Chapter 7: Baby Steps

"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
[By: Martin Luther King Jr]

April

"Hey mommy do you mind sticking around for a lil while I wanted to talk to you bout something" April asked her mother as they sat around the family room that was now back in perfect order and rid of the remnants of her girls' night shenanigans. It was another Friday afternoon which meant she had the day off and Kairi was spending the weekend with her and Charlie. She stayed with Dave during the week. April still wasn't feeling the arrangements but she never complained because she still got the chance to see her every day. She might've had her on the weekends but she was far from a weekend mother. Kairi's head was lying in her lap with her knees bent with Charlie smushed beside Kairi with her head on her chest as they both looked at whatever Kairi now had playing on her Ipad. Whenever Kairi was home Charlie was right up under her and she didn't mind at all. She had taken her role of being a big sister serious and now since they didn't live together anymore they both tried to soak in as much time as they could together.

"Yea I'll be here for another hour or so. I told Alaina that I'd come bother her before I leave" Ananda answered. She and Faye was supposed to head back to Jersey later on tonight. "What's on ya mind or is this something we can't openly talk about" she curiously questioned as her eyes went to the kids then back to April to see if it was a conversation they could hear because they all refused to have adult conversations in front of the girls.

"Ok cool" April nodded. "I rather talk in private though"

"Ok well my grandbabies look occupied so how about you and I slide to the kitchen" Ananda said ready to see what was going on with her. Since her and Dave's breakup and the cancellation of their wedding she had been paying close attention to her just to make sure she was good and not slowly slipping back into the deep end. She couldn't do another I'm ok April knowing damn well that she was doing anything but ok.

"That'll work" April said as she turned her attention to the girls. "Hey my baby's momma will be right back I need to talk to nana"

"K can we have a snack first" Kairi asked as she now looked up at April.

"It's almost dinner time so it has to be a small snack until after dinner" she had already made them some cupcakes and got Kairi's favorite ice cream so she wasn't about to let them overdo it on the snacks before dinner.

"Ok can we have pizza and wings"

"Yup daddy already said he was going to bring you guys some pizza and wings from that pizza store you like" April answered with a smile. Dave had already hit her up earlier and told her not to cook because Kairi had been asking for pizza all week long and since it was the weekend he'd get her some pizza.

"Yessss" she dragged cheesing making Charlie laugh at her excitement.

April laughed. "So what do you want a fruit cup, peanut butter crackers, or iced animal crackers" she asked thinking about the not so sugary deserts they had in the pantry.

"A fruit cup please but the ones you make us" Kairi was cool on store bought fruit cups but she loved April's more because she bought their favorite fruits and made them their own personalized fruit cups. It was the small things that mattered.

"Ok Love Bug I got y'all. I'll be right back. Keep an eye on ya sister" April said as she scooped Charlie up then Kairi and placed them on the blanket they had on the floor from earlier. Eating on the couch was a no, no even if it was the family room. She knew that Charlie was in good hands when it came to Kairi. When she said she was going to watch her that's exactly what she did although April made sure not to make a habit out of it because after all Kairi was just her sister, a child herself, and not her parent. She couldn't stand when some parents made their kids watch after their siblings. Sure she understood sometimes you have to do what you got to do especially when you don't have the help but she felt like some parents took advantage of their kids.

Ananda looked over at April in awe. She still couldn't stop gushing over the fact that April was a damn good mother. She could tell that being a mother was something she loved and took serious. She adored her children all three of them and it showed. It didn't matter that Millie and Nia were their mothers she still loved on them because to her it didn't matter who their mothers were or what they had done to her. Taking shit out on the kids would do her no good. She was good at her job but being a mother is where she shined the brightest.

*******

"So what's on your mind Peanut" Ananda asked as they finally got settled in the kitchen after tending to the girls.

April folded her hands in front of her as she looked across the island since her mother was seated in the seat across from her. She was a little nervous. She didn't know how this conversation was going to go. "How's Hazel doing" she asked. She hadn't talked about Hazel in so long. The last time they had talked about her was months ago when she was asking them to do a photoshoot but both April and Alaina had opted not to. She always just wished her well from afar.

