Leon pulls up to St. Regis with Mike trailing behind, in his Mercedes Benz.

Phoenix makes a call. "Aye! The party doesn't have to stop just 'cause we left the club." He pauses. "Yes, that's an invitation. Come on up."

We come to a full stop and valets our vehicles. Mike gets out joins us.

"OK! Party at Phoenix's." Riz claps and rubs his hands together.

We go inside and ride the elevator up to our suite. Once inside, Phoenix whips out a box of premium hand-rolled cigars and shows them off to the guys.

"One word." Phoenix looks at all the guys. They're all captivated. "Cohiba."

The word resonates throughout the living room, putting a smile on each of the guys' faces.

I interrupt their little pow wow and grab a clear cylinder out of the box. "I don't know what's so special about these. They're just dressed-up cigars in a cylinder with a white label."

"Blasphemy!" Phoenix snatches the cigar out of my hand and gently lays it back into the box. "She doesn't know about these." He shakes his head at me.

"What?" I ask.

"These are Cohiba White Label cigars. Mild, creamy and smooth." Riz rubs his hands together in anticipation. "Do you mind?" He asks Phoenix.

Phoenix gestures for him to go ahead.

Riz lifts one out of the box, he opens the cylinder and sniffs the contents. "Hmm."

JC smiles as he reaches in the box to grab one.

Mike takes a cigar and turns it over in his hand.

Leon picks up a cigar, takes it out the clear cylinder and clips the end with a guillotine blade.

Phoenix takes one from the box and grabs his torch lighter. "Gentlemen, shall we?" He motions for the guys to follow him onto the balcony.

They follow.

I roll my eyes. "Dramatic for no reason. Want a drink, ladies?" I ask looking at Mia and Penelope.

"Can't stop serving drinks, can you? Get off your feet. Aren't you the one that's preggers? We should be serving you."

"Old habits, I guess." I drop down on the plush couch, remove my heels and stretch my feet.

"Let me start a fire, relax a bit." Penelope takes the fireplace remote and presses a button. A flame grows from the logs.

"Piña, you want something?" Mia brings a bottle of vodka out the kitchen from the bar.

Penelope looks back and forth and puts up one finger. "Got that Island Rum Punch?"

Mia laughs. "Girl, I don't know how to make that. I do two liquids max. Orange juice and vodka, apple juice and bourbon, you know, like that."

"I'll have a water."

"I'll take a screwdriver." Penelope tells Mia.

"Be right up." Mia goes back into the kitchen to play bartender for the night.

***************************

2 Months Ago

Mid December (4 Months Pregnant)

I wake up early and jump in the shower to wash off last night. One good thing about being pregnant, no hangovers.

A shower well done, I dry off and wrap a plush oversized white towel around my body. On opening the bathroom door, all the steam escapes, leaving a foggy mirror and a golden doorknob that feels as if it's been sweating. The aroma of cooked food greets me as I enter our bedroom.

Phoenix lifts a silver cover and grabs a piece of turkey bacon off a plate. "Hmm." He sips a green vegetable juice and rubs his belly. "Got to get the stomach right."

I break a biscuit in half and spread peach compote on it. "Plans? What's the plan today?" I ask as I take a healthy bite.

Through chews and sips, Phoenix informs me, "We're shopping for the baby today. Let's get everything we need, we can buy it and have them ship it back. Crib, baby furniture, baby clothes the whole nine. Everything." He bends over and kisses my baby bump.

"Ohh, SLAP!" I jump up and down.

Phoenix rolls his eyes like a middle school girl, his hand lands on his hip. "Sounds like a plan." He teases.

"Really?" I ask, nostrils flared, holding back a smile.

"What?" He asks, his voice high-pitched and ultra-feminine.

"You think you're funny, don't you?" I laugh besides myself and leave to get dressed.

We get down to the lobby to find the hotel has set up a winter wonderland in time for Christmas. In the center of the lobby sits a giant gingerbread house, turned it into a high-end candy pop-up shop. Mia, Penelope and I go inside as the guys chop it up in the lobby.

"Grown or not, this place is so dope!" I turn, looking at all the candy stacked on shelves in clear, expensive-looking boxes.

"What I wouldn't do to have a place like this to go to back home."

"Right! I'd be in there every week." Penelope nods happily.

A woman dressed as an elf walks by with a tray filled with gummy samplers. "Welcome to Sugarfina, help yourself!" She offers us a sample. I take a peach Bellini flavored gummy high heel, Mia snags a sugar-coated heart gummy and Penelope gets a sugar-dusted pineapple gummy.

We stand there, in a circle, staring at each other like we're back in elementary school. Grins as wide as we can stand it. Each of us with a gummy in hand.

"To always having your back. I got you and you got me." I put up my pinky.

"Just like when we were kids." Mia looks at me then Penelope with a smile in her eyes. "I got you and you got me." Mia latches her pinky onto mine.

"I can't believe you guys are doing this here!" Penelope laughs. "I got you and you got me!" She hooks her pinky onto both of ours.

We eat the gummies at the same time. Peach flavor explodes in my mouth. "Whoa! I'm getting two big cubes of these!" I whip out my black card. "Courtesy of yours truly, ladies! Have at it!"

We commence to shopping, knowing there are no limits. When we're done, the pop-up shops staff stare at us as if we've lost it. Cubes of rose flavored rose gummies, peach bellini, champagne, apple pie, strawberry gelato, sugar pineapples, sugar lips, Piña colada gummies and more. Between the three of us, there are at least 60 cubes of gummies, if not more. We've blown hundreds of dollars on candy and our shopping excursion is just getting started.

I walk up to Phoenix in the lobby. "Hey you!"

