"Is that my dress?" Safiya asked pulling herself on top of Trevor's bed. She kicked off her shoes and sighed as she propped her back against the mound of pillows.

        "No." Alyssa retorted moving away from the bathroom door. She smoothed her hands down the pockets of the dress. "Why would you care..." Her eyes flicked over Safiya's baby bump. "You can't fit it."

       "Burn." Lela mocked falling onto the bed. "You got any more insults you want to throw at us." She swiped her finger across the frosted cupcake; swinging her legs as she sucked the icing off her finger.

      Alyssa tsked walking over to the dresser. "I'm pretty sure I got it all out last time." She combed her hands through her hair looking at them in the mirror.

         "I'm not going to sugar coating it." Harmony cleared her throat as she popped out of the leather chair in the corner. "Its time for you to come home."

       "Who says?" Alyssa stopped tracing the darkening skin under her eyes. "You." She faced Harmony.

      Harmony held her waist, "Yes—"

     "We all do." Lela looked up from the cupcake balancing in the palm of her hand.

      "We miss you." Safiya gagged. "Those words didn't taste right coming out of my mouth." She rested her hand on her belly. "I mean...the place is looking rather ratchet without your weekly cleaning schedule."

      "Well, everybody's room but Lee's." Safiya tucked her feet under Lela's side seeking warmth.

      "That's probably 'cause she's never there." Harmony raised one arched eyebrow.

      "I do come home." Lela pulled off a chunk of the cupcake. "Sometimes."

      "Just make sure you swallow your pill." Safiya chimed rubbing her hands up and down the sides of her stomach. "Or make 'em use a condom."

      Alyssa dropped her head and Harmony saw it, "Laurent hates Wes." She gripped her waist a little tighter.

      "I hate Wes." Alyssa declared feeling the vibration of the music downstairs throbbing under her feet. "Who doesn't?"

       "You guys like him." Harmony shifted toward the bed but Safiya and Lela didn't give her eye contact. "Come on.... he is—"

       Lela crumbled up the cupcake wrapper, "He is what?" She sat up. "Possessive."

      "Jealous," Safiya added.

      "A bore." Alyssa quipped slipping her hands in the pockets of her dress. "Face it he's a loser."

       Safiya readjusted to flattening pillows behind her back, "Why are you even with him?"

       Harmony gave them a half shrug, "My dad likes him. Sam likes. His mom and my mom are friends..."

       Alyssa leaned against the dresser, "So...you're dating him 'cause your family likes 'em."

    "Basically." Lela scratched at her temple. "I think that's a bullshit reason to be with someone."

      Harmony collapsed on the bed with a huff. "Y'all know my dad hates Cairo."

       "That would be a problem..." Alyssa spoke. "If Mr. Monroe was the one hooking up with Cairo."

      "Eh!" Safiya cringed rubbing at her eyes. "Visual image I didn't need."

       Harmony chuckled sliding off the bed and sinking on the floor. "I can't. Not now." She stretched out her legs. The cold wood floor caused shivers to her bare legs. "There's enough drama in my family as is."

      "I want him." Safiya breathed out. "I want him so bad...it hurts." She looked up at the ceiling trying to hold in the tears.

        Lela whipped her head around. "Who?" She gawked at Safiya with wide eyes.

        Safiya carefully wiped her eyes making sure not to smudge her eyeliner. She lowered her face but didn't make eye contact with them. "Carter."

       "You can't have 'em." Lela protested sitting on her haunches. "He's married."

      Harmony pushed herself off the floor, "She knows that." She draped her arm around Safiya letting her sorrow-ridden friend rest on her shoulder. "She knows."

       The soothing strokes of Harmony's hand across Safiya's back made her say more, "I...saw him today."

       "What for?" Alyssa questioned leaning against the bed.

       "He brought her a crib." Safiya couldn't hold it back. She let the tear roll down her face. "He practically dared me to call his wife."

      "You can't do that!" Lela's shook her head with vigor.

      Safiya pulled away from Harmony. "I'm not." She wiped the moisture from her face. "It just hurts—" She sniffed.

      "Fucking dudes." Alyssa's nose flared "Sometimes I just hate 'em."

       Lela pulled her braids over her shoulder, "Sometimes...we love 'em, too." She subtly smiled.

       Safiya sniffed again as she dabbed her eyes. "Grace, Autumn, and Brooke. Those are the names they gave me." She pointed to Harmony and Lela. She looked straight at Alyssa. "What do you think I should name my baby girl?"

      Alyssa stood up straight. She leered at Safiya's swollen belly as if she could see the baby sleeping like a lamb. "Ameera." She rested her hand on her collarbone feeling the throbbing of her heart. "I read it in a book once." Alyssa's eyes began to gleam. "She wasn't a queen or a princess. She was a warrior.... and that's what I think we all need to be."

    "Oh my God!" Lela dropped her head in her hands. "This bitch is gonna make me cry.