"You look nice?" I smiled over at Marley as she hopped in the passenger side of my truck.

"Thanks."

Is she blushing? I chuckled a little and shook it off. She put her seatbelt on and began to give me directions to the rehab center her brother was in.

"Where's Bella?" she asked while getting comfortable in her seat.

"She's with my mom. Where's your two at?" I joked, causing her to laugh a little.

"Micah had a few friends over...they were in there playing 2k when I left and Miracle is at dance practice." She smiled.

After riding in silence for a while, I could tell Marley was in her thoughts. She looked bothered, to say the least.

"You good?" I asked her after stopping at a red light.

"Umm...yeah, I'm fine. Just had a little bit of a headache when I got up this morning. I actually slept pretty good though, so a headache was the last thing I expected to wake up to." She shrugged.

"You need to relax a little." I laughed while glancing over at her.

"You know you're probably right. I went to sleep in my thoughts. I woke up in my thoughts, wracking my brain about nothing really." She let out an audible sigh.

"Hopefully, our outing today makes you feel a little better." I smirked while pulling into the rehab's parking garage.

I knew for a fact that we'd have fun tonight...well, today. It was only 2:30 and I didn't have anything planned for the daytime because before finding out about this meeting with her brother, I had planned on picking her up around 7 for dinner and maybe a movie afterwards. Nothing too extra; I just seriously wanted to thank her for being there for me and baby girl this past week. I really wouldn't have found Natalie if it wasn't for this woman and I needed her to know that I really appreciated her.

I had asked Moriah yesterday about some of the shit Marley liked to do for fun and I found out she loves mini golf and arcades. I had a few things up my sleeve to get her to have some fun and loosen up a bit. She needed to let her hair down and hopefully, I'd be able to get her to have some fun the way she did last night at karaoke.

"You nervous?" she asked while hopping out of the truck as I held the door open for her.

"Nah...I mean, your family seems cool. I didn't expect to hit it off with Moriah yesterday but I did. I'm keeping an open mind."

"He's going to love you," she told me, sending a squeeze to my shoulder.

After signing in, we headed to Micah's room on the fourth floor of the building. There was a guy inside talking to him when we entered the room. Once Micah noticed me and Marley at the door, a wide smile spread across his face, causing the guy to turn around in our direction.

"Oh, h-hi Marley. I didn't know you were coming today. We were about to start a session but I can come back later," he said, reaching out to shake her hand.

"It's okay Brandon, Micah knew." She sent him a polite smile while looking back at me. "This is Micah's counselor, Brandon York. Brandon, this is my friend Elijah."

After introducing us, we shook hands and said our own hellos before he turned to her again.

"Alright well, I'll get going. It was nice seeing you again Marley." He smiled at her before walking out of the room, leaving me with a screwface that only Micah caught.

"Nice to finally meet you, Elijah." Micah smirked my way.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too, Micah," I said while shaking his outstretched hand.

He stood to hug Marley tight and in that moment of them greeting each other, I was able to see just how much they meant to each other. She stepped back and ran her hand across his cheek.

"You're gaining that weight back I see." The smile on her face was priceless.

"Yeah man, between these doctors, the food you send up here and these sessions I'm having with Brandon, I'm starting to feel like myself again." He smiled, making his way over to the little kitchenette on the other side of his room.

He motioned towards the couch across from his bed where Marley and I went to take a seat. This man was a lot like his sister because he wasted no time getting to the point of why he had wanted me to come. He made his way over to us and handed us both a bottle of water before sitting down at the foot of his bed, taking a sip out of his own.

"I wanted you to come with Marley today, so I could thank you in person," he started off while looking directly at me. "It's a scary situation being here in this place and not knowing what your kids are going through every day in the outside world while you try to recover. It's hard to not worry. You know?"

I nodded not wanting to cut him off. I could tell this was hard for him.

"As a man, I want to thank you personally for trying to keep my son out of trouble." He chuckled a little. "He told me about the job you gave him down at your auto shop. He even told me you showed him how to fix his car the other day." He reached out and gave me a pound. "Respect man. I know my son, so I know that wasn't an easy job."

"Not even kind of easy." I laughed and shook my head. "You have good kids though Micah. Even Miracle has been a great help to me by watching my baby girl for me from time to time. Your family has been nothing but good to me. I'm just helping the best way I know how," I explained in the most humble way I could.

"Isabella, right?"

"Yeah, she's a piece of work but she loves Miracle." I shook my head and laughed a little at the bond they'd created in such a small amount of time.

"Miracle loves kids. She's great with little girls especially," he said, looking towards the door for a while. I could tell there was something else he wanted to say but he didn't.

"I just wanted to let you know I appreciate it, even with how you looked out for my baby sis when that knucklehead ex-boyfriend of hers started showing his ass. I'm limited to two phone calls a day, 15 minutes each and I wasn't able to talk to her for long but I did what I could that night. The next day she called sounding so much better. It felt good to know she had someone out there looking out for her in a way I couldn't at the time."

I nodded and looked over at a smiling Marley. She looked like a proud parent watching us go back and forth.