Ananda's interest was beyond piqued at this point. She couldn't remember the last time any of her girls had asked about Hazel but Hazel always asked about them. "Hazel is doing pretty well. She's in a good place right now. Thank God for therapy" she answered and let out a light laugh. Therapy had proved to do Hazel some good. Once her therapist got to the root of all of her problems Hazel had opened up and let everything she had felt out.

"That's good" April genuinely smiled she was happy to hear that Hazel was good and therapy was actually working for her.

"Why'd you ask? You don't really ever bring her up anymore" Ananda questioned. After they had declined the photoshoot that had been the last they had mentioned her and the very first time she hadn't seen all of her babies on a billboard sporting their sister's newest collection. The tradition had been broken.

"Mommy I miss my sister" she confessed and sort of whined. "I've been missing her for quite a while now. Things aren't the same anymore. I'm back in LA to be around my sisters and I don't have both of them. This isn't how any of this should've gone down. I'm going through and doing all of this shhh well stuff" she said catching herself from cursing because she knew damn well Kairi had some kind of curse radar and she didn't feel like emptying her pockets at the moment. "She's not where she's supposed to be" she said saddened. "We were supposed to be ride or die and best friends for life until the wheels fell off and instead we caught a flat and kept it like that. We're riding on burnt rubber"

Ananda reached over and cupped April's hands in hers. "I know you do. You don't have to talk about her for me to know that you miss her. I hate the way things happened. All of my girls were close and now y'all aren't" she said a little sad herself. It had been hard for her to see them so inseparable to basically becoming strangers to one another. It hurt her heart because she knew what they once were and how they were raised.

"It's been a year and some change do you think she's good enough to have a sit down with me. Like do you think she's mentally good and stable to have a one on one" April questioned because if she wasn't then there was no point to even going through with it. She needed a level headed Hazel and not one who made her want to pop her in the mouth.

Ananda nodded. "She's doing good Peanut real good. She asks about both you and Alaina every time we talk. She misses y'all just as much as y'all miss her if not more. She actually wanted to have a therapy session with y'all but I didn't bring it back to y'all because I knew y'all weren't ready for all of that. She asked a long time ago if you would be open to a sit down with just her and still I didn't come to you because I didn't feel like you were ready. It was all in how you talked and told me how you felt the very last time I brought her up. I figured you would come to me when you were ready" she admitted. "I also felt like Hazel was rushing herself when she first asked but I think she's definitely ready now" she had saw the progress Hazel had made and knew without a doubt that she was finally ready to make amends. She saw the change in her with her own eyes. It was in the way she talked, acted, and how she kept herself. She was moving differently. She could see the change not just outwardly but inward as well.

"Great do you mind setting something up for us to sit down and talk but somewhere other than my place? I don't think I'm ready for all of that just yet" April said. She was being cautious. Her home was her and the girl's safe haven and she wasn't willing to compromise that for anybody. Home was a place reserved for their peace and sanity.

"I can definitely do that and if you need me and daddy there just say the word" she said with a reassuring smile. She was glad that April was finally ready to take on the next chapter in her life.

"I'd like that. You don't have to be in the room but definitely close by" She really didn't feel like she needed to be watched around Hazel. She didn't think she would jump stupid to where she needed to come out of character. She didn't even feel like she needed to square up with her for the one time and that was due to going back to therapy herself. Let it had been around the time Charlie dropped then she would've still been on full beat Hazel's ass but after so much time passed she didn't feel the need to.

Ananda nodded. "So when do you want to do it"

"Fridays are my days off and I can have either Dave or Chris on duty if need be. So pretty much whenever is good for her the weekend is fine too"

"Ok I'll check with her and let you know what's next"

"Bet, so what she's been up to? I know business is still booming. I'm still getting rent and my silent partner money like clockwork" April said and laughed some. Hazel had been paying in full and on time. She hadn't missed not one single payment or come up short.

