"Never too Late" Part 2

[CarolinaCutie]

[glow=red,2,300]“I love the things you do for me/You give me so much joy/Boy you know all I need is you”
—Faith Evans: I Just Can’t[/glow]

After almost a month of preparation, the evening had finally arrived for Tamir to spring his big surprise on Katrina. He went all out for it too, along with Rufus’ help. Katrina’s surprise prom was going to be held in a dancehall studio that Tamir had rented out for the evening and it had been decorated in gold, black, and white and the theme for it was the same as her prom had been…”A Night to Remember”.

Tamir also bought her a beautiful, black evening gown and he was going to have an exclusive restaurant cater their dinner. And of course, the night wouldn’t be complete without having Case serenade them for the entire evening.

Right before Katrina left work for the weekend, Tamir called her up to make sure she was heading straight home. When she told him that she was, he told her that he would see her in about an hour or two.

After arriving home, Katrina took a quick shower before changing into a casual outfit of jeans, a black sweater and a pair of black spike-heeled boots. She was in the middle of brushing her hair when she heard her doorbell.

“Coming!”, she chimed as she headed for her door. “Hey, ‘Mi…”, she began before noticing that there was a man dressed in a chauffeur’s outfit standing at her door.

“May I help you?”, Katrina asked while making sure her screen door was locked.

“I’m looking for a Miss Katrina Davis.”, the man responded as he removed his hat.

“For what reason?”, Katrina cautiously asked.

“I have orders from a Mr. Tamir Ruffin to pick her up for the evening.” The man then stepped to the side so that Katrina would see the limo that was parked in front of her apartment’s door.

Katrina could hardly contain her excitement when she saw what Tamir had done. But she had no idea of what was to come.

As she was driven to the studio, she received a call from Tamir.

“Hello.”, she smiled.

“W’sup, Trina! I juss wanted to know if you had been picked up for our date yet?”, he grinned.

“Yes! This is a very nice and sophisticated touch. But I feel so underdressed ridin’ in this limo! What’s the occasion?”, Katrina chuckled.

“You’ll see when you get to your destination. I’ll see you in a few minutes. Bye!”, Tamir responded.

“Bye!”, she grinned as she hung up her phone.

A few minutes later, Katrina noticed that the limo had pulled up to the front of a dancehall studio.

“Why in the world does ‘Mir want us to meet here?!”, she wondered as the chauffer got out to open her door. When he did open her door, there were two fine, chocolate-covered men in black tuxedos waiting for her. One of them helped her out and she noticed that the other one was holding a blindfold.

“Good evenin’, ma’am! There’s a surprise waitin’ for you which means we have been given orders to blindfold you and walk you inside.”, the one with the blindfold stated as he began to cover Katrina’s eyes.

Katrina giggled at his statement. “Can I have a hint?”, she grinned.

“No, I’m sorry but we’re not allowed to say anything else, sweetie.”, the first man chuckled.

“Oh pooh!”, she pouted. “Tamir, I don’t know what you have up your sleeve, but I’m likin’ this so far!”, she happily thought to herself.

She noticed that she had done quite a bit of walking with the help of her two appointed escorts.

“Here we are! Enjoy your evenin’!”, they both stated after the second man removed her blindfold.

Katrina let out a loud gasp as she looked at the beautifully decorated room that she was standing in. “I cannot BELIEVE this!”, she whispered as she put her hands up to her chest.

She heard someone walking into the room behind her. When she turned around, she saw Tamir dressed in a black tuxedo. He had a sly and sexy grin on his face as he walked towards her. She also noticed that he was carrying a black gown and a shoebox.

“Surprise!”, he shouted as he came and stood in front of her. He then leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Oh, ‘Mir!”, she sobbed uncontrollably.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean to make you cry! I juss felt like givin’ you the one thing that you didn’t have the chance to experience! I hope I haven’t brought up any bad memories!”, Tamir replied when he saw her reaction.

“Nooooooo!!! It’s not that, silly! It’s juss that this is the nicest and sweetest thing anyone has eva’ done for me!”, Katrina laughed as she began to wipe her tears away with a few Kleenexes she pulled from her purse.

“Oh, whew!!”, he chuckled. “I was about to say!!! Anyway, this is for you!”, he smiled as he handed the gown and shoes to her.

“Thank you soooo much!”, she grinned as she leaned over to share a kiss and hug with him. She was still a little afraid to admit it, but she felt like she was beginning to get past the point of just liking him.

While Katrina stepped in another room to get dressed in her gown, Tamir gave a cue to Case to come in along with the waiters from the restaurant. When Katrina stepped back into the room to join Tamir, she was even more surprised and emotional as Case began to sing for them as they danced together. Afterwards, they had a wonderful dinner and danced some more until Tamir took her home.
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“Octavia?! W’sup with this?!!”, Mark demanded when he ran into her and her date at a popular nightclub. He and Larry decided to hang out for a while after Octavia had told Mark that she had already made plans to hang out with a friend for the evening.

“Umm…well, I neva’ said that I was datin’ you, exclusively! So it’s not like I’m doin’ anything wrong!”, she snapped.

“You’re not, huh? Well, how come you haven’t been complainin’ for the last month or so that we’ve been goin’ out together?! Not to mention all of the gifts I’ve been showerin’ you with. I thought you said we were coo’?!”, Mark angrily spat as he glared over at her date.

“Yeah, and your point is what?! I didn’t tell you to give me those things. But I’m not gonna be stupid and not accept them either! Shoo’! Any girl would die to have the things you bought for me! Now if you will excuse us…”, Octavia replied as she and her date began to head in the opposite direction.

“Cufk you, bh! It’s hoes like you that give REAL women a bad name anyway!”, Mark shouted at her before her date turned around to make his way back over to him.

“Wha? You got somethin’ you wanna cufkin’ say to me?!!”, Mark chuckled as he began to head towards her date before Larry stopped him.

“Nah, man! Juss let it go! Neither one of them are worth it!!!”, Larry replied as he grabbed Mark by the arm so they could head in the opposite direction of the club. Meanwhile, Octavia grabbed her date and pulled him out onto the dance floor.

What Mark didn’t know was that Octavia and Katrina were no longer friends after Octavia bragged to Katrina earlier in the week about meeting some dude that was a big time club owner and concert promoter which meant he had even more money than Mark. Of course, Katrina let her have it about how wrong it was of her to only date a guy based on what he’s worth. However, Mark felt like Katrina was probably the same way as Octavia which meant he was going to warn Tamir to leave her alone the next time he saw him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[CarolinaCutie]

“Are you okay, cuz?”, Maurice asked Latrice as he, she, Rufus, and Brian made their way inside of her and Rufus’ home. They had just finished having dinner over at her mother’s house along with Rufus’ mother.

She shook her head as she quickly ran upstairs to the bathroom while holding one of her hands over her mouth and the other across her stomach. After suffering from nausea both day and night for the past few weeks, Latrice decided to make an appointment with her doctor. She was afraid to admit it, but she felt like she may be expecting another addition to the family; especially after noticing that her always-on-time “visitor” hadn’t been to see her in almost a month. But she was too scared to say anything to Rufus or anyone else for that matter.

“She did down quite a bit of food tonight!”, Brian stated with a shrug of his shoulders as he and Maurice made their way into the den.

“Yeah, man! I know what’cha mean! I knew my cuz could eat, but watchin’ her suck down all o’ those helpin’s of Aunty Nat’s food tonight took my @$$ by surprise!”, Maurice chuckled as he flipped through the tv channels to see what was on.

Rufus told them he would be back down to join them to play the latest NFL video game he had picked up as soon as he checked on Latrice.

“Trice? You aight, boo?”, he asked when he stepped inside the bathroom of their bedroom. He saw her sitting on the floor in a corner. Her cheeks were flushed and she was pouring off sweat.

“Nah, not really!”, she barely whispered. All of a sudden, she felt another surge of sickness shooting up through her body. She lunged forward and grabbed the toilet as she hurled once more.

“I’ll be right back!”, Rufus exclaimed as he ran down the hall to get a few towels from the linen closet.

However, by the time he got back, Latrice was rinsing her face off in the sink.

“Are you gonna be okay?”, Rufus asked as he helped her into the bed after she had changed out of her clothes into a t-shirt.

“Yeah! I feel much betta now.”, she managed to smile.

“Well, I’ll be downstairs with the guys if you need me.”, he smiled as he kissed her on the forehead.

“Okay, but could you bring me a diet Pepsi and a few Oreo cookies first? Oh, and my box of Cheez-Its!”, she asked as she turned the tv on.

“You really want that after what you just did?!”, Rufus asked in surprise.