"This is just so beautiful," she gushed, fanning away imaginary tears, causing me and Micah to laugh at her dramatic ways. "I'm going to go talk to your doctor and see if I can drop off your meals for next week in the morning instead of bringing them during my lunch. You got enough to last you for tonight, right?" she asked Micah while standing up from her seat.

"Yeah, I'm good for tonight; leftover rice and beans, cabbage and I still got some of that roast that you made," he told her while she made her way to the door.

"Alright well, I'll be back."

Once she was gone, Micah sat up a little and gave me an unreadable look. I was confused to say the least. After letting out a nervous chuckle, I sat up straight in my seat and asked him what was up.

"You like my sister, don't you?" he asked through squinted eyes.

"Nah." I chuckled harder. "No, Marley's a sweet girl, an amazing woman actually but, I'm just here to be her friend," I told him honestly.

"No, I can see that, but I also see the attraction. Just like I saw you mug the hell out of Brandon when he was in here stuttering and drooling over my little sister. You didn't like that shit at all." He laughed a little, causing me to join him. I mean I knew he saw me but I didn't know that's what he got from the look I gave ol dude.

"I'm just protective over people I care about and I've seen your sister hurt already. I'm not trying to see her go through what she's going through now, ever again." That was the truth.

"I feel you on that one. I spoke to Moriah this morning though and he seems to feel the same way I do." He would not stop digging.

"Nah, it's really not like that with us. " I laughed again. "I won't lie about being attracted to her; she's a beautiful person, with an amazing heart but the last thing your sister needs is me pushing up on her at a time like this." We both let out a low chuckle. "I'm just trying to be the friend she needs me to be; that's all."

I didn't look at Marley the way I've looked at other women in my life; she was different, so I was treating her as such. I needed to be her friend before anything else. I needed our bond to be strong, so that we would know if a relationship was even a good idea in the first place. I needed Marley to be around for a while; she wasn't one of those seasonal people. She was definitely a lifetime type of girl and I wasn't trying to mess that up by thinking with my other head.

"Respect bro...respect. I can tell after talking to her the other night that she feels safe having you around. Emotionally safe. I'm here to tell you she's a fragile person and even if you just want to be her friend, that's something you need to make sure she understands. Make sure she knows your intentions and make sure she understands where you're coming from at all times. A part of me feels like I don't even need to be telling you this though." He laughed and ran a hand over his waves before looking back up at me but before he could continue, Marley walked back in the room followed by the counselor nigga grinning from ear to ear.

"Alright Micah, we're going to head out. Elijah is stuck with me for the rest of the day and I'm kind of eager to see what he has in store for me." She giggled before pulling me up from the couch. "I'll be here in the morning with your food though bro. Love you." She pulled him into a tight hug and kissed both of his cheeks.

I said my goodbyes to Micah which were followed by him inviting me to come back anytime I needed to stop by and talk. We chopped it up for a few more minutes before I made my way out of the door behind Marley, grilling the counselor nigga on my way out. I didn't like how he looked at Marley like she was on the dessert menu or something. I understood why he was lusting over her but that shit wasn't going to go down right in front of me.

"So, that went well." Marley smiled as we made our way out of the parking garage.

"It did, your brother is cool as hell man. He's lucky to have you here to help him out at a time like this," I told her while pulling my cell out, so that I could text my mother and check on her and Isabella.

"Yeah, well he was here for me when our parents put me out. Him and his wife pretty much adopted me, took me in and treated me as if I was their own." She sighed, placing her attention out the window.

"Damn, I didn't know you went through nothing like that with your people."

"Yeah man." She shook her head. "My mother had a fit when I told her I wasn't going straight to college after graduating high school. My dad damn near had a cow when I told him I wouldn't be going to medical school. In turn, they both told me that since I wanted to act grown, I could be grown outside out their house. That resulted in Micah and Diana taking me in. I stayed with them for almost four years. When my nail salon started making some money and they felt like I could make it on my own, Micah gifted me with one of his rental properties that he eventually paid off for me. Micah and Diana were really like a second set of parents to me." She smiled and shook her head.

"Damn, sounds like your mom and dad were really strict. Even though you didn't go the route they wanted you to, you still did good for yourself," I said while glancing over at her.

"Yeah, they don't believe in following your dreams and doing what makes you happy. They're all about money; do what makes the most money, marry the man with the most money," she scoffed and let out a dry chuckle. "Speaking of, my mother is going lose her shit when she finds out I left Carter."

I noticed her sink in her seat out of the corner of my eye.

"Aye!" I sent a soft tap to her thigh. "None of that today, we are not talking about his ass at all. We're going to have a good time," I told her while stopping at a red light.

"You're right." She sat up in her seat and looked my way. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even mentioned him honestly."

"It's okay, I'm just saying that's the only slip up you're allowed to have today Marley or we're going to fight-straight up." I smirked as we made our way through traffic.

"I'm not afraid of you, Elijah," she shot back in a sassy tone. I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying the first thing that came to mind. Instead, I just glanced over at her and shook my head.