Ananda shook her head and laughed. "Damn fool but she's just been occupying her time with work, therapy, and learning how to love the new and old version of her-self. You know she doesn't do friends so she's been on a full self-healing journey and loves her alone time for what it is"

"That's good. It seems like we all need a lil self-healing these days. You know I never even touch that money"

Ananda nodded once again. "I know. That was just you being the petty you"

They both laughed. "I can't help it. Daddy says I get it from you. The money comes and I just put it in a separate account. There's no need for me to even touch it. I was indeed being petty but I needed her to know not to try me. What she did was wrong and she had to pay in some way. I just wanted her to feel some type of pain"

"Ya father needs to go head he's the petty one" she laughed. "But I understand and I think you needed to do what you did. Regardless of what was going on and how she was feeling you don't bite the hand that feeds you. You did a lot for her. She learned a lesson that day and that was not to take people and what they do for you for granted"

"Exactly that I still don't know what I'm gonna do with the money though. I thought about giving it back to her just on some petty shit or either splitting it into three and putting it into my baby's accounts and be like this is from y'alls long lost auntie" April snickered while Ananda shook her head. "It's weird sometimes when I see the girls asking bout their aunties and they have a whole other aunt that they don't know nothing bout. My poor baby RoRo knows her but hasn't seen her in I don't know how long" April said. She knew damn well that Hazel would be spoiling and loving on all of her girls just like she had been doing Royalty. So to know that she had two more girls let alone finally gave birth to her own it just wasn't sitting right with her because she knew Hazel would've been right by her side for all of that just like April would've been beside hers.

"Trust the same way you feel about it she feels even worse. Having Charlie and even taking on the task of fulfilling Agnes's shoes in becoming Kairi's mother she feels like she missed out on a few milestones in ya life" she said and gave her hand another gentle squeeze. Hazel had felt terrible for missing out on the birth of Charlie and meeting Kairi. She asked about them often but neither Ananda nor Ian would let her in that much for the sake of April's privacy. They felt like that was something April should do on her own.

April nodded. "I want them to meet her and get to know her. All they know is Alaina and Ebony and not that I have a whole dang other sister out here who's so dang close yet so far"

"Don't worry about it. One day they'll know about her and hopefully they'll get to meet her but remember take one day at a time. First you have to make it to and through the sit down"

"Oh I know. Trust I miss her but I'm walking in cautious...open-minded but cautious" After what Hazel had done to her there was no way in hell that she was walking anywhere near her without being cautious.

"I get it and I wouldn't say or advise you otherwise" and she wouldn't. "She's worried about you though"

April's eyebrow rose immediately as she wondered why Hazel would be worried about her. "Why" she questioned.

"Social media...she's been keeping up with you through there. She's seen all the bullshit they've been saying about you and ya relationship with Dave. She remembers how you were after Chris and was just hoping that you wouldn't allow this stuff to take you back to that place"

April smiled. "You can tell her that she has absolutely nothing to worry bout. How I was after Chris just ain't happening again. I'm taking things one day at a time and I'm doing good. But between you and me because I know ya watching me I've seen what they were saying and I'm not gonna lie it's just words but those words are a lil hurtful at times especially when they don't even know the half it. But hey one day at a time" April said and shrugged not really wanting to dwell on what the people on the internet had been saying about her.

"Already told her that" Ananda laughed a little then got serious. "Fuck those people and their words. All their doing is being back seat drivers. They don't know shit unless it comes out of you or Dave's mouth. People love talking shit but would die to be in ya shoes in a heartbeat. Same ones talking are the same ones wishing they were you or either in a more fucked up position than you. Like Chris said 'I don't see how you hating from the outside of the club. You can't even get in'"

"See and this is why I am the way that I am" she shook her head at her mother down for the fucks as usual. "That's the Hazel I miss though but don't worry bout it mommy. I'll be just fine" she smiled loving how protective her mother was. She never played about her and her sisters. Ananda was rated E because everyone could get it when it came to fuckin with hers.

Ananda smiled just as April's phone went off. April looked down and saw a text from Dave.

🖕🏾Brewster: Hey ma do you need anything while I'm out getting this food?

Mrs. Brewster👰🏾: Nope just have my son with you.

🖕🏾Brewster: He's already in the car. I'll be there soon.

Mrs. Brewster👰🏾: Ok

"Well let me get out of here before ya sister thinks I forgot about her" Ananda said then laughed.

April looked up from her phone and back over at her mother. "Lawd yea you do that before she pops up at my door acting like I'm hogging you all to myself when we both know you came here for nana's babies" April said and laughed before shaking her head. She really came in second place when her kids were around her parents.

"I'm glad you know" Ananda laughed. "But I came for you too Thing 1" she said as she got up from her seat, walked over to April, and kissed her forehead while tightly side hugging her.

"Tell me anything" April pouted then laughed.

