"She's so precious," I held Sarah and Tre's beautiful baby girl.

"I know these past few weeks have been tough on you," Sarah gave my a sympathetic look and I nodded but I mentally rolled my eyes. The only thing that's been tough regarding Andre is the nightmares I have. I took someone's life, I think it's normal to have nightmares. Right?

"Yeah, how have you been?" Tee asked and I smiled at them.

"I've been doing good, surprisingly," I gave a half smile then looked back at the beautiful big eyes baby staring at me. "She's so beautiful,"

"Her name is Ella Grace," Sarah smiled at me and I began smiling like a dummy. "We have her your middle name and we wanted to ask if you could be her godmother,"

"Of course!" The biggest smile came upon my face. For once, I finally felt normal. Being around my friends, working, supporting my child, going to school, a godmother.

I looked at the two of them sitting next to each other with admiration. That must've been the look Alessandro saw on my face a few weeks ago at the charity event. They began talking amongst themselves while I cooed at the adorable child.

"This is the quietest she's been since we brought her home. She has never been this calm," Tre laughed.

"Oh stop! My baby isn't that bad," Sarah laughed and Tre gave her a look.

"My beautiful face has bags under my eyes," He dramatically said which made me laugh. Tre is very beautiful along with Sarah and they are the perfect couple, looks wise.

I don't know their personal life like that, but I do know that they've never had petty arguments over females or males. They've known each other for a very long time and have been with each other since high school. They've never had to worry about exes and whatnot.

"Pretty boy," Sarah laughed. I laughed at the face Tre made and then looked down at the princess to see her completely knocked out.

"I'm going to put her to bed," I announced and they nodded. The nursery they have set up is fitting for Ella, the variety of pinks blends so well with the white accents. As I set her down, I stared at my empty ring finger. I took it off when I got here because I didn't want any questions. But now it feels so empty without it.

My fingers played with the ring in my pocket until I put it back on. I felt safe with it on. The room light made my ring glisten and beam. "Who gave you that?" Sarah's voice made me hide my left hand.

"Hm?" I asked after facing her. I heard her but she doesn't need to know that.

"Did Andre give you that ring before he..?" She left the sentence unfinished. I shook my head. I might as well tell her the truth.

"Andre used to hit me," I said and she rolled her eyes.

"Baby girl, I already knew that. I was just hoping that you would've trusted me enough to tell me," Sarah crossed her arms.

"I couldn't," I looked at the socks on my feet then back at her. "I didn't tell anyone, I'm sorry,"

"No, I'm sorry he did it," she walked over to me with arms stretched out.

"Before he killed himself," I lied. "I met someone and I didn't even think of him as someone that I'd like but after Andre, he was there for me. He was kind," which was half a lie. Dro is kind now. He wasn't so kind back when I first met him.

"Are you falling for him?" Sarah smiled and her eyes glistened.

"Maybe," I smiled down at the floor. I know I can't allow myself to get attached to Alessandro but I can't help it. I looked at the ring and sighed. This isn't real, this is only for protective purposes. But I know Alessandro cares for me because he tells me all the time and he says he trusts me but I'm not even sure how far that goes.

"Who is he?" She asked and I shook my head.

"You wouldn't know him," Lie. Almost everyone in New York knows of Alessandro and his mafia. She'd know the name but not the face. He makes sure of that.

"Hm," She smirked and then her phone dinged. "Oh shit, I forgot my dad is coming over to see Ella,"

"I'll finally meet him," Sarah says she keeps her dad away because he's a flirt but I'm not the father snatching kind of friend, but that must mean he's very good looking.

"Sarah! He's here," Tre announced which made the both of us exit the baby's room. Sarah walked with a monitor in one hand and mine in the other.

"Hey baby," A deep Italian voice stopped me in my tracks. Sarah kissed her fathers cheek and smiled. This is her father?

"Dad, this is Grace! The one I've been telling you about all these years," Sarah stepped aside and we stared at each other for a while. "Do you guys know each other?"