“Uh huh!”, she stated with a nod of her head as she looked up at him.

“Aight…well I’ll be back in a few minutes.”, he replied with a strange look on his face.

“Isht! I hope he doesn’t pick up on anything!”, she thought to herself as she settled on watching “Law and Order”.
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The next night when Mark and Rufus met up with the rest of the fellas and their girls at the sports bar, Mark immediately pulled Tamir to the side.

“W’sup, man!”, Tamir asked as they gave each other a pound.

“’Mir, I’ono how to say this, but I think it’s best that you stop seein’ Trina!”, Mark whispered to him.

“What are you talkin’ about?!”, Tamir angrily asked.

“I’m sayin’…her girl, Octavia played me and I don’t wanna see the same thing happen to you. That’s all!”, Mark replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Man, juss because Tavia did that to you doesn’t mean that Trina will do the same to me!”, Tamir stated with a shake of his head as they looked over at Katrina chatting away with the others at their table.

“’Mir, don’t be stupid like I was and fall for her because it’s a known fact that females that hang out togetha usually have the same traits!”, Mark stated as he grabbed Tamir by the arm.

“That’s gotta be the dumbest isht I eva heard of!”, Tamir chuckled as he rolled his eyes at Mark.

When he and Mark sat back down at the table with everyone else, Rufus picked up that something was troubling Mark.

“Everything aight, man?”, Rufus asked as he looked at Mark across the table.

“Yeah, I’m aight!”, Mark replied while cutting his eyes at Katrina.

Katrina didn’t like the look he gave her so she cut him a look back with her eyes that asked “what the hell is yo’ problem?!”.

Both Rufus and Tamir noticed the tension between the two of them, so Tamir asked her if she wanted to shoot some pool.

“Okay.”, she replied as he helped her up.

“’Mir, I’ono, but I don’t feel like I’m welcome here judging from Mark’s looks. I know about what Octavia did to him. That’s why we aren’t friends anymore, but that’s no reason for him to start disrespectin’ me because I haven’t done anything wrong!”, Katrina heavily sighed.

“Don’t pay him no mind! C’mon and lemme show ya how to play!”, Tamir grinned as he handed her a pool stick. They proceeded to have a lot of touchy-feely body contact as Tamir held her from behind while teaching her how to hold and shoot the pool stick. This made Mark more jealous than upset as he thought about the way Octavia had dogged him out. However, he managed to get through the evening with everybody even though for him it was a looooooooooooong one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Mommy! What brings you ova this way?!”, Latrice grinned as she hugged her mother tightly.

“I juss felt like payin’ my baby a quick visit. You aren’t busy are you?”, Natalia smiled as she and Latrice headed for the den.

“Nah…I was juss readin’ and watchin’ tv, that’s all.”, Latrice smiled. She had actually come in after hanging out with Brian at the mall for a few hours. While they were out, she picked up a test that she was about to open when Natalia showed up.

“Latrice, as your mother, I’ve been noticin’ somethin’ different about you durin’ the past few weeks. You mind tellin’ me what’s goin’ on?”, Natalia asked as she studied her daughter’s face.

“What’chu talkin’ ‘bout, mommy?”, Latrice nervously smiled as she sat across from her mother.

“Well, for starters, your skin is glowin’ like crazy. As a mother, myself, I recognize that glow anywhere. I also noticed how you have been eatin’ everything in sight that’s not nailed down and the sick feeling you were complaining about last night when you smelled some of your favorite dishes that I fixed. Those things never bothered you before. It’s as plain as day, sweetie…I’m gonna be a granny!”, Natalia smiled.

“Mommy, please!”, Latrice sighed as she put the box of Cheez-Its that she had been munching on down on the coffee table. “I lost my appetite as a result of what had been goin’ on lately and now it’s picked back up, that’s all. Oh, and as far as my glow, that’s juss a normal reaction to my bein’ in love with Ru! You know that!”, Latrice giggled.

“Now look me in the eye and tell me that again!”, Natalia slyly grinned as she leaned forward on the sofa to look at her daughter across the coffee table.

Latrice began to blush and lowered her head.

“So, my motherly instincts were right! You’re gonna be a mommy!”, Natalia laughed as she walked over to her daughter to hug her.

“I’m not for sure yet, so don’t go gettin’ your hopes up! I haven’t even mentioned it to Ru. But I do have an appointment at the doctor on Monday afternoon around lunchtime.”, Latrice sighed with a roll of her eyes. “I’m hopin’ that I’m juss sufferin’ from the stress I’ve been goin’ through lately, though.” But Latrice knew better…it all stemmed from that lovely February evening after she came in from work to make up with Rufus. They both got a little caught up in the situation and well…

“If you think that it’s stress you’re sufferin’ from, then why are you blushin’? Besides, there’s nothin’ to be ashamed of. A baby is a great blessing! However,…”, Natalia began as Latrice thought to herself, “Here we go! Now I’ma hear a sermon.”

Natalia continued on with her statement, “…I’m hopin’ that this was planned. I would hate to think that my baby wouldn’t be more responsible about somethin’ like this. Bringin’ a new life into this world is a major life change.”

“Mommy, can we please talk about somethin’ else? I’d rather not think about this right now.”, Latrice stated as they got up and headed for the kitchen. Natalia wanted a cup of tea. Once they were seated at the kitchen table, Latrice had somehow taken her mother’s mind off of what she had originally come over to talk to her about by talking about how well she and Brian were getting along. But during this time, Natalia noticed how Latrice had eaten some Chunky Monkey ice cream, a slice of toast with peanut butter on it, and a dry bowl of cornflakes. And all of this was only in one hour!

“Latrice, honey, please…come up for some air!”, Natalia teased when she saw how Latrice was eating.

“I told you I’m makin’ up for when I wasn’t eatin’ that much a while back!”, Latrice laughed.

“Well, honey, mommy knows betta! I think we should drop by Wal-mart to pick up a test because I can’t wait until Monday to find out. C’mon, let’s go!”, Natalia grinned as she stood up from the kitchen table. However, Latrice didn’t move.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?”, Natalia asked as she looked at her daughter.

“I already bought one.”, Latrice whispered.

“Then go get it so we can find out for sure!”, Natalia smiled as she clasped her hands over her mouth.

“I’ono, mommy! I feel weird with you here. I had planned on doin’ this by myself!”, Latrice replied with a shake of her head.

“Get your hindpart up and go take that test!”, Natalia ordered her.

“But Ru will prolly be home in a lil’ while. I don’t want him to know what’s goin’ on!”, Latrice whined.

“I’ll deal with him if he comes in, now go!”, Natalia huffed as she pointed her finger towards the stairs.

“Yes, ma’am.”, Latrice heavily sighed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[CarolinaCutie]

After coming in from the late night café, Tamir and Katrina were lying together on his floor watching television as they talked about Mark’s situation.

“Ya know in spite of what most people may think, Mark really wants to find someone to settle down with. There’s more to him than meets the eye!”, Tamir stated.

“I know right! He’s one of the coolest peeps around. I wish we could find somebody good for him.”, Katrina replied.

“Yeah, well whoeva the female is, it would be nice if she were juss like you!”, Tamir smiled as he looked down at Katrina.

“You are such a smooth talker!”, Katrina giggled as she looked at him over her shoulder.

“I’m serious though!”, Tamir chuckled as he and Katrina shared a kiss.

“Does it look like I’ma argue with that?!”, she laughed as they began to watch tv again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Latrice was a nervous wreck as she re-read the directions to the test for a 4th time while waiting for it to complete. All of a sudden, she heard her mother loudly shouting, “Hey Ru! How are you tonight, dear?!”

“Oh isht!”, Latrice quietly shrieked. She began to gather up the kit so she could get rid of the evidence. This meant that she and Natalia would have to wait until Monday after all.

“I’m fine! I didn’t expect to see you ova here this time of night!”, Rufus replied as he hugged Natalia. “Oh no! Is Latrice alright?!”, he anxiously asked as he headed for the stairs.

“Yes, Ru, she’s fine! I was juss in the neighborhood and decided to stop by to spend some time with her. She’s upstairs in the bathroom right now though. Say, why don’t I fix you somethin’ to drink? What would you like?”, Natalia grinned as she convinced him to sit down on the sofa.

“Uhhh…I’ll have a glass of water, thanks!”, he smiled while giving Natalia a puzzling look. “Are you sure everything is okay?”

“I’m POSITIVE!”, Natalia grinned as she headed towards the kitchen.

When Rufus was sure that Natalia was out of sight, he headed upstairs. He met Latrice as she was coming out of the bathroom.

“Hey, Ru! I didn’t hear you come in!”, Latrice lied as she hugged him.