"Let me go tell nana's babies see you later" she laughed as she walked out of the kitchen. She never told the girls goodbye it was always see you later. Saying goodbye seemed too final.

*******

🖕🏾Brewster: Hey ma I'm on my way inside.

Mrs. Brewster👰🏾: Ok

A few minutes later April heard the front door chime and as soon as the chime went off all she heard was barking. She couldn't help but smile because she hadn't seen her baby boy since the Friday before last. Since the kids had stayed with their grandmothers for the weekend he hadn't come over. Well Dave didn't bring him. Since they had that talk when he randomly popped up she had felt him sort of pull away. Granted he only hit her up about the children anyway but she could physically feel him distancing himself. She had guessed what she had said to him about being friends clicked for him because she certainly couldn't be his friend cordial sure but nothing else. Thinking about that night Dave did manage to get her in feelings. She thought the girls had jinxed her with the way he had popped up on their doorstep. She didn't know if he was fighting or what but she did feel like once he left that night that she did light a little bit of a fire under his ass. Whatever he was doing she knew he wasn't ready because he was still mentioning Chris for one and two how could he even think that they could be friends when they were so much more than that. What they had and shared were beyond the realm of friendship? How she felt for him she never felt with or for anyone else. They were connected by the soul. If she had to openly explain it, it would simply be what they had was a soul tie because she knew for a fact that Dave was indeed her soulmate. So being friends they could never be.

When the girls left that night and she finally let her head hit her pillow she came to the conclusion that she couldn't throw away what they had nor could she discredit him for all the good he had been in her life. Whatever is meant to be will be but she still refused to wait on him. She couldn't be that person again especially when she gave him a chance once before to figure it out. She prayed about it and promised God that she would follow his lead no matter where it took her.

"Well damn Teddy B that's how you do daddy. Ain't even ask if I needed help" April heard Dave say as he made his way inside the house while Teddy raced inside the family room and straight to Charlie excitedly jumping on her making her laugh and pick him up. April could tell that he had definitely missed her. Once he had his way with Charlie he made it over to Kairi then headed straight to April barking and jumping around.

"I know baby boy I missed you too" April said as she immediately picked him up and nestled him to her chest. Teddy was just as much as her child just like her three girls was. He was part of the pack. "Momma missed you too" she repeated as she rubbed behind his ear knowing how much he loved it.

"So y'all gonna act like daddy didn't just come in the door not only bringing ya brother but food too" Dave said as he entered the family room with a mug very present on his face obviously not liking how the girls didn't greet him at the door like they normally would. As soon as the girls seen him their eyes lit up, they were up on their feet, and rushing over to get to him as they screamed daddy and papa. April didn't know when Pops would kick in for Charlie but Dave seemed to love papa so there was no fuss.

April couldn't help but smile as he scooped them both up in his arms. One thing she couldn't say is that he didn't love his kids. Even with him not being home he still made sure he was facetiming and checking on Charlie heavily. She got a call from her papa morning, noon, and night.

"Misth you" she heard Charlie say and she damn near teared. She had hated this shit for the kids but was still happy that he was around and didn't go MIA on Charlie.

"Papa missed you too Triple B" he said and kissed all over her face making her laugh and squirm in his arms. "That's the smile Papa loves to see" he said smiling brightly at her.

"Daddy did you bring us pizza and wings like momma said you would" Kairi asked. That girl was about her food and money. That was two out of the five things you couldn't fuck with Kairi about. Add her sisters, her daddy, and her momma they were all off limits.

"Yup it's in the kitchen"

"Yesssss momma made us rainbow cupcakes and got us some ice cream for desert so we gotta eat dinner"

"Sounds good...hey ma" Dave said finally greeting April. She didn't mind though. He was there for the girls and that was enough for her.

"Hey" she said while continuing to love on Teddy.

"So what y'all getting into tonight" Dave asked Kairi as he made his way to the couch and took a seat with them now in his lap.

"It's a movie night. We watching the Croods" Kairi answered all excited. She had been dying to see it and although she could've seen it with Dave she wanted to see it with her sister and momma.

"We're watching" Dave corrected her.

"We're watching the Croods" she repeated correctly this time.

"Ok so let me get out of here so y'all can't get ready to watch y'all movie"

"Nooooo" Kairi whined not ready for him to leave.

