Laila POV

She was so glad she did not run away from Alonzo after he told her about his past with his ex and his children. That made him even a better guy, fighting for his children.

"I know we're still getting to know each other Alonzo, but I want to be here for you through this."

"That means a lot, Laila." He pulled her in his arms for a hug while she hung out at his place, lounging on his sofa, the television on but muted. "I didn't think I would ever find someone that would accept me with all of my baggage. My sons mean the world to me."

"As they should."

"That's why I wanted to come back, get my Master's Degree, get a better job so I can take care of my sons. Between my job at the Tech Center and my grad assistant stipend, I need the judge to see I make enough to support them, in my care. I have the space for them in my house. They can share a room. My mom is nearby to watch them when I have classes. My frat brothers will step in and help."

"I'll step in too...if you need me." Why did she even say that? Would she? Well, it was watching kids which she did a lot with her younger brothers and sister.

Alonzo smiled and planted a kiss on her lips. "I wouldn't ask you to do that. You're young, you have school and now pledging and soon being in your sorority. You should enjoy that like any other college person."

"I can still do that and babysit Alonzo. I just want you to know you're not in this alone. Two of my Big Sisters have kids. Lark is a single parent, in the MAX house and you know they all help her out. Anika, my Dean of Pledges, just got married so she has her husband, but they both are students. Everyone pitches in."

Alonzo nodded. "Let me get them here first, and we shall see."

Maybe she overstepped her boundaries by volunteering to watch his kids and they were not even that serious in their relationship. Sure, she spent every free time she had with him, and now she felt like she knew him well, but there was still much more they had to do in their relationship. What if he lost interest in her soon?

There was no need to get to know his sons if she was not in it for the long haul.

She never meant to be the type of girl that went from one guy to the next guy. Before Manny, there was no other guy. He was her first boyfriend. She fell in love with him and thought that was it, all she would ever need. If he did not turn out to be a jerk, maybe he would have.

Alonzo was right about one thing. There was school, the BSU, her other organizations, and now MAX. There was so much going on in her life. Now they were practicing for their probate and that meant the end was near.

Would things change once she became a MAX?

"Alonzo, I know you've said you're nothing like my ex, and I believe that, but I still have my guard up when it comes to that."

"I know, I can tell." He rubbed her arm. "All I can do is continue to prove to you not all guys are like that. I never was. I never needed to sleep around. If I was with someone I was with them. I've never slept around like that. I've only been with Brittany, my son's mother, and two other girls."

Considering his age of twenty-three and the fact that he was in a fraternity known to be dogs, that was saying a lot. Guys always wanted girls with low body counts but did not have one-handed counts themselves. The double standard was sickening. She wouldn't have cared if Alonzo was in triple digits as long as he always protected himself and didn't add bodies while they were together.

"Just my ex for me."

"Then let me ask you something." He reached over to grab her hand in his. "Will you be my lady? I don't think I formally asked you and I'm a little old-fashioned with that."

She laughed at him. "That's so cute. Of course, Alonzo."

"I'm a lot to handle, you know."

"I know."

He rubbed her cheeks with his other hand. "I'll treat you right and go however fast or slow you wanta go in the relationship."

He meant sex. Just the thought of sex with Alonzo sparked a fire within her. Alonzo was sexy as hell to her. Dark ebony brown skin, gorgeous face, nice body, tall, just everything she wanted in a guy. Of course, she wanted to do all the things with the man. Somehow she knew he was great at all the freaky things.

But she shook those thoughts from her head. Jumping into bed so easily with Manny might have been her problem.

"I get what you're saying Alonzo, and I wouldn't want you to wait forever, but I like how things are. These early stages of a relationship are critical." Even though this felt like she was pushing him away by saying no sex yet. "I hope that's okay if we wait."

"I just said, however slow you want to go. I'm not going anywhere."

"You could find some other girl that wants to hop right into bed with you."

"I don't like girls. I have my woman." He planted another kiss on her, and with that, she wanted to drag him into the bedroom and jump his bones, but she maintained her cool.

They ordered food because neither wanted to cook, then unmuted the television and watched Netflix and not chill. Well, chill in the sense they enjoyed the movie, not chill like they were doing anything else. They talked a bit more about their childhood. How Alonzo hated being an only child and wanted a big family because of that.

She told him about growing up with a lot of siblings, being under the poverty line, and having to fight to attend college. Making it out of the hood was a big deal. Making it to college was already a feat. When she graduated and earned her degree, she would be the first in her family going back several generations.

Her mother or stepfather never pushed college on them. She and Marketta decided to go because they did not want to end up poor and in the hood like many of their neighbors around them. They made it out and there was no going back for her.

"So you want a big family like yours or-"

"Hmmm. I never really thought about it." Settling down and having kids was the furthest thing on her mind. She needed to focus and finish college first. "I guess if I meet the right guy, marriage and a kid or two would not be so bad. Not like five like my mom. No way."

"I think you've found the right guy, baby."

That only made her smile.

A/N: The story of Alonzo and my line sister...I hadn't talked to her in about fifteen years until last night. I learned some new things about these so I was inspired to build their relationship more. Twenty-eight years together, four sons (she adopted his first two), and adopted her nephew. So she raised five boys!