“Yeah, I juss got here about 5 minutes ago. Are you feelin’ okay?”, he asked while staring at her.

“Of course I am. What would make you think that I wasn’t?”, she chuckled as they began to make their way downstairs.

“Well, I was surprised to see your moms ova here this late. Especially since I know how bad you have been feelin’ lately.”, Rufus replied as they walked into the kitchen together.

“There you are!”, Natalia snapped as she handed Rufus a glass of water.

“I’m sorry, but I juss had to go check on my baby!”, he smiled as he wrapped his arm around Latrice’s waist while taking a sip of water.

“Awwwwwwwwwwww!!!”, Natalia grinned as she looked at the two of them with her hands on either side of her face.

“Mommy, stop it!”, Latrice whispered through clenched teeth. Rufus gave them both a puzzling look this time.

“What’s goin’ on?”, he chuckled.

“Nothin’! Mommy juss tends to get a lil’ emotional sometimes!”, Latrice joked.

“Yeah, she’s right! I’m juss so happy to see you two together. But I guess I should be goin’ so yall can be alone.”, Natalia stated as she grabbed her keys out of her purse to leave.

“Wait, Ms. Stanton! I’ll follow you home to make sure you get in safely.”, Rufus replied as he walked with her to the door after she kissed and hugged the two of them goodbye.

“What luck!” , Latrice thought to herself. If she knew he was going to do that, she wouldn’t have flushed some of the contents from the test down the toilet.

“Oh, aren’t you the perfect gentleman?!”, Natalia grinned as she and Rufus headed for the door.

“I’ll be back in a lil’ while, Trice!”, Rufus stated as he gave her a quick kiss.

“Okay! Bye mommy! Love youuuuuuu!!!”, Latrice smiled as she waved goodbye to them.

“Love you too, BABY!”, Natalia slyly grinned as she looked back over her shoulder at Latrice. Latrice hurriedly closed the door. She then took off upstairs to take out the trash in the bathroom so Rufus wouldn’t find anything when he returned home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Katrina woke up the next morning, she had somehow ended up on Tamir’s sofa under a blanket. She stretched and began to smile. She knew in her heart that she was beginning to fall in love with him, but she was still afraid of admitting it.

At the exact moment that she sat up, she saw Tamir walking out of the kitchen with a breakfast tray.

“G’mornin’ Sleepin’ Beauty!”, he grinned as he sat down next to her on the sofa and set the tray across her lap.

Katrina began to laugh when she looked at what he had prepared for her. There was a small glass of water with a tulip sitting in it that he had picked from the small flower garden out back. And as for the food, there was a small glass of orange juice, a bowl of cheerios, a slice of slightly burnt toast, and two Eggo waffles with a little bit of maple syrup poured on them.

When Tamir saw her laughing, he began to laugh.

“Okay! So I’m not a cookin’ person!”, he grinned as he threw his hands in the air.

“No! I think this is so cute!!! Thank you!”, Katrina giggled as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

“Well, bon apetite!”, he chuckled as he tried slicing a piece of the waffle to feed to her. However, they both noticed that it was a little rubbery. This made them laugh some more; especially when he finally managed to pick it up with the fork to put up to Katrina’s mouth. When she began to chew on it, she lost it. It was still frozen inside.

“What?!”, Tamir laughed.

For a good minute or so, Katrina kept laughing and couldn’t speak. When she took the other slice of waffle and broke it in half to show him the icy center, he also lost it.

After their laughter had ceased, she suggested that they go out to breakfast to eat after she went home to shower and change clothes which Tamir had no problem with. For the rest of the day, they hung out together until he took her home that evening so she could get ready for work.

Katrina decided that she would stop by her new doctor’s office to pick up an extra necessary precaution on her lunch hour the next day because she felt like she was almost ready for something more to happen between her and Tamir. They both couldn’t deny this certain feeling, but he respected her wishes to take things slow.
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The next day as Latrice walked out into the lobby of the doctor’s office, she looked like she had seen a ghost. Her skin was as pale as a sheet of notebook paper and her eyes were as wide as 50 cent pieces.

“Latrice? Are you okay?!”, Katrina asked as she came out into the lobby from the opposite end of the office.

“Huh?!!”, Latrice asked nervously when she saw Katrina.

“Are you okay?!”, Katrina asked once again.

“I don’t know how I’m gonna tell him!”, Latrice whispered as she leaned up against a wall of the lobby. She didn’t even care that there were a few people waiting to be seen who were watching her.

“C’mon. Let’s step outside so you can tell me what’s wrong.”, Katrina stated as she took Latrice by the hand. “Now what is it that you don’t want to tell someone?”

“I don’t know how I’m gonna tell Ru that I’m, I’m…pregnant!”, Latrice cried as she put her hands up to her face.

“Oh my God! Are you serious?!!”, Katrina happily shrieked while hopping up and down and clapping her hands.

Latrice nodded her head yes.

“That’ll be great news for him to hear!”, Katrina smiled as she put her arm around Latrice’s shoulder.

“How do you know?!”, Latrice asked.

“Because I know my big brotha! He’ll be so thrilled!”, Katrina replied.

“I’ono. His career is goin’ so well right now and I don’t want to mess that up and…hold up…wait a minute!!! I didn’t do this all by myself!”, Latrice suddenly laughed as she began to wipe her eyes with the Kleenex Katrina had given to her. “But I still don’t quite know how to tell him.”

“You right, Poppa Ru had his part in this too! But why don’t we talk about this some more over lunch and we’ll see what we can come up with.”, Katrina smiled as they headed across the street to a nice, little restaurant.

During lunch, Katrina lent her support to Latrice and convinced her that everything would be okay. And Latrice gave Katrina advice on how to deal with her feelings about Tamir. By the time they left to head back to work, they both felt much better.
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[CarolinaCutie]

That evening while Latrice paid Natalia a visit to share the news with her that she already knew about, Tamir and Rufus were hanging out at Tamir’s place. An hour had passed by when Mark dropped in. He had some really devastating news to share with Tamir.

“W’sup, yall!”, Mark greeted when he stepped inside Tamir’s home.

“Hey, man! How ya be today?”, Rufus grinned as he looked up from playing a video game.

“I’m coo’, but I’ono if ‘Mir will be when I tell him somethin’.”, Mark replied with a worried look as he sat down in a chair across from them.

“What is it, man?!”, Tamir demanded to know.

“Okay, it’s like this…I saw Trina comin’ outta the baby doctor’s office around lunch today! You know, the one down there on Myrtle Street? I’m not tryna be in yo’ business, but why she gotta be seein’ that kinda doctor out of all the otha doctors in the city?!”, Mark asked.

“So what’chu tryna say about my sis?!”, Rufus asked as he sat up on the sofa while glaring at Mark.

“I ain’t tryna say nothin’, dawg! I’m juss tellin’ yall what I saw!”, Mark stated with a shrug of his shoulders.

“You got some serious issues, yo!”, Tamir snapped as he jumped up from the sofa. “I’m goin’ ova to her place right now to get this thing straightened out!”

“Well, I guess we’d betta be out too!”, Rufus replied as he and Mark followed Tamir out to their rides.
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"Mommy, I'm not ready to talk to daddy yet. Besides, what makes you think he would care that he's gonna be a gran'daddy?!", Latrice stated as she sucked her teeth.
"It would mean the world to him, Trice! If you could have only seen how excited he was when I told him I was pregnant with you! He shouted it out loud up and down the neighborhood that he was gonna be a proud father! So imagine how it would make him feel to hear that he's gonna be a grandfather!", Natalia smiled as she reached out and hugged Latrice as they sat together on the sofa in her den. "And Ru deserves to know because he's the father!"

"Mommy, I haven't built up my nerves to tell him yet. I think I need to wait a lil' longer. Anyway, I'm only 7 weeks, so I'll have plenty of time to tell him!", Latrice replied.

"Well, I hope you don't plan to do so when you're goin' into labor!", Natalia joked.

"Yeah, right, mommy! Well listen, I'd betta be headin' home. I have a lot of things to sort out with this NEW situation. But I guess I'll think about talkin' to daddy, but I'm not makin' any promises as of yet! I love you! Talk with ya tomorrow!", Latrice stated as she hugged her mother goodbye.
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"W'sup, 'Mir! I thought you were gonna be out with the fellas tonight? But, ummm...I'm glad you stopped by.", Katrina smiled as she let Tamir inside her place.

"Yeah, I was, but I have some things to ask if ya got a few minutes.", he replied as he took her by the hand and led her to the sofa.

She wasn't quite comfortable with his tone of voice, but she agreed to hear what he had to say.