"I gotta go Lil Butt. I'll be back over Sunday for Sunday dinner"

"But I want you to stay now for movie night. Can you watch the movie with us" she asked pouting. April turned her head. She couldn't watch this shit go down. This wasn't the life she imagined for them. Dave's ass was supposed to be home here with them getting ready to enjoy a meal and movie night with them. Shit her baby boy wasn't supposed to rush to her so damn excitedly like he hadn't seen her in weeks. He'd already be home and not split into two households like he and his sisters were. They were all supposed to be in the same house.

"Daddy can't stay I have to go" Dave said and April could hear the pain all in his voice. That shit had to hurt knowing you were home but home wasn't for you anymore.

"Pleaseeee" she begged.

April teared up. Kairi hadn't begged Dave to stay not even once since their breakup. She fell out, had tantrums, cried even, and still never once begged him to stay. This was a first.

"Pweaseeee" Charlie chimed in. Most likely she didn't know what was going on but like a true sister her ass was going to ride out with her big sister.

Dave chuckled. "Not you too Triple B. Daddy has to work tonight"

"No work daddy. Its movie night" Kairi said and shook her head. She didn't care what he had to do she wasn't going to let up.

Dave sighed two seconds from breaking. "If ya momma says its ok then I'll stay"

Kairi hopped off of Dave's lap with the quickness and joined April on the floor. "Momma can daddy stay and watch the movie with us please" she asked with her little hands balled up under her chin.

"Pweasth" Charlie chimed in again on cue.

April inwardly groaned as she looked at her baby's face. She could see the tears forming in her eyes. Honestly she knew both Kairi and Charlie missed Dave being home. Sure he came over so they could keep up with their Sunday dinners but it wasn't the same. He'd come over while she would be in the middle of cooking so he could have time to chill with the girls as a whole. As soon as dinner was ready they'd eat like a family and about an hour later Kairi and Dave would be out the front door right along with Teddy. So yea she knew they definitely missed family days.

"Sure daddy can stay" April answered smiling at her watching her eyes go from sad to happy right before her very eyes. Besides it was just dinner and a movie what could go wrong. They didn't even have to talk. It would just be a few hours of bonding with the girls.

"Yes" Kairi got up pumping her fist in the sky as usual when she got her way.

April nodded. "Anything for my girls quick question though" April said as she eyed Dave trying to make light of the situation. She didn't want shit to be too awkward.

"Sup"

"Why is my child still looking all scruffy when he had an appointment with the groomer last weekend" she questioned as she looked at Dave then a scruffy looking Teddy. He had been due for a grooming session.

"He don't even look that bad but I rescheduled it for tomorrow morning"

"Uh huh just because you're looking scruffy doesn't mean my child needs to look scruffy" April joked.

"Don't act you like me when I'm scruffy" he said smirking.

April rolled her eyes. She did love when he looked scruffy but she wasn't about to stroke his ego...nope not today.

"And on that note how bout y'all let daddy get comfortable then wash your hands for dinner while I go get the movie room set up" April said as she got up with Teddy still in her arms. Her baby boy wasn't ready to leave her side just like she wasn't ready for him to leave hers.

"Ok" Kairi cheesed then ran back over to Dave.

"Aight come on lil ladies let momma do her thing" Dave said and scooped Kairi up in his free arm as April watched Dave get up from the couch then leave the family room.

"Anything for my girls" she repeated to herself like a mantra as she made her way out of the family room with Teddy still in tow. Upstairs, entering the movie room, and placing Teddy down she made her way to the linen closet they had inside strictly for blankets to watch movies with she grabbed a huge king size spread then placed it on the floor right in front of the movie chairs. They would normally be seated in the chairs but since they were eating she was going to let them do their thing on the blanketed floor. Adding a few fluffy pillows on the floor she went and checked their movie snacks to make sure it was fully stocked which it was.

"We're just watching a movie with our girls" she said as she made her way out of the movie room leaving Teddy behind. "Nothings, wrong with being cordial" she said in her head. She didn't want Dave to think that she was weakening her defense too much. Walking inside the kitchen to see Dave and the girls drying their hands she made her way to the sink to wash her own hands.

"Take the girls upstairs I'll bring up dinner" Dave said behind her.

"Ok" she dried her hands and nodded.