"What were you doing in there, buying up the whole store? You look high." Phoenix has the strangest expression on his face as he tries to decipher me.

"I'm not. I'm—I'm not . . . high." I reply behind a fleeting smile.

He stares harder, looking into me.

I lean back. "OK," I gulp, "If—if I'm high . . . it's a sugar high," I confess. I open my bag to reveal my spoils. "A candy pop-up shop. Amazing, right? Gummies for grownups! Who would've thought? Right?"

Phoenix looks taken aback. "Glad you had fun?"

I nod, hooking my arm into his. "Oh yeah!"

"You sound like a crackhead. You know that, right?" He says slowly.

Instead of answering, I reach into my bag and grab a cube of peach Bellini gummies. "Taste this." I put a gummy to Phoenix's lips.

He bites. "Mmm!" He looks at me like I just gave him the best drugs of his life. He clears his throat. "These are good!" He smacks on the candy. "Good stuff." His eyes are as wide as mine.

"See?" I look into his eyes. "Pupils dilated and everything."

He snickers. "Gimme another one."

I shake my head.

Coats zipped to brace against the cold, we all wait outside for the valet guy to bring the truck. An electric blue Rolls Royce pulls up.

Phoenix wrinkles his nose. "Oh! That's nasty! Look at it!" He taps JC and Riz who look in the direction. Leon's eyes follow theirs.

Tyler Perry jumps out and tosses the valet his key fob, he walks right past us and smiles. There's an almost knowing twinkle in his eye, like he knows something we're becoming privy to.

Mia's mouth drops. Penelope jumps up and down.

"Girl! That's Tyler! That's Tyler Perry! I loudly whisper.

"I know, I know!" Penelope jumps. "Hi, Mr. Perry!"

Tyler looks back and smiles before walking through the revolving door.

Phoenix and JC look at each other and simultaneously declare, "Only in Atlanta!"

We all break out into excited chatter as we pile into the truck.

Phoenix sits across from me. "Give me another one of those," he asks with his hand out.

"Got you strung out." I pass him another peach Bellini high heel gummy.

"Where to?" Leon asks, looking through the rearview.

"Mike mentioned the Buckhead Village District. Let's start there." Phoenix replies.

"They've got baby shops there?" I ask.

Phoenix shrugs. "We'll see when we get there."

https://youtu.be/dhzxQCTCI3E

We arrive at a high-end shopping district. 'Tis the season, as the entire plaza is decorated with glowing string lights. Giant snowflake and Christmas ornaments accent the outdoor décor here and there. Huge images of high fashion models wearing the latest Dior, Hermés and Louboutin grace the oversized floor to ceiling windows of the shops.

Leon valets the truck and we all get out looking rather dapper in our crisp winter gear. Phoenix is wearing dark jeans, a black parka jacket and black sporty timberland boots. Riz sports an olive-green puffer jacket with fur hood, jeans and brown boots. JC wears a black peacoat, jeans and casual boots. Leon of course, wears an all-black down coat, black jeans and black boots. Mia looks svelte in her red down coat, jeans and black doc martins. Penelope sports a tan peacoat, light wash jeans and tan ankle boots. I love my new black thigh high boots, pairing them with medium wash jeans, a black fitted sweater and black peacoat.

We peruse the shops going in and out, buying little things here and there. Perfume at Hermes. Scarves at Moncler. Shoes at Jimmy Choo.

As we're leaving Dior, a preppy store clerks holds the door open for us. "You can find our baby selection online. We don't carry those items in store."

"OK, thank you." I step outside and glance at Phoenix. "That was a bust." Cold, but still bright and sunny outside, classic Christmas music plays overhead.

Phoenix takes my hand into his and wraps his other hand around my waist as he whisks me off, singing, "Chestnuts roasting by the open fire . . . "

Laughing, more from being startled than anything else, I stop fighting and accept his off the wall, impromptu invitation to pretend we're somewhere other than outside an exclusive boutique dancing in front of everyone on the sidewalk. Leaning my head back like a kid being pushed on a swing, I soak in the moment. The sky is a clear, cloudless blue.

Mia and Penelope stare at us and giggle as we waltz. The guys moan.

"Get a room!" Riz yells through his hands like a megaphone.

Phoenix ignores them.

The guys groan. "Come on, man!"

Phoenix laughs.

Suddenly, Penelope elbows Mia. "Hey, is that?" She looks to Mia for confirmation.

Mia gets excited. "That's Donald Glover! Oh! I love Atlanta! That show is lit."

"It's weird but so good, right!" Penelope jumps up and down.

I whip out my iPhone and snag a selfie with Donald in the background.

Donald sees us and salutes as he jumps into a red, supped-up, knobby tire jeep and takes off.

"Can you believe it?" Penelope asks, mouth wide, her hands cradling her face. "I love this place."

"That's a cool dude." Riz puts his arm around Mia's shoulders. "Shopping where we shopping. Only in Atlanta."

"Only in Atlanta," JC echoes putting his hands in his pockets.

"Only in Atlanta." Phoenix wraps his arms around me from behind and we walk in sync. He leans in, giving me a peck on the cheek.

"Mmm. Do you smell that?" I inhale.

"Smells amazing." Penelope's stomach makes a weird gurgling noise.

Mia laughs. "Someone's hungry! Not hungry. Hongry!" She emphasizes.

We follow a delicious aroma, eventually arriving at the door of a fine Italian restaurant.

"I think we found lunch. My belly is doing the happy dance right about now." I laugh.

Phoenix's phone ring. "Let me take this," he tells me before stepping away.

I huff. 

Prolly that bitch, Nora.

"Let's see if there's a wait." Lifting my head high, I exhale, open the door and go inside. 

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Until Next time. Please remember to tap that STAR! Muah!