"I really like you, ya know because you seem to be a straight up female unlike the other ones I have come across in the past. So why would you wanna keep somethin' away from me that you shoulda told me about up front?!", he asked not realizing that he was raising his voice a little bit.

"'Mir, I don’t know what you’re talkin' about.", Katrina stated as she watched him becoming angry.

"Of course you know what I'm talkin' about! Why are you playin' mind games with me, Trina?!", he demanded to know as he jumped up and hit the wall with his fist. He was beginning to think that maybe Mark had a point about her. In their line of work, they were subject to meet all types of females.

Anyway, when he hit the wall, Katrina began to cry as she thought about how Lamar used to behave the same way in the past. She ran over to a corner of her living room away from Tamir. When he turned around and realized that he had made her cry, he began to make his way over to her to apologize.

"Trina, baby...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset.", he softly stated as he began to raise his hand to touch her face to let her know that things were okay.

"No!!!", she shrieked. "Please, don't hit me!!!!", she sobbed uncontrollably as she began to slide down the wall while placing her hands over her head.

"Trina! What's wrong?!", Tamir pleaded as he bent down to talk to her. But being that she was in a flashback mode, she was thinking that he was Lamar.

"No, don't!!! Juss tell me what you're talkin' about and I promise to tell you the truth!!!", she cried.

"I'm sorry! I juss wanted to know about your doctor's appointment today. That's all, okay?", Tamir stated as he gently pushed her hands away from her face so he could cradle her face in his hands and kiss her forehead.

When Katrina realized it was Tamir, she grabbed him around his neck and began to apologize. She couldn't believe that she had went there. She was embarrassed but Tamir reassured her over and over again that it was okay.

"I juss went down to get some pills as an extra precaution because I've been having this physical attraction to you for the past month or so, and I juss happened to bump into a friend down there. But that's all that happened. It was nothin’ more than that!", she cried as they went back over to the sofa to sit together and talk. "I feel like I'm beginning to fall in love with you and I think I'm ready to show you how much."

Tamir grinned as he looked at her. "You know what? I'm beginning to fall in love with you too, but I'm glad I took Ru's advice to be your friend before anything else because I've been having a really good time with you."
Tamir knew that he had some work to do to make Katrina trust him even more. And he knew just the thing. He would have a romantic dinner with her before the end of the week to show her just how much he cared for her.

[glow=red,2,300]“Baby I’m hoping/That you’ll take me by the hand/And you’ll wipe my tears away, away, away, away”
—Faith Evans: Tears Away[/glow]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[glow=red,2,300]“And I can’t believe it’s real/Can’t believe it’s you/I can’t believe it’s happening/I can’t believe it’s true/And I can’t believe that you are here with me/And I am here with you”
—Faith Evans: Kissing You[/glow]

The next day at work, Latrice stopped by Katrina's office to see if things had worked out with Tamir.

"Hey, Latrice!", Katrina smiled when she saw her knocking on her door.

"Hey! I was juss droppin' in to see how things are goin' with ya?", Latrice smiled.

"They're goin' juss fine, but the more important question is how are things goin' with you and Ru?", Katrina asked.

"Well, I still haven't told him yet.", Latrice said with a bit of embarrassment.

"You have got to tell him!!! I'm tellin' ya, he'll be very happy with the news!", Katrina replied.

"I know but, well, I know.", Latrice stated with a shrug of her shoulders. At that exact moment, she saw Katrina picking up her phone to call someone. But it wasn't her place to ask what was she doing because she was in Katrina's office.

"I'll talk with ya lata!", Latrice whispered as she began to head out. Katrina snapped her fingers at her and pointed for her to stay put.

"Hey, 'Mir! How ya doin' this mornin'? Good. Well listen, do you think that you and Ru could meet me and Latrice for lunch? You can? Great! Meet us at Clifton's at about 12:15. Okay, bye!" When Katrina hung up, she had a big grin on her face.

"Now why did you do that for?!", Latrice anxiously asked. "I know if I can't tell Ru with juss the two of us togetha, I sure can't tell him in front of yall!"

"That's not why I did it. I did it because this is the first step to your being able to tell him. But first, we have to begin by showin’ him and 'Mir that we are gettin' along now. We are gettin' along aren't we?", Katrina grinned.

"Of course, girl!", Latrice smiled back. But she thought to herself that it would still probably be a while before she let Rufus know the truth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hello.", Rufus answered when he picked up his phone. He had just climbed in his ride after leaving the gym.

"Hey, man! W'sup!", Tamir stated.

"Nothin' much. What's goin' on?", Rufus asked as he started his car up.

"Man, do I have some isht to tell YOU!", Tamir laughed.

"What?!", Rufus laughed back.

"Trina and Trice want us to meet them for lunch at Clifton's around 12:15!!! Can you believe that?!!", Tamir laughed even harder.

"Man, quit bullishttin'. What's really up?", Rufus chuckled.

"That's it na! They want us to meet them for lunch. Whaddya think they're up to?!", Tamir asked.

"Dn if I know! But I guess we'll find out when we meet them there!", Rufus grinned.

"Aight, well I'll meet you there around 12:00”, Tamir stated.

“Aight, man! That’s coo’! I'll see ya in a few hours.", Rufus replied.

"Aight, lata!", Tamir stated as he hung up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[CarolinaCutie]

Later on in the morning as Latrice was sitting at her desk going over some figures for a report she had to prepare, she received a call from her mother.

"G'mornin', baby!", Natalia smiled when Latrice picked up.

"Hey, mommy! How are ya today?", Latrice asked.

"I'm doin' fine. But I'm not gonna hold you long. I juss wanted to know if you and Rufus could come to dinner tomorrow night? I haven't cooked a meal for you two in a couple of days and I would really like to have your company!", Natalia happily stated.

"Oh, okay! Well, I'm sure Ru doesn't have any plans that I know of so we'll be there. Right now, I have to go because I have to meet a deadline before lunch. But I'll call you back lata, okay?", Latrice smiled.

"Okay, sweetie! That's fine! I love you!", Natalia grinned.

"I love you too, mommy!", Latrice replied back.

When Natalia hung up, she prayed for forgiveness for lying to her daughter. But she had to think of some way for Latrice to sit down and talk with her father. She didn't want her daughter to keep such great news from him. Even if what he did was dead wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several hours later as Rufus and Tamir waited in the lobby of the busy restaurant, Rufus asked Tamir if he saw what he saw.

When Rufus pointed to what he was looking at, Tamir was like "what in the heh?!" They both saw Latrice and Katrina laughing and talking with each other as they walked up the stairs to come inside.

"Okay...the world muss be gettin' ready to end!", Rufus laughed when the girls met them in the lobby.

"I hear ya, man!", Tamir chuckled as they gave each other a pound.

"W'sup yall!", the girls greeted them as they hugged one another.

"That's what we'd like to know!", Rufus laughed as he took Latrice's hand.

"Fo' sho!", Tamir agreed as he put his arm around Katrina's shoulder.

"Let's juss say that I overcame my differences with Katrina!", Latrice smiled as they all waited to be lead to a table. "By the way, I wanna apologize for every mean thing I've said, thought, or done to you, Katrina!" Latrice went over to hug Katrina.

"Ohhhhh...thank you!", Katrina smiled. "But what's in the past is in the past, so let's leave it there!"

Meanwhile, the guys were looking at each other like they had seen a UFO land outside of the window they were standing beside.

"That must've been some goooooood stuff yall were puffin' on at work this mornin'!", Tamir joked as he looked back and forth at the two of them after they had been seated.

"Shut up!", Katrina laughed as she gently elbowed him in the side.

"I know right!", Latrice agreed. But when she looked at Rufus, his mouth was still hanging open.

"What?!", Latrice giggled when she saw his reaction.

"I'm juss speechless!", he said with a shake of his head.

"Now THAT'S a first!", she laughed as she went back to skimming her menu.

"You think you funny, dont'cha?", he asked as he threw his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Stop!", she giggled. "Not in front of the youngstas!", she laughed while nodding her head at Katrina and Tamir.

"Okay, this fork is gonna come across the table straight for yo' fo'head! Keep right on talkin'!", Tamir warned with laughter.

"Look people! Let's act a lil' civilized okay?!", Katrina laughed.

"Yeah, you're right!", Rufus smiled. "But on the real! I'm glad that my two favorite girls are gettin' along now!"

During lunch, they had a fun-filled time. However, they all noticed how Latrice was eating everything off of her plate as well as off of Rufus'. Rufus even pointed out how she was eating the stuff that he liked, that she had never liked.

"Well...", she said in between chews,"...sometimes it's good to give otha things a try!"

Katrina began to giggle non-stop because she knew the real reason why Latrice was sucking everything up like a vacuum.

