"Awww!" Everyone in the room cooed as Aria opened up one of the gifts we received for Ava. We were at her second and final baby shower, the one at her mom's. The one with my parents went really well, we received a ton of stuff for Ava and my family loved her.

"Landon, get in the picture with Aria" one of the ladies demanded. I went and stood beside Aria as she was seated in the chair with a long light pink dress on, her hair straightened falling past her shoulders. I smiled as she took the picture.

My phone started ringing as soon as she finished taking the picture, I let Aria know I was stepping out to take it, she gave me a nod and began to open more gifts.

It was my pops and he had been out of town a lot lately, so when I could talk to him I always did. I finished up the call and was making my way in when Kennedy was making her way out.

Kennedy and I hadn't talked in a minute and with good reason. "Hey!" She started, "can we talk please?" She asked in just enough time, a few more steps I would have been back inside.

I stopped and turned back around to face her, "what's up?" I questioned as I took a few steps back towards her. She looked down at the ground before looking at me again. "Listen, I was drunk that night and I don't want things to be weird between us."

"Things aren't weird between us." She sighed as she looked down again, "I feel like they are, we don't talk as much as we use to and," she paused for a second, sighing again. "I don't know." She shook her head like she was realizing what she was saying was stupid.

"We didn't need to be talking that much anyways," I stated honestly. Kennedy was over at our place one night, drunk as she just stated, and she admitted to me she still had feelings so I pulled back from how much we were talking and kicking it and lowkey she did too. I didn't tell Aria cause I didn't want to cause any problems between them and Kennedy was drunk. But from what I know, Aria and Kennedy didn't talk as much anymore anyways I was honestly surprised to see her here.

"I miss our friendship." She admitted. "I miss the advice you used to give me."

"And I'm here if you need me." She just looked at me, so I asked what I felt like was a more important question, "How you and Aria though? Y'all good?"

"I'm here ain't I?"

I uncrossed my arms, raising my hands up, "true, you got it."

"I didn't mean it like that," she said as she smoothed her hair, making sure no hairs were sticking out from her bun.

I nodded, just looking at her to see if she wanted to say more, when she didn't I took it has my cue to go back inside, "well" just as I was about to tell her I saw Jason walking up.

"What's going on out here?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"What are you here for?" I questioned instead.

He smiled sneakily, "it's my girl baby shower." I chuckled as I looked him up and down, "and you came late and empty handed as a mothafucka? Gon' head back to where you came from."

He raised his eyebrows as a smirk appeared back on his face, "nah, I got something for her."

It took everything in me not to steal off on him from that comment as soon I understood what he was trying to imply, I honestly didn't even realize I was headed towards the nigga until Kennedy was in front of me with her hands on my chest asking me to stop.

The nigga was laughing as Mink opened the door, "Landon –" she stopped, taking in the scene, looking from me to Kennedy to Jason. She stepped out, closing the door behind her.

She looked at everyone suspiciously before focusing back on me, looking at Kennedy's hand that was now on my arm, then looking back at my face. I took a step away from Kennedy so that she was no longer touching me.

"Don't step back now like y'all wasn't in each others face when I got here," Jason crossed his arms, another smirk appearing on his face, he was trying to stir the pot. He tried to act so mature but was being a petty ass nigga right now.

I laughed "you tried that bullshit. On everything I love I'm going to whoop your ass again."

"Why you think he so mad Mink?" he asked as he looked up at her.

She looked at him, then directed her eyes back to me and Kennedy. She crossed her arms, eyes squinted like she was trying to figure out some shit, "Aria's looking for you" she said as she turned back around going into the house. Mink didn't entertain bullshit, and I fucked with her because of that.

I walked in behind her, leaving Jason and Kennedy outside. I walked in seeing Aria in the same place I left her, she was no longer opening gifts and people were all around, just talking. She looked at me with a big smile on her face, automatically making me smile. "You good?" I asked as soon as I got to her. She nodded, "yeah, I'm fine. My aunt was asking me something about you, but you would be better to answer it than me." She turned like she was looking for her aunt again.

I acted like I was looking to before focusing on her and changing the subject, I would find her aunt at some point and be able to answer the question. "You invited Jason?"

She looked at me confused, "huh?"

"If you can huh you can hear. You invited Jason weak ass?"

"Oh, he's here?" she asked confusion still on her face as she looked around a little, just as she did that he came around the corner.

"Yeah." I said as I caught eyes with him.

"Hey baby!" he said with his focus on Aria.

Aria smiled weakly, "hey," she looked at me, looking slightly uncomfortable.

I walked away to avoid losing my cool in front of her family. I was coming to terms that Aria was going to date and it might not ever be me. But I just didn't fuck with Jason.

"What are you doing here?" I heard her ask lowly as I walked away. I smiled a little upon hearing it. I was actually truly looking for her aunt this time as people were up mingling and making plates to go, as I spotted her Mink pulled my attention as she walked up to me.

"What was that outside?" She questioned.

"What was what?" I questioned back.

She crossed her arms, "what was Jason talking about?" She asked lowly. "Don't play with me Landon."

I chuckled as I looked down at my phone, "a bunch of bullshit. I was outside taking a call. I don't know why she was outside."

"So y'all didn't talk when she came out there?"

I looked up, "yeah Mink, clearly we did."

"And what did y'all talk about?"

I licked my lips, "why don't you go ask Kennedy?"