"No," I said and shook his hand.

"We do hugs in this family," He pulled me in. "Don't confess that you know me." He whispered in my ear.

"Nice to finally meet you," Up until now I never needed to connect my best friends last name with the last name that I just learned about a few weeks ago. Dro isn't going to like this at all.

"Same to you too, you're beautiful," I cringed at the word he used but smiled. Dro really isn't going to like this.

They all went to sit down and talk but I felt torn. I didn't want to sit and talk to this man because I know Dro wouldn't like it, but this is my best friends father and I could use information if any is brought up. So I went and sat next to Tre.

"She's sleeping," Tre said and leaned back. "I'm so tired," Having a child is very tiring, so I understand his pain.

"Sarah was a quiet child. Her brother, on the other hand, was an absolute tyrant," Her father joked.

"I think Ella might've gotten the tyrant trait," Tre joked and Sarah laughed.

"My child is an angel," She laughed.

"Only when Grace is around," Tre nudged me and I smiled. My phone dinged a few times and I looked down to check it, to see Dro blowing up my phone. A few texts saying he's close by.

"I have to go," I announced. "Sarah and Tre I'll see you guys soon, I promise," I hugged them each then turned to her father. "Mr. DeNiro, it was nice meeting you,"

"Likewise, Grace," He smiled at me and I nodded.

I left their apartment after putting on my shoes with my bag. I called Dro as I walked down the street to where he dropped me off earlier.

"Hello?" His deep voice flowed into my ears. A smile grew on my face from it and I felt like a child.

"How far are you?" I asked.

"What have I told you about doing that?" His tone sounded playful. "You need to start greeting people,"

"I'm sorry," I laughed. "How are you?"

"Ahh, it's too late for that now," He chuckled which made me smile even harder. "If you smile any bigger, your face might split,"

I looked around and spotted and all black luxury sports car. I hung up the phone as he stopped the car. "And I also told you to let me open doors for you,"

"That'd take too much time when I have something to tell you," I quickly buckled up.

Dro sped off and then turned to me. "What is it?"

"Well I'm the godmother of their baby girl," I smiled big and he laughed, probably because of how ugly I'm smiling.

"Congratulations," He said as he drove.

"And your father was there," I slipped in. He didn't react which kind of scared me. "Dro," He pulled into a dark alley and turned off the car.

"Why was he there?" He asked calmly.

"Apparently Sarah is your half sister," I said and he looked at me with big eyes.

"Sarah with an H?" He asked and I nodded.

"Why?" I asked and he remained quiet. "Dro!"

"She's a complete savage," He smirked. "She would've killed that man for you quicker than I would've. She has a baby now?!"

"So you know her?" I asked. They know of each other? It's a good thing I didn't tell her who I'm "engaged" to.

"She's my sister, of course I know her. The same way I know my father," He said but didn't look at me. He was looking past me.

"She saw me with the ring on," I said.

"Good. Did you tell her I gave it to you?" He looked in my eyes with a smug look on his face.

"No," I shook my head. "I told her that she wouldn't know you and then her father arrived,"

"I'm not telling you to keep your distance from Sarah but please keep your distance from that man," He sounded sincere but I never ask to be around him. He literally just shows up.

"Can you take me to work now?" I asked and he started the car.

"I'm your boss and you just called out," He smirked. Dro is one of the most bipolar person I've ever met.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"For food," Was all he said and that was good enough for me.

*

*

"No," I simply said and he groaned. He tried handing me the keys but I wouldn't take it. We're standing in the parking lot of IHOP and he decided to give me a key. That's ratchet as hell.

"I'm not moving in with you," I crossed my arms. He chuckled and took a step closer to me.

"You already live with me, I'm just giving you keys," His deep voice made me want to spread my legs and take the keys but I'm too stubborn for that.

"I'm hungry," I brushed past him and walked into the restaurant.