"Come on momma's babies" April said as she scooped Charlie up in her arms while Kairi grabbed her free hand. They all made their way upstairs with Dave following right behind them. She placed Charlie on the blanket while Kairi got herself settled. Dave placed the food on the blanket and took a seat. As soon as he sat down Charlie was on his ass like white on rice settling between his legs just like she normally would while Kairi got comfortable beside April.

"Hey ma I know you didn't want any pizza so I stopped and got you some Jamaican food with a side of plantains" Dave said as he pulled the container out of a plastic bag she hadn't noticed he was carrying.

She smiled at his thoughtfulness. She was also happy as hell because she damn sure didn't want any pizza. She had planned on making her a little meal on the side and now she didn't have to. "Thank you" she said as he leaned over and placed the containers in front of her.

"No problem"

It didn't take them long to get comfortable and settled in and for a second things actually felt normal. "So Love Bug are you sure you want to watch the Croods" April asked as she sat bottles of water in front of everyone making sure Charlie had a sippy cup and Kairi had a mini bottle because they loved to waste water.

"Yes the new Croods"

"Okie dokie" April smiled as she watched Kairi search for the movie and once she found it she passed her the remote so April could turn the movie on. They had put parental locks on certain things and the TVs were damn sure one. Kairi had a habit of looking for movies and purchasing whatever she wanted without giving it any thought. Sure they had the funds to buy her whatever her little heart desired but getting bills for random ass movies that you know damn well you hadn't purchased was a no go for both April and Dave. Besides, those little purchases did add up.

A few minutes later the movie had started and everyone was diving into their food. No words were exchanged. All that could be heard was laughter and mouths smacking on food. April sat there soaking in the moment watching her girls smile and laugh. There was no awkward tension in the room. It didn't feel suffocating and she could actually breathe. She didn't feel bothered or pressured by Dave. Honestly he paid her no mind. He didn't stare at her like he normally would. He didn't steal glances at her. He didn't even try to cop a feel. He was just in a world of his own as he spent time with their children. He never even made her feel uncomfortable like he recently had after their breakup. It wasn't that uncomfortable feeling that made her weary of him but it was that uncomfortable feeling of not trusting herself around him because she knew it didn't take much to fall into his trap.

The movie was done and over with and the kids were stuffed with dinner and desert and after a warm bottle of milk Charlie was the first one to hit the hay and soon after Kairi followed but not before begging her daddy to read her bedtime story. While doing so April cleaned up after them and made her way back downstairs to put their leftovers away in the fridge then rinsed off what little dishes they had and put them in the dishwasher.

"Hey ma the girls are tucked in sleep and Teddy is in the room with Triple B" Dave said as he entered the kitchen looking like he was on his way out.

"Ok cool they really enjoyed themselves. I haven't seen them like that in a while. Tonight wasn't so bad after all. I thought since we had Sunday dinners together that, that would suffice but I see now that they still miss and need family nights with the both of us" April said as she leaned against the huge cream farm sink. The way she saw the girls tonight she knew they missed being in a two parent household. Well she already knew that but to see it was another story.

"Nah it wasn't bad at all. I was actually thinking maybe we could keep it going. You know I'm not trying to be in ya space but after today I think we should do something together besides just eating together on Sundays. Maybe we can add a family day in once or twice a month" he suggested.

"They'd like that. As you can see Triple B misses you. She wasn't trying to let ya ass go for nothing. She even added her lil pweaseeeee for her sister"

Dave chuckled and smiled. "It's not one sided I miss her too"

"Hey I was gonna go lite one in the backyard. If you want to you can join me" she didn't know why she even asked but she did. She guessed seeing her family all together sharing a moment besides Sunday dinner after such a long time made her see things a little differently. Sure she still wanted nothing to do with Dave romantically and she still really couldn't be his friend but maybe they could work on being associates for the sake of their little girls because they needed them both.

"You sure bout that. I mean I really ain't trying to overstay my welcome. I'm lucky you let me stay tonight as it is" he said and rubbed his neck unsure.

"I'm positive" April nodded assuring him that it was ok. "Trust we both know I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't"

"Well in that case you have to try out my shit"

April raised her brow curious as to what he meant by 'his shit'.