"Now what'chu laughin' at?!", Tamir chuckled as he turned around to look at Katrina.

"Nothin'!", Katrina smiled.

"It has to be somethin'! Could it be this?", he asked as he nuzzled her neck.

Katrina let out a high-pitched scream followed by laughter. "Stop it!", she whispered.

He began to laugh. "Well tell me what it is then!", he stated.

"It was somethin' funny that happened at work this mornin’. But Latrice can tell the story betta'!", Katrina giggled.

All eyes suddenly turned to Latrice while she was in the middle of eating.

"What was so funny, Trice?", Rufus grinned.

"Well, ummm, see...what had happened was...oh excuse me, miss?!", Latrice stated when she saw their waitress nearby. "Could I have a slice of apple pie, please? Thank you!" She had quickly changed the subject.

"Dn, Trice!", Rufus exclaimed.

"Whattttt?!", she asked with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Are you goin' for a world record or somethin? I neva seen you eat that much before since I been with ya! You’re gonna be miserable when you get back to work!"

"No she won't!", Katrina quickly replied.

"How you know?", Tamir asked in surprise as he turned to look at her.

"Because, she juss won't!", Katrina nervously smiled as she took a sip of her soda.

"Yeah, I didn't have breakfast this mornin'", Latrice lied as she glanced across the table at Katrina.

"Yes you did!!! You were cookin' when I woke up to go to the gym!", Rufus stated in a shocked tone as he turned to look at Latrice.

"I did? Oh, yeah... I did. Well, I had to end up, ummm...ooooh my pie is here! Thank you!", Latrice grinned at the waitress while quickly changing the subject again.

"Juss lookin' at you makes my stomach feel like it's about to pop!", Tamir laughed as he watched Latrice eating.

"Well don't look then!", she snapped back.

After they were finished eating, Latrice asked the waitress for a doggie bag for the food that Rufus hadn't finished.

"Trice, boo! Hold up! Don't tell me you're still thinkin' about food after all you juss finished eatin’?!!", Rufus asked with a shake of his head.

"Well, mommy always said don't let food go to waste. I can eat this tonight when I get home.", she smiled.

Tamir pretended to groan in pain as he saw what she was doing. "Make her stop! Puh-leeeeeze! Make her stop!"

"Leave her alone!", Katrina laughed as they all stood up to leave.

"You don't think Ru noticed anything different do you?", Latrice asked Katrina in a hushed tone as they headed back across the street to Katrina's ride.

"Of course not, girl!", Katrina stated with a roll of her eyes.

Latrice began to laugh. "Well, it's not that I wanted to be a pig, but I guess it's true when they say you're eatin' for two when you're in my condition!"

"Yeah, I'm a witness to that after what I saw!", Katrina chuckled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the next night, Katrina felt like it was gonna be out of this world when she went out with Tamir so she put on her drop-dead black and red dress and let her hair hang down around her face. It brought out her bright eyes. And underneath her clothing, she had slipped on a lil' somethin' somethin' that she had shown to him back when they first met.

"Eat your heart out, 'Mir!", she chuckled to herself as she checked herself out in her full-length mirror.

When Tamir picked her up, that's exactly what he did.

"Dn, ma!!! I knew you were gonna look good tonight, but not this good!!!" He took her by the hand and twirled her around a few times to check her out.

"You haven't even seen the half of it yet!", she thought to herself.

Their dinner was very romantic which they ended up having at his place. However, he made sure that his personal chef prepared the dinner. Tamir had made it obvious a few days before that he was no Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee.

The table was set with a beautiful floral centerpiece of Katrina's favorite flowers and they ate by candlelight. Tamir even commented on how the candlelight brought out her beautiful almond-shaped eyes.

"Do you feel like dancin'?", he asked after dinner was over.

"Sure!", she smiled. She thought they were going to dance inside but he took her out on the terrace where they danced under the moonlight for a little while as the music that he had selected played from inside his house. He even sang to her when “Beauty” came on.

Katrina knew that he was definitely the one when they went back inside later on. He led her into the living room where he had the fireplace going. And in front of the fireplace was a bottle of champagne, 2 champagne glasses, and a silver platter filled with strawberries and cream which were all spread out on a soft blanket.

"This is absolutely beautiful!", she sighed.

"Not as beautiful as the person I did this for!", he whispered as they embraced and shared a passionate kiss.

"I have a nice lil' surprise for you too!", she slyly grinned as she backed up away from him. She began modeling an outfit that he immediately recognized.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[CarolinaCutie]

"Hey mommy!", Latrice smiled as she and Rufus went inside Natalia's place for dinner.

"Hey, honey! And how's my Rufus doin'?!", Natalia asked as she gave him a big hug.

"I'm doin' good! How about you?", he smiled.

"Oh, I'm doin' juss fine now that I'm gonna be...", she started before Latrice asked to see her in another room for a minute.

"What is it, Trice?", she asked with a puzzled look.

"Well, mommy, I still haven't told Ru yet. So could you do me a favor and not say anything, pleassssssse?!", Latrice pleaded with a look of desperation on her face.

"Trice, I cannot keep hidin' my happiness and neither should you. But, I'm willin' to make a deal with ya!", Natalia slightly grinned.

"What?", Latrice whispered.

"If you don't tell him by the end of this week, I will! Now do we have a deal, honey?", Natalia asked.

"Yes, we have a deal! Thank ya mommy!", Latrice stated with a roll of her eyes and a chuckle as they hugged each other.

When they joined Rufus back in the dining room, the doorbell began to ring.

"I'll get it!", Rufus volunteered.

"Thank ya, baby!", Natalia grinned as she and Latrice went into the kitchen to bring the food into the dining room.

"Ru, let's be out!", Latrice hissed when she saw her father walking into the dining room behind him.

"No! You are gonna stay here and have dinner like we planned!", Natalia demanded as she grabbed Latrice's hand.

"Mommy, how could you do somethin' like this?! You lied to get me ova here!", Latrice snapped as she snatched her hand away from her mother.

"Latrice, juss give him a chance!", Rufus sighed as he pulled out a chair for her to sit in between him and Leonard.

"Who's side are you on, Ru?!", she shouted.

"I'm not on anybody's side! I juss think it's time to leave what's in the past, in the past...remember?", he asked as he gave her Katrina's same words of advice.

"So did you know about this too?", Latrice asked Rufus as she continued to stand in the same spot.

"No, it was all my doin', but Ru is right. You need to work things out!", Natalia stated as she put her arm around Latrice's shoulder. When she saw Leonard heading for the door, Natalia stopped him. "Will you two excuse us for a minute?" Natalia asked before she and Latrice headed back to the kitchen.

"Latrice, I know you're upset with me right now, but I might as well go on and tell you that I told your father about your pregnancy. But I made him promise not to say anything until you bring it up. It's your place to tell him."

"Mommy, I wanna tell him, but I keep thinkin' about what he did to us and then I get mad with him all over again!", Latrice sadly replied.

"Ohhhhh, you'll be fine! C'mon! You're a Stanton woman and us Stanton women are strong!", Natalia grinned as she hugged Latrice.

"Okay!", Latrice faintly smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I love you!", Katrina sighed as she and Tamir lay in each other's arms in front of the fireplace.

"I love you too!", he smiled as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"I neva' thought I would be able to say that to anyone else. But then I met you!", she chuckled as she ran her fingers up and down his arm.

"That's good enough for me!', he grinned as he sat up on one elbow to look at her. "I wish you could stay here all night but I know you have to get up for work in the mornin'.", he sadly stated as he began to run his finger up and down her jaw line.

"Nah, I think I'll call in sick tomorrow!", she laughed while pretending to cough.

"Oh, well there's no need in playin' hooky for nothin'!", he chuckled as they shared a tender kiss before retiring to his room for the evening.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All through dinner, Leonard tried making small talk with Latrice even though she would only give him one word answers or nod or shake her head in response to his questions. When dinner was over, Rufus and Natalia decided to clear the table so Latrice and Leonard could have some time alone together.

"You'll be fine, Trice.", Rufus whispered as he kissed her on the cheek and put his arm around her shoulder before standing up.

"Thanks.", she smiled. She and her father then made their way into the living room.

"Now that we have some time to ourselves, I wanna thank you for being there for your mother. I know that what I did really hurt you two as well as your brother, but like I've said time and time again, I apologize from the bottom of my heart and I really mean it!", Leonard stated as he and Latrice sat next to each other on the sofa. She noticed her father's eyes watering up with tears.

"Oh daddy! I neva stopped lovin' you! I was juss mad and wanted to make you feel the hurt that I felt for both myself and mommy! I'm sorry!", Latrice cried as she threw her arms around his neck.