"Table for how many?" A hostess asked. Her figure evident even in the pants and shirt uniform. Her tiny waist and big boobs made me wish I was a skinny, thick girl instead of just being thick.

"Two," I heard Alessandro say. As she walked us to our booth her ass sat up in the black pants.

"Damn," we muttered at the same time. I laughed at him and he smirked. That damn smirk is so sexy.

"Thank you," We smiled at the lady and she nodded.

"I saw you checking her out," Dro teased and I shook my head with a smile on it. "C'mon, you know she's fine!"

"She was," I nodded my head and looked over the menu she gave us. Chicken and waffles sound good right about now.

"Can I ask you a question?" Dro's New Yorkers/ Italian accent poked through every word.

"Sure," I blinked up at him and he stared at me as if I were a new creature that was just discovered by National Geographic.

"That is the most beautiful thing ever," He smiled at me and his cute dimple popped out. That has only happened once before and I love it.

"What?" I smiled at him and my dimples showed.

"When you blink up at me like that," He reached out and touched my chin then lifted my face a little. "You're so beautiful,"

I stared at him with wide eyes. I know I'm attractive but to have someone call me beautiful with such admiration, is shocking. "Thank you,"

"I'm sorry," he chuckled and brought his hand back down. "The question is, how is Sarah doing? Is she okay? Happy?"

"Yeah," I scrunched my eyebrows together. "She's very happy, why?"

"That's my little sister. I'm going to worry about her well being," He sounds normal for once. The waitress came over and we ordered our food.

"Were you guys close?" I asked and he nodded.

"I met her and my dad when I was sixteen. I lived with them for two years," He drank the orange juice that he ordered after we sat down.

"She never told me about you," I drank my hot chocolate with warm satisfaction.

"I've never told you about her," He pointed out. Touché.

"What do you mean she's a savage?" I asked. Sarah has never showed any anger around me which led me to believe that she's a harmless butterfly.

"She's like me, quick to kill and slow to love," My heart dropped. My best friend has killed people?

"But she's in love with her boyfriend," I added. "She loves him which means she's capable of it,"

"I wasn't saying that she isn't capable of loving someone, just said she's slow to," He leaned back.

"Are you?" I asked and he stared at me with a blank expression but his beautiful GQ model features made the cold expression, sexy.

"I was," He nodded. "I think I still am, just slow to it,"

"Who?" I asked with genuine curiosity. I don't think that I'm going to be in that category and if I am in that category, I wan't know what to say or go from there.

The waitress came and put our foods down and asked if we needed refills. "Yes please," I said after Alessandro ignored her.

"Grace," He said and then sighed. "Do I complicate you? Am I complicated?"

"Definitely," I laughed as I dipped my chicken into syrup.

"One minute I'm nice then out of nowhere I'm mean?" He asked then cut into his chocolate waffles.

"So you already know that you're bipolar?" I sarcastically asked and he smirked.

"Yes, but I can't help it. When I look at you, you make me want to fall in love with you but then I think about Deena and how she's dead because of me. That makes me want to stay away from you, Grace, because I'm scared of being happy," He said then took a mouthful of his pancakes into his mouth as if he didn't just say he wants to love me.

"So you're professing your love for me in IHOP?" I smiled to tease him.

He laughed and shrugged. "Take it how you want,"

"Thank you for helping me understand your bipolar ways and on the bright side, I don't think I'm ready to love again either," I continued eating and Dro nodded.

We ate in silence. The only time we spoke was to the waitress. The silence wasn't one of those uncomfortable ones but a comforting silence. I finished before he did so I sat and watched him eat. The way his jaw moves as he chews is so sexy to me and his large hands using the small utensils almost made me giggle.

"Are you done staring?" He asked me and drank his water.

"Yes," I smiled at him. "You stare at me all the time and you think I don't notice,"

"Guilty," he held his hands up in surrender. He took out his wallet and dropped a $100 bill on the table then got up.