Mink tilted her head to the side, "because I'm asking you." I knew what she was getting at, it was no secret Kennedy had a crush on me before.

"You know where my head and my heart at, so that shit don't even matter."

She looked as if she was questioning if she should believe me. "I'm going to take you at your word but that shady ass shit don't cut it."

I shrugged my shoulders, "I ain't on no shady shit." I emphasized.

"Don't give Jason more of a reason to fuck shit up with you and Aria, y'all are finally getting to a good space. Don't ruin it." She finished.

"It ain't shit for him to tell, I promise you that Mink."

"Okay," she said with a smile forming. "Cause I'll beat your ass and hers too. Don't forget it." She said with a full smile.

"Ain't that your girl?" I asked with squinted eyes.

"Yeah, they both are." She said as she walked away.

***

The baby shower had came to an end and Aria and I were now relaxing on her mama's couch. She was in something much more comfortable, whereas the only thing different about me was that my shoes were off.

The TV was blaring as Aria was engulfed in it, but my mind was elsewhere. She started talking, pulling me from my thoughts. "I didn't invite him for the record, I told him you would be here."

I looked at her nodding, then looked back at the TV. He clearly wanted problems with me, showing up unannounced?

"What were you and Kennedy talking about?" She questioned pulling my attention to her once again.

I turned and looked back at her, quietly laughing and shaking my head, not even surprised this nigga didn't waste no time bringing it up. "What you mean?"

She rolled her eyes, "you know what I mean, Jason said y'all were outside talking, what were y'all talking about?" Attitude was thick in her voice, almost sounded like she was bothered by us having a conversation.

"You jealous?" I asked with a smirk.

She gave me the stalest face before rolling her eyes once again, "hell the fuck no."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Shiiiit, you sound like it to me."

"It's not jealously if you fuck with my friend while I'm pregnant with your child, it's anger. A big difference."

"Well I'm definitely not fucking with her. Don't even know how you would come to that conclusion."

"She's been distant, sneaky conversations in the driveway, you ain't been on me as hard about us. It's a little sus." She stated matter of factly.

I laughed, "sneaky conversations? Wasn't shit sneaky. And I fall back and you mad about it? Say less Aria, dub your weak ass nigga and we can work on us."

She laughed lightly, "I'm not mad. I'm just saying."

"And I'm just saying gimme another shot."

"Anyways!" She spoke making it clear she wanted to change the subject. I shook my head, "see, you be playing. But your mom told me you needed to look for a place?"

"She told you that?"

"Yeah, we can start looking when we get back if you want."

She nodded, "yeah that's cool, you know I'm coming back here after I have Ava right?"

I kind of leaned forward, wide eyed, "nahh, how would I know that?" She hadn't mentioned it before today.

"Well I'm telling you now." She spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "Not even going to ask how I feel about it?" I countered.

"My lease is about to be up Landon, I don't have another place to stay at yet and I'm not about to crash at somebody's house with a newborn. I knew you wouldn't be a fan of it, but it's the only option I have right now."

"You're about to be a hour away with her right after she born Aria?"

"It's only an hour, you can come whenever you want, my mom doesn't even mind you staying."

"That's not the point Aria, you didn't even think to talk this shit over with me."

"Sorry," she said lowly, almost as if she didn't even care. She pushed a hair behind her ear as she continued, "but I didn't really have any other options. It's not like I could stay with you, you stay with two other people nor would I do that regardless."

I ignored her jab, "my parents stay ten minutes away from where we're at, you could've crashed there until we found you a spot."

She looked at me like I was crazy before quickly changing her facial expression, "I don't want to put nothing like that on your parents, with a crying newborn and all."

"The house is big enough for that not even to matter. They wouldn't care, my mom would have been hype. Her grandchild would be right there. She would have gladly helped and welcomed you in Aria."

"Well I'm sorry Landon." Her tone still sounding like she really wasn't. Like she was just saying it to appease me.

"Yeah okay." I responded as I shook my head and leaned back. My eyes focused on the TV.

"How can you really be upset right now?" She questioned.

"Because Aria, you not in this by yourself. So it bothers me when you make decisions by yourself when it deals with Ava. Like moving an hour away." I paused for a second, "wait, you're going back to school in the fall right?"

She nodded her head, "yeah, that's why we're looking for an apartment. I wasn't going to, but my mom isn't having that. She said she would come stay with me and help take care of Ava the first couple of weeks because I don't want to have someone we don't know taking care of her so early."

"As I've stated before, my parents are ten minutes away. Your mom doesn't have to come stay. My mom can just watch her." It's like she was forgetting my family existed and that shit was bothering me.

"I didn't think about that."

"Well I did, so problem solved."

There was so much shit Aria and I had yet to talk about pertaining to Ava and the way things were going to go. It was a conversation that needed to be had, like this shit was getting real. Ava would be here at any moment.

Aria let out a deep sigh making it clear she was over the conversation at hand, she yawned as she stood up. "Okay, I'm heading to bed."

"There's a lot of shit we need to talk about," I said with my eyes on hers.

"And we will talk about it, just not tonight please." She insisted.

I nodded as she gave me a small smile, turning back around, "everything's already set up in the guest room too."

I finished watching the TV that was on, but in reality my mind was everywhere else. I was about to be a father in possibly less than a month. This shit was crazy, this shit was real.