"Whatever, you ready to get your ass beat in some mini golf?" I asked pulling into the parking lot of Top Golf, a little spot out here that had indoor and outdoor golf courses. They even had a little lounge set up inside, where you could drink and relax. It was only a little after four, so I knew this place would be a little dead inside. I pulled my phone out and sent a text to Moriah and my cousin Xavier to see if they were here yet. I didn't want Marley to feel like I was putting any kind of moves on her. I really just wanted to enjoy this day as friends, so I decided to have some of our people join us out here, and maybe we could all hit the bowling alley up afterwards.

"Oh, you must not know who you're playing with Eli." Marley made her way out of the truck with a smirk on her face. I chuckled a little and closed the door behind her.

I received a text from Xavier saying he was inside already with his girl having a drink. Moriah and his girl weren't too far away so we would wait for them inside.

"Heeyyy Marley, heyy Elijah." I shook my head as Lola and her dude Sean approached the car.

Marley shot me a look before embracing her friend in a tight hug. We all said our hellos before heading inside where we met up with Xavier and his girl Brianna. Moriah and Naomi walked in before I could really start introducing everyone, so I waited for them before doing so. Once we were done with the awkward part of the meetup, everyone had a shot and we headed to the back to start our first round of golf.

It was cool being around Marley and her family and having my cousin join in on the fun. I mean, I didn't feel out of place last night at karaoke but having X with me today allowed me to loosen up a lot. We decided to have some drinks before leaving and it was down at the bar that Marley started to show her ass. She kept glancing off towards the back where it looked like a business meeting or something was going on. I didn't have time to focus too much on what she was looking at because she was tossing shots back like they were water; nothing good could come from that. The couples were mainly in their own worlds, drinking and talking amongst themselves. But after Marley's sixth shot, I stopped her and pulled her off to the side.

"Wha-whats wrong with you?" she slurred while giving me the stink eye.

"I should be asking you that question. Why you going so heavy on the shots Marley?" my tone was stern, yet I could tell she saw the concern in my eyes because she softened under my stare.

What threw me off were the tears that started to run down her face. I looked around to see if anyone noticed before pulling her into a hug. I rubbed her back and sighed heavy.

"I can't get away from him no matter how hard I try. I'm really trying to forget all about him Eli," she mumbled into my shirt before crying harder.

I looked back at the table she was eyeing and noticed her corny ass ex eyeing us from the table. I shot him a look before lifting Marley's chin so that our eyes could meet.

"You want to leave?"

She just nodded her head before burying her face back into my chest. I didn't want to push her away, so I let her empty her emotions on my shirt. I noticed her brother and Lola making their way over to us and nodded in the direction of Carter's table, causing them both to look in his direction.

"Oh hell no Mar...you gotta be kidding me," Lola snapped, causing Marley's head to shoot up.

"I don't want to hear it Lola. Moriah if you're coming over here to grill me too, you can go back over there with Naomi." Her arms were still wrapped firmly around my abdomen and it felt so much like home, I didn't want to make her let go. She looked up at me and frowned. "I'm so sorry, Elijah," she whispered before stepping away. "This is not why we came out here at all." She chuckled before wiping her face clean.

"It's cool, you just ended a two-year relationship what...four days ago? Truthfully speaking, none of us expect you to be over it that soon Mar but we don't like to see you crying over this nigga," Moriah said in a soft tone.

"Want me to go over there and rough him up a bit for you sis?" Sean asked as he approached us, cracking his knuckles and causing a smile to creep across her face.

"No slowness." She giggled. "It's fine, it really is. I'm not going to let him ruin this day. We were having a good day." Marley smiled up at me. "We all were."

"Yeah, so don't let him throw salt on your shit. Now, we aren't going to that lil healthy restaurant Elijah is taking you to. I need some fried chicken and maybe a meatball or two." She laughed and rubbed Marley's arm. "Finish enjoying your day and call us afterwards," Lola said while glaring over at me. "Take care of my best friend Elijah!" she warned before grabbing Sean's hand and leading him back over to the bar.

"We're going to eat here and meet up with y'all at Strike City," Moriah said while hugging Marley.

I nodded his way and waited for them to end their embrace before leading Marley outside.

"So, where to next?" Marley sighed while putting her seatbelt on.

"This little vegan spot downtown. Nobody was down for a meatless dinner besides me, so we're going to meet up with them for bowling later." I pulled out of the parking lot and made my way towards the restaurant I had chosen for us to eat at.

"You know, I really am sorry about that little moment I had back there. That wasn't cool at all and I know you said you were going to fight me if I had another slip up." She let out a giggle that I knew was hard for her to produce.

"Nah, I'm not going to fight you." I shook my head. "Honestly, I know it has to be hard and seeing him probably made it even harder. Just know that you got a lot of people on your team rooting for you. You're going to come out of this breakup better than ever Marley, you just got to want it." I looked over at her and smirked a little before putting my attention back on the road. "Although, I don't know how seeing him in that tight ass suit didn't make it easier for you to be okay with this breakup."

She let out a genuine laugh before sending a soft slap to my arm. "Don't be petty, Elijah."

"I'm just saying ma." I laughed harder and shook my head. "You gon be aight though, don't sweat it."