"That's not how it works at IHOP," I laughed.

"I'm aware," He held open the door for me to walk through it.

"Such a gentleman," I teased and he gripped my waist.

"I'm a gentleman at many things," Dro smirked.

*

*

The house smelled amazing. About two hours ago I dropped Grace to my house and left to handle... business. Now that I'm back and she has my home smelling like food and spices, I wish I never left.

"I know we just ate but I didn't know when you'd be coming back," Grace said. I looked over her shoulder at the meat cooking in the pan.

"Smells good," I then walked out to the egg salad she made. I took my finger and tasted some, "Tastes good too."

"You did not just put your unclean hands in the food," She spun around and her ass jiggled in the sweatpants.

"Sorry," I shrugged and she rolled her eyes at me. If she was some random broad, I wouldn't just let her get away with that.

"Are you hungry or not?" She finally asked after staring at me.

"After I smoke I'll be," I turned around and headed to my basement. I was sixteen when my father gave me weed for my anxiety and ever since then I've smoked it. There has never been any negative side effects of smoking weed, the only time I've seen someone off the charts is when they lace it with crack.

"Smoke what?" She asked and I chuckled. "I forgot," She smiled.

"Join me when you're ready," I offered and she nodded. Last week I discovered that Grace smokes or at least used to. She claims that she's mentioned it to me before but I don't remember having conversation like that with her.

By the time I entered my basement and started rolling, I heard the stove turn off and her attempt to creep up behind me. "You heard me didn't you?" She laughed. I nodded but didn't say anything because if I do open my mouth, something lovey is going to come out of it like it did in IHOP.

"Why'd you start smoking?" She asked as I lit my jay. I took a few hits then looked at her big curious eyes.

"Anxiety," I simply said then passed it to her.

"Me too, how'd you get your anxiety?" She asked.

She passed it back to me. "My father,"

I passed it back to her. "What about him?"

She passed it back to me. "You're prying,"

I passed it back to her. "I'm sorry,"

She passed it back to me. "When I was fifteen, maybe, I killed a man. He made me do it and I was scared,"

I passed it back to her but she didn't take a hit. She just stared at me. "So you started smoking because it made you not care?"

"No, I still care. It just helps me with the nightmares I have at night. I took someone from someone and it haunts me, everybody I kill haunts me," I looked at her and she shook her head.

"I understand," She finally took a few hits. "I started smoking because of anxiety and other things,"

"I just told you something so its only fair you do the same," I teased her and she laughed. Her eyes slanted and red looked happy.

"Living in Jamaica I-" She stopped. She hesitated as if to tell me. "I was almost raped and I know it doesn't seem terrifying to be almost raped but it was. I was locked away for a weekend and each time I fought, it made it worse. If it wasn't for that idiot leaving his lighter behind, I don't know where I would be.

"He left his lighter and he came back wanting more, so I lit the bed sheets on fire. He didn't die but I escaped," She told me then passed back the jay.

"Was it that house you saw?" I asked. She looked scared to even be near the house when we went to Jamaica.

"Yeah, I started thinking everyone would try the same thing and I almost went crazy. My mom was trying to get me professional help and I refused so that same day, she passed me a grabba leaf," she laughed. "She used that to roll her weed instead of the paper,"

"So she knew?" I asked in which she nodded at. "And she smokes?"

"Yes she does," Grace smiled.

"Thank you," I ashed the weed. My hand went to her warm thighs as I looked into her eyes.

"For what?" She stared at my hand placement.

"Sharing with me. I'm not an open book so don't expect the same but it feels nice to just talk to someone. It feels like," I stopped myself and bit my bottom lip.

"Like talking to Deena?" She asked and I nodded. "I feel honored to be compared to her," she held up her chin which made me laugh. Deena would've loved Grace and I'm sure she would've trusted Grace to look after me.

"I'm hungry now," Grace blurted out. She got up and ran up my basement stairs in which her ass and thighs jiggled.