It was Friday. Shaneil was going on that trip to the Grand Cannon, she left 7 a.m. sharp and she was happy to be going on this trip, I could tell.

They picked her up in front of our apartment building and she was all smiles and kisses before she went on the bus. I waved goodbye as she went on and that was the last time I saw her.

Now, I was at home all alone. It was hard for me to let go of my baby but I had to. She needed to discover the world little by little, she needed to become independent: be by herself and still stay strong. God, I was acting like she was going away for months. It was just one day Shania, calm down.

I pushed all my worries to the back of my mind. I had something to do today that need to be done. I pulled myself into the bathroom, took a long warm bath and clothed myself. I threw on a black t-shirt with 'Bitch I Don't Play' written in pink cursive and a blue jeans shorts, the ends trashy.

I pulled on my strapped pink slippers and did my hair in a high ponytail. I went to the left drawer on my dresser and pulled it out. I grabbed a few letters, the ring and my keys.

I ran out of my apartment, down the stairs, out the lobby and into my Blue Bird. I placed my bag on the passenger seat and began to look at the letters for an address.

When I got it, I pushed in the keys, pressed the gas and sped off. I pulled up at a two-story house, stepped out of my car and walked up to it, my bag clutched against my side.

The house was made of red bricks, it had five windows and a grey roof. The lawn was cut low, there was a cherry tree at the front, a paved path and a shack at the back of the house.

I walked up to the wooden door and knocked.

A minute later a shirtless Daniel came into view with a towel over his left shoulder. I gulped as my eyes ran down his well chiselled abs, and down to his V line covered by black sweatpants.

He looked like a shiny, caramel man in the chocolate city.

Shan, snap out of it! You have a job to do, focus... I urged myself.

"Nia," he said teasingly.

"Huh?"

"Close your mouth, you'll catch a fly," he smirked.

I closed my mouth and glared at him. I pushed past him and walked into the chocolate room.

"We need to talk," I said firmly.

He was about to answer when a female's voice cut him off. "Jack, the room's okay now."

She came down the wooden stairs and walked over to him.

The room's okay now? Jack?

What is that blonde skinny piece of thread doing here? In Daniel's room... She has five minutes to get out before I snap her like a twig.

I glared at her and Daniel must have seen it because he said. "Rhonda. We'll finish this later."

"But, we have so much to do," she groaned, holding his arm.

"Perdonme, perra... Levantate y sale esta casa!" I said to her angrily.

"Perdonme?" she asked her blue eyes staring at me. She had an offended look on her face.

"Sale mi esposo, va a la puerta y sale aqui, ahora! Or I'll snap you like a twig! Leave."

Rhonda and Daniel looked at me shocked.

"You're still here?!" I asked raising a brow, crossing my hands over my chest.

As fast as she came she left, in that skin-tight, grey pencil dress.

I leaned on the cream sofa in the hall and watched as Daniel walked her out. I looked at the place, most of the things were still in plastic. He had a flatscreen TV, a bookshelf, the typical livingroom furniture and a white ceiling fan.

I looked up as the door was closed only to see him staring at me.

"Where were you last Saturday morning between 1 and 3 a.m.?" I asked getting straight to business.

"You know she was just my landlord right?" he said as he leaned on the wall in front of me.

"Wow, screwing your landlord for rent... You've stooped low Jack. Now answer my question," I replied.

"We weren't doing anything. There was a broken floorboard in my room and she happened to be a carpenter's daughter so, I called her to help fix it."

"Wow... so your hands were left in your mother? Cause obviously you couldn't do it and she came to fix a broken board in a pencil dress?" I argued.

"She was on her way to work and I needed new wood to fix it-"

"You know what I don't want to know, just answer my question," I interrupted. Yeah, you were fixing a wood somewhere but it wasn't the floor.

He walked over to me and stopped halfway.

"I was at your house," Daniel replied honestly.

I stared at him shocked.

"What you expected me to tell a lie? I'm done with that Shania. I am," he continued. "Lying was what got me into this problem so I'm going to stop."

"Why?" I asked bewildered.

"Shaneil... I had to see her."

"What makes you think you can come break into my house to see my daughter?! You have no right!" I shouted.

"Shania I-"

"You weren't there for us, so stay away from-!"

"SHUT UP!" Daniel yelled.

My mouth snapped shut.

"Gosh, do you have any idea what I did for you? Huh?" he asked his facial expression looking pissed off.

"After you were kidnapped. I reached out to that bastard for you, I offered him more than enough money to compensate but he wanted to get his claws into my business, to smuggle drugs. That would have given him power, power over the state and that wouldn't help anyone... I was relunctant at first because I was confident I could find you on the nineth month I had a break through. Someone knew about your location and again I denied Giovanni's deal. Who knows what he would have done to us if he got exactly what he wanted. He could kill me and the baby and torture you day after day..."

"...but he did everyday for the last two years because you never came for us!" I said as the pain of those days resurface.

" I know, and I am so sorry. I thought this was it this was when I was going to find you..." he pleaded yet keeping a safe distance away from me, I was thankful for it.

"I decided to meet with a guy who said he had info on your where-a-bouts. I needed to find out where you were I didn't know how long they would keep you alive so I had to work fast. Not one minute after I stepped out of my car that evening, a bullet went through my chest," he pulled the towel away from his chest and showed me the stitches. I gasped.

"My driver pulled me in and drove off to the hospital before I bled to death. The bullet was just an inch above my heart, a little lower and I would have been dead. After two weeks in the hospital under high security, I decided to fake my death. Marcus and Dillon helping me. We tampered with the machine and it gave a dead beat, they also gave me a drug to slow my heart rate for a while so they'd thinkI was dead..." I looked at him my hands over my mouth and my eyes becoming blurry.

"They rolled me out after I was pronounced dead, gave me a new identity, car, clothes and money. I laid low for a while trying to get info on your whereabouts, until I got wind that you escaped from them, I followed you to California but when I came there you were gone. I heard you went to Las Vegas but before I got there I heard that someone spotted me in Cali and told Giovanni," he sighed

"He placed a bounty on my head. I had to hide out for a while, when I finally reached Las Vegas I heard you were gone. I followed you for 10 years, Shania. When I found out you were here, I was so happy but when I came to you– you shut me out. You said you didn't want me or need me and it hurt me. I followed you for 10 fucking years just to be rejected when all I did was try to save you."

His eyes became watery and he looked at me hurt. I felt the tears flood my eyes and crash down my cheeks. I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around him.

He searched for us, he did. He was almost killed because of it. He risked his life for us, he did care. I understood his reason for not accepting Giovanni's deal. Giovanni was smart, he would have killed Daniel as soon as he signed and my baby and I would be his forever. Shaniel would have lost her dad forever and she would have been brought up in that lifestyle.

"Nia, I-I'm so s-sorry," he stuttered as his hands wrapped around my waist.

"I-It's okay... I-I'm sorry too," I cried in his chest and we stayed this way.

After a while I pulled my head away from his chest, I looked in his eyes filled with love, sorrow, hurt, pain, they looked broken. I couldn't help but, wipe away his tears. He smiled at me and I smiled back.

He leaned down and placed his lips onto mine in a passionate kiss.

I loved the feeling I got... I loved him with his problems... always and forever... my Danny boo...