classes free of charge. Tati lived with her father who was a janitor by day and a drunk at night and barely did anything to care for her. After a little probing, she finally opened up to me and let me know that her father would abuse her emotionally and physically. I asked about sexual abuse but she shut down on me.

I pulled up to the park where I told her to meet me and immediately spotted her sitting alone on a bench. She was out in the cold with little to no clothing on and barefoot. "Tati, I'm here." I grabbed her hand and pulled her up, helping her into the car. I made sure that she was good before pulling off. Once inside of the house I gave her some pajamas along with toiletries and she took a shower while I heated up some leftover spaghetti for the two of us.

"He sold me Miss Britni. He came home drunk and started yelling at me and his whole verbal abuse and how he couldn't wait to get his money. And- and then this other man came telling me to pack my things because my dad just sold me to him. He tried to grab me when I resisted but I wasn't going without a fight. I knocked him out with the pan that I was about to use for dinner and I ran. Then I called you. Please don't make me- don't make me g-go back! I can't do it. Please!" She begged me hiccuping and snorting all over the place. I grabbed some napkins and handed them to her.

"Shh. Calm down. I won't make you go back, you can stay here. When my boyfriend comes home we will talk but I'm not making you go back. You have me if you don't have anybody else. I promise you that." I told her in a hard tone. "Now, go clean yourself up and I'll show you the room you'll be sleeping in. In the morning we can go shopping for clothes and all of that." She nodded before standing and hugging me tightly. "You're a life saver. I knew that you weren't as mean as everyone in class was saying." She quickly said before covering her mouth from telling me what the other kids were saying about me. "It's cool." I shrugged. "I know I'm a hard ass when it comes to the dancing shit."

After getting Tati situated in the guest room I went and restarted my bath that was supposed to have been taken hours ago. After the water turned cold, I drained the tub and rinsed off in the shower. I was so tired that I didn't bother to lotion or dress and just climbed under the covers and drifted off to sleep. I woke up to a bunch of yelling that sounded as though it was coming from Tati. I threw some shorts and a wife beater on and ran down the steps. "Who the fuck are you?" Tati asked whoever was in the house. "Shit, I'm trying to figure out who you are. You answering people's doors and shit." The voice said.

I froze on the bottom step for what seemed like an eternity. My eyes were stuck wide open along with my mouth. I don't know when I left the bottom step or when my feet touched the floor. What I did know was that I was now back in those big, strong familiar arms and the smell of Polo Red invaded my nostrils. I stared into those big brown eyes and he stared back into mine before our mouths connected into a spine tingling kiss. I pulled back remembering that Tati was in the room.

"You know your Daddy's home." Don sung out the line from Usher's song causing me to scream out loud before kissing his lips again. Finally my man was back.

Who's hyped tho?