Dave smirked. "I'm in the middle of working on another business venture and before I stamp my name on it I've been testing it out to make sure its grade A" he said and smiled which made April genuinely smile at him for the first time in months. She absolutely loved his hustle. He was always down to make sure he had multiple streams of income coming in. He was one of those rappers who knew that a rap career wasn't a permanent career for all rappers. Most rappers now didn't last a season unless they had good music and an amazing fan base that was willing to support them no matter what. Shit even if you were ass it didn't matter as long as you had a good fan base. Being a rapper was finicky and becoming even more dangerous these days so whatever business venture he had she was happy he had something he could call his own and be able to walk away from rapping if need be.

"Well in that case show me what you got" she said and started making her way towards the back door.

"Gotchu"

April went out back in their yard and took a seat in her egg chair and a few minutes later Dave was joining her. She took this time to look around their massive yard that was lit up by their outside lights. Night time outside was always a big mood especially when they hadn't spared no expense. Their backyard was something of pure luxury looking as if it was a tropical island paradise. The pools were massive and the greenery was giving lush and alive feels with how the trees were still very green even though fall had officially started. April took a deep breath just taking in the fresh air she didn't know she needed. She felt a sense of calmness wrap around her.

"So tell me bout this new business venture" she asked as she kept her eyes on the pool letting the lights illuminate her chocolate eyes and skin.

"You know I spoke bout it once before but I actually took the leap trying to make it happen. I've been working with someone trying out a few strains of my own. Once I make sure the shit is legit I'm putting my name on it and putting it on my own shelves. I figure why not get money from doing something that I love. Weed is one of those things that will never not be in" he said and shrugged as he finished rolling a fronto leaf full of weed.

April knew if Dave was smoking it and trying to put his name on it then it had to be legit because he never put his mouth on any bullshit as Reggie/Arie. You know the shit you just smoke to say you smoke and the shit that didn't get you high but gave you a mean ass headache.

"Well you bought it to the right person. If I ain't fuckin with it then it's a no for me dog" she said serious and laughed. She knew his ass knew the same thing though. It was either going to get you just right, fucked down, or in the mood. So she was trying to see what it would do.

"Indeed" he nodded and passed her the freshly rolled blunt and a lighter letting her start off the rotation.

"God I don't know where his lips been so please be a fence and protect me from all ailments and germs as I start off this rotation" she prayed dead ass serious. She wasn't trying to catch a damn thing and wake up the next day with a damn bum bump. She also knew that his words rang true he wasn't putting his lips or sticking his dick in anybody but that didn't mean she wasn't going to be on her shit. She wasn't named the Petty Queen for nothing.

Dave laughed. "You wild as fuck" he shook his head at her pettiness.

"Petty Queen over here you better act like you know" she said as she put fire to the blunt before taking it to her lips, taking a pull, and then inhaling. As soon as that shit hit her lungs she knew it was some good shit. The shit was smooth but packed a punch.

Dave watched her intently as she took another pull then looked down at the blunt as if it had all the answers to her problems.

"This is pretty good" she nodded in approval as she blew out a cloud of smoke then passed him the blunt.

"Bet, I'll leave you some"

"Thank ya kindly. All you need is for Snoop to try it and if you get his approval you already know ya on"

Dave laughed. "Who you think I went to first? I'm just trying to feel it out more so for myself. I'm tryna make sure the quality doesn't change"

April laughed. "Of course" she said as a peaceful silence wrapped around them as they kept the blunt in rotation. "I'm gonna to talk to Hazel" she said just above a whisper but she knew he had heard her. She didn't know why she was telling him it wasn't like it was any of his business anymore. Then again he was around when she and Hazel fell out. Besides he was the one she would normally run to when things like this were happening.

"Damn you ready for that" he asked. She could tell he was surprised let alone surprised that she had opened up to him.

She nodded and looked over at him before looking off into the yard. "I miss her. I haven't seen or spoken to her since she popped up on Thanksgiving. Mommy said she's in a good place so why not" she shrugged.

"I'm proud of you ma. I know how you are so to take the initiative and talk to her is big on ya part. I get it she fucked up big time but she's still ya sister. It's normal to miss and want to see her. Trust I know how it is to be tight with ya sibling and then some shit pops off to where a person needs to walk away"

She knew he was talking about Errol and how Errol had to walk away from him. "Thanks Brewster" she smiled.