"You don't need to apologize. You only did what came natural to you. I shoulda undastood that! And you know I'll neva stop lovin' you, Baby T! You my only lil' girl and I love you dearly!", he cried as he held her tightly.

"Well...", she chuckled as she wiped some of her tears away, "I guess I can tell ya that you're gonna be a gran'daddy!", she smiled as she placed her hands on either side of his face.

"And I'ma make sure to be the best one there is for my gran'baby!", he grinned as he pulled her back into his arms.

"Thank you daddy!", she smiled. Of course she told him that she wanted to wait until the end of the week to surprise Rufus with the news.

By the time she and Rufus were heading home, all was going well in the Stanton household again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the weekend rolled around, everybody headed over to Mark's place for a cookout.

"Somebody's missin'!", Larry stated as he scanned Mark's backyard for Tamir and Katrina.

"No, they're not! Here come Tamir and Trina now!", James stated as he pointed them out. They were walking through Mark's gate to join everyone.

When Mark looked up from the grill and saw them smiling and holding hands, he went off.

"'Mir! I can't see you go out like this man! I know her goodness from the 'hood won't that DN good!", Mark shouted as he glared at Katrina.

"What tha hell is yo' problem, man?!", Rufus shouted as he jumped up from the side of the pool to confront Mark.

"I told yall that I saw her comin' out of the baby doctor earlier this week! She wouldn't be there if somethin' wasn't up!", Mark replied in anger.

Latrice immediately jumped up to throw her two cents into the situation at hand. However, Katrina started telling Mark off before Latrice did.

"Look, dt, for the last time I'm not pregnant! I juss went there to handle some business if that's aight with yo', punk @$$!", Katrina shouted at him.

"Dn! It's not a party unless one of us are actin' up, is it?!", Larry laughed as he, James and their girls watched the drama unfolding in front of them.

"Why I gotta be a punk @$$?", Mark laughed.

"Because you are! You the one tryna start some isht!", Katrina stated as she stepped up closer to him.

"Nah, girl! I got this one!", Latrice stated as she stepped in between Katrina and Mark.

"Mark, it's really none 'o yo dn business what Trina was doin' there! That's between her and 'Mir to discuss, not you!", Latrice stated as she folded her arms while looking at him. "And anyway, how would you know what goes on at the OB/GYN? I hope you ain't a patient there!"

Everybody began to laugh non-stop although Katrina was laughing the hardest.

Mark began to laugh too. "Girl, get yo' crazy self outta my face!"

"Well, I'm juss sayin'! You the one sayin' that she was there because she was pregnant. There's a lot of otha things that go on in that type of office. Maybe they'll give you a free tour one day so you can get a clearer undastanding. Now it's time to bring this discussion to a close."

"Yeah, whateva!", he stated with a wave of his hand.

"And I love you too, cutie pie!", she giggled as she pinched his cheek.

"Ru, I think it's time to get yo' girl!", Mark shouted as he stomped back over to the grill. It was obvious that he was pissed off.

When the food was done, everybody made themselves a plate and took a seat in different parts of the yard. However, Mark was the last one to sit down. When he saw Tamir and Katrina all up on each other as they ate, he rolled his eyes at them. He was about to go sit with Raina, Larry, James and Dana but they were basically doing the same thing too. However, Mark noticed that Latrice was so busy eating that she wasn't paying Rufus any mind as they sat together. So that's who he decided to go sit with.

"Trice, why you had to play me like that!", Mark sadly asked while watching her literally stuffing her face.

"I wasn't tryna play you! I juss had to tell you like it T. I. 'tis. You had no right to go accusin' Trina like that!", Latrice replied.

"Dn! Why don't yall get a room?!!!", Mark shouted at Tamir and Katrina when he turned his head for a second or two and noticed them sharing a kiss.

Katrina whipped the finger out on him. "Fo'get you, Mark!"

"Let it go, already, man!", Rufus huffed as he got up to go get something else to drink.

"Man, shut up!", Mark snapped back.

"Where's the love, people?!", James asked with a shrug of his shoulders as he came over to sit beside Mark.

"Man, please!", Mark replied with a roll of his eyes.

[CarolinaCutie]

When Tamir noticed Mark heading over to the patio to eat by himself, he decided to go talk to him.

"Mark, I know you're still upset about Octavia; but truss me man. I know in my heart that Trina wouldn't do anything like that to me! And as my boy, I wish you would be happy for us."

"I’m sorry, man, but I juss didn’t want to see you end up like me. I’ono…it seems as if every time I find the right girl, she turns out to be the very wrong girl!", Mark stated as he put his head down.

"That would have been touchin’ if you weren’t quotin’ Heavy D!", Tamir laughed as he nudged him with his elbow.

"Oh...I was thinkin' you wouldn't pick up on that!", Mark laughed.
"So are we boys again?!", Tamir asked as he held out his fist to receive a pound.

"Yeah, man! We still coo'!", Mark smiled as he gave Tamir a pound. "I guess I'd betta go apologize to Trina, huh?"

"Yeah, I think she'd like that!", Tamir smiled.

Mark saw the girls sitting together while the rest of the guys played some b-ball.

"Uh, Trina...could I holla at ya for a sec?", Mark asked with a small smile after making his way over to her.

"I guess so!", she huffed with a roll of her eyes as she stood up. As they went to stand off to the side to talk, the guys stopped playing ball to see what was gettin’ ready to happen because they knew that Mark and Katrina had been holding a lot of resentment for each other lately.

"W'sup?", Katrina asked as she folded her arms while looking at Mark.

"I juss wanted to apologize for how I was actin' earlier. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt 'Mir! But I guess we been boys for so long that I wanna make sure that nobody hurts him." Mark held out his hand to shake Katrina's and call a truce.

She looked down at his hand with a blank look for a good ten seconds. "Boy you betta give me a hug!", she laughed.

“You know I would neva’ do anything to hurt 'Mir because I love him!”, she whispered in Mark’s ear before they broke out of their embrace. When Katrina stood back, he noticed that her eyes were glistening. It was then that Mark knew that she had meant every word she said.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!", everybody said in unison while clapping.

Afterwards, everyone went inside to watch some movies. Latrice felt like this would be the perfect time to leave so she could go ahead and tell Rufus what she had been putting off for an entire week.

"Ru, is it okay if we go ahead and leave? I have somethin' really important to tell you.", she stated as a somewhat worried look came over her face. She was still trying to figure out the best way to tell him about another new family member.

"Aight.", he replied with a nod of his head. "Is everything aight?"

"Oh yeah! It's juss a family matter.", she slightly smiled.

"Oh, okay! Well yall, we 'bouts to be out! But I'll catch up with yall lata!", he replied as he and Latrice said their goodbyes to everybody.

As soon as they pulled out of Mark's driveway, Rufus went on and on about how he was glad that Mark and Katrina had gotten over their differences. The entire time he talked, Latrice looked at him like she cared even though she didn't. Actually, she was a little on the hungry side again.

"Oooh, Ru! Can we stop to get some ice cream?", she excitedly asked as they approached McDonald's at a busy intersection.

"Don't tell me you're hungry again?! What in the world has been goin' on with you lately?!", he asked as he switched lanes to pull into McDonald's parking lot.

"Well, if you were eatin' for two, you'd be hungry all the time too!", she non-chalantly stated while looking out of her window.

"Yeah, but still...", he started before he slammed on brakes while driving around to the drive-through menu.

"Do you mind?!", she laughed as she grabbed up to the dashboard.

"Are you sayin' that you're...", he asked as he looked down at her stomach.

She looked at him with a sheepish grin on her face and nodded her head. "Yup! You gonna be a daddy!"

He proceeded to jump out of his ride and cabbage patch in front of it as he sang, "I love it when you call me big poppa!" However, someone behind them blew their horn and yelled for him to get out of the way.

"My bad!", he laughed as he climbed back in. He pulled over to an empty parking space.

"So when did you find out?!", he grinned as he turned in his seat to look at her.

"Monday. But I was too scared to tell you because I didn't know how you would take it. If I hadn't been talkin' to Trina, Maurice and mommy, I wouldn't have been able to tell you tonight.", she replied while blushing.

"So that's why you and Trina are gettin' along now!”, he chuckled. "But wait a minute...!", he stated. "Don’t get me wrong, but…how did this happen? We always made sure we were careful!"

"Hmmmmm, lemme see...I remember a certain someone distinctly tellin' me a month ago, and I quote "I got'chu!" when I brought to that certain someone's attention that we were gettin' caught up in the moment!", Latrice smiled before glancing over to look at him.

