I'm sorry,
What more can I say for you to come back home.
I was wrong,
You know I love you and I did you wrong.
I know better,
Never, ever will I doubt you, my love.
For real,
Come back home to me, come back home.

It had been a few days, and Kitty was still not ready to face Icee. He continued to leave multiple voice messages and texts and singing her songs every night. He was even writing new songs, dedicated to her and Iceejay. Though they were lovely and made her smile, it was not enough. She spent her days lounging around doing nothing, not even work. She officially took a leave from work, which she had planned on doing in two weeks anyway.

She left Randi in charge with whatever loose ends needed to be tied up. The rest of her staff was very helpful as well. Most days she was all alone. Brandy and Monica started back to school, Victor worked, and Sarena was still spending her days getting her house ready for move-in.

Her house. Their house. The house she built for her and Icee. And IceeJay. And any future children they would have.

Did she even have a future with Icee anymore?

"Hey Auntie," Brandy said, walking in through the back door, tossing her backpack on the floor.

The girl was way taller than her at only thirteen. She for sure was going to be a model. Already five feet eight inches tall. Sarena was only five feet six. Victor was six feet eleven inches. Brandy was sure to hit six feet before she was done growing.

"Hey Bran Bran," she said.

"Don't call me that Auntie," she said hugging her while she stood by the countertop eating banana icecream that Marcello dropped off for her. He was dropping off plenty of meals for her because she did not want to be a burden to Sarena having her make her something special.

"You'll always be Bran Bran to me, no matter how tall you get."

"Ugh! What is that? It stinks," she said, looking in the refrigerator.

"It's just bananas silly."

"Just bananas stinks to me," she said, grabbing a bottle of water. "Mom not home?"

"Not yet. What are you up to? Homework."

"Na, but I need to ask her if I can go out for the basketball team this year."

"Basketball. Ugh!" No one in their family was athletic. Not counting taking years of boxing and martial arts from Victor, none of them played sports. Victor played football and basketball back in high school.

"I might as well do something with this height, huh. I get teased about my skinny legs and being taller than most of my teachers," she said, sitting at the table. "Kids are stupid. Like I can help being tall. Like I can stop my growth. Lames."

She chuckled at her niece. She had no worries that bullies would get the best of her. She was a Kelly for sure, but she was more of a St. James, so they knew not to fuck with her.

"I thought you said you would be my babysitter when IceeJay is born?"

She shook her head. "I said auntie...because you're getting old and can't hear well...that I would babysit him sometimes."

"Ooo girl, you're lucky I'm pregnant, or I would get you good for that smart little mouth."

Brandy jumped up and gave her another hug. "Sorry, Auntie. You're the best. My favorite. Shhh, don't tell anyone else."

She ran off just as Sarena entered through the back door with Monica.

"Hey, Auntie."

"Hey, little Miss Fashionista!" She looked her little niece over as she modeled her new school outfit for her. She was very picky about her clothes and put together her outfits in weird ways that her mother didn't like, but she let her just be.

"Go get a snack and then go do your homework," Sarena said to her.

Monica came to hug her. "I like having you here Auntie, stay with us forever! Then I can have a little brother."

Sarena rolled her eyes at her but watched her get a pack of peanut butter crackers and a bottle of juice before heading off.

"Why does my child act like she's not my child. She's like a combo Ashley and Tennille, and I don't like it."

"Well, least she looks like you, there is no denying your genes in both of them."

"So, guess what? The house is ready," Sarena said, holding out keys to her. "Ready to move in today."

"Sooo...you're trying to put me out?"

"Bitch, you spent how many millions building that castle, you better live in it!"

"I know but-"

"And no, I'm not putting you out. You can stay here as long as you need, but you need to talk to your husband and stop ignoring him. How many times you gonna make the man apologize to you? Damn! I know you're stubborn and shit, but have mercy on the man."

"You were just gonna shoot him a couple of days ago, now you're on his side?"

Sarena chuckled. "I really wasn't going to blast your baby daddy. I ain't even take the safety off."

"You pull a gun, you use a gun, ain't that what your husband taught us?"

"What I teach y'all," Victor said, coming into the kitchen. How did a big ass dude like him sneak into the house without making a peep?

"Naa, we just talking about her lil situation with her husband."

Victor pulled Sarena in his arms and kissed her. And it was not a little, "Hi, honey I'm home" kiss, they were really going at it. In front of her. Like she was not there. She cleared her throat, but that did not stop them. She cleared her throat louder. Sarena finally pulled away from Victor, wiping the corners of her mouth with a smile.

"So neither one of y'all see me right here?"

"You in my house sis," Victor said. "And I miss my wife and I like to show her how much."

"Yeah baby, I'll show you how much later tonight," Sarena said, and squeezed his butt.

"Ugh!" Kitty said and walked away. "I'll leave you two alone."

"Don't walk away sis," Victor said following her. "Tell me what's up with you and Icee?"

Kitty sat in Victor's favorite Lazy-Boy chair which he let her sit in since staying there. It was heated and massaged. She fell asleep in it many times. She pressed the massager on and reclined it. Victor came and put a blanket over her. Sarena was still in the kitchen, probably preparing dinner.

"Nothing to talk about with Icee."

"You ain't gonna ever forgive him?"

"I ain't say that. I just...need more time to process."

Victor sat on the couch and flicked on the TV. "I just think y'all need to talk the shit out. Misunderstanding. Hell, you two ain't got to know each other well in less than two damn years, now you're married with a baby on the way. Me and your sis knew each other what...five years before we got married."

"That's a whole different situation Vic, don't come with me with that. She was thirteen and you were fifteen. How is this the same? Anyway, I do know Icee well. And I thought he knew me well. Guess I found out we don't know each other so well."

"You know I'm on your side kid. But damn, you're about to have his son. You gotta make the decision if you're going to be with the man so he can take care of you and his baby. You still wearing that ring, so you ain't thinking of leaving his ass, right?"

"No! I don't want that," she said, looking down at her ring. "I love him. Nothing changed in how I feel."

"Then go back to your husband. Work that shit out."

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

Not seeing Kitty every day was driving him crazy. She would not even reply to his messages. He felt so lost, but he continued sending her messages on a daily. Besides taking care of Tennille, he spent most of his time writing more songs for Kitty. He knew they were his special way to tell her how he felt.

Tennille helped him with some of the songs. She said he was sounding so desperate and begging. He was those things. Tennille felt like he should just stick with being romantic and loving.

"I want to say whatever the fuck I need to say to get her to come home. Period."

"You ain't gotta sound like a broken record. Please, baby, please! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please baby please, come back Kitty, come back!" Tennille said, mocking his singing. "Like, where they do that at? Sound like them old school cats that begged and called that singing."

"Did you just diss all the 90s music?"

"I'm just saying, you can still make good music and express how you feel."

Icee looked around to see who she was talking about. Last he knew, he had a number one album that he one hundred percent wrote himself, while she had an album that was one hundred percent written by other people.

"When you write a hit record lil sis?"

"I mean, I ain't gotta write a song to know when a song good. Bro, get out your head and write Kitty a great song that will bring her ass back to you."

A song was not going to bring Kitty back, but he would try. He worked all day on a song for Kitty and spent all night getting it just right as he recorded it. Soon as he got it perfect, he hit send and sent it to her, crossing his fingers that this song would do the trick.

A/N: So y'all know they about to get back together, right? Kitty out of her feelings, Icee is doing all he can. Least we're getting more songs out of it...I was having no feels for songs.

What next? It's baby time!