"So when are you gonna talk to her" he questioned.

"Next Saturday...I can't lie I'm a lil nervous because I don't know what I'm walking into. All I wanted to do was get my round but with the way my life is going it's just too short to hold grudges. I don't want some shit to happen where I never get the chance to hug and tell my sister that I still love her. I forgave her a long time ago" she replied. Her mother had called her before Dave had stopped by and told her that she had spoken to Hazel and she had agreed to a sit down. She said she was surprised that April was actually sending the invite but she was more than ready to sit down and talk about everything.

"Heard ju...I know we ain't on the best of terms or even friends right now but if you need me I'm there" he said while he looked over at her.

April knew if she needed him he would definitely be there by her side with no hesitation. She just wished that when Millie was a part of the equation that he would hold the same tune. "Heard ju but I'm good. Thank you though. Speaking of which I know we aren't in a good place but the realtor called the other day asking if we were still on board with looking for the building. I told her I'd let her know. I don't know if you still want to do it anymore or what. I don't know if you even want to be my business partner anymore" she said talking about the project they were supposed to be working on where they were building low income apartments back in Jersey specifically for the black community. They wanted to give back to their people because they knew the struggle all too well.

"Ma honestly my head has been all over the place lately. I forgot bout that but yea I'm still down if ya down. Just let me know what we gotta do and I'm there. That shit right there doesn't have anything to do with our relationship its bout helping our people and our community and I'm always down to help. Besides like I said before I'd be low key stupid not to go in business with you" he said and chuckled.

"Good answer Brewster. I'll hit her up Monday and let her know that she can start looking again. I don't know if you still have the business plan but if you need another copy I'll print it out for you"

Dave nodded. "Bet, keep me posted. The plans are still in our office so I'll grab it tomorrow. I'm a get outta ya hair though I don't want to overstay my welcome and shit" he chuckled. "I'll drop you off some grade A when I come pick up Teddy in the morning" he said and rose from his seat.

April laughed. She started to say something slick about that grade A but kept her mouth shut. He knew like she knew where that grade A originated from. "Whatever but lock the door behind you I'm a stay out here a lil while longer" She said as she checked the baby monitor app on her phone making sure that Charlie was still sleeping.

"Heard ju" he said as he made his way over to her and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight ma"

"Night Brewster and you might want to stop with these forehead kisses my nigga might not take to kind with that" she said and smirked.

"And like I said before fuck ya nigga" he said and bounced while she watched him walk away.

Between spending more time as a family and going into business together April knew that she would have to spend more time with Dave. She didn't know if she was setting herself up for failure or what. She didn't know if giving Dave more access to her would be a good or bad idea. Would being around him more often do her in? Or would it complicate things? Would it blur lines? She didn't know what it meant for their future she just hoped that Dave knew how to keep shit platonic and not make something out of nothing because working together and having family days didn't mean that they would end up back together. Family days were just them together doing shit with their kids and work was work doing something to build their community. She didn't know how things were going to go and even end with them spending more time together. But what she did know is if push came to shove then she was ok with making her grand exit if need be because she couldn't do uncomfortable for anything or anyone. Overall tonight wasn't so bad after all and if it meant smiles on their girl's faces then so be it. She'd just stick to taking Baby Steps...

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-Hey boos happy reading I hope y'all enjoyed. Sorry I'm late but as usual thanks for being patient. Now off I go to finish writing the next chapter 😊
-April and Hazel are finally going to have a sit down. I don't quite know how it's going to go down. I know I don't really feel like I did when I originally wrote about them having a sit down. This book is about self healing and growth so I'm on the fence with what I want to happen between the 2 of them. What I do know is that it's definitely time for them to talk. Hopefully all goes well.
-The kids done set April up and I'm low key here for it. I miss April and Dave together so even to get them to have any moment together does it for me. You know how she goes hard for her kids so she'll definitely make some shit shake for them. I also think it would be good for them to have family days since the girls have been through a lot. Family days will help them get the sense of having their family altogether in some sense.
-How do y'all think having family days and them working together will go for April and Dave 🤔
-Any, who sharing is caring so tell a friend to tell a friend. Don't forget to comment, vote, & add to your libraries 🥰
-If you are reading & not commenting no problem just make sure you color the ⭐️ please & thank you 🥰