At first, Rufus put on his concentration face while trying to remember what Latrice had just told him. All of a sudden, he broke out in a wide grin before turning back around to look at her. "My bad?", he chuckled.

"No! It's no one's bad!", Latrice laughed as she leaned over to kiss him.

"I love you, Trice!", he smiled. "And I love you too, lil' man!", he chuckled as he patted her stomach.

"Now how you gon' say lil' man?! This is gonna be a daddy's girl like me!", she grinned.
"Well whateva it is, I'm gonna love it juss the same!", he grinned before kissing her again. "Lemme get some ice cream for my babies, then we gotta go back to Mark’s house to tell everybody!", he smiled as he pulled around to the drive-through.


“Ru! Take it easy on these curves!”, Latrice shouted as he sped down the highway to head back to Mark’s place. She felt herself beginning to become nauseated.

“I’m sorry, boo! But I wanna share this news with our friends, as soon as possible!”, he grinned as he looked over at her while continuing to speed through the night traffic. However, when he saw the look on her face, he increased his speed even more out of panic.

A few minutes later when he pulled up in Mark’s driveway, Latrice jumped out because she was about to have another episode.

“Hurry up and open the door!”, Rufus shouted as he watched Latrice turning three different shades of green while holding her hand up to her mouth.

“Dn, man! What?!!!”, Mark barked when he flung his door open. Rufus shoved Latrice’s ice cream cone into Mark’s hand as he ran with her to the nearest bathroom.

“What’s wrong with her?!”, James asked when he saw them running past the den.

“Man, iono!”, Mark replied with a shrug of his shoulders as everyone else began to get up to go check on them.

Tamir and Larry were the first ones down the hall. They met Rufus and Latrice as they were coming out of the bathroom. But they thought it was strange that Rufus had a mile wide grin on his face.

“Are you okay, Trice?”, Tamir asked as he walked up to them. She nodded her head yes. By this time everyone else had made their way down the hall.

“Of course my babies are alright!”, Rufus stated as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Babies?! Don’tchu mean BABY?! As in your girl, baby?!”, James asked in a surprised tone.

“Nah, James, he means babies as in his girl and THEIR baby!”, Katrina giggled as she walked up beside Tamir to hold his hand.

“So SHE was the friend you bumped into at the doctor the otha’ day?!”, Tamir asked as he turned around to look at Katrina.

“Yup!”, Katrina smiled.

“Hold up! Yall are havin’ a baby?!”, Mark asked in amazement.

“Yeah, man!”, Rufus laughed as they gave each other a pound. Meanwhile, Latrice went over to sit down in a nearby chair.

“Oh! I’m sorry, Trice!”, Rufus stated as he ran over to kneel down beside her. “You need anything?” He grabbed her hand and rubbed her forehead.

“Mmmm…my ice cream cone would be nice!”, she smiled.

“Now I get it! That’s why you were eatin’ like a dog the otha’ day! Yall shoulda seen her! Her nostrils were flarin’ and isht!!!”, Tamir joked while the others began to laugh including Rufus.

“’Mir, shut up!!!”, Katrina shouted while slapping his shoulder.

“Nah, it’s aight…it takes a dog to know one!”, Latrice snapped as she glared at Tamir. Then she began to laugh too. “Now where’s my ice cream?!”

“Ummmm…I threw it away! It was meltin’ all ova the place!”, Mark stated with a shrug of his shoulders when he saw the look Latrice gave him.

“Oh well, what else ya got?”, she asked as she jumped up and headed for his kitchen.

“Hey! Don’t eat me out of a house and home, girl!”, Mark shouted as he quickly followed her into the kitchen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[CarolinaCutie]

The next day while Latrice spent the day with her mother, Rufus asked Tamir and James to ride down to the mall with him so he could pick out an engagement ring for her. Being that the two of them had been together for the past two years and were now expecting a child, Rufus knew he wanted to marry Latrice.

“What’chall think of this one?!”, Rufus joked as he pointed to a big, bodacious, ugly ring in a jewelry case that was on top of the counter.

“Yeah, that would definitely work if she was marryin’ the Vampire in Brooklyn!”, Tamir laughed. “But maybe she would like that one over there!” He pointed out a ring to Rufus and James that was inside a jewelry display case that was hanging upside a wall.

“Now c’mon…that looks like one of those gumball machine rings from back in the day!”, James chuckled with a shake of his head.

“Look yall, now we gotta get serious about this!”, Rufus laughed. “I wanna get my girl somethin’ that shows how much I love her.”

“Ohhhhhh!!!”, Tamir sighed as he folded his arms and put his hand over his mouth. “Excuse me while I have my moment!”, he whispered as he shook his head and waved his hand in the air. James let out a loud chuckle.

“Juss keep right on…!”, Rufus warned them while laughing.

“May I help you gentlemen find anything?”, the salesman asked as he walked over to them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After church service, Latrice and Natalia went back to Natalia’s home to make dinner. Natalia’s sister, Ruthie, was also on her way over to help them out along with her husband and son, Maurice, Sr. and Maurice, Jr.

“I really enjoyed service today!”, Latrice smiled as she grabbed an extra apron to put on.

“Yeah…as usual, Rev. Brown brought the house down!”, Natalia grinned as she began to put what they were going to cook out on the counter. “You know, I think it would be wonderful if Rev. Brown performed your ceremony!”

“What ceremony?!”, Latrice asked as she glanced over at her mother while chopping up some vegetables that she was also munching on.

“Why, your and Ru’s wedding, of course!”, Natalia replied.

“Mommy! Let’s juss take one thing at a time, okay?! Besides, Ru and I are happy with the way things are right now!”, Latrice stated with a shake of her head.

A look of disappointment came over Natalia’s face. “Trice, honey, I’m not tryna be all up in your business, but as your mother I have to say that if you and Ru loved each other enough to create the little life that’s growing inside you, then I know you two love each other enough to get married. It would only be right!”

“That’s all well and true, but I don’t wanna bring marriage up to him now that I’m pregnant; it would seem like I’m tryna trap him, which is the last thing I wanna do. Anyway, I’d rather wait until he’s ready to talk about it.”, Latrice replied as she looked at her mother. She saw the hurt in Natalia’s eyes.

“But Trice, I only want what’s best for you and the…”, Natalia began before the doorbell started ringing.

“I’ll get it!”, Latrice stated as she wiped her hands on her apron. “Whew! Saved by the bell!”, she thought to herself as she headed for the front door.

“Hey babycakes!!!”, Ruthie exclaimed when Latrice opened the door. “Give yo’ auntie some sugas!” She grabbed Latrice up in a bear hug and began to shake her from side to side.

“So much for givin’ you some sugas!”, Latrice thought to herself with a roll of her eyes. Ruthie, an extra fluffy woman, was holding on to her so tight that she couldn’t move.

“Awwwwww, lemme look at ya!”, Ruthie grinned as she stepped back while holding Latrice’s hands. “You lookin’ mo’ and mo’ like yo’ daddy everyday although you’ve picked up a lil’ weight! But it looks good on ya though!”

“Thanks Aunt Ruthie!”, Latrice smiled as she looked back at her mother. They both rolled their eyes at each other. Ruthie acted like she hadn’t seen Latrice in years, even though they had just seen each other about two weeks ago.

After Ruthie stepped inside, Latrice had to go through the same routine with Maurice, Sr. By the time Maurice came up to hug her, he and Latrice were both laughing.

“That’s YO’ momma and daddy!”, Latrice chuckled as she shook her head.

“I know…I know!”, Maurice grinned as they followed everyone in the living room.

“Hey sistah girl!!!”, Ruthie smiled as she ran over to Natalia to give her a big bear hug. Ruthie was an overly-affectionate person. However, everyone in the family was used to it.

“Hey Ruthie!”, Natalia laughed as they hugged. “Now c’mon in the kitchen and help us out!”

“We’ll be in the den watching the game!”, Maurice, Sr. shouted as he and Maurice made their way down the hall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“W’sup yall!”, Brian grinned when he and Leonard bumped into Tamir, Rufus, and James coming out of the jewelry store.

“Hey, man! How are yall doin’ today?”, Rufus smiled as he gave Brian a pound. He gave Leonard a handshake because Leonard was from the old school and didn’t quite know how to give and receive a pound the correct way although Brian was teaching him.

“What’cha know there!”, Leonard grinned while shaking hands with Rufus. Rufus heard James and Tamir behind him as they chuckled and whispered to each other, “what’cha know there bwoyyyy!”. He stepped back to introduce them to Leonard.

“These are my friends, James and Tamir. This is Latrice’s father, Leonard.”, Rufus stated as the guys exchanged handshakes with Leonard.

“Nice meetin’ you guys!”, Leonard smiled.

“Same here!”, James replied.

“So what brings yall out this way?”, Rufus asked Brian.

“We’re juss spendin’ some fatha and son time together!”, Brian grinned as he and his father put their arms around each other’s shoulder.

“Well that’s real coo’!”, Rufus smiled. “Well, we’re not gonna hold yall up! See ya lata!”

“Okay, you guys be good!”, Leonard smiled as he and Brian began to make their way down to the record store. Brian was a huge 2Pac fan like his big sister, so he wanted to open up his father's mind to his music since Leonard didn't know what was so special about 'Pac. Everytime, he heard Latrice play any of his songs, he would say that all he heard was an angry young man with a lot of issues.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once the ladies had finished preparing dinner, everyone met in the dining room to chow down.

“So, you and Ru come up with any names yet?”, Maurice asked as he sat down next to Latrice.

“Well, we already know that if it’s a boy he’ll be named after him. We haven’t discussed what the baby’s name will be if it’s a girl though.”, Latrice smiled as she piled her plate high.

“Latrice, baby! That Rufus is a nice catch! You make sure you don’t let him get away or your auntie will snatch him up quick, fast, and in a hurry!”, Ruthie slyly grinned as she fixed her and Maurice, Sr.’s plate.

“You gon’ act like I’m not even sittin’ here?!”, Maurice, Sr. asked while giving Ruthie the evil eye.

“Oh hush up, man! You know I’m juss funnin’ with my niece!”, Ruthie chuckled.

“You betta be! I don’t want’chu sharin’ yo’ sugas with no one else! Hee hee hee!”, Maurice, Sr. cackled as he leaned over to kiss her.

“Yo, pops!!! Can’t yall wait until you get home?!”, Maurice replied with a roll of his eyes.

“Leave your folks alone! There’s nothin’ wrong with a MARRIED couple showin’ each other affection!”, Natalia snapped at Maurice while waving her finger.

“You juss don’t know when to quit do you?”, Latrice asked her mother with a mouthful of food.

“No I don’t!”, Natalia replied as she glared at her daughter.

“Did I do or say somethin’ wrong?”, Maurice asked.

“Nah…it’s not you. It’s mommy and this idea that she has about Ru and I gettin’ married.”, Latrice replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Well, you knowwwwwww…back in our day, when a man and woman was goin’
together, if they were expectin’ a child, they were ordered to get married no matta how they felt about each otha!”, Maurice, Sr. matter-of-factly stated in between chews of his dinner.

“You know what?! I juss lost my appetite!”, Latrice stated as she slammed her napkin down on the table after wiping her mouth. “I’m not gonna sit here and listen to what everybody else thinks is best for me! I’m my own woman and I’ll do as I dn well, please! I’ll see yall around! Bye mommy!” Latrice stood up and walked over to her mother to give her a quick peck on the cheek before leaving the table.

Natalia was speechless. “Latrice, wait!!!”

[CarolinaCutie]

“No, Nat! I’ll go talk to her!”, Ruthie reassured her as she stood up from the table. However, before leaving, she pinched Maurice, Sr.’s shoulder. “How many times do I have to tell ya to keep your mouth shut, man?!”

“Ow woman!!! I was only givin’ my outlook on the situation!”, he grumbled as he rubbed his shoulder.

Maurice looked at everyone around the table and shook his head as he continued to eat.

“Hold up, sugapuss!”, Ruthie shouted when she saw Latrice walking down the steps of the front porch.

“Aunt Ruthie, I’m tired of every body tellin’ me how I should feel and what I should do! It’s time to do me for a change!”, Latrice stated when she met her aunt in the front yard.

“I know, honey! I apologize fo’ what yo’ uncle said back there!”, Ruthie smiled as she hugged Latrice.

“Thanks, aunty, but it wasn’t juss him. It was mommy too! I know that she loves me and Ru very much, but she doesn’t seem to undastand how much Ru and I love each otha even if we don’t get married!”, Latrice sadly stated.

“Do you wanna get married someday?”, Ruthie asked as she studied Latrice’s face.

“Yeah, sure! What woman doesn’t?!”, Latrice smiled.

“Does Ru know that?”, Ruthie asked.

“Well, no because we’ve neva really brought it up. But like I said, I know he loves me and he knows that I love him.”, Latrice replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Then if that’s good enough for yall, it will have to be good enough for Nat! But don’t hold it against her…she’s only being a mother which you will find out soon enough!”, Ruthie laughed as she grabbed Latrice up in a big bear hug while shaking her from side to side.

“Thanks Aunt Ruthie!”, Latrice giggled. When she looked up on the porch, she saw Natalia standing there. Latrice ran back up the steps to hug her. “I’m sorry…I’ll always love you, mommy!”

“And I’ll always love you too, baby!”, Natalia cried.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Latrice returned home and stepped inside, there was a note taped to the wall mirror in the main hallway. She removed and read it:

TONIGHT IS ALL ABOUT YOU. GO INTO THE LIVING ROOM AND TAKE A SEAT ON THE SOFA. ONCE YOU HAVE DONE THIS, OPEN THE GIFT THAT’S SITTING ON THE TABLE.

“Ru?! What’s goin’ on?!!”, she giggled as she looked up and down the hallway. However, he didn’t answer. She figured he must’ve been waiting for her in the living room. But when she went in there, he was nowhere to be found. The only thing she saw was the medium-sized gift box that the note referred to. After sitting down and opening the box up, she found the remote control to the stereo on the inside of it as well as a baby Tazmanian Devil stuffed animal. There was a note attached to the remote that read, “PRESS PLAY. AFTER YOU FINISH LISTENING TO OUR SONG, MAKE YOUR WAY UPSTAIRS TO OUR ROOM.”.

With a wide grin on her face, Latrice followed the note’s instructions. Lauryn Hill and Bob Marley’s “Turn Your Lights Down Low” began to play from the stereo as she sat back on the chair. While softly singing along with the song as well as clutching Taz tightly to her chest, Latrice immediately thought back to the night that this particular song was playing two years before. It was the night that she and Rufus professed their love for each other for the first time as they listened to “The Best Man” soundtrack after having dinner at her place. Meanwhile, Rufus quietly came out of their bedroom and sat down on the stairs to watch her.

“C’mon, Taz! Let’s go see what’s upstairs!”, Latrice beamed as she made her way out of the living room after the song was over. Rufus quickly rushed back into their room.

When Latrice reached the bedroom door, she noticed yellow rose petals on the floor in front of it. She let out a soft sigh as she placed her hand up to her mouth. Once she opened the door, she began to squeal “Oh my God!”, repeatedly. The entire bedroom was lit up by candlelight and the floor and bed were covered in yellow rose petals.

“Surprise!”, Rufus grinned as he stood in the middle of their room with outstretched arms. Latrice ran over to him and hugged him tightly.

“I don’t know what else to say except I love you!”, she laughed and cried.

“I love you too, Trice!”, he chuckled back. “That’s why I have somethin’ important to ask you.” He led her over to a chair in the corner of the room. When she sat down and saw him kneel down on one knee in front of her, she couldn’t stop the flow of tears that came out of nowhere.

“This is how much I REALLY love you!”, he whispered as he pulled a black, velvet box from the back pocket of his jeans. He proceeded to take the ring out of the box and place it on her finger. He hadn’t officially asked Latrice to marry him before she loudly replied “yes”.

“Well, I guess you pretty much answered my question!”, he laughed as he stood up. He reached down and took both of her hands. “C’mon, I feel like dancin’!” He grabbed the remote to the stereo in their room and turned it on. This time around, Rufus played one of Latrice’s favorite songs.

She felt like she was having an out-of-body experience as she and Rufus held each other closely while swaying to Common and Mary J’s “Come Close”.

[glow=red,2,300]“It was so romantic I’ll say/When you gave me your love/In your caramel way”
—Faith Evans: Caramel Kisses[/glow]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[aDRUfan4LiFe]

Awww........good, good, good!

*I love that song by Faith Evans, Kissing You! I think that's such a pretty song!*

[DruDiamond]

good work! good work! I like that song too. It gets you in the mood to but of course I don't do those things. I'm ;D

[sexysmile]

you got me 'bout to cry!!! I'm all emotional now!!

[CarolinaCutie]

DruDiamond said:

at that smiley!!!

DruDiamond said:

but of course I don't do those things. I'm ;D

Yeah, whateva you say! Juss messin' with ya, girl! But I'm glad yall like it. I'm gonna post the last part between today and Monday. And on that note...Good night and God bleth! ::spoken like Mr. Simmons--yawn and stretch::

[DruDiamond]

Well ya kno lol...nah but seriously